Do you have a favorite TL?

[Anders]

I tend to gravitate towards either TL 1 or 2. Sometimes TL 4. I avoid TL 3 because everyone's doing it.

[vicky_molokh]

I think I see TL9^ or late TL9 as the neater ones. As a GM, I tend to favour divergent TLs (e.g. TL6+3^ currently, TL2+2^ before that, maybe will do TL3+6^ in the future).

I don't think I've ever seen a TL1 or TL2 game at all. Hard to judge whether it would be more favoured by me.

[Mr_Sandman]

I just finished up running an Elizabethan swashbuckler, and really liked TL 4. One shot black powder weapons exist, but after you use your brace of pistols, you have to depend on your sword. Transportation technology can get you far from home, but it isn't so developed, so those far away places are still very exotic.

For a more modern feel, without going to modern day, pulp adventures in TL 6 (edit meant 6, not 7) work. Guns work more or less the same as today, but no cell phones makes it harder for the PCs to just call in help, etc.

For sci-fi I like TL 9, with some form of slow or limited FTL. I really like an Alien or 2300 feel.

[ericthered]

I'm thinking about what I've played recently..

TL 8^ (monster hunters),
TL 10^ (post apocolyptic, one miracle, mostly safetech),
TL3^ (yrth),
TL 8^ (Infinite worlds),
TL 1 (north america with sloths),
TL 4 (alternate history indian conquistadors)
TL 9+1^ (custom retro-tech space opera -- no, its not TL7 lasers)
TL 3^ (wind-swept world with soul-trapping magic)
TL 1^ (ancient egypt can communicate across the world using pyramids)

Most of this is an infinite worlds settings (kind of). I appear to like sticking ^ on various settings. It seems I don't like 7-5, which surprises me, or 11-12 (which doesn't).

But I do like the lower TL's.

[johndallman]

I like TL6-7. One can do a lot, and the world is easier to keep track of than modern-day.

[whswhs]

I'm familiar and comfortable with TL8, but I think I'd be glad to go for a higher TL if it was offered; at least TL9, but I might take a chance on TL12 and hope I'd figure out how to adapt to it. I certainly like the advanced TL8/emerging TL9 stuff I have access to.

Oh, you mean as a game setting?

The games I run are mostly either fantasy or supers. For supers, my usual setting is TL6-8; I actually feel that formulaic supers work better at TL6 than at any later level—present-day forensics would penetrate any secret identity in months. For fantasy, I favor bronze age, though Roman or medieval is a decent backup.

I retain a fondness for TL(5+1)—steampunk—though I don't get a lot out of what the movement has become now; it's less alternative history of science and more fashion statement. Not to mention the last exhibit of "steampunk technology" I saw that was entirely made up of post-WWI electronics: cool but not remotely historically authentic. Where were the coherers, or the spark gaps?

[weby]

As gaming environment:
TL4^/TL2+2^(=magic) is the one I have run most.

But several games that have been about late TL9^/early TL10^ have also been good. Couple of TL 11^ games too.

Have not really run any TL 1-3(feel lacking in technology) or 5-8 games(No special reason, but have enjoyed Scifi and Fantasy more) or TL 12 (just feels uncontrollable)

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by whswhs

I retain a fondness for TL(5+1)—steampunk—though I don't get a lot out of what the movement has become now; it's less alternative history of science and more fashion statement. Not to mention the last exhibit of "steampunk technology" I saw that was entirely made up of post-WWI electronics: cool but not remotely historically authentic. Where were the coherers, or the spark gaps?

Obligatory song/reference on the misuse of 'Steampunk'.
(Side note: apparently youtube defaults to not displaying lyrics again, unless you click options/gear and enable CC.)

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Obligatory song/reference on the misuse of 'Steampunk'.
(Side note: apparently youtube defaults to not displaying lyrics again, unless you click options/gear and enable CC.)

Is there a place to see just the lyrics?

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Is there a place to see just the lyrics?

I suppose this will do (scroll below the embedded video).