[maximara]

Originally Posted by adm

Given that they already had a TL based on 3E, rebuilding it to 4E would have been the extra work. Within ADB's Universe, it works just fine. At this point we should likely agree to disagree, we clearly have different views, neither are necessarily wrong, although I will acknowledge that your view is better for 4E compatibility, but then so many tech assumptions in Trek are all over the place that it doesn't really play well with others.

David L. Pulver, author of both versions of GURPS Ultra Tech, provided a quick and dirty 3eTL to 4eTL conversion chart back in 2005 on these very forums:

Originally Posted by David L Pulver

Well, theoretically and very roughly:

upper half 3eTL7 = TL8
3eTL8 = 4eTL9
3eTL9 = 4eTL10 and some TL9-10^
3eTL10 = 4eTL11 and some TL10-11^
3eTL11 = 4eTL11 and some TL10-11^
3eTL12 = 4eTL11 and TL10-11^
3eTL13 = 4eTL11 and TL11^
3eTL14 = 4eTL12 and some TL11-12^
3eTL15 = 4eTL12^
3eTL16 = 4eTL12^

A few individual items drop or gain in TL.

BIO-TECH and ULTRA-TECH (both currently well under way) will give suggested but clearly optional TL values for superscience technology rather than just saying TL^ so that development chains will be obvious.

Except that is not what happened with GURPS Bio-tech as that book just went with TL^ (no related number) which IMHO is what they should have done in Ultra-Tech.

Also if a book says GURPS Fourth edition right on the cover it should not be referring back to the third edition Tech scale ala "For example, in this game’s universe, transporter technology is common at TL9, but the standard GURPS definition is TL15 (matter transmission)." As stated before there is no "TL15" in the GURPS 4e Tech Level system and GURPS 4e Ultra Tech puts matter transmission at TL10^ which as mentioned before means it could technically occur in any TL. Heck The Fly (1958) had TL7^ matter transmission.

Instead of having that statement which refers to the wrong version of GURPS have "For example, in this game’s universe, transporter technology is common at TL9 which under standard GURPS is TL9^." See how simple it is once you use the 4e Tech level system rather then trying to hold on like grim death to a GURPS tech level system effectively abandoned some 15 years ago that only keeps existing via 3e books like GURPS Atomic Horror?

Originally Posted by adm

Note: GURPS: Lensmen was a 3E work, its TL system refers to 3E TLs not 4E TLs.

GURPS: Lensmen only referred back the 3e TL system; internally it used something called Tech Stages:

"An extremely rough correlation can be forced between Tech Stages and Level. Tech Stage 0 is equivalent to Tech Level 6, and TS 1 is approximately TL7. Stages 2 and 3 could be compared to TL8, though the GURPS Tech Level does not account for allotropic iron as a power source.["

All that would be needed to change that to be comparable with 4e would be "An extremely rough correlation can be forced between Tech Stages and Level. Tech Stage 0 is equivalent to Tech Level 6 and, because the transistor wasn't invented in the Lensman universe and allotropic iron as a power source is superscience TS 1 is approximately TL(6+1)^ with Stages 2 and 3 equating to TL(6+2)^. Note there is a lot of split technology with huge leaps due to superscience. For example going from being unable to cure infantile paralysis (TL6) to full regeneration (TL6^) in on Tech Stage.

The GURPS wiki used what little existed in the book and generated a quick and dirty conversion chart between Tech Stages and 4e GURPS Tech Levels.

Originally Posted by adm

Honestly, we have no idea how the Organians work, they may have built up with a tech base, or be totally biological..

Which is exactly what the superscience category in GURPS 4e can be used for :-)

To use a very old saying that in the case of the subject matter here comes off as a very very very bad pun "It's not rocket science."

Originally Posted by adm

Unless I am mistaken, Flint and the Transmutter are very likely outside of ADB's license. In 35 years of interacting in the SFU universe, and having all of the RPG supplements, they have never been referred too.

Not directly but the original SFU material directly referenced the Enterprise's five year mission but that was back in the Task Force Games days so I don't know if that part is still in the timeline due to the license.