Common tech, Potential tech and Future tech

[DaveChase]

Just an idea that I have been kicking around for over a year.

With all the talks about Tech levels and equipment I have been wanting to label/create equipment that would be considered Ctech, Ptech and Ftech.

example

gravity control is viable at x tech
so what common items would be availble at the first x tech level
what items would be common at x level +1, +2 or +3

when would a gravity transfer hose be common tech?
(a gravity hose is a hose that acts like a pump and hose together, much more flexible and portable than the old pump and hose and such)

Potential tech would be like things that Sci Fiction would write about it
Future tech would be things that are going to be but have not been created or are in prototype stage.

I will probably be out of touch for another 3 weeks or so with Primary Elections and Hay harvesting But I will come back to this again before the year is out.

Dave Chase

 

[Gadrin]

For which version of Traveller ?

CT has the technology tables where THINGAMAJIG is brought in a TL-X and so on.

It might be just extrapolating when the main technology is introduced and how far down the road the item you're describing comes into play.

GURPS has some serious differences with other versions of Traveller, for instance their NAS comes in a the very last TL... GURPS TL-12 = TTL-15 while IIRC T4 has the NAS around TTL-12. NAS = Neural Activity Sensor BTW.

I rather liked the Flashy Thing™ from MIB and was strolling thru the GURPS First In book which has their Technology Progression Tables in the back and found that around GURPS TL-11, "memories can be erased, implanted modified" etc, so I can shoehorn a Traveller Flashy Thing™ at GURPS TL-12 (which is TTL-15) and only available to Imperial Spies of course thru a Research Station and not on the shelves.

I recently picked up the MegaTraveller CD-rom and it has some similar Technology Tables in it, IIRC. I've only skimmed it so far.

Is that what you're getting at ?

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[DaveChase]

Any traveller version

That is why I used X level for the example of gravity.

Yes some of the versions do address this in general but not quite the way I am thinking.

Lets say (for example) that gravity control starts at TL 11
this is the bare basic gravity control it is brand stinking new
At TL 12 (X+1) gravity hoses are brand new and grav plates and air/raft are common
At TL 13 (X+2) gravity hoses are common (used in industrial and transfer companies) and grav plates and air/rafts are so common that you have many choices, designs and possibly cost less
At TL 14 (X+3) gravity hoses are every day item (used in houses, vehicles, etc), grav plates are old news because they now have wearable grav cloths/boots (control your gravity where ever, very new and expensive) and Air/rafts are considered the poor man's mode of transportion.

The reasons behind this kind of concept are to add a detail level of play for
Merchants (selling items that are common to them but very uncommon to a new planet)
Customs (see above on what to limit)
Attitudes of the wealthy or common man (ie if a TL 14 man with an air/raft showed up at a TL 9 world he would be or could be successful OR if a TL 11 man showed up with his brand new air/raft on a TL 14 world most people would not even notice or would be annonyed if he continued to talk about his 'hot new' air/raft.

Also by determining what parts of items/concepts are prototype at TL+ you could add a level of intrigue for players when they run across something. Or could be a clue if someone is selling stocking a lower level TL with high tech.

Dave Chase

 

[Gadrin]

Sounds a bit like the GURPS technology "trend", where once something is introduced at TL usually the next tech level after means 50% weight & cost reduction, and then another halving one after that.

It's not hard and fast though and the details aren't necessarily all there. Usually they'll preface a section on technology with a tech level background, informing players what drops, what remains the same and so on. Obviously there are limits on things, not everything is scalable.

From that, however you can tell how mature a technology is and how far a GM wants to take it from there.

Issues with this is money, how much are TL9 credits vs TL12 credits and so on, things I'm not willing to incorporate, unless the players are absolute sticklers. For ease of use the basic GURPS Traveller system has only two TLs for ships GTL10 and GTL12 which correspond to TTLs12-13 and TTL15 respectively. Of course retentive GMs are free to build ships on their own at any TL they want.

GURPS is offering First In, their version of Book 6: Scouts in PDF form for only $9.95, and in the back it has the various Technology tables/discussion on each of the major areas for the RPG. It's also a pretty good book.

Physical Technologies
Materials
Energy
Information
Vehicles
Weapons
Biological Science
Medical Technology
Environment

I'm not sure how they correspond to the ones in Mega Traveller exactly. I only glanced at that one.

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[BlackBat242]

Grand Survey (DGP 1986) has the NAS available at TL 13.

It was "developed from TL 12 Psionic Helmet theory".

 

[aramis]

IMTU, the gravity hose wouldn't work... As AG IMTU requires a flow between two plates. Minimum dimensions of plate face is distance between plates. (Trac/rep and ship drives are a different, and much lower limited, tree.)

So, to make a gravitic pump, it's got a m/s rating, based upon the distance.

Plates are limited to TL-9 G's IMTU; Stacked plates limit is TL-11 for first stack, and TL-13 for second, and TL-15 for third... Second plate draws 2x draw (total x3). 3rd plate draws 4x draw (x7 total).

TL 9: 0G
TL10: 1G
TL11: 2G
TL12: 3G, can stack second to get 4G
TL13: 4G, 6G
TL14: 5G, 8G
TL15: 6G, 10G
TL16: 7G, 12G, Can stack 3rd to get 13G

 

[Gadrin]

Grand Survey (DGP 1986) has the NAS available at TL 13.

It was "developed from TL 12 Psionic Helmet theory".

yes, I wasn't sure when I typed it so I put "around" in there.

Central Supply Catalog has the same TTL-13 with psi-helm, TTL-12.



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[G. Fieendish]

Of course, grav plates at higher levels especially, will have uses not possible at lower levels due to reduced cost & power consumption...
For example the TL-15/16 Luxury bed which uses a grav plate to "provide the ultimate in sleep comfort...".
(Ok, I've basically cribbed this from Larry Niven's "Known Space" series, but you get the idea...).

 

[DaveChase]

So,

aramis,

In your Traveller Universe Grav Hose would be Future Tech. The things that SciFi stories write about.

Gravity can work as a pusher and a puller so at one end you can have a small plate (or circle) that pulls x Gravity then you could have a series of plates (rings) along the hose length that pull or pushes the liquid along. At higher techs the Grav hose could be more efficient and/or faster in transfering liquid.

I have no problem with items not appearing in any one's game or even the official version of the game. I would like to see a list of potential items/devices that might exist or become possible at x TL levels.

I have grav hoses (and other grav like devices/equipment) that exist IMTU.
one example
Consider the skid loader (bobcat). At higher tech levels the loader gets more eff and higher capacity of load. There are even remote and robot loaders.

At one point the movement was replaced with Grav. A few TL's later the body of the loader body is replace with a remote and Grav movement. So to visualize;
A construction worker is standing around with a remote joy stick in hand while a large bucket seems to move magically in the air.

This is an example of what I would consider a C Tech to P Tech to F Tech.

Dave Chase
(BTW I love the feedback, thanks)