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Mages can use runes to

  • Transfer over distance and transform easily between different types of energies (heat, kinetic, electrical, etc and magical energy)
  • Store raw analogue signals or accurately quantize them
  • Build circuits that function similar to digital circuits (e.g with logic gates). Furthermore magical circuits cannot degrade, meaning information is stored perfectly and indefinitely unless the circuit is destroyed.

I would like to know more about the advantages of this kind of runic magic system over real life electronics and digital computers. Furthermore I want some suggestions on how to improve it. My goal is to have a magic system that can be used to build complex computers and machineries while removing many limitations that real life counterparts that utilize electronic circuits have.

Edit: I was expecting some answers that give some insights into the limitations of current digital circuits, hence the science tag. I did lookup certain flaws and some of them are equipment degradation that causes signal quantization to be binary instead of multiple discrete values (and it's also simpler). Overall as I am not an expert I so my understanding might be flaw therefore I asked for some advices and suggestions but it seems it gave the impression that I want others to build my magic system for me. I admit I might have done kind of bad job formulating my questions so I'm gonna do some more research and ask better questions in the future.

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    $\begingroup$ Welcome to worldbuilding, in our help center you can find more information on our community. Can you provide more info on your system? Does a single run act as a single element of an IC (e.g. a transistor), and if so which are the smallest sizes mages can handle, or does it replace the whole IC? How are they powered? $\endgroup$
    – L.Dutch ♦
    Commented Jan 3, 2022 at 4:26
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    $\begingroup$ I feel this is really hard to answer, since magic works however you the creator say it works. For example, why wouldn't runes degrade? Are all runes inherently protected from fading, or is it common practice to cast another spell upon the rune to make it permanent? How "hard" magic is your system? You specifically compared to circuits, can runes remain effective when carved at actual silicon circuit sizes which requires a microscope to see? Are machine-etched runes still magically effective? In what way is information actually stored? Does magic operate on a binary system? where to begin... $\endgroup$
    – user93359
    Commented Jan 3, 2022 at 4:27
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    $\begingroup$ Um, it's magic. Handwave, and say, "because of the micro-runic circuits." Because magic. $\endgroup$
    – DWKraus
    Commented Jan 3, 2022 at 4:41
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    $\begingroup$ @DWKraus I think he wants to design a hard magic system with clearly established rules as opposed to soft magic systems (it just works!) However, the way the question is phrased it seems more like he's soliciting someone to build his magic system for him rather than seeking specific solution to a specific problem. $\endgroup$
    – user93359
    Commented Jan 3, 2022 at 4:46
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    $\begingroup$ First, “cannot degrade” and can be “destroyed” contradict each other. Second, it seems you just want us to assume a lot about your magic system, which can lead to not so good answers. $\endgroup$
    – Topcode
    Commented Jan 3, 2022 at 5:53

4 Answers 4

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The biggest advantage I can see would definitely be...

Critical Infrastructure Uptime

The runes not experiencing degradation other than actual destruction is a MAJOR benefit when applied to things that need to be always on. There are a great many computers still running really old versions of Windows that run critical operations (and must never be off to be upgraded) that will one day blue screen and never turn on again.

Nuclear Power Plants, Military infrastructure, Museums, (my favorite gaming servers). These are all things that would benefit from 100% uptime with no degradation in quality. It has nothing to do with magic being better but more to do with lack of degradation from use and relative lack of maintenance costs.

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"I was expecting some answers" some answers take time

what would magic add.. I can think of..

For hobby electronics, it would be great

Developing electronics - in the classic way - involves drawing a circuit diagram, order components, devise a printed circuit board and solder things together. Then test it and modify it. When I did that as a hobby, it would most times result in something that did NOT work at first. Most times, I would find errors in the circuit board design first. I had to unsolder the parts from the circuit board, make a new one and solder things in again. For 2-3 iterations of development, it easily cost me the entire weekend, to get my thingy run properly.

With the help of some magic, this would all be done in a snap.. and with no costs.

Professional devices should be documented and integrated in a controlled way

In a professional context, involving digital circuitry, your magic method would result in people asking questions about your work you cannot answer. That is very inconvenient.. even when you built something that works, the component is to be integrated too.. and when you did that magically, your "trick" would be seen as an uncertified change in the equipment, because you can't accurately describe it. In times of hobby and free time, these shortcomings are no issue. In the professional world it is reason to reject your device.. and when you've integrated it into expensive equipment already.. you better know how to restore it again. Else you'll be fired !

Magic in production

When you know what a standalone component should do, when you designed it manually and documented the diagram, you've create a magic version that resembles it sufficiently.. and when you tested it, maybe it would be a good idea to describe your magic method, to turn it into a "Standard Operating Procedure" for the production floor people. When magic is reproducable, it could be very valuable in production of standalone components.

But again.. also in the easy, standalone component case.. there is no magic component from scratch, you'll have to design it properly, calculate it (in case of digital circuits: provide proof) before you can go apply/sell it. Electronic products have datasheets, your magic can't provide those.. and your magic can't do the testing and the calibration. It assembles things.

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  1. Do you need a multi-billion dollar foundries and extensive global supply chains to build these magic rune circuits?
  2. Do they require power? Batteries?

Because if they don't, that would displace electronics even if your magic rune circuits were virtually identical in every other way.

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Does your magic use intuition? There may be reasoning steps that computers cannot perform, because they use strict rules of logic, that a magical circuit could provide because of intuition.

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