Tech Level Comparison Chart

The Scout Service is responsible for categorizing the technological ability of a society. They rate this ability by the assigning of Tech Levels. These Tech Level ratings are described in the three charts below.

Quality of Life Technology

Quality of life Tech Comparison

TL	Energy	Computers/Robotics	Communications	Medical	Environment
0	Muscles		Runners	Mystics/Herbology	Natural (Caves, Huts)
1	Water	Abacus / Geometry, Trigonometry	Long Distance Signaling	Diagnosis	Settlements, Towns (Irrigation)
2	Wind	Algebra	Printing press	Internal Anatomy	Cities (Canals, Roads)
3	Electricity	Calculus	Telegraph, Audio Recording	Surgery	Cement Structures
4	Coal / Steam	Mechanical Calculators	Telephone	Vaccination, Antiseptics, Anesthetics	Cities in Rugged/Desert Terrain, Crude Terraform
5	Petrochemicals, Internal combustion	Electric Calculators	Radio, Radar	Mass Vaccination, X-Ray	Sealed/Conditioned Cities
6	Nuclear Fission	Electronic Computers (Large Model/1 bis)	Television / Advanced Audio Recording	Virus, Crude :Prosthetics	Skyscrapers, Weather Predict, Underground Cities
7	Solar energy, early Fuel Cells	Desktop Computers, Expert systems, Model/2	Early Satellite, Video recording	Organ Transplant, Slow Drugs	Cities in Jungle Terrain
8	Geothermal	Massive Parallel / Low Data, Model/2bis	Fibre optics	Artificial Organs, Metabolics	Orbital Settlements, Early Weather Control
9	Early Fusion, Improved Batteries	Non-Volatile / High Data, Vocal I/O, Model/3	Video Telephone, Flat Screen	Limb Regeneration, Cryogenics, Fast Drugs	Arcologies, Orbital Cities
10	Fusion Plants 2KL Minimum	Early Synaptics, voice transcription, Model/4	Holovision, Text Transcription	Antiviral Vaccines, Cancer Cure, Growth Quickining	Under-Sea/Under Ice Cities
11	Fusion Plants 1KL Minimum	Synaptic Learning Processors, Hand Computers, Model/5	Personal Global Communications	Nerve Refusion, Artificial Eyes	Gravitic Structure Support
12	Fusion Plants 250L Minimum, Advanced Fuel Cells	Low Autonomous Robots, Model/6	Real-time Multilingual Translators	Broad Spectrum Anti-toxins, Enhanced Prosthetics	Major Terraforming, Advanced Weather Control
13	Fusion output 3Kw per L, Miniature Super-Batteries	Holocrystal Storage, High Autonomous Robots, Model/7	Holovideo Recorders	Cloning of Replacement Parts, Reanimation	Non-mobile Gravitic Cities
14	Fusion Plants 100L Minimum	Computer/Brain Implants, Model/8	Early Meson Communicators	Genetic Engineering, Memory Erasure	Mobile Gravitic Cities
15	Fusion output 6Kw per L	Pseudo-Reality Computers, Pseduo Robots, Model/9	Meson Communicators, Pseudo Reality Communications	Anagathics, Advanced Pseudobio Prosthetics	Complex Terraforming Possible
16	Fusion output 7Kw per L, 80L Minimum	Low Artificial Intelligence, Robots in all Facets	Personal Meson Communicators, Personal Holovideo	Brain Transplants, Crude Memory Transfer	Global Terraforming, Hostile Worlds
17	Early Antimatter Plants	High Artificial Intelligence, Self-Aware Robots	Pocket Meson Communications	Selective Memory Erasure, Intelligent Anitbodies	Total Terraforming to 800Km worlds
18	Antimatter 1Mw/L, 750L Fuel Pod Minimum	Robots become Society's Basic Workforce		Partial Memory Transfer	Total Terraforming to 4000Km worlds
19	Antimatter 2.5Mw/L, 200L Fuel Pod Minimum			Non-Cryogenic Suspension, Advanced Bioengineering	Total Terraforming
20	Antimatter 15Mw/L, 40L Fuel Pod Minimum		Matter Transport Eliminates Global Communication Barriers	Total Memory Transfer	Mobile Worlds (Sublight)
21	Antimatter 50Mw/L, 5L Fuel Pod Minimum		Matter Transport Eliminates Intra-System Barriers	Early Total Rejuvenation	Mobile Worlds (Jump Space), Rosettes
23	Dyson Spheres (with many Capsules)
25	Ability to create Ringworlds
27	Rigid Dyson Spheres

Transportation Technology

Transportation Tech Comparison

TL	Land	Water	Air	Space
0	Foot - Animals	Raft / Canoe	-	-
1	Wheel - Carts/Chariots	Rowed Galleys, Crude Sailing Vessels	-	-
2	Advanced Wheel - Moveable Axle, Replaceable Rims	Early Multi-Mast Sailing, Crude Navigation	-	-
3	Extensive Road - High-Speed Coach	Multi-Mast Sailing, Navigation	Hot Air Balloons	-
4	Trains	Ironclads, Steamships	Dirigibles, Early Gliders	-
5	Ground Cars, Tracked Vehicles	Personal Self-Propelled Boats, Steel hulls, Early Submersibles	Airplanes, Seaplanes	Early Rockets (unmanned)
6	Amphibian Vehicles, ATVs AFVs	Submersibles, Scuba, Amphibian Vehicles	Early Jet, Helicopters	Early Manned Rockets, Unmanned Rockets
7	Hovercraft, High-Speed Trains	Hydrofoils, Hovercraft	Supersonic Jet, Hang Gliders	Deep Space Probes (Unmanned), Maneuver-1/2 (non-gravitic)
8	Triphibian Vehicles	Triphibian Vehicles, Early Artificial Gills	Triphibian Vehicles, Hypersonic Jet	Space Shuttles, Space Stations, Maneuver-3-5 (non-grav)
9	Early Grav Vehicles, Ultra High-Speed Trains	Early Grav Vehicles, Artificial Gills	Early Grav Vehicles, Rocket Assist Suborbital	Jump-1 possible, Sublight Stellar
10	Grav Vehicles		UH Grav Modules	Gravitic Maneuver
11	Personal G-Tubes, HV Grav Modules			Jump-2, Thruster Technology
12	Personal Grav Belts, LT Grav Modules			Jump-3
13	Grav Vehicles Merge with Orbital Spacecraft, Jump-4
14	Jump-5
15	Jump-6
18	Self-Aware Starships
20	Short Range Matter Transport
21	Starship-Sized Matter Transport Portals

Military Technology

Military Tech Comparison

	Personal		Heavy
TL	Weapons	Armour	Weapons	Armour
0	Club, Spear	Fur
1	Early Weapons (Bow, Sword)	Jack Armour	Catapult	Wood
2	Early Guns		Small Cannons
3	Rifled Weapons		Cannons
4	Cartridge	Mesh Armour	Howitzers, Gattling gun	Soft Steel
5	Explosive Grenade, Shotgun	Filter Mask	Mortars
6	Automatic (SMG)		Nuclear Weapons, Missiles	Hard Steel
7	Grenade Launchers	Cloth Armour, Flack Jacket	Beam Lasers	Composite Laminate
8	RAM Grenade Launchers, Early Laser Carbine		Particle Accelerators, Target Desginated Missiles
9	Laser Weapons	Ablative Armour		Light Weight Composite Laminate
10	Advanced Combat Rifle	Reflec, Combat Environment Suit	Plasma Guns, Repulsors	Crystaliron
11		Combat Armour	Meson Guns
12	PGMP-12, Gauss Rifle		Fusion Guns	Superdense Armour, Nuclear Dampers
13	PGMP-13, X-Ray Lasers	Battle Dress	X-Ray Lasers
14	FGMP-14			Bonded Superdense
15	FGMP-15			Early Black Globes
16	FGMP-16, Plasma Rifle, Neural Gun	Neural Shield	Tractor Beam	Black Globes
17	Fusion Rifle, Plama Pistol		Disintegrators, Antimatter Warheads
18	Disintegrator Rifle, Fusion Pistol	Personal Damper	Long Range Disintegrator/Tractor Beam
19	Disintegrator Pistol			Proton Screen, Plastic Metal Armour
20			Relativity Beam	White Globes, Proton Beam
21	Relativity Rifle	Personal White Globe	Jump Projector	Jump Damper

Tech Level Conversions

Traveller TL	GURPS 3e TL	GURPS 4e TL	Historical Era
0	0	0	Stone Age (fire)
1	1	1	Bronze Age (3500 BC)
1	2	2	Iron Age (1200 BC)
1	3	3	Medieval Age (600 AD)
2	4	4	Age of Sail (1450 AD)
3	5	5	Industrial Revolution (1730 AD)
4	5	6	Mechanized Age (1880 AD)
5	6	6	Circa 1910 AD
6	6	7	Nuclear Age (1940 AD)
7	7	7	Circa 1970 AD
8	8	8	Digital Age (1990 AD)
9	9	9	Early Stellar (2050 AD)
A	9	10	Early Stellar (2120 AD)
B	9	10	Average Stellar
C	10	11	Average Imperial
D	10	11	Average Stellar
E	11	12	High Stellar
F	12	12	Imperial Maximum
G	13	13	Darrian Historical Maximum