TL3 (The Middle Ages)

TL3 (The Middle Ages, 600 CE+) actually covers only a fraction of the period generally called "The Middle Ages" which tends to date from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE to the Fall of Constantinople, which was the Eastern Roman Empire, in 1453.

The historical Middle Ages actually covers TL2 (The Iron Age) through TL4 (The Age of Sail).

General Developments[]

Note: these are a combination of the material in the Basic Set and GURPS Low-Tech

Transportation: Stirrups; oceangoing sailing ships (longships, roundships, etc.)
Weapons and Armor: Steel weapons; early firearms; plate armor; castles
- War: Mounted knights; counterweight mechanical artillery; early black-powder weapons^[1]
Power: Heavy horses and horse-collars; windmills and widely used water mills
Biotechnology/Medicine: Crude prosthetics; anatomical science
Other Technologies: Three-field rotation; moldboard plow; heavy horses; flying buttress; distillation; compasses; numerals with zero
Social Organization: Universal religions; monasticism

The fantasy world of Yrth has extensive TL3, possibly TL4 in its more fantastical elements, sans gunpowder
The medieval world Friedrich is infested with agents of Reich-5, although fighting them may require equally modern weaponry.
Classics
- The realm of Arabian Nights is TL3 with the addition of high adventure. This realm is technically multiple layers of Myth Parallel, as the story of 1001 Nights is about someone telling 1001 stories.
- Classic: Japan: "The magic items of Japan revolve around charms, and mystically powerful weapons and armor."^[2]
- Classic: Middle Ages 1: While Tolkien is the foundation of modern RPG magic system the "historical" Middle Age was decidedly Low Magic with spells being limited to "witches" or the actions of angels and devils. Relics were believed to have magic powers via Enchantment Through Deeds involving some great religious figure. Some, such as the Grail and Holy Lance, may even be Minor Objects of Power.