I am starting a pre-TN game with multiple factions. I am having trouble deciding what is a reasonable number of RL per faction. Some factions are more advanced than other factions. This is to the point that I expect some factions to fall behind, fail, and cause a ruckus for the more advanced factions.
Basically, what do forum goers think is a reasonable number of RL for a pre-TN faction? Assume different categories of pre-TN faction. For example, technology leaders like the U.S., EU, and Japan, up and coming factions like China, India, and Brazil, and those that will probably fall behind, fail, and cause a ruckus like Iran, Saudi Arabia, or most of sub-Saharan Africa.
Though, admittedly, it would be neat if some of the factions I expect to fall behind somehow manage to survive and thrive. This might happen based on how old technology is shared among factions sharing a planetary body. So, for example, even if Iran would normally take a decade or more to research TN technology, they might actually get TN technology after half a decade because of technology advances by a faction like the U.S. This assumes TN technology is one of those technologies that get shared.