Planetary UWP Tech level

[gchuck]

In the Storr sector, and other rimward sectors, the starport and other indicators of the UWP's are 'zeroed'.

If a planet/moon has been recently colonized, i.e. no longer at zero pop, does the planet/moon take on the TL of the starport, or is it solely based on the POP indicator of the UWP?

 

[tjoneslo]

You are asking a very interesting question about what is TL exactly and how does it evolve.

When a colony is planned and shipped off, the whole group comes with a "colony package", a set of equipment designed for establishing the colony. Usually this equipment package is rated between TL10 and TL15. Once established, this becomes the TL of the colony.

Most colonies are not self-sufficient. They require regular imports of equipment, raw material, people, and other such stuff. Depending on the economic arrangement of how the colony acquires this stuff determines the ongoing TL of the colony.

If the colony was established by an eccentric billionaire or local nobility's pet project, the TL of the colony is likely to remain quite high.

If the colonists are required to pay for their new equipment while they establish self-sufficiency, the TL of the colony is likely to drop to middle or low TLs. Depending on the need for profitability this drop could be gradual or sudden.

At the bottom end of the scale, a colony established purely for resource extraction where the colonists have no time or resources granted for self-sufficiency, the TL drops pretty quickly to the bottom of the scale.

When/If the colony becomes self-sufficient, the TL is then determined by the economics of the people, like it is for other worlds.

 

[Winged Cat]

In the Storr sector, and other rimward sectors, the starport and other indicators of the UWP's are 'zeroed'.

In many cases, this can indicate uncolonized planets (even without the Ba or Di trade codes): it's close enough to the edge of Charted Space that people just aren't there (as of 1105, or whichever era's maps you are viewing).

 

[gchuck]

Planetary UWP TL

Clarification of a sorts;

Right now, the moon in question has a C class starport, and a startown.

The startown is populated almost exclusively by civilian employees of the starport( from the Wise Council, TL A to C).

The starport is TL D.

Other than a hand full of farm families, that is the entire population.

So, does the UWP reflect the 'population' TL, or is it counted as the TL of the starport?

 

[kilemall]

While I am sure there are arguments that go both ways, I would tend to say 'that depends on the ref'.


There have been arguments for instance that every shipyard is TL15, standardized parts, etc.


It would follow that the starport as center of interstellar commerce and promoter of trade would be just as much trade expo and menagerie of wonders as functional transportation hub, and would possibly have the riches to keep it that way.


It's just as arguable that starports are on a budget and promote the needs of each individual world and so would tend to operate with locally sourced and/or sustainable tech, eliminating burdensome import costs.


For the rest of the planet, I roll with the description of what tech is common not necessarily made there, and if the planet is not isolated from the interstellar community then it's an indication of what that planet's trade value is.

 

[Winged Cat]

Clarification of a sorts;

Right now, the moon in question has a C class starport, and a startown.

The startown is populated almost exclusively by civilian employees of the starport( from the Wise Council, TL A to C).

The starport is TL D.

Other than a hand full of farm families, that is the entire population.

So, does the UWP reflect the 'population' TL, or is it counted as the TL of the starport?

Population TL. That said, given what you described here, the startown might well be the majority of the population. This is quite common on low population worlds: it can take much less time to fly (via spaceship) from moon to moon than to drive around a moon, so if there are few enough people that there is plenty of room for everyone near a starport, why live far away from one?