Tool Making Epoch

TL:1-3 or the “Very Low Technology Epoch,” is one of many early, developing technologies including the use of metals, dray beasts, sails, water wheels, and the first steam engines. However the key indicator of this period is the use of artifacts, or tools and other objects created with other tools. Tools used to make tools.

• TL:1-3 tech is commonly known as Early Ur-Tech or Vlow-Tech (Very Low Technology).
• TL:1-3 sophonts are commonly known as early or ur-sophonts. They are sometimes called foundationals.

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Please see the following AAB articles for more information:

• Proto-Tech
  • TL-0 Found Tools Period
• Ur-Tech
  • TL:1-3 Tool Making Epoch
  • TL:4-6 Division of Labor Epoch
  • TL:7-9 Processor Epoch
• Stell-Tech
  • TL:10-12 Gravitics Epoch
  • TL:13-15 Biologicals Epoch
  • TL:16-18 Artificials Epoch
• Ultra-Tech
  • TL:19-21 Matter Transport Epoch
  • TL:22-24 Transformations Epoch
  • TL:25-27 Psionics Epoch
• Dei-Tech
  • TL:28-30 Trans-galactic Epoch
• Omni-Tech
  • TL:31-33 Pocket Universe Epoch
• Post-Technological Period
  • Singularity

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Description (Specifications)

The earliest tools for most sophonts in conventional environments tend to be made of plant-stuffs, usually woods and bio-organic materials. Stone is also often used, generally of softer minerals. The first artifacts composed of metals or simple alloys are slowly developed sometime within this generalized period and the fundamentals for power beyond simple transference (dray beasts, water wheels, etc.) are generally discovered in this period.

• For instance, many civilizations discover the fundamentals to create the first steam and hydraulic engines during this period, but not are not always able to turn the theoretical science of steam power into the applied science of a workable and practical steam engine.
• Terrans, for example, discovered the principles of the steam engine a great period of time before they more fully applied the principles and built operational steam engines.

Communications

EDUCATION: No information yet available.

ENTERTAINMENT: No information yet available.

NEWS: With the discovery of the first tools being used to make tools, a variety of communications technologies can be used including: smoke signals, semaphore, heliographs, and others.

Energy

LARGE SCALE POWER: The first power generation technologies often include: dray beasts, water wheels, chimneys, furnaces, and even the first, very basic steam engines. At the simplest level, muscles serve many to most of the needs of early technology sophonts.

SMALL-SCALE POWER: At the individual or personal level, portable power is limited to the muscular beastpower of a dray beast or a team of dray beasts. Levers or various early mechanical contraptions can be cleverly used to amplify the raw muscle power of powerful beasts.

TRANSMISSION NETWORKS: Electricity tends to be very late development of this technological epoch so modern power transmission doesn't exist as such. However the development of water channels, canals, water wheels, archimedes screws, and the like drive much of massed industry in this epoch. Until the late steam engines and industrial furnaces, epochal industry is limited to areas with water access.

Transportation

LAND: Most civilizations make use of dray beasts, palanquins, runner corps, and even a variety of wheel-based transports. The wheel is discovered by most but not all TL:1-3 societies.

SEA: Simple but effective watercraft are often used including rafts, canoes, ketches, and similar watercraft. Most watercraft use oars, but sails begin to come into play. Other propulsion methods also exist.

AIR: Some societies even make use of early gliders and simple flying mechanisms. A few develop hot air balloons or other types of lighter than air conveyances (aerostats). Some even harness and ride flying beasts.

SPACE: A few very rare sophont species are born on ellipsoid or other exotic worlds and learn to navigate very basic vacuum environments. More exotic situations and conditions have been recorded.

FTL: No information yet available.

EXOTIC: No information yet available.

Manufacturing

MANUFACTURING: Cottage industries develop and artisans become treasured parts of early societies. Woodworkers, potters, and the first blacksmiths become vital parts of ancient societies.  Mechanical and water clocks start a new age of accurate time recording. This alone transforms society. Many early cities feature large standing clocks.  

Early power transference devices are created such as grist mills, water wheels, wind mills, and early furnaces. These often drive ancient manufacturing. A few societies even master the steam engine, which Terrans never did during this epoch. Homesteads develop into villages, which in turn develop into towns, and then they transform into the first cities or large urbanized areas.

MATERIALS: No information yet available.

MACHINES: No information yet available.

Processors

COMPUTERS: The abacus and the quipu represent early calculating tech. they are simple, mechanical processors that help a sophont keep large numbers of calculations in memory. Mathematics makes great leaps forward with the development of algebra, trigonometry, and calculus.

DATA STORAGE: No information yet available.

ROBOTICS: Simple mechanical automatons can be built, but the lack of exact machined tools, standard fasteners, and the limitations of electrical science generally keep such machines at a very crude state.

Sociology

GOVERNMENT: Many breakthroughs occur in the area of governance and political science. Larger and larger types of governments are being experimented with, some which even extend vast new kinds of rights to the common people. Ethnic groups form from the first villages, which lead to kingdoms, and they culminate in the first republics and democracies. Religion and philosophy open up new ways of thinking. The first ideas about nationhood are formed.

POLITICAL ECONOMY: No information yet available.

CLIODYNAMICS: No information yet available.

Trade

TRADE: No information yet available.

FINANCE: No information yet available.

SCIENCE: No information yet available.

Environment

STRUCTURES: Domiciles constructed of stone or plantstuffs typically form the first urban dwellings. As societies grow more complex, an increasing number of specialized structures are developed such as granaries, barns, places of worship, schools, and other specialized structures. Sanitation tends to be very basic for such societies and this tends to limit the growth of early urban environments. Cement becomes a new and exciting construction material, which when combined ceramic bricks makes for more impressive structures than ever before.

ENVIRONMENTS: No information yet available.

MEGASTRUCTURES: Ur-tech megastructures include pyramids, ziggurats, and an array of early stone-based structures of immense size for their epoch. Other materials have been used, but stone is the most common. Many later societies erect giant libraries, light houses, mausoleums, statues, and even massive cathedrals.

Life Sciences

BIOLOGY: Early medical technology, while very basic, can still be quite effective as sophonts learn basic surgery, internal anatomy, medical diagnosis, and many different methods of healing. Some societies develop very effective pharmaceuticals, far more effective than simple herbalism. A crude peg leg is often the most advanced limb replacement an early sophont can hope for.

MEDICINE: No information yet available.

AGRICULTURE: No information yet available.

Martial

TACTICAL COMBAT: Increasing knowledge of materials and manufacturing yields better and better weapons and armors. Jack armor (padded or quilted) is exceeded by hardened leathers, which in turn lead to mails and plate armors. Hard steel weapons and armors vastly outclass earlier soft metal equipment. Increasing animal husbandry yield fantastic mounts and drives warfare faster and forward. Mechanically-propelled projectile weapons (torsion bars, screws, gears, skeins, etc.) begin to outclass older ranged weapons such as darts, slings, and bows. Some of the most advanced societies in this period develop simple pneumatic weapons and various kinds of geared, mechanical crossbows. Torsion artillery and related machinery make for the first siege engines.

• Archaic Melee Weapon
• Archaic Ranged Weapon

SMALL ARMS: No information yet available.

PERSONAL ARMOR: No information yet available.

• Archaic Personal Armor

STRATEGIC COMBAT: No information yet available.

HEAVY ARMS: No information yet available.

HEAVY ARMOR: No information yet available.

History & Background (Dossier)

The exact details of any sophont species at this level is modified by the environments in which they exist, the materials available to them, and their level of societal cooperation among other factors. For instance, fire or combustion is not easily available to many species such as aquatic sophonts and jovionoid gas giant-dwelling species. Their technological progression may work under some very different norms.

Terran historians often group all of the Metallic Ages (Copper, Bronze, Iron, Steel, etc.) into this TL bracket as well as the Medieval Period, and at least parts of the Age of Sail. Some argue that the Renaissance should also be grouped into this period although that is disputed.

Hallmark Technology-1: Advanced Language

Sophonts increasingly use a complex, abstract language of symbols to describe themselves and their environments. They increasingly recognize symbolic patterns and abstract sequences. Entire academic fields are dedicated to advanced linguistic studies including semiotics.

Hallmark Technology-2: Advanced Calculation

Sophonts increasingly organize themselves, keep ledgers, calculate quantities, and create new mathematical sciences to better understand themselves and their environments.

Hallmark Technology-3: Material Transformation

Sophonts discover very basic yet fundamental properties of chemistry, creating herbological medicines, basic glues, metallurgical alloys, and a variety of transformed substances.

Representative Sophont Species

Very low technology societies typically undergo tremendous stresses when exposes to interstellar societies so far advanced of indigenes. A number of interstellar organizations advocate for the seclusion and sequestering of such societies. While Third Imperium has no empire-wide policy on First Contact for such societies, an increasingly number of nobles and institutions have formed opinions and policy on the issue. The IISS is increasingly taking sides on these issues.

The following sophont species are known to possess technical mastery within these technological limits:

• TBD

References & Contributors (Sources)

This article is missing content for one or more detailed sections. Additional details are required to complete the article. You can help the Traveller Wiki by expanding it.

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Marc Miller. Worlds and Adventures (Game Designers Workshop, 1977), 14-15.Marc Miller, Robert Eaglestone, Don McKinney. Worlds and Adventures (Far Future Enterprises, 2019), 14-15.
• Marc Miller. Referee's Companion (Game Designers Workshop, 1988), 28-29.
• Geir Lanesskog. World Builder's Handbook (Mongoose Publishing, 2023), TBD.Joe Fugate, J. Andrew Keith, Gary L. Thomas. World Builder's Handbook (Digest Group Publications, 1989), TBD.
• Frank Chadwick, Dave Nilsen. Fire, Fusion, & Steel (Game Designers Workshop, 1994), 7.
• Citation Missing - Traveller D20
• Marc Miller. T5 Core Rules (Far Future Enterprises, 2013), 502-507.
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science