Balkanised World Tech Bonus

Bill Sheil

Cosmic Mongoose
As an old Traveller grognard I have to admit I haven't looked at every single detail of how Mongoose varies with other editions, usually I just assume they are approximately the same until I need to look them up. So it turns out that I have never properly read through the main world generation before now...

... and I was surprised to find that the World Generation tables of MgT1, MgT2.1 and MgT2.2 all give a +2 TL bonus to balkanised (Gov type 7) worlds, which is inconsistent with all of the Miller-verse Travellers (CT, MT, TNE, T4, T5) where balkanised worlds receive no bonus.

Also, I believe, the T5 Second Survey database project is imposing the T5 standard (incl. +0 for balkanised worlds) on the worlds mapped and as this is used as the direct source for travellermap.com which is now, in turn, being used as direct source of sector data in the MgT2 sourcebooks this is probably creating a situation where Mongoose is publishing world stats in sector data that are inconsistent with their own generation model.

It seems weird that should receive a generous TL bonus for balkanisation. There may arguments for TL benefits but also penalties for balkanisation. So the question is, is this intentional (and is it be justified) or is it a long standing typo in the Core Books?
 
With so much charted space, where the main worlds are already given, e.g. via TravellerMap.com, I wonder how many people do generate their own subsectors and main worlds using the creation rules in the core rule books.
...rival governments comp(l)ete for control...
Maybe such an "arms race" can lead to an increase in TL.
 
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Maybe such an "arms race" can lead to an increase in TL.
I can see competition being argued as a driver of progress, as well as the military arms race but that is countered by the notion of better focus among some mono-governments. So I feel they would generally be more balanced. Also in balkanised worlds there will be losers as well as winners so there may be some more diversity and distribution of techs.
 
Could just as well represent higher tech worlds being more likely to balkanize, as representing balkanized worlds advancing in tech. But with the order of operations going in only one direction you get the +2.
 
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