Busy few days, ahhhhh

[quote=@Gisk]Newton's Fourth Law explains that in a given magical system, the energy applied in its effect will be equal to or less than the energy supplied to the system. There is complicated math to describe the loss of energy through inefficiencies in the spellcasting.[/quote]

OT a bit, but if you want to use real-world scientific principles, this is the first law of thermodynamics ("The energy of a closed system remains constant").

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Building off kalanggam's college town staples, here're a few more things that could be fun or cool to explore. I love the idea of mysteries around the campus and town and that's definitely a factor in my picks here!

[list]
[*] A comic and game shop, because what college town isn't prepared to cater to a geeky audience?
[*] An independent brewery, the sort of place frequented by quirky people and hipsters.
[*] An orchard off to the edge of town, run by a family who's been in the area for generations. They have money, but not as much as they used to.
[*] An underground weed den. It might operate under any of those places.
[*] A quirky local band or seven. [list]
    [*] A record store where you can pick up their music.
    [/list]
[*] A forested area on the edge of town. It's largely untouched, aside from the odd hiking trail and a few campsites. Urban legends claim there's a monster in the lake, but no one's managed to get it on camera.
[*] An abandoned quarry or mine.
[/list]

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[quote=@Expendable]Okay, magical alternate world scenario. What is the level of technology in this world? Keep in mind that most of the things in our lives were created out of need - ships, planes, cars, etc. [b]Who needs electricity if you have magic?[/b][/quote]

I know this was a rhetorical question, but I don't think it should be. "Magic as technology" is one approach, and many well-respected stories use it, but it's not the only way, and I don't think it's the approach [@Gisk] wants to take. As long as magic requires a witch, it will never replace electricity - no one's going to contract a witch every time they want to put the kettle on. To be clear, I'm not trying to argue for the superiority of either approach; I'm just not sure we're collectively on the same page about what sort of story we're trying to tell here.

Gisk, am I correct in understanding that you see the setting here as more or less like the real world?

e: Like, that's the vibe I get from things like this:

[quote=@kalanggam]Barring the fact of course that this is all up to Gisk, I also like these ideas. Fantasy being interwoven with daily life in a mundane way. Small-town mysteries, local incidents and scandals, petty social drama - rather than the grandiose adventures and magnanimous ambitions we're accustomed to from traditional fantasy.[/quote]