The Technology & World of Hellgate: London

GameSpy has released two more features for Flagship Studios' Hellgate: London, one that explores the world the RPG is based in and another that details the technology behind it. A snip from the former:
Normal weapons can't harm demons, but magical spells and wards can, and there's no reason such spells can't be delivered via specialized shotgun or rocket launchers. The weapons and armor in Hellgate: London are a mix of archaic runes and magical spells with modern technology. For instance, flamethrowers will throw Greek Fire, an ancient recipe long since abandoned but particularly useful against demons.

This crazy blend of arcane and modern is what keeps the "safe zones" in the game safe. Every stop on the underground that hasn't been overrun with demons is protected by a "power core" -- a sort of mystical field generator -- that the Freemasons put in place when the station was built. These power cores are pretty touchy and each one is unique. Like the warp drive of a starship, they require constant maintenance by "Techsmiths" -- masters of mixing the arcane arts with modern technology to fight the demons. Some of the older power cores have obscure Victorian valves and steampunk-style mechanisms that require constant care lest the Demons overrun the station.