Introduction
This book deals with TAL (TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL) and the design rules and charts for most types of craft from TAL-A to TAL-T and beyond. There are also rules for used and surplus craft.
PART A: TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL
What is TAL? TAL, or technical achievement level, is the basic value of how technologically advanced a culture, civilization, or nation is. It is expressed as a letter code. All civilizations have a TAL no matter how primitive or how advanced it is, or was if the civilization is dead. The following chart is provided as a guide to TAL.
| CHART 1A28: Techincal Achievement Level | ||||||
| TAL | AGE | TECHNOLOGICAL EXAMPLES FOR TAL | ||||
| A | STONE | Straw, wood, and/or cave homes, stone tools/weapons, | ||||
| B | COPPER | Stone, and wood buildings, copper tools/weapons, basic fortifications | ||||
| C | BRONZE | Advanced stone buildings, bronze tools/weapons/armor, | ||||
| D | IRON | Small sea craft, iron tools/weapons/armor, intermediate fortifications | ||||
| E | CLASSICAL | Medium sea craft, basic science, adv. iron implements, basic firearms | ||||
| F | IMPERIAL | Large sea craft, steel implements, advanced fortifications | ||||
| G | RENAISSANCE | Small ocean craft, intermediate science, adv. steel implements, | ||||
| H | COLONIAL | Medium ocean craft, basic industrial tech., intermediate firearms | ||||
| I | INDUSTRIAL | Intermediate industrial tech., fossil fuels, large ocean craft | ||||
| J | SCIENTIFIC | Basic rocket tech., automobiles, small aircraft, advanced firearms | ||||
| K | ATOMIC | Basic Nuclear tech, intermediate rocket tech, medium aircraft, | ||||
| L | SPACE | Basic computer tech, advanced rocket tech, large aircraft | ||||
| M | COMPUTER | High-tech wpns, intermediate comp. tech, stealth tech, basic robotics. | ||||
| N | INTERPLANETARY | Basic planetary drives, basic E-wpns, adv. comp. tech., inter. robotics. | ||||
| O | INTERSTELLAR | Basic interstellar drives, adv. robotics, small spacecraft, variable-craft, basic E-shields | ||||
| P | HIGH INTERSTELLAR | Adv. Nuclear tech, adv. planetary drives, Adv. E-wpns, Lg. spacecraft, high comp. tech | ||||
| Q | INTRAGALACTIC | High-Nuclear tech (antimatter), Adv. interstellar drives, Hvy. spacecraft, adv. E-shields | ||||
| R | HIGH INTRAGALACTIC | Super-Heavy spacecraft, High-tech interstellar drives, basic force fields, | ||||
| S | INTERGALACTIC | Basic Intergalactic drives, Ultra-heavy spacecraft, high-tech energy weapons | ||||
| T | HIGH INTERGALACTIC | Zantium/Organic Super dense material, basic Psionic-Enhancement, basic Genetic recoding | ||||
| U | INTRACOSMIC | Adv. intergalactic drives, basic Cosmiccraft, adv. Force fields, planetary engineering | ||||
| V | HIGH INTRACOSMIC | Basic wormhole drives (stargates), adv. Cosmiccraft, adv. Genetic recoding | ||||
| W | INTERCOSMIC | Intermediate Wormhole drives, basic dimensional shields, adv. Psionic-Enhancement | ||||
| X | HIGH INTERCOSMIC | Basic Matter manipulation, Zuranium Steel, adv. wormhole tech, basic black-hole tech. | ||||
| Y | INTERDIMENSIONAL | Adv. Wormhole drives, adv. dimensional shields, adv. black-hole tech., adv. Matter Manip | ||||
| Z | HIGH INTERDIMENSIONAL | Quantum reconfiguration, Interdimensional drives, ulimited life, bio-mechanomorphisis | ||||
You will notice that chart 1A28 has a list of the different eras and ages which best fit the TAL they are listed next to and the time frame, in earth years, which best represents the TAL. However, this chart is not to be taken as the rule, it is simply a guide. The average time it takes for a culture to advance from one TAL to the next is 1D10 X 100 years. How fast a culture actually advances is up to the Game Lord. Keep in mind however, that the multiverse section (Core Book Three) explains the effects of time rotation on TAL. However, the Game Lord may make exceptions to these rules.
TAL does NOT automatically give a culture all the devices or instruments of the TAL they are at or of the new TAL they have achieved. It simply means that, overall, their technology is built at a higher level than the previous TAL. Types of weapons, metals, medicine, skills, and even magic all depend on TAL and are effected by TAL. A good example of a culture which does not have all that is available at its TAL would be a TAL-R civilization which continued to use stellar warp drives and laser weapons because no need arose to develop new types of drives or weapons. Once they encounter another civilization which has different technology, (not necessarily of a higher or equivalent TAL) they would most likely develop new technologies to improve or defend their civilization.
A culture which encounters technology that is no higher than one TAL above their own may attempt to decipher the technology. If the TAL of the technology encountered is of two TALs higher or more than that of a civilization, that culture CANNOT decipher the technology until they achieve one TAL lower than the TAL of the technology found. When technology is found of one TAL higher and is deciphered, the culture will still require 4D30 years to unravel the mysteries of the new technology and be able to build new devices at the higher TAL.
