| This is a very quick an dirty conversion chart, For a more detailed one see Tech Level Comparison Chart (meta) at the Traveler RPG wiki. |
GURPS and Traveller TL systems didn't mesh well outside of the 1970-2000 period and the changes in GURPS 4th edition only aggravated the problem.
Classic: Traveller and GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars used older versions of the Traveller TL system.
Traveller 5th TL break down[]
The Traveller 5th edition TL system[1] is very complex as it has things that are not really technology in GURPS and doesn't have a general signature technology category.
Society, for example, in GURPS is handled via Control Rating and Legality Class rather then technology. So GURPS has an easier time dealing with kingdoms such as the Kingdom of Israel (c 930 BCE) and the Kingdom of Herod the Great which existed long before the Middle Ages (c450-c1450). It also addressed thing like how the Greeks (TL1) could have democracy long before the 1700s CE that Traveller puts that "social technology"
General Tech Level overview[]
Traveller 5e TLs (T5TL) 0 and 1 are effectively identical to either version of their GURPS counterparts but beginning with the Iron age the three systems slightly diverge. At T5TL-9 superscience becomes the rule.
| T5TL | G3eTL | G4eTL | Era | Rough starting date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.3 | 2 | 2 | Iron Age | 1300 BC |
| 1.6 | 3 | 3 | Middle Ages | 600 CE |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | Age of Sail | 1500 |
| 3 | 5 | 5 | Industrial Revolution | 1700 |
| 3.3 | 5 | 5 | 1800 | |
| 3.6 | 5 | 5-6 | 1850 | |
| Low Tech | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 5-6 | Mechanized Age | 1900 |
| 5 | 6 | 6 | 1930 | |
| 6 | 7 | 6 | Nuclear Age | 1950 |
| Mid Tech | ||||
| 7 | 7-8 | 7 | Space Age | 1975 |
| 8 | 8 | 8 | Digital Age | 2000 |
| 9 | 9 | 8^-9^ | Early Stellar/Fusion Age | 2050 |
| High Tech+ | ||||
| 10 (A) | 9 | 9^-10^ | Imperial Average | 2100 |
| 11 (B) | 9 | 10^ | 4521 (0 IC) | |
| 12 (C) | 10 | 11^ | Average Imperial | 5626 (1105 IC) |
| 13 (D) | 10 | 11^ | Average Stellar / Geneering Age | |
| 14 (E) | 11 | 11^ | High Stellar | |
| 15 (F) | 12 | 11^ | Imperial Maximum | 5628 (1107 IC) |
| 16 (G) | 13 | 11^ | Artificial Persons Age | |
| 17 (H) | 13 | 11^ | Personality Transfer Age / Republic of Regina |
6423 (1902 IC) |
| 18 (J) | 13 | 11^ | Exotics Age | |
| 19 (K) | 13 | 11^ | Matter Transport/Antimatter Age | |
| 20 (L) | 13 | 11^ | Skipdrive Age | |
| 21 (M) | 13 | 11^ | Stasis Age | |
Notes on Tech Levels[]
It should be mentioned that there are effectively five TL charts with regards to Traveler and GURPS: The Classic Traveller one (which goes to TL 15), the MT one (which ends at TL 20+), the GURPS 3rd one, the GURPS 4th one, and the Traveller 5e one (which ends at TL 33). And there are internal differences for each one.
Traveler 5e groups its Tech level categories as follows (categories that have a close analog to Transportation; Weapons and Armor; Power; Biotechnology/Medicine in GURPS are in bold):
- Technology-1 and Technology-2[2]: Energy, Society, Environ, Comm, Transport, Medicine, Science, Computers
- Technology-3 and Technology-4[3]: Speed1, Speed2, Weapons, Hvy Wpns; Space Travel; Tech
- Technology-5 and Technology-6[4]:Weapons, Defenses, Sensors1, Sensors2
| Traveler 5e Tech category |
Closest GURPS counterpart |
|---|---|
| Energy | Power |
| Society | Control Rating and Legality Class |
| Environ, Comm, Science, and Computers | no real one to one counterpart |
| Transport and Speed1 | Transportation |
| Speed2 | Move |
| Weapons, Hvy Wpns, and Defenses | Weapons and Armor |
| Space Travel | no real counterpart |
| Tech | Tech Level titles |