Tech level clarification needed for a Star Wars campaign

[RainbowFactory]

My question is as follows: Does tech level dictate the types of technology that a character can use or does it dictate what types of technology the character can understand?

The race I have chosen to play as in this Star Wars campaign is very primitive compared to the rest of the galaxy but this question is pivotal in the selection of weapons he would be able to use.

At my Tech level I can use a sword. A Vibroblade Shortsword is at a much high tech level but is still functionally a sword. Can I use one if I find one?

You don't need to know how a gun works in order to use one. If someone showed me how to fire and maintain one could I use it?

What are the limitations here?

[Phantasm]

Gamorreans and their vibro-axes, right? :)

The way I handle such things are that those who hail from a lower TL won't immediately grasp why such a thing works, but can use them if similar enough to what he's used to. For instance, a Gamorrean just taken off-world won't understand why the axe he was given is able to cut through metal when his regular axe won't, but he'll be able to use it with no problems. For certain skills, commonly the DX-based skills, the TL difference is often treated as a familiarity penalty. For example, let's say a Gamorrean from a TL6 world was used to a rifle or crossbow and given a TL11 Wookiee bowcaster (assuming an EU bowcaster which fires explosive quarrels, not the fancy blaster-types). The TL6 Gamorrean has Crossbow-12; before range/speed penalties, he's shooting that bowcaster at -5 to skill already due to the TL difference. I believe this is made explicit in one of the -Tech books; I want to say High-Tech.

That same TL6 Gamorrean would probably have no clue how a navicomputer would work, though, being too far outside what he's learned.

Clear as mud?

[RainbowFactory]

Ill check High-tech to see if this is spelled out somewhere. As for my race I am actually playing a Kushiban.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by RainbowFactory

My question is as follows: Does tech level dictate the types of technology that a character can use or does it dictate what types of technology the character can understand?

The race I have chosen to play as in this Star Wars campaign is very primitive compared to the rest of the galaxy but this question is pivotal in the selection of weapons he would be able to use.

At my Tech level I can use a sword. A Vibroblade Shortsword is at a much high tech level but is still functionally a sword. Can I use one if I find one?

You don't need to know how a gun works in order to use one. If someone showed me how to fire and maintain one could I use it?

What are the limitations here?

Melee weapons aren't tech skills.

[RainbowFactory]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Melee weapons aren't tech skills.

Care to elaborate on your point? The skill may not be an issue but vibroblades are a TL10 item and my character has like 10 levels of Low TL which in this campaign would stick me at TL1. I am asking if this is a restriction on the types of weapons I can use.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by RainbowFactory

Care to elaborate on your point? The skill may not be an issue but vibroblades are a TL10 item and my character has like 10 levels of Low TL which in this campaign would stick me at TL1. I am asking if this is a restriction on the types of weapons I can use.

It isn't. You can also use flashlights.

[Dustin]

B22 has most of your answers. You can't start play with any high TL skills, you can learn DX-based TL skills during play without penalty, and you're forbidden from learning IQ-based TL skills. A TL10 vibroblade still uses Knife or Shortsword or whatever skill for combat, and those aren't TL skills; there's no Shortsword/TL2 vs Shortsword/TL10, just Shortsword, so no problem for your character in combat, but Armoury is a TL skill, and an IQ-based one at that, so maintaining that vibroblade is something your character can't do without buying off the Low TL disadvantage.

[Celjabba]

Or in other words : Clark third law apply here. As a non-magical person, you can use a magic sword as a sword and benefit from its bonus and always on powers. If someone show you the right ritual gestures, you can activate triggered powers that don't require magery to work. You can feed it the magical bits that it require to work if taught how. You cannot design, make, modify, maintain or repair it. You cannot use it as a magic tool to interfer with other magics.
Replace magic with high-TL and nothing change, except that in most universe, it is easier to overcome low TL than lack of magery.

Celjabba

[nerdvana]

Originally Posted by Celjabba

Or in other words : Clark third law apply here. You can use a magic sword as a sword and benefit from its bonus and always on powers. If someone show you the right ritual gestures, you can activate triggered powers that don't require magery to work. You can feed it the magical bits that it require to work if taught how. You cannot design, make, modify, maintain or repair it. You cannot use it as a magic tool to interfer with other magics.
Replace magic with high-TL and nothing change, except that in most universe, it is easier to overcome low TL than lack of magery.

Celjabba

I absolutely love this analogy and think it is the perfect way to illustrate the answer... partially because this may be how a low TL individual thinks of a high TL device (for the reason stated at the beginning, Clark's Third Law)

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by RainbowFactory

Care to elaborate on your point? The skill may not be an issue but vibroblades are a TL10 item and my character has like 10 levels of Low TL which in this campaign would stick me at TL1. I am asking if this is a restriction on the types of weapons I can use.

No, not on use only on TL/Skills you may possess. It doesn't even limit DX-based Skills you can learn in play.

Oh, and don't bother searching Low, High or Ultra-tech. It's not addressed there. This is al made cear in the Basic Set.