README: Point-Buy Tech Rating System

Purpose
The Point-Buy Tech Rating System (henceforth abbreviated to Point-Buy System, PBS, or the system) was created to ease the process of comparing technology between factions and species in a somewhat quantifiable manner, to reduce confusion and powerplay caused by solely descriptions. To achieve this, the system makes use of technology ratings that can be increased through the use of points during species and faction generation.

General Tech Categories
The Point-Buy System uses several broad categories to allow for creativity while still achieving the purpose of the system through regulation. These categories do not cover specific devices, such as shields or weapons, in order to allow creativity when designing your species or faction tech (liquid shields, for example) so long as it stays believable (firing acid laser missiles from the eyes of giant space whales will probably be rejected).

Biology
Higher ratings in this category yields a better understanding of life, increasing your comprehension of alien lifeforms, allowing for more effective biological weapons, increased medical knowledge, and the creation of artificial life or growth of bio-ships.

Chemistry
Higher ratings allow better manipulation of matter, whether to create new alloys or compounds, or destroy them with chemical weapons. This also has potential to create and use various fuels, or develop medicine.

Data
Higher ratings in this category increase your knowledge of computers or other information processors, allowing for better automated targeting, improved navigational systems, and perhaps even AI.

Fields
Higher ratings in Fields improves your understanding and ability to utilize certain principles of physics, such as electromagnetism, gravity, or nuclear reactions.

Kinetics
Higher ratings improve the understanding of elementary physics pertaining to kinetic energy, inertia, and so on. This can allow for better kinetic weaponry or typical thrusters, as well as improved hull design.

Particles
Higher ratings in this category yields a better understanding of particles and the physics associated with them, giving you the ability to manufacture particle weapons (including lasers) or other energy manipulation devices.

Keep in mind that these category descriptions and the examples associated with them are simply guidelines intended to show what is possible to accomplish with each category. One could create shields that utilize Fields and Chemistry for suspending a cloud of specially designed alloy particles, just Fields for energy deflection, or just Chemistry for a liquid shield sticking to the hull of the ship. Be creative.

Tech Ratings
The tech ratings for each General Tech Category are used as indicators of a civilization's knowledge and capability to understand and utilize the subject in their technology. This enables the comparison of multiple civilizations in a quick and simple manner. The descriptions below are of civilizations with all General Tech Category TRs equivalent to the level being described, not of specific General Tech Categories.

TR0: Stone Age. A TR0 civilization is on par with ancient Mesopotamia, if that. It possesses little knowledge of any subject, with what little knowledge they do have derived from observation (plants need water, cut things and they die). Such a civilization poses little threat to TR1 and TR2 civilizations, and no threat to higher civilizations.

TR1: Pre-Industrial – Industrial Earth. A civilization of TR1 possesses little knowledge of subjects most higher civilizations would consider elementary and is often just beginning to pick up its pace on the journey through technological evolution, with comparatively complex machines and mechanics being created.

TR2: Modern (21st Century) – Near Future Earth. TR2 civilizations are best compared to modern or near future Earth, with information of all sorts readily accessible by most individuals and complex machinery being commonplace. New advances in all fields are being implemented quickly into the public, from functional prosthetic limbs to advanced microprocessors and nuclear power.

TR3: Stellar – Basic Interstellar. A TR3 civilization is expected to be able to access most, if not all, of its native star system and its resources. Often this involves basic colonies to minor terraforming, but most importantly, it requires the ability to move quickly within the system. TR3 civilizations often have powerful subluminal drives and basic FTL travel methods to enable both quick transport in-system and between systems.

TR4: Interstellar. TR4 civilizations are characterized by their ability to colonize foreign systems and reliably navigate between them, as well as their advanced knowledge of most subjects compared to TR3 civilizations. A TR4 civilization's technology is far from perfected, and they are still making technological breakthroughs frequently, but a TR3 civilization can pose a threat if the guard is lowered.

TR5: Advanced Interstellar – Basic Exotic. TR5 civilizations often achieve their level of technological prowess through the introduction of exotic matter into their technology, enabling feats previously deemed not worthwhile for a variety of reasons. While lower tiered civilizations may dabble in exotic matter to achieve such feats as stabilized wormholes between systems, TR5 civilizations are set apart from them simply because they took it a step further and began introducing it into their primary technologies. Exotic matter aside, TR5 civilizations have begun to focus on efficiency over other improvements as technological breakthroughs using common matter become fewer and farther between.

TR6: Exotic. A TR6 civilization is characterized by its ability to reliably gather and utilize exotic matter on levels unexpected by lower-tiered civilizations, with exotic matter playing a large role in such a civilization's technology. They have also achieved high levels of efficiency in most fields, reliably outplaying TR4 and TR3 civilizations, but there is room to fight back in those cases, unlike for TR2 and TR1 civilizations. TR5 civilizations still pose a threat to a faction possessing TR6 technology, but the prominence of exotic matter gives a TR6 civilization the edge.

TR7: Oh God Why. [TO BE IMPLEMENTED AT A LATER DATE]

TR8: More 'Oh God Why'. [TO BE IMPLEMENTED AT A LATER DATE]

Buying Tech Ratings
By default, all species/factions start with all General Tech Categories at TR3. From here, you are able to spend points to improve the Tech Rating of a General Tech Category by one TR, or reduce the TR of a General Tech Category to gain more points to spend. This will allow you to vary your tech for species flavor as well as gain points for doing so.

One must remember that these Tech Ratings are not intended to give you victory, but to compare species/faction ability and accompany good roleplaying. Playing smart and roleplaying well are what truly wins you battles, with dice rolls and tech comparisons coming into play to speed that process up.

A civilization with two-thirds of their General Tech Categories at TR3 or higher is a TR3 Civilization, a civilization with two-thirds of their General Tech Categories at TR4 or higher is a TR4 Civilization, and so on.

Tech Rating Costs
You begin with 8 points to spend at species/faction generation.
TR0: To TR1 (-4)** || No Downgrade
TR1: To TR2 (-4)** || To TR0 (+4)
TR2: To TR3 (-2)**|| To TR1 (+4)
TR3: To TR4 (-4) || To TR2 (+2)
TR4: To TR5 (- || No Downgrade
TR5: To TR6 (-* || No Downgrade
TR6: No Upgrade || No Downgrade

*Requires two ratings to be TR5 before upgrade can be
**Cost to upgrade is equal to bonus for downgrading to prevent point abuse caused by upgrading at a later time. The best route here is to roleplay development well enough for an admin to upgrade your TR itself, rather than try to get points to upgrade it later in roleplay.

RP for TR
Few factions are going to remain static forever, technologically or socially. To show this, points will be given for exceptional roleplaying, to be used for upgrading Tech Ratings further. Whole upgrades to your TRs may be performed by admins if you happen to roleplay research developments particularly well and tenaciously, whether privately or with other factions. In all cases, these events are discussed privately by admins and moderators to ensure fairness and determine the amount of points awarded. This is intended to promote improving one's roleplaying and writing ability, as well as create more variety in the power levels of factions.

Tech Stats
When writing out your technology, be sure to include the General Tech Categories that the tech utilizes, as well as what Tech Rating of that category it uses. While you may have TR5 in Kinetics, your infantry's slug throwers might only utilize Kinetics up to TR3, for example.

Example:
Example Energy Gun
TR3 Fields
TR5 Particles

Words describing the Example Energy Gun so that the reader may understand its function and specifications.