Culture novels of Iain M Banks

[warrenpeace]

Anybody thinking about setting a lead adventure in the "Culture" future created by Iain M Banks?  Those novels, "Use of Weapons," "Matter," and "Player of Games" really open up some possibilities, particularly using a "special circumstances" agent as the protagonist.

[dijit]

I'd lie if if I hadn't said I'd not considered it many times. My problem has been to find a rules set that allows things to change/metamorphose, were one person can carry a weapon that the destroy a whole army, and has loads of weird (really weird) aliens. Any ideas has to how you'd do it?

[Poliorketes]

Don't forget 'consider Phlebas'. That one would make a great PC game, but I can hardly imagine doing it on tabletop.

[Gluteus Maximus]

The problem with the Culture, is that if you pit them against anyone of even slightly lower tech-levels, they will just destroy them in a flash. Equivalent tech levels would make for a better game, but I don't know how you would devise the rules to deal with Banks' wild imagination.

Those knife missiles and the enormous power of even a small drone would be difficult to reproduce for a playable game. It seems that combat in the Culture's universe takes place so rapidly, often in micro-seconds, that it would make it difficult to replicate.

Hopefully I am wrong and someone will come up with a viable system 

[dijit]

I think Infinity probably represents it best, but even still is not that close.
Is that a challenge Gluteus Maximus? Anyone dare take it up?

[warrenpeace]

Obviously any real war between the Culture and any other tech level higher or lower would be difficult for any game to deal with, and I'm not thinking it would even be fun to try.  What I'm thinking about is the situations that Special Circumstances has to deal with in which some observed lower tech civilization is being fed higher tech and SC has to get to the bottom of that, even stop it, while not displaying any more high tech.  Basically, it would have to be a role playing game with limitations on the SC agent(s) such as the defanging of the agent in "Matter."  Also, SC sometimes employs a non-SC person such as the game expert in "Player of Games."  It would definately take a lot of imagination to come up with a fun but playable series of role playing situations.

[betterZthenDeaD]

Although there aren't any current rulesets that look as though they could replicate the speed of combat resolution in Banks' universe maybe this is an opportunity to come up with a new 'reactions' based set of rules. Maybe an hour long game could represent a few seconds or minutes of combat/movement? Throw in the small retinue of agents and characters element and we could have the ultimate skirmish game. If you want the lower tech element included (rather than SC versus SC!) you could simply have them vastly outnumber any Culture characters.

Just a thought! 

[dijit]

I've been thinking long and hard about this and can't come with a decent why to represent it. I think it would need some sort of roleplaying element. The problem is that things are just so destructive and quick that its hard to know where to start. I've thought about a reaction system, but I think anything with pre-programed reactions (ala THW) would be very limiting to any SC agents, who a trained (or should that be programed) to react quickly and out of the box. Since most war, as opposed to skirmish, since to happen in space a space ship game might be better for it, whilst the actions in the novels with subterfuge are probably best as an rpg. The other problem is that the list of special rules in order to make it work would be so cumbersome that it'd be difficult for anyone to keep track of them.

Edit: I mean how on earth do you represent something like EDust/Terror Weapons? They are nanoparticles that can change into practical anything almost instantly. You'd need some sort of ethical victory point scheme in order to use it properly, with Culture people looking on and some how judging your deeds in regards to the Culture ethic.

[Gluteus Maximus]

Obviously any real war between the Culture and any other tech level higher or lower would be difficult for any game to deal with, and I'm not thinking it would even be fun to try.  What I'm thinking about is the situations that Special Circumstances has to deal with in which some observed lower tech civilization is being fed higher tech and SC has to get to the bottom of that, even stop it, while not displaying any more high tech.  Basically, it would have to be a role playing game with limitations on the SC agent(s) such as the defanging of the agent in "Matter."  Also, SC sometimes employs a non-SC person such as the game expert in "Player of Games."  It would definately take a lot of imagination to come up with a fun but playable series of role playing situations.

That would definitely be fun if the rules can be devised to cater for the Culture 

[myincubliss]

On the 'combat happening in seconds' front, would it be workable to adapt some gunslinging duel rules? I'm sure I saw a set of rules on BGG somewhere for cowboy shootouts that had a card-based reaction system...

[Heldrak]

While I enjoyed reading "Player of Games" (and got bogged down half-way through "Consider Phlebas"). I don't see the point to representing The Culture on the tabletop. The technology described comes so close to wish-fulfillment that there's no challenge in gaming with it.

I agree an RPG setting would probably be better, but even then the level of technology approaches having a magic wand or unlimited free wishes. Far better to set your games in a lower-tech setting where there's more at stake/more challenge/more tension.

[dijit]

Where it would become really interesting would be SC vs SC, thats when big explosions really take place, but I think it is close to imposible to game as there are no limits and wargaming plays on setting limits and operating within them.