The Advances
Everyone is here hoping to get access to some of the Klorn technology. This is not a secret. It's why each race may have brought some of their own resources for trading. (See the Diplomacy bluesheet for how this works.) Some races may be here after specific technologies. Other races may not be so picky, angling for whatever advances they can get.
Technological Advances have increasing levels of complexity, designated by a number from Level I to Level III. The number reflects the difficulty in understanding the nature of the technology. Technological Advances of Level I can be understood and exploited by any of the peoples represented in the game. Higher level Advances will require the understanding of specific lower level Advances.
Acquiring Tech
There are five ways you can gain Technology Advances:
- You may trade for it.
- You may learn about a technology in a Tale.
- You may be given technology by the Vim or the Klorn.
- You may find all of the fundamental technologies needed to understand a more complex technology.
- You may acquire a more complex technology, which gives you access to the fundamental technologies that go into the complex one.
These Technological Advances will be represented as Resource Item Cards.
When you gain a new Technology, you must see the Resource GM to make it official!
Example 1: The Zurn delegate trades for the level 1 Technological Advance of Bioluminescent Bar Food. The Zurn delegate goes to the Resource GM, so that this fact can be noted. One never knows what kind of impact a technology may have on the folks back home...
Some Tales may provide you access to specific Technologies. The Vim will make it clear if this in question. When in doubt, ask the Vim when you are recounting your Tale.
Example 2: The Zurn delegate is involved in the Telling of the Expansion Tale entitled I Drank What?!?. This teaches the Zurn delegate a valuable lesson and the level 1 Technological Advance of Radioactive Fizzy Drinks. The Zurn delegate goes to the Resource GM, so that this fact can be noted. There may be a new fad brewing in Zurn bars before long...
The Vim or the Klorn may decide to reward some of those at the Telling. They may do so using Technological Advances. They have done this in the past, but there is, of course, no guarantee of it.
There are various fields of technology represented by the Technological Advances. Advances in the same field may lead you to a breakthrough. This will all be handled by the Resource GM.
Breakthroughs will be resolved between the end of a Tale period and the begining of the next Home Character period. Thus, there are three opportunities to make breakthroughs during the game.
Example 3: At the end of the Tales of the Age of Expansion, the Zurn goes to the Resource GM and asks if there are any breakthroughs. Shortly after the Home Character period begins, the Resource GM tells the Zurn delegate that mixing Bioluminescent Bar Food and Radioactive Fizzy Drinks has stimulated the scientists back home. They've discovered the level 2 Technological Advance of the Hyperatomic Bartender! The Resource GM hands the Zurn delegate the appropriate Resource Item Card.
It may be possible to gain a higher level technology without knowing the precursor technologies. This is dangerous, as your race is clearly playing with the unknown. However, it can pay off.
Example 4: The Zurn delegate, quite drunk after the ministrations of the Hyperatomic Bartender, makes a deal with its Narani friends. The Zurn gives the Narani the secrets of the Hyperatomic Bartender. The Narani knew about Bioluminescent Bar Food, but they were unaware of the technology of Radioactive Fizzy Drinks. As a result of gaining the understanding of the Hyperatomic Bartender, their scientists will also know how to mix up Radioactive Fizzy Drinks.
The Resource GM will do their best to keep this process moving along.
Technology Tree
The Resource GM has a Technology Tree, which will be posted somewhere in game space. This tree will represent all of the various possible Technological Advances that may be possible during the game. It will be blank at the start.
The goal of the Technology Tree is to give you some additional idea of where your technologies may lead. You may want to keep an eye on the Technological Tree as time progresses, to learn what new discoveries have been made.
When you gain a new Technology, you must see the Resource GM to make it official!
Technological Advance slots on the Technology Tree may be empty, visible, or hidden.
A Technology Tree slot is empty when no one knows the technology except for the Klorn and the Vim. The slot represents a possibility.
A Technology Tree slot is visible when someone has gained that Technological Advance and is willing to let others know about the discovery. A visible technology in the tree lets you know that the technology may be available, for the right price.
Example 5: The Zurn delegate is quite proud that the Zurn people have gained the science of Enhanced Interactive Literature. When the Zurn delegate acquired the tech, it went to the Resource GM to make it official. The Resource GM, noting that this was the first instance of Enhanced Interactive Literature, asked the Zurn if they wanted to make its existence public. The Zurn agreed, so the Technological Advance is placed face up on the Technological Tree, for all to see.
A Technology Tree slot is hidden when someone has gained that Technological Advance but is NOT willing to let others know about the discovery. A hidden technology in the tree lets you know that an unknown technology exists and may be available, but that there are really only vague rumors going around.
Example 6: The Zurn delegate has a goal of making their world one of the premiere pleasure planets in the Coterie. When the Zurn delegate acquired the Bioluminescent Bar Food tech, it went to the Resource GM to make it official. The Resource GM, noting that this was the first instance of Bioluminescent Bar Food, asked the Zurn if they wanted to make its existence public. The Zurn said no, wanting to keep the advance to itself. The Technological Advance is placed on the tree, but hidden. No one can tell that Bioluminescent Bar Food is now known.
Technologies that are hidden may become visible.
Example 7: The Zurn delegate insists that Radioactive Fizzy Drinks and Hyperatomic Bartender must be hidden, so they go up hidden on the Technology Tree. However, the Dorfa delegate stumbles on the secret of Radioactive Fizzy Drinks. When the Dorfa goes to the Resource GM to make it official, the GM will note that the technology is already on the tree, but hidden. The Resource GM will ask the Dorfa if it wants the discovery of Radioactive Fizzy Drinks known to the rest of the Coterie. The Dorfa says yes, so the hidden Radioactive Fizzy Drinks advance is turned over and made visible on the Technology Tree. This has no effect on the hidden Bioluminescent Bar Food or Hyperatomic Bartender techs.
Exposing a higher level tech exposes all of the lower level techs beneath it.
Example 8: With Bioluminescent Bar Food tech hidden and Radioactive Fizzy Drinks exposed, the Zurn has managed to keep the Hyperatomic Bartender technology hidden as well. Unfortunately, the drunken Narani reports to the Resource GM and decides to make Hyperatomic Bartender visible. It is exposed, and so is the lesser hidden tech of Bioluminescent Bar Food. The Zurn plans for a premiere pleasure planet may be in trouble...