Examples of tech in Traveller: Yes or No?

T

Tom Kalbfus

Mongoose
Which of these technologies fit in a standard Traveller campaign and which do not?
Androids
Holodecks
Time Machines
Human Clones
Nanotechnology
Tractor beams
Force fields
Transporters/Teleporters
Antimatter (Positrons, antineutrons, antiprotons)
Magmatter (Magnetic Monopoles: Magnetons, Magneutrons, Magprotons, and their antiparticles)
Negative matter (Matter with negative mass/energy)
Dark Matter
Wormholes/Stargates
Tachyon beans
Artificial Intelligence
Virtual reality
Antigravity generators
gravity generators
Stasis beams/chambers
Low Berths (hibernation chambers)
Low Berths (Freezers)
Matter converters
Mini/micro black holes
Human mind uploading/downloading
 
Tom Kalbfus said:
Which of these technologies fit in a standard Traveller campaign and which do not?
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By "standard Traveller game", do you mean a 3rd Imperium style of game? If so, there's a short description of tech available at each TL in MgT2 pg 6.

Assuming a 3I game, then I'd say (assuming the planet/area has the TL to create the item):

Androids - yes, with legal and cultural limits
Holodecks - yes
Time Machines - no at 3I tech levels. not even Ancient tech allows this.
Human Clones - yes, with legal and cultural limits according to the planet
Nanotechnology - yes. I assume a lot of Traveller medical tech is actually nonotech under the hood.
Tractor beams - no at 3I tech levels.
Force fields - no, but black globes kinda fit in this category.
Transporters/Teleporters - no at 3I tech levels.
Antimatter (Positrons, antineutrons, antiprotons) - no at 3I tech levels. not til TL 16?
Magmatter (Magnetic Monopoles: Magnetons, Magneutrons, Magprotons, and their antiparticles) - maybe. possibly some Traveller tech uses these.
Negative matter (Matter with negative mass/energy) - maybe. there are people who postulate that reactionless thrusters and /or jump drive work with this.
Dark Matter - see above
Wormholes/Stargates - no, except as Ancient artifacts
Tachyon beans - no
Artificial Intelligence - yes, with legal and cultural limits acccording to the planet.
Virtual reality - yes
Antigravity generators -yes, standard tech in Traveller starships
gravity generators - the flip side of the above. yes.
Stasis beams/chambers - cold sleep capsules is standard Imperium equipment
Low Berths (hibernation chambers) - as above
Low Berths (Freezers) - as above
Matter converters - no at 3I tech levels.
Mini/micro black holes - no at 3I tech levels.
Human mind uploading/downloading - yes, or at least partly yes, according to MWM's _Agent of the Imperium_ novel. It's a copy of a persons brain, nor actually an upload of the person themselves.

Otherwise, if your Traveller game is not the OTU then any and all of the above are fair game.
 
I believe I've seen examples of all in the various editions including the concurrent T5 but not all in 3I except possibly at TLs 16+.
 
Magmatter is an interesting idea, it would allow for example, tiny suns that radiate gamma rays, with little planets that revolve around it. Such a planetary system made out of mag matter would evolve rather quickly, Mag atoms are tinier and more massive than regular atoms. This article describes more fully what magmatter is:
http://www.orionsarm.com/eg-article/48630634d2591
It is a theoretical substance, and magnetic monopoles have yet to be actually produced in a particle accelerator or to be detected as cosmic rays, but some theories suggest they could exist. One possible application is a gamma ray laser, and another is matter conversion without black holes or antimatter. Unlike antimatter, magmatter doesn't get used up when it converts matter to energy, this thus eliminated the necessity of containment systems to store antimatter without it coming in contact with matter prior to its used in an engine or reactor.
 
Androids
Droids, anyway; uncanny valley animated dolls.

Holodecks
Virtual reality; holodecks require finely tuned tractor technolgy.

Time Machines
Tardis.

Human Clones
Might not be socially acceptable, though there's at least one Solomani subpolity that makes extensive use of them.

Nanotechnology
Undoubtedly, but not ambient friendly.

Tractor beams
Technological level sixteen.

Force fields
Probably not, except for globes.

Transporters/Teleporters
Psionics

Antimatter (Positrons, antineutrons, antiprotons)
Eventually

Magmatter (Magnetic Monopoles: Magnetons, Magneutrons, Magprotons, and their antiparticles)
Gravity?

Negative matter (Matter with negative mass/energy)
Dark Matter
Eventually be able to manipulate them.

Wormholes/Stargates
Maybe

Tachyon beans
I prefer baked.

Artificial Intelligence
Seems to be technological level sixteen.

Virtual reality
Brink of.

Antigravity generators
gravity generators
Technological level nine

Stasis beams/chambers
Probably linked to nuclear dampers.

Low Berths (hibernation chambers)
Low Berths (Freezers)
Uh huh.

Matter converters
Probably in varying degrees.

Mini/micro black holes
Seems too dangerous at current levels.

Human mind uploading/downloading
You can make a copy of your mind, though I wonder if it extends to the personality.
 
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