Technology

THE ATRI SCALE

The Terran Empire rates planets and civilizations according to the Available Technical Resources Index (ATRI). Military planners and traders created the ATRI scale, so it focuses on transportation and power sources. Since it uses fairly broad classification categories, two civilizations at the same ATRI level may look very different. Similarly, some species or states advance more rapidly in some fields than in others - for example, the Varanyi mostly have ATRI 12 technology, but lag behind in some areas.

At the end of the Xenovore Wars period and during the formation of the Empire, Humanity was ATRI 10 on the most advanced planets, though many worlds only had ATRI 8-9 technology due to the devastation of the war and being cut off from the mainstream of Terran civilization. As the Terran Empire expanded, encounters with more species, analysis of Mandaarian technology, and other developments helped Imperial science reach a solid ATRI 10 throughout the Empire. Thereafter, the pace of development slowed as Imperial secrecy rules and monopolies stifled innovation. The Empire reached ATRI 11 in the mid-2500s (spurred on in part by the Ackalian Border War and the Galactic War), but after that progress slowed considerably. As of Marissa III's reign, the Empire remains firmly within ATRI 11. (Humanity achieves ATRI 12 early in the Galactic Federation period [i.e., after 2703]).

Current Galactic Technology

During Marissa III's rule, most starfaring species are ATRI 10 or 11 (the Varanyi, the Malvans, the Zurites, the Mandaarians, and in some respects the Conjoined Civilizations Republic have ATRI 12 or better technology in at least some fields). Certain civilizations specialize in specific areas of technology, giving them an edge in those fields.

Ackalian technology and Imperial technology tend to stay in lockstep, as each side quickly steals the other's innovations and both societies stifle scientific progress. The Ackalians generally have ATRI 11 tech, but they lag behind in biology and nanotechnology. However, they have developed better protective force fields and radiation-hardening for systems and electronics - all of which contributes to the famed toughness and durability of Ackalian starships. Terran technicians joke that Ackalians like their machinery "big and dumb - just like them:"

The Malvans have ATRI 14 technology (in fact, most Imperials simply use ATRI 14 as a shorthand for "Malvan tech"). They may once have had even more advanced science. Since robots handle much of their research and industrial production, the Malvans themselves may not understand their own technology any better than other species do.

The Mon'dabi have kept up a steady pace of scientific progress; they're a mainstream ATRI 10, verging into 11, civilization in 2640. They have particularly advanced stardrive technology. Mon'dabi hyperspace and Displacer drives are better than Imperial designs, and intelligence reports suggest they may have some military craft equipped with experimental ATRI 12 Spacewarp drives.

The Perseids have ATRI 11 technology through most of the Impe rial era. Their power and energy-control technology lags slightly behind comparative civilizations. Their antimatter generators are large and primitive compared with Imperial designs, and their spaceships sometimes run into power-usage problems.

Seecra curiosity and interest in scientific discovery keeps the pace of technological progress brisk in the CCR. They invented the Displacer drive and cold fusion power shortly before Humans did, and during Marisa's reign are transitioning from ATRI 11 to ATRI 12. By the end of the Imperial era they have ATRI 12 tech across the board and continue to progress steadily.

The Thorgons have never appreciated science for its own sake; all their research focuses on practical matters (primarily technologies with obvious military applications). This means they tend to miss many basic discoveries and progress slowly through the ATRI scale. They make up for this lack by stealing technology and data from others, so they barely lag behind the Empire in many respects. Their weapons and ships definitely involve ATRI 11 technology. In non-military tech Thorgon society is much worse, with factories and farms sometimes no better than ATRI 8-9 (or even lower).

The Varanyi have always possessed technology comfortably ahead of Terran science. At the founding of the Empire the Varanyi were already a mature ATRI 10 society making the shift to ATRI 11. In Marissa's reign they have ATRI 12 technology. However, the prevalence of psionic powers in Varanyi society retards the development of communications and robotics technology - the former because Varanyi don't need them, and the latter because they find (semi-)intelligent beings whose minds they can't read disturbing. Varanyi non-psionic communication systems are ATRI 11, and their computers and robot brains are ATRI 10-11.

With the advanced and aggressive Varanyi for neighbors, the Velarians have had to scramble for every edge they can find to remain unconquered. This has led to a habit of investigating all kinds of fringe sciences and unexplained phenomena. As a result, the Confederation has mostly mature ATRI 11 technology in 2640, but with an overlay of weird discoveries and applications that don't easily fit on the standard ATRI scale. They even claim to have an unstoppable doomsday device based on self-sustaining zero-point energy release.

The Xenovore empire at its height was a mature ATRI 10 (slightly ahead of Humanity, particularly in biotechnology), but the destruction of their industrial base left the surviving worlds at ATRI 9 or below. After the rise of the Terran Empire, most Xenovore raiders and mercenaries simply use off-the-shelf Terran and Ackalian technology.

Protecting Technology

Every species and government guards its technology jealously, and with good reason: advanced technology is one of the keys to power and influence in the Galaxy. Every major power has at least a few important technological secrets other powers lack, and they want to keep it that way to retain the strategic and tactical edge this gives them.

Since most powers find it easier to steal technology than to spend huge amounts of money and time on research and development, industrial espionage remains commonplace throughout the Galaxy. To protect against this, states use their best security devices and personnel, and often confine advanced research to isolated space stations and similar locations where no one can approach unnoticed or gain access without permission. The fact that a state with a higher ATRI rating has better security technology than the less-advanced people who want to steal its secrets just makes protecting those secrets all the easier. Persons caught stealing technological secrets invariably suffer severe penalties - execution in most societies, long-term imprisonment in maximum-security facilities in "merciful" states.

In the game, the GM should not let PCs simply waltz onto Malva or Varan and steal all the advanced technology they want. If it were that easy, dozens of species would have done it many years ago. Player characters who want higher-ATRI technology than their overall species/government should buy the Advanced Tech Perk and/or acquire it in the game after a lot of difficulty, danger, and effort.

Technology Compatibility

The general rules for using advanced and obsolete technology on pages 143-44 of Star Hero apply in the Terran Empire setting. Characters should incur penalties for using technology from ATRI levels higher or lower than that of their current society. One general exception to this is technology from earlier ATRI levels still in everyday use. In many cases a society finds a type of technology worth preserving, but does not find it possible or profitable to continually refine it. For example, the Terran Empire's military and police forces still use laser weapons, which are generally ATRI 9-10 technology. Characters should not suffer a penalty when firing or repairing them, even though they're one level behind the Empire's general ATRI 11 ranking, because they remain in common use. The GM determines when penalties apply, and their severity.

The accompanying table indicates the general compatibility of different major species's technology. The GM can use this to extrapolate results for the tech of other species, such as the Osathri, Fex, and Se-lag.

Some species find it difficult to use other species's technology. Fingered species suffer a -3 Skill Roll penalty for using Osathri tech; the Osathri suffer a -2 when using "fingered" tech. Many Catavalan, Selag, and Jaruma devices require more than two hands (making use of them by two-handed aliens impossible, or imposing a -5 penalty at best). Mostreen devices require such long fingers most other species cannot use them (or use them only at a -4 penalty).