The term, most likely coined by science-fiction author K.W.Jeter,
refers to an artistic sub-genre which typically features settings inspired by
the industrialized western civilization of the 19th century, particularly the
British Victorian era or the American Wild West. Examples of this include Fritz
Lang's 1927 film "Metropolis"[24]
(perhaps the oldest example of this genre in film, and which precedes the invention
of the word "Steampunk"), Alan Moore's comic book series "The
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", illustrated by Kevin O'Neill[25],
publication for which began in 1999, or the video-game "Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura"
(2001), by Troika Games and Sierra Entertainment[26].
The steam-powered
and related devices of this sub-genre generally fit well into fantasy settings,
including the one I created for my project, due to their anachronistic or
retro-futuristic nature and appearance. But to ensure a good integration, and
to personalize the "style" of Steampunk for my project, I decided to
add an intentional limitation to the metal-rich construction of team's
technology: no metals or alloys discovered during or after the iron age were to
be used, limiting myself to the use of copper, brass, bronze or similar alloys.
This decision was
also instrumental in selecting the team's identifying colour, the yellowish hue
of brass serving well for this purpose.