What would a time traveller carry?

[Catsmate]

After (and during) last night's game we were discussing exactly the question; what would a time traveller have about their person?

Not some random individual who'd been sucked up by a rift/vortex/passing Time Lord or a fully fledged Time Agent with the backing of an organisation, but someone who's acquired a device (Vortex Manipulator or small time machine like the Kartz-Reimer capsule) and is wandering history.
OK their motivation will probably influence this, but assuming they're curious rather than planning to alter the past.

Weapons? Survival or camping gear? Money (and what form)?
And what about the technology level; for someone from a more-or-less modern day background some of the really advanced toys might be difficult to use/understand or just too weird.

Any suggestions?

[Escher]

Off the top of my head:

Gold. Usable currency in any time period, anywhere.

Precious gems, to trade or use as currency.

If possible, currency, native to the specific period I was travelling to.

A hide pouch of seemingly nondescript powders. Includes antibiotics, Potassium Permanganate to purify water, pain relief drugs, non-inflammatory/antifever drugs, vitamin supplements etc. Explained as an apothecary's bag. Also some Citric Acid powder (Vitamin C).
Also, some fast-acting knockout drugs. Sodium amytal or the like. Slip some into a glass of wine and night-night.

Kendal mint cake/high-energy food.

Faked letters of authority for different institutions, organisations etc. in various time periods.

A lens. Great for starting fires and explainable as 'a polished glass curio'.

A small generic plain mirror.

A sextant.

A telescope.

Parchment.

An ink pen (Quill and pot of ink). Also, proving you are literate defines you as not being one of the peasants.

A small bottle of liquor, like whiskey or brandy.

A crucifix. Insurance against religious scrutiny.

A length of strong cord or high-strength nylon cord.

Seemingly normal tools, knives, multi-tools etc, but made from hard modern steel or strong alloy.



All of these could be worn or carried in a small generic napsack.


As for clothing, I'd wear loose dark breeches, a white collarless cotton shirt, dark overcoat, scarf, tough leather boots, gloves,
thermal underwear & socks. All fairly unassuming in most time periods.

[Catsmate]

I like that Escher, a good selection. I'd add.

• a modern (or better) multi-purpose knife, as a tool more than a weapon
  
• squeeze/crank type LED torch and/or lamp
• a decent water purification system, chemical & UV & filter
• for recording travels a good digital camera with a battery pack (or spare batteries)
• perhaps historical reference material on microfiche (there are still services for doing this) as the fiches can be read with a light source and a magnifier; otherwise a tablet computer though more electronics implies a power source
• small smoke or flash/bang grenades for covering a hurried exit

Wrt gold I think a few plain gold rings would be useful; coins with unusual markings may attract attention (though they'd usually be negotiable for their metal value).
Interesting you mention potassium permanganate, a very useful chemical for everything from starting fires to disinfecting wounds.

I was reading McDonald's Desolation Road recently and here's Dr. Alimantando's list for his trip:
One transparent plastic insulation suit, complete with bubble helmet and oxygen rebreather mask.
Two sets of clean underwear, one long for cold weather. Socks.
One complete change of clothes.
One military-issue camp kitchen, collapsible, adapted to run off his portable power supply.
Compressed rations for desperation only.
Five hundred dollars in cash. Sun hat and two tubes of sun-block cream.
Soap bag, sponge and towel. Toothbrush and paste (spearmint).
First-aid kit, including antihistamines, morphine, and general antibiotics.
For use with above, one pewter hip flask Belladonna brandy.
One pair sunglasses, one pair sand goggles.
A pure silk scarf: blue paisley.
One pocket shortwave transceiver.
Compass, sextant, and inertial direction finder, together with Geological Survey maps to enable him to find his position on the planet's surface on emerging from the flux fields.
One small tool kit, glue, and vinyl patches for the pressure suit and tent.
One packet water-sterilizing tablets.
A camera, three lenses, and twelve rolls of assorted self-developing film.
Five leather-bound notebooks and one guaranteed everlasting ball-point pen.
One wrist ionization dosimeter.
Six bars of emergency chocolate.
One Defence Forces knife, with a blade for every day of the year, and a tin of dry matches.
Emergency flares.
One copy The Collected Works of Watchman Ree.
One portable trans-stable muon power unit with multicharge syphon for re-energizing from any power source: home-made.
Running off the above, one home-made portable tachyon blaster, about the size and shape of a folding umbrella, with enough clout to vaporize a small skyscraper.
One large frame backpack, military issue, to hold everything.

[bandersnee]

If one were to hitch a ride on a TARDIS, then perhaps a towel is the most useful item one could carry.

[Catsmate]

Jan 26, 2016 0:58:35 GMT bandersnee said:

If one were to hitch a ride on a TARDIS, then perhaps a towel is the most useful item one could carry.

If the Doctor is piloting, maybe a safety harness and helmet?

[latil]

I had one character use a disguise high tech tool. It was for an Odd-like alien that gave him the appearance he wanted, but, if he got nervious the image would flicker (he moved his "tentacles" so much it got disturbed) and of course, as he was an alien, he saw little difference between some humans.
I think some kind of disguise tool would be good, specially if you are playing a woman, fashion for women changed a lot in each era.

[Catsmate]

Jul 4, 2018 14:29:21 GMT latil said:

I had one character use a disguise high tech tool. It was for an Odd-like alien that gave him the appearance he wanted, but, if he got nervious the image would flicker (he moved his "tentacles" so much it got disturbed) and of course, as he was an alien, he saw little difference between some humans.
I think some kind of disguise tool would be good, specially if you are playing a woman, fashion for women changed a lot in each era.

The 'shimmer' or something like it? It might have another disadvantage...

‘Ace,  I’d like you to meet your fellow <SPOILER>. This is Keri.’‘Hey, an alien, nice to meet you.’ Dorothée shook Keri’s hand.
‘How did you know?’ Keri asked.
‘That holographic disguise of yours is Nixon Trabelle. You know, the Forces’ Sweetheart? It’s a common sight on barracks worlds.’
‘And, er, why is that?’
‘Because she’s the star of over three hundred holoporn classics,’ Dorothée  laughed. ‘You mean you didn’t know?

or

Keri discreetly tapped Benny on the arm, and nodded towards her dress.
‘Shall we tell them?’
Miss Kusinitz overheard. She curtsied before Keri again. ‘There’s nothing to tell. We’re known for our discretion, and, if I might presume to say, there’s no  mistaking your good self. I heard you had a tremendous sense of humour, but  you surpassed yourself with those measurements, your Royal Highness.’ 
Keri put both her paws over her eyes, and made a small, despairing squeak.

Keri, BTW, was a Pakhar and would be somewhat out-of-place in rural England in the 2000s.

[tampahawke]

for me, basic equipment would include a "basic" sonic pen/ the "omnioculars" 9th doc used in (The Empty child) episode ((always wonderd why we never saw them in use again))--psy paper/ a slimmer and more streamlined variant of the scanner-computer River song uses/ a smaller-slimmer-more streamlined variant of the "Engineers' Mate" gadget/ pocket sized emergency med kit (nanogenes a plus)!

Attachments:

[Stormcrow]

GURPS Time Travel addresses this question on pages 17–18. It suggests the following if you're packing in the year 1990.

Books and information: The Way Things Work; A Barefoot Doctor's Manual; Henley's Formulas; any concise history of the time and place you're visiting, if you know; a list of sports winners for gambling; microfilm reader, if possible (nowadays it'd just be your mobile phone), with useful information like stock market information, blueprints of valuable inventions, hit songs that won't be written for at least 30 years.

Tools and weapons: Swiss army knife; sharpening stone; magnifying glass; matches; a reliable pen; the most permanent cigarette lighter you can find; solar-powered calculator; small flashlight, possibly the kind powered by hand-squeezing; binoculars. Weaponry depends on your skills and where/when you're going, but suggestions are a heavy walking stick; a utility knife scabbarded on the belt; a gun, risky if you aren't allowed to carry one; ammunition, but remember that .22 long-rifle ammunition has been around for over a century.

Medical: penicillin, snakebite kit, aspirin, other things your medical skill may allow you to do.

Clothing: If you don't know where/when you're going, a costume of plain boots, denim jeans, cotton shirt, and leather jacket will more or less blend in in Western civilization for the past several centuries. Simple khaki or leather knapsack.

Currency: Gold, preferably in ring-form to avoid attention; jewels. Don't carry coins with dates on them.

[Catsmate]

Jan 5, 2022 14:36:38 GMT Stormcrow said:

GURPS Time Travel addresses this question on pages 17–18. It suggests the following if you're packing in the year 1990.

Books and information: The Way Things Work; A Barefoot Doctor's Manual; Henley's Formulas; any concise history of the time and place you're visiting, if you know; a list of sports winners for gambling; microfilm reader, if possible (nowadays it'd just be your mobile phone), with useful information like stock market information, blueprints of valuable inventions, hit songs that won't be written for at least 30 years.

Tools and weapons: Swiss army knife; sharpening stone; magnifying glass; matches; a reliable pen; the most permanent cigarette lighter you can find; solar-powered calculator; small flashlight, possibly the kind powered by hand-squeezing; binoculars. Weaponry depends on your skills and where/when you're going, but suggestions are a heavy walking stick; a utility knife scabbarded on the belt; a gun, risky if you aren't allowed to carry one; ammunition, but remember that .22 long-rifle ammunition has been around for over a century.

Medical: penicillin, snakebite kit, aspirin, other things your medical skill may allow you to do.

Clothing: If you don't know where/when you're going, a costume of plain boots, denim jeans, cotton shirt, and leather jacket will more or less blend in in Western civilization for the past several centuries. Simple khaki or leather knapsack.

Currency: Gold, preferably in ring-form to avoid attention; jewels. Don't carry coins with dates on them.

That's a good starting point, especially if you're not sure where you'll end up. If you haven't a suitable clothing fabrication gadget, and want to blend in, then dealing with a theatrical or televison costumier is a useful way to get period clothes.

Time Riders had a similar list; Found in a Time Traveller's Bag:

• Loose change and small bills¹ of various times and places.
• Driver's and pilot's licenses for ground cars, air cars, airplanes, space ships, and time ships.
• A small bag of unset cut gems.
• Assorted almanacs.
• A world history on microfiche, publication date scratched out. Jeweler's loupe (to read microfiche) .
• Laundry ticket for a load left in San Francisco in 1938.
• Eight loose plain gold rings.
• Small first aid kit with penicillin powder and analgesics.
• Library book (Civilisation by Kenneth Clark), due back 18 July 2123
• "Lucky" medallion from 8th-century Tibet.
• Dictionaries and phrase books for French, Middle English, Martian, Etruscan, Neanderthal.
• Several date books, badly organized, with scratchings-out and irritated remarks in the margins.
• Bowie knife, flash-light, 20 metres nylon (?) rope.
• Letter's of introduction from various people.
  

Though I doubt physical books will list another century. And tablets/ereaders with solar cells might replace microfiche.

Regarding gold coins, they were often (until the 1930s and the end of the Gold Standard) pretty easy to exchange based just on their metal value. So what not make your own? Create a suitable die and mould and make a few Fraxinet grotzits, with no awkward year of issue.

Also toilet paper; very useful, handy trade item and won't pollute history.

What you'd carry probably depends on intentions, likely location of operations, carrying capacity (backpack v car v TARDIS) and access to advanced tech (stun guns, force-field tents, medical nanobots...).

I tend to be more detailed that most AITAS GMs (I think) because I come from a crunchier background. Also I like gadgets...




1. Did you know the British 'White Fiver' lasted, basically unchanged, from 1793 to 1957? And was only demonitised in 1961. And is rather easy to print with 2020's equipment.