Tech Level Comparison Chart
The Tech Level Comparison Chart was developed by the IISS, based upon research dating back to the earliest First Imperium publications. This has recognized the importance of technology and developing a comprehensive system of classifying technology.
Area Technology Levels
The default Technology Level scale describes a general advancement of technology. However, few cultures follow the exact pattern of technical achievement in theoretical science implied by the standard TL system. [1] The Technological Profile divides the Technology Level a number of areas (known as Area Tech Level or ATL), each assigned an individual level index.
Theoretical technologies
The Theoretical technologies underlie all the other advancements. In the condensed form the Technology Level combines the knowledge of the workings of the physical universe with the ability to use that knowledge to produce useful goods and services. Within the technological profiles, these two items have been split into separate items.
Where the theoretical technologies exceed the base TL or the levels of other
- Physical Science
- The real theoretical understandings of the physical universe. Covers the areas of physics and chemistry.
- Material Science / Manufacturing
- The technology of material processing and manufacturing. The processes required to take raw materials and process them into functional and usable goods.
- Biological Science
- The theoretical workings of biology and life forms.
- Cultural Science
- The workings of how a society is organized and works together to produce and use tools. Include education of the next generation of workers to extend and expand technology.
Quality of Life
Quality of Life technologies are essential to the world's quality of life. These are the basics of technology building on the Theoretical technologies.
- Energy
- Energy technologies are the ability to produce, store, and make use of energy for all purposes.
- Information / Communications
- Technologies involving information processing and communications. This includes computer technologies and the core technologies for robotics.
- Medicine / Life sciences
- Technology involving the care and healing of living things, applied biological sciences, and genetics.
- Environment
- Technology involving the maintenance of ecosystems. This includes the ability to avoid damaging the environment, reconstruct damaged ecosystems, and Terraforming planets.
Transportation
Technologies for moving goods and people, including the design of vehicles and other transport systems.
- Land transportation
- Motive transportation on the Ground, including wheeled and tracked vehicles, walkers of all types, and sleds.
- Water
- Motive transportation on water, including rafts, boats, and submarines.
- Air
- Motive transportation through the air, including planes, helicopters, balloons, and Grav craft.
- Space
- Motive transportation through the depths of space.
Military
Military technology combines the quality of life technology area with a very specific nature with the Transportation technology. This covers weapons from personal sized to starship mounted weapons system, defensive systems and sensor systems.
- Weapons Technology
- The offensive portion of military technology.
- Defensive systems
- The defensive portion including armor, camoflauge, active defensive systems, and screens of various sorts.
- Sensors
- Sensors systems are the eyes of military technology, combined with vehicle system and computer technology to make robots.
Technology Comparison Tables
The Comparison tables divide the general technology level into four broad areas, which are then further divided into related technologies. While the system presented here is widely used in the Imperium, it is by no means universal. There are several alternative profile systems in use.
Theoretical Technology
Theoretical Technologies | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
TL | Physical Science | Material Science | Biological Science | Cultural Science |
0 | Animistic explanations | Found materials: Stone, wood, grasses, bone, fur | Useful animals are domesticated | Tribal gatherings |
1 | Engineering by estimates, Astronomy | Metal working, quarried stone | Selective breeding | Settlements, Towns, Ethic groups, Kingdoms |
2 | Telescopes | Hard steel, cement, concrete | Understanding of Anatomy, microorganism | Cities, Nations |
3 | Laws of motion, engineering by math | Steel as structural material | Theory of evolution, germ theory of disease | Democracies |
4 | Skyscrapers, armored vehicles | Medical theories are further advanced | ||
5 | First estimates of Quantum mechanics and relativity | Plastics and other synthetic materials | Biochemistry, discovery of viruses | Dictatorships |
6 | Theory of Electronics | Fiberglass | Superpowers, global nation states | |
7 | Classification of quantum mechanics | Composite and advanced ceramics | Discovery of DNA, Genome mapping | |
8 | Grand Unified theory for gravity control, Photonics | Micro-level manufacturing, advanced composites | Gene therapy, Systems ecology | |
9 | Detailed gravity manipulation, Jump space described | Crystaliron, industrial composite metals, Fluidics | Introduction of Cybertechnology | |
10 | Non-geographic communities | |||
11 | Magnetics | Computer implantation | ||
12 | Unified theory to manipulate strong and weak forces | Superdense materials | Nanosurgery, brain implants | |
13 | Completed theory of biologics | First detailed theory of aging | Widespread robotic workforce | |
14 | Creation of gravity fields at a distance | Industrial Nanotechnology, Bonded Superdense | Theory of memory, Geneering, Personality Transfers | |
15 | Unifying theory for normal and jump spaces | Full understanding of immune systems and aging | ||
16 | Discovery of Hop space | Collapsed Crystaline | Artificial persons | |
17 | Coherent Superdense | |||
18 | Enhanced Coherent Superdense | |||
19 | Discovery of Skip Space | |||
20 | ||||
21 | Deconstruction of Cities |
Tech Level | Written Word (News & Entertainment) | Audio/Visual (News & Entertainment) | Distribution/Storage (Education & Entertainment) | Consumption (Personal Communication & Entertainment) | |
0 | - | Spoken Word | Town Crier / Oral Tradition/Storytelling | - | |
1 | Handwriting/Calligraphy | Music | Paper/handwritten media | - | |
2 | Printing Press/Typesetting | - | - | - | |
3 | - | Etch Printing, Photography | Telegraphy | Community/commercial/government telgraphy offices | |
4 | Linotype Printing (mass printing, illustrated printing | Motion Pictures, Telephony | Motion Picture film | Community or home telephone sets, community motion picture theaters | |
5 | - | Radio Broadcasting | Teletype | Home Radio Receivers | |
6 | - | Advanced Audio Recording, Television | - | Home Television Receivers | |
7 | - | Videotape Recording | Institutional Computer Networks, Satellite Distrbution, Personal Computing | Personal Computers | |
8 | "Electronic Paper", rudimentary text translation | - | Ubiquitous Electronic networking | Hand-held devices | |
9 | On-Demand Text Translation | Universal personal video | - | Ubiquitous embedded devices | |
10 | Real-time Transcription | Holovision | - | Holoviewers | |
11 | - | Integrated infostreaming | - | Personal Global Communications | |
12 | - | Real-time audio language translation | - | - | |
13 | - | Ubiquitous holovideo recording | - | - | |
14 | - | - | - | - | |
15 | - | Meson Communication | - | - |
Quality of Life Technology
Quality of life Technologies | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
TL | Energy | Information / Communications | Medicine / Life sciences | Environment |
0 | Muscles, Domestic Animals | Spoken Word, Memorization | Mystics/Herbology | Simple Structures |
1 | Water wheels, Wood and Charcoal | Basic Diagnosis | Settlements, Cities, Irrigation, Canals | |
2 | Windmills, Clockworks | Internal Anatomy | ||
3 | Electricity, primitive batteries | Crude Surgery | Cement Structures | |
4 | Steam Engines | Antiseptics, Anesthetics, Vaccination | Skyscrapers | |
5 | Petrochemicals, Steam Turbine | Internal Imaging, Crude Prosthetic | Sealed/Conditioned Cities | |
6 | Nuclear Fission | Reconstructive Surgery | Weather Predict, Underground Cities | |
7 | Geothermal, Solar, Primitive Fuel Cells | Organ Transplants, Slow Drug | ||
8 | MHD Turbine | Full functioning prosthetics, Artificial Organs, Metabolics | Orbital Settlements, Early Weather Control | |
9 | Early Fusion | Cyrogenics, Limb Regeneration | Arcologies, Orbital Cities | |
10 | Practical Fusion | Anti-Virals, Growth Quickining, enhanced prosthetics | ||
11 | Fusion+ | Nerve Refusion, Direct computer implantation | Gravitic Structure Support | |
12 | Advanced Fuel Cells | Anti-geriatrics, Broad Spectrum Anti-toxins, | Major Terraforming, Advanced Weather Control | |
13 | Effective Cloning, | |||
14 | Exotic Collectors | Genetic Engineering, Memory erasure, Temporary Personality Transfer | ||
15 | Anagathics | Complex Terraforming | ||
16 | Brain Transplants | Global Terraforming | ||
17 | Early Antimatter Plants | Intelligent Antibodies, Permanent Personality Transfer | ||
18 | ||||
19 | Non-cyrogenic suspension, Advanced Bio-engineering | |||
20 | ||||
21 | Early Total Rejuvenation |
Quality of life Technologies | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
TL | Energy | Computers/Robotics | Communications | Medical | Environment |
0 | Muscles | Fingers and sticks | Runners | Mystics/Herbology | Natural (Caves, Huts) |
1 | Water | Abacus / Geometry, Trigonometry | Long Distance Signaling | Diagnosis | Settlements, Towns (Irrigation) |
2 | Wind, Clockwork | Algebra | Printing press | Internal Anatomy | Cities (Canals, Roads) |
3 | Coal / Steam | Calculus | Telegraph, Audio Recording | Surgery | Cement Structures |
4 | Electricity | 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/2 bis | 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 | Early Synaptics, voice transcription, Model/4 | Holovision, Text Transcription | Antiviral Vaccines, Cancer Cure, Growth Quickining | Under-Sea/Under Ice Cities |
11 | Fusion Plants | Synaptic Learning Processors, Hand Computers, Model/5 | Personal Global Communications | Nerve Refusion, Artificial Eyes | Gravitic Structure Support |
12 | Fusion Plants, 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 Plants, Miniature Super-Batteries | Holocrystal Storage, High Autonomous Robots, Model/7 | Holovideo Recorders | Cloning of Replacement Parts, Reanimation | Non-mobile Gravitic Cities |
14 | Fusion Plants | Computer/Brain Implants, Model/8 | Early Meson Communicators | Genetic Engineering, Memory Erasure | Mobile Gravitic Cities |
15 | Pseudo-Reality Computers, Pseudo Robots, Model/9 | Meson Communicators, Pseudo Reality Communications | Anagathics, Advanced Pseudobio Prosthetics | Complex Terraforming Possible | |
16 | 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 | Robots become Society's Basic Workforce | Permanent Memory Transfer | Total Terraforming to 4000Km worlds | ||
19 | Elemental/Limited Matter Transport | Total Terraforming | |||
20 | Global Matter Transport | Total Memory Transfer | Mobile Worlds (Sublight) | ||
21 | System-wide Matter Transport | Early Total Rejuvenation | Mobile Worlds (Jump Space) & Rosettes | ||
25 | "Capsule" Dyson Spheres | ||||
27 | Ability to create Ringworlds, access pocket universe | ||||
29 | Rigid Dyson Spheres | ||||
31 | Create Pocket Universe |
Transportation Technology
Transportation Tech Comparison | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
TTL | Land | Water | Air | Space | |
0 | Foot - Animals | Raft / Canoe | - | - | |
1 | Wheel - Carts/Chariots | Rowed Galleys, Small Sailing Vessels | - | - | |
2 | Advanced Wheels, Stagecoachs | Multi-Mast Sailing, Oceangoing sailing ships, Crude Navigation | Experimental Kites | - | |
3 | Extensive Road, Trains, Railroads | Steamships, Navigation | Manned Hot Air Balloons | - | |
4 | Self-propelled vehicles | Ironclads, World wide navigation | Dirigibles, Early Gliders | - | |
5 | Ground Cars, Tracked Vehicles | Personal Self-Propelled Boats, Steel hulls, Early Submersibles | Airplanes, Seaplanes | Unmanned Rockets, Satellites | |
6 | Amphibian Vehicles, ATVs, AFVs | Submersibles, Scuba, Amphibian Vehicles | Early Jet, Helicopters | Orbit capable Rockets | |
7 | Hovercraft, High-Speed Trains | Hydrofoils, Hovercraft | Supersonic Jet, Hang Gliders | Unmanned Space Probes, Gravitic Drive 1,2,3,4 | |
8 | Triphibian Vehicles | Triphibian Vehicles, Early Artificial Gills | Triphibian Vehicles, Hypersonic Jet | Orbital shuttles, Space Stations, Gravitic drive-4, Maneuver Drive-1 | |
9 | Early Grav Vehicles, Ultra High-Speed Trains | Early Grav Vehicles, Artificial Gills | Early Grav Vehicles, Rocket Assist Suborbital | Jump-1 possible, Sublight Stellar - NAFAL Drive, Maneuver Drive | |
10 | Grav Vehicles | UH Grav Modules | Gravitic Maneuver | ||
11 | Personal G-Tubes, HV Grav Modules | Jump Drive-2, ThrusterTechnology[2] | |||
12 | Personal Grav Belts, LT Grav Modules | Jump-3 | |||
13 | Grav Vehicles Merge with Orbital Spacecraft, Jump-4 | ||||
14 | Jump-5 | ||||
15 | Jump-6 | ||||
16 | Raw Material Only Short Range Matter Transport | ||||
17 | Inanimate Only Short Range Matter Transport | ||||
18 | Self-Aware Starships, living being portal based Matter Transport | ||||
21 | Multi Parsec Range Starship-Sized Matter Transport Portals |
Military Technology
Non-Canon Technologies
News Media and Information Dissemination Technology
History & Background (Dossier)
Technology is the distinguishing feature of advanced civilizations. It underlies what being a sophont is.
IISS Chronological Periodization
- Technological Age (1 TL) → Technological Epoch (3 TLs) → Technological Period (9 TLs) → Technological Era (30 TLs) → Technological Eon (33+ TLs) → Singularity (Post-Technological Period)
Technology Comparison Chart
The Scout Service is responsible for categorizing the technological ability of a society. They rate this ability by the assigning of Technology Levels.
See also
Please refer to the following AAB Library Data for more information:
Technology:
Charted Space Technological Spectrum:
References & Contributors (Sources)
This article has metadata. |
GURPS Traveller Notes: An array of notes regarding the similarities and differences between Traveller TL and GURPS TL can be found here: Tech Level Comparison Chart/meta |
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This article has two or more sources with conflicting information. Because the conflict has not been resolved, all sources are linked to this article. |
- Marc Miller. Worlds and Adventures (Game Designers Workshop, 1977), 7-8, 14-15,17.
- Marc Miller. Scouts (Game Designers Workshop, 1983), 26.
- Joe Fugate. Robots (Game Designers Workshop, 1986), 17-20.
- Marc Miller. Merchant Prince (Game Designers Workshop, 1985), 34,37.
- Herb Petro. "Tech Level Expansion." Imperium Staple 07 (1986): 3.
- Loren Wiseman. "Twisting Tech Levels: A Traveller Variant." Challenge 31 (1987): 27.
- Marc Miller. Referee's Companion (Game Designers Workshop, 1988), 26-34.
- Geir Lanesskog. World Builder's Handbook (Mongoose Publishing, 2023), 58,83-86.Joe Fugate, J. Andrew Keith, Gary L. Thomas. World Builder's Handbook (Digest Group Publications, 1989), 58,83-86.
- Frank Chadwick, Dave Nilsen. Fire, Fusion, & Steel (Game Designers Workshop, 1994), 6-8,37.
- David Burden. Pocket Empires (Imperium Games, 1997), 51-52,108.
- Leighton Piper. "Low Tech." Signal-GK 13 (1997): 30-31.
- Jon F. Zeigler. First In (Steve Jackson Games, 1999), 94-95, 108-117.
- K. David Ladage, "Alternate Technological Paths", JTAS Online (2001)
- K. David Ladage, "Alternate Technologies II: Relativity", JTAS Online (2001)
- Martin Dougherty, Hunter Gordon. The Traveller's Handbook (QuikLink Interactive, 2002), 378.
- Ken Pick, "An Analysis of Tech Levels", Freelance Traveller 012 (2010): 10-12
- Marc Miller. T5 Core Rules (Far Future Enterprises, 2013), 502-507.
- Marc Miller, Robert Eaglestone, Don McKinney. Starships (Far Future Enterprises, 2019), 223-237.
- Marc Miller, Robert Eaglestone, Don McKinney. Worlds and Adventures (Far Future Enterprises, 2019), 19.
- External Link: Technology Ages of Traveller (in MTU) by Admiral Savage
- ↑ Jon F. Zeigler. First In (Steve Jackson Games, 1999), 108.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 In GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars, this module appears in TL-8.