[Banestorm] Usefulness of TL-8 skills on Yrth?

[JdeFalconr]

To what extent would TL8 skills be useable on Yrth? The concern regarding those skills is that their TL8 versions would require a corresponding TL8 infrastructure (advanced equipment, facilities, and/or information resources not available on Yrth) and, thus, would be of limited utility besides their knowledge component.

One possibility is that the advanced equipment could be replaced by magical means instead - spells or customized magical equipment, perhaps, albeit at great expense.

Thoughts?

[Anders]

Depends on what the GM allows you to do. A competent chemist working with a wizard could probably produce cheap dyes fairly easily (the aniline dyes are TL5, so you'll work at -3... hardly impossible). Turning his attention to other things, the same chemist could produce TNT (also TL5), although that requires more attention to detail, unless he wants to have an explosive career. Guncotton is another fun thing to make. Sulfa could revolutionize medical care.

Really, the sky's the limit.

[Ulzgoroth]

I'd be pessimistic about computer skills, electrical engineering (in the usual electronics sense), or biotechnology skills.

Many TL8 skills normally require basic 'equipment' that won't be available, but the penalty for going back to lower-TL substitutes that you can obtain, improvise, or invent is going to be tolerable in many cases. You might be in most respects better off having TL 5-6 skills rather than TL 8, though.

[lexington]

TL8 Research should take a penalty as well, since it leans heavily on computer systems. It might fade over time but going from Google to a primitive card catalogue is a big change.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by lexington

TL8 Research should take a penalty as well, since it leans heavily on computer systems. It might fade over time but going from Google to a primitive card catalogue is a big change.

There's a standard penalty in the Basic Set for defaulting from skill/TL N to skill/TL M. For going backward, it's not trivial but not nearly as bad as the other way.

[lexington]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

There's a standard penalty in the Basic Set for defaulting from skill/TL N to skill/TL M. For going backward, it's not trivial but not nearly as bad as the other way.

Huh, I didn't realize Research was a TL skill.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by lexington

Huh, I didn't realize Research was a TL skill.

Hah, so it is. I didn't know that it was, I thought you were implying it, but it turns out that it is.

[fredtheobviouspseudonym]

Originally Posted by lexington

TL8 Research should take a penalty as well, since it leans heavily on computer systems. It might fade over time but going from Google to a primitive card catalogue is a big change.

I've used both. You're right.

However, IIRC it took me little time, even as an 8-9 year old, to figure out a card catalogue. However, it would have taken more time to devise one from scratch. I think, tho', that a librarian who is familiar with modern book filing systems could rebuild an adequate filing system even using hard-copy catalogues.

[ClayDowling]

Originally Posted by lexington

TL8 Research should take a penalty as well, since it leans heavily on computer systems. It might fade over time but going from Google to a primitive card catalogue is a big change.

Card catalogs are a relatively new invention as well, as compared to the history of the written word. It gets considerably more exciting as you move further back.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by ClayDowling

Card catalogs are a relatively new invention as well, as compared to the history of the written word. It gets considerably more exciting as you move further back.

See Low Tech p.47-48. Also note that just because the Table of Contents and Index were invented at TL3 no work from that TL is guaranteed to have either. Penalties from -2 to -5 fro (non)organization are easily possible.

TL penalties are in addition to those and going from research TL8 to Research TL5 is at -9. Those of use who started college before the TL8 line might have both TL7 and 8 versions of research and can save ourselves a -2. The character in question is very likley defaulting from IQ rather than his high TL Skill.

Incidentally, the claim earlier that TL8 to TL5 is only -3 is wrong. It's -5. The penalties go -1,-3,-5 and so on. This means that taking Chemistry TL8 and trying to use it with improvised tools (-2) and TL5 procedures (-5) to make high explosives is probably not a good idea.