TSL What? Technical Social Levels

TSL or Technical Social Level


From the Movie 2001 Space Odyssey circa 1968.


Star Probe and Star Empires use Technical Social Levels to help determine technology of a society, government types available to a society, weapons available to a society, trade and empire profits. Traveler was published in 1977 and also used a similar concept called Technology Level and as it was in print longer it generally gets credit for the concept of Technological Trees and Levels but Star Probe was published in 1975 using the concept 2 years earlier. GURPS also has incorporated this concept as well. TSL in Star Probe and Star Empires is in a very early and rough form. I did my best to mine both Star Probe and Star Empires for TSL information. My goal here is to gain some insight into the game designer's ideas. This system tends to focus on just weapons but by understanding the weapon technology you can develop ideas about other technologies might be available to a culture. Note this game allows players to capture technology and then try to develop it for their culture's use despite being a lower TSL. This means in theory the Star Probe/Star Empires Setting is a mix of technological levels being traded, developed, sold, and stolen just as can occur in Traveler. The TSL data below is when the technology becomes minimally available to research or automatic available in some cases.  Players must do research and their civilizations can be advanced in someways or behind in others. This TSL list is my first attempt to get an idea about what the game is trying to express culturally, some TSL have no information as I could find nothing other than the culture must progress through that level. I also noted it raises a lot of questions which honestly the Game Master will have to decide on. 

TSL 1 = Bow/Hand ground weapons, I(I a considering this roughly the Stone Age through the copper age type technology, raft, canoes, walking, dog sleds). 

TSL 2 = Bow+/Hand ground weapons, Infantry, (I am considering this the Metal Age; Bronze and Iron ages; through the Middle Ages type technology but no firearms, catapults, crossbows, row boats, crude sailing vessels, chariots, wagons, armor, water & wind power.)


TSL 3 = Musket, Infantry, Armor, Other Ground (Renaissance type technology, multi mast ships, cannons start to appear, early steam power, hot air balloons)



From the movie Beneath The Planet Of The Apes circa 1970.

TSL 4 = Rifle ground weapons, (I am considering this to include aerial combat) , conventional warfare WWI-WWII, improved steam power, combustable engine to nuclear power, local system space exploration and colonization) Atomic, Hydrogen & Cobalt bombs, Atomic Missile, Nuclear Fusion Missiles. (Current to early space exploration and ideas about system colonization.)


TSL 5 = Rifle+ ground weapons, Beam Attack, Missile Salvo, Screen Defense & Range Finder. Cold Fusion & Implosion bombs. Battlewagon, Assault, Pursuit & Merchant space craft become available. (Actual space culture, colonization of system, in system travel, further distances are possible for colonization but these are generational ships or sleeper vessels.) Implosion Missile. Space ship yards appear.


TSL 6 = Laser ground weapons.  Stun & Stronite bombs. Non Hyperspace space ships. Missiles are available for space craft. Stun missiles.


TSL 7 = Stunner ground weapons, Neutron & Lusterite bombs, Spaceships can do Hyperspace 1 ships can Jumps only 15 light years safely and can emerge into normal space 300,000,000 miles from a sun and structure size per engine is 50, culture will control 1-6 systems plus its home system. Beam weapons are available for space ships. Computer technology is still using large spools of tape.  Stronite Missile, Neutron Missile, Relaxation Field, Sonic Magnifier, Gravity Intensifier, Plasma Sphere. This is the TSL players start at.



From the movie Escape From Planet Of The Apes circa 1971.

TSL 8 = Needler ground weapons, Anti-matter & Vortex bombs, culture will control 1-6 systems plus its home system. Ships can now jump 25 light years safely. Lusterite Missile, Anti-Matter Missile, Research on Hyperspace 14 may start cloaks emissions from hyperspace engines, Note Hyperspace 14-20 must be researched in order.


TSL 9 = Blaster ground weapons, Hellburner bomb.  Vortex Missile


TSL 10 = Impulse ground weapons. Research on Hyperspace 15 may start cloaks emissions from hyperspace engines, 


TSL 11 = 


TSL 12 =


TSL 13  Imploder ground weapons, Zphyr bomb, 


TSL 14 = Neutron ground weapons, Gravity bomb, Hyperspace 2 space ships can emerge into normal space  200,000,000 mile from the sun and structure size per engine is 100.


TSL 15 = Heat Ray Mk III ground weapons, Research on Hyperspace 16 may start cloaks emissions from hyperspace engines, Disruption Beam, Anti-Matter Colimater, Spor Line Field


TSL 16 = Blaster Mk III ground weapons,   Gravity Missile


TSL 17 = Catabolic ground weapons, 


TSL 18 = Imploder Mk II ground weapons, 


TSL 19 = Impulse MK III ground weapons, Neuronic bomb, 


TSL 20 = C-Amp ground weapons,  Neuronic Missile


TSL 21 = C-Amp ground weapons,  Research on Hyperspace 17 may start cloaks emissions from hyperspace engines, 


TSL 22 = C-Amp ground weapons, 


TSL 23 = C-Amp ground weapons, 


TSL 24 = C-Amp ground weapons, 


TSL 25 = C-Amp ground weapons, Sonic bomb, 



From the movie Robot Monster circa 1953.

TSL 26 = Stunner Mk XIX ground weapons,  Hyperspace 3 space ships can now jump  light years safely and can emerge into normal space  150,000,000  miles from the sun and structure size per engine is 150, Sonic Missile


TSL 27 = P-Wave ground weapons, Planet Buster bomb, Research on Hyperspace 18 may start cloaks emissions from hyperspace engines, 


TSL 28 = Neuronic Imploder ground weapons, Neuron Impacter, Fusion Activator, C-AMP Multi-Phase, 


TSL 29 = Laser Mk XI ground weapons, Disrupter bomb


TSL 30 = Fusion Ray ground weapons, Disrupter Missile, research on Hyperspace 8 may start causes people to go insane and kill each other, Note Hyperspace 8-12 must be researched in order.


TSL 31 = 


TSL 32 = 


TSL 33 = Hyperspace 4 space ships can now jump  light years safely and can emerge into normal space  100,000,000  miles from the sun and structure size per engine is 250, 


TSL 34 = Research on Hyperspace 19 may start cloaks emissions from hyperspace engines, 


TSL 35 = 


TSL 36 = 


TSL 37 = 


TSL 38 = 


TSL 39 = 


TSL 40 =  Sonic Lase bomb, research on Hyperspace 9 may start causes people to go insane and kill each other, Research on Hyperspace 20 may start cloaks emissions from hyperspace engines, 


TSL 41 = P-Wave Mk II ground weapons, Sonic Laser Missile, Hyperspace 5 space ships can now jump  light years safely and can emerge into normal space  75,000,000  miles from the sun and structure size per engine is 300, 


TSL 42 = Catabolic (IV) ground weapons,



From the movie King Kong Escapes circa 1967.

TSL 43 = Neutron Mk VI ground weapons, Nova bomb, Research on Hyperspace 13 may start causes complete docility and satisfaction.


TSL 44 =  Imploder Mk IX ground weapons, Mutagenic bomb, Multi-Wave Fusor, Molecular Polarizer, Nega Spheres


TSL 45 = Multi Wave ground weapons, Mutagenic Missile. Research on Hyperspace 10 may start causes people to go insane and kill each other, 


TSL 46 =

TSL 47 = Reseach on Hyperspace 22 may start all entities bathed in field are subject to total sensory deprovation.

TSL 48-49

TSL 50 = Multi Wave ground weapons, Multi Fusoe bomb, Reseach on Hyperspace 11 may start cause entities to go insane and kill each other.

TSL 51 = Multi Fusor Missile, Hyperspace 6 space ships can now jump light years safelye and can emerge into normal space 50,000,000 miles from the sun ans structure size per engine is 400. 

TSL 52 = Research on Hyperspace 25 may start aborbs energy, Note Htperspace 25-27 must be researched in order. Omega Beam, Tractor/Pressor, Solar Field Activator, Cosmic Flamer.  

TSL 53 = Research on Hyperspace 12 may start causes people to go insane and kill each other,  Research on Hyperspace 21 may start matter  storage devices coupled with temporal suspension for object placed inside. 

TSL 54 = 

TSL 55 = Research on Hyperspace 23 may start duplicates inorganic objects 

TSL 56 = 

TSL 57 = Research on Hyperspace 26 may start releases energy from hyperspace 

TSL 58 = 

TSL 59 = Probability bomb, Research on Hyperspace 27 may start can absorb or release energy 

TSL 60 = Probability Missile, Hyperspace 7 research may start allows for instantaneous transportation of ships.  

TSL 61- 66 = 

TSL 67 = Reasearch may start on Hyperspace 24 the natural laws of the system alter, causing science to become an unreliable art and arcane arts (magic) to become reliable.                                                   
From the animated series Captain Simian And The Space Monkeys circa 1996-1997.

Comments

  1. It would be really cool if we could find Mr. Snider and ask him questions about the game.

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    Replies
    1. I totally agree. I hope sort of seeing it all together helps folks a bit even if it is a rough system.

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