Sunday, February 21, 2010

Technological Levels of Planet Algol

The Savage Level
Common to hunter-gatherers, troglodytes, primitives, savages and degenerates, The Savage Level is the equivalent to Earth's Stone Age with flint blades, hide armor, wicker shields, simple bows, piled stone architecture and the like at it's highest levels.

The Common Level
The level of technological sophistication common to humanity of Planet Algol, this covers the range from dark ages Europe to early Renaissance. Although capable of producing blackpowder weapons, for various reasons including the superiority of energy weapons, such primitive firearms have never caught on and are a rarity. Sophisticated abaci, printing presses, plate mail, clockwork mechanisms and the like represent the upper tiers of The Common Level of Technology

The Upper Level
Usually held by Technocrats, Oligarchs, Guilds or Aristocrats, The Upper Level of technology represents the scraps of surviving knowledge of the Ancients as well as trade or technological secrets held by assorted organizations. The more sophisticated of the Upper Level technicians are capable of limited repairs of Ancient and Earth Man technology and also can repurpose artifacts for modified use (transforming plasma welders into energy blades and the like). Upper Level technologies are used for medical purposes, to produced advanced materials, transform organic wastes into usable substances, to maintain surviving ancient technology and the like. The Vat Guild is one example of Upper Level technologies, the Ancient armor and modified energy weapons that define the Armiger class of warrior-aristocrats is another. Upper Level technology is uncommon, expensive and is usually tightly held by it's possessor. The Vat Guild are especially important as they transform sundry organic wastes into foodstuffs thereby freeing much of the populace from agricultural production (agriculture is especially difficult due to the hostile, alien landscape of Algol).

The Ancient Level
Lances of nuclear fire, flying cities and automations of the Ancients. Poorly understood and highly treasured by the men of Algol, many settlements are dependent upon surviving ancient technology such as water purifiers, advanced fortifications and the like. There are no known sources of new Ancient technology, although there are legends of surviving Ancient enclaves.

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