Author Topic: Iain M. Banks' The Culture  (Read 1253 times)

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Offline TAK

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Iain M. Banks' The Culture
« on: May 23, 2012, 09:35:19 AM »
Has anyone tried to run a game in the above setting?

Personally I've one read the first 4 books and The State of the Art way back in the day, but I think there might be a setting in there somewhere, even with all the timeline issues and such.

Not quite sure if I wanna even try it, but if someone has notes for their setting, I'd love to read 'em.

Also, as far as I know the setting isn't licensed yet, how about it GCP?

Offline naphta23

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Re: Iain M. Banks' The Culture
« Reply #1 on: May 24, 2012, 12:58:39 PM »
I have to admit I never even heard of the author, let alone his works. Thus I cannot give you any helpful kind of answer, but I would like to know a bit more.

Since I have pretty little time (as perhaps the most of us do) and since I already have over a dozen books on my desk, waiting to be read, I wonder if the books could interest me.

Would you be so kind and describe the setting with a few sentences, and what the strengths and weaknesses of the books are?
Nihil scire felicissima vita.

Offline TAK

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Re: Iain M. Banks' The Culture
« Reply #2 on: May 24, 2012, 02:46:25 PM »
Directly from the Wikipedia article:

Quote from: Wikipedia
The Culture is characterized by being a post-scarcity society (meaning that its advanced technologies provide practically limitless material wealth and comforts for everyone for free, having all but abolished the concept of possessions), by having overcome almost all physical constraints on life (including disease and death) and by being an almost totally egalitarian, stable society without the use of any form of force or compulsion, except where necessary to protect others.

Minds, powerful artificial intelligences, have an important role to play in this society. They administer this affluence for the benefit of all. As one commentator has said,

    In vesting all power in his individualistic, sometime eccentric, but always benign, AI Minds, Banks knew what he was doing; this is the only way a liberal anarchy could be achieved, by taking what is best in humans and placing it beyond corruption, which means out of human control. The danger involved in this imaginative step, though, is clear; one of the problems with the Culture novels as novels is that the central characters, the Minds, are too powerful and, to put it bluntly, too good.

The novels of the Culture cycle, therefore, mostly deal with people at the fringes of the Culture: diplomats, spies, or mercenaries; those who interact with other civilizations, and who do the Culture's dirty work in moving those societies closer to the Culture ideal, sometimes by force.

The books are mostly self-contained, with just minor references to eachother in some rare cases, so you can pick up any one of them for reading. Personally I think Consider Phlebas, Use Of Weapons or The Player of Games would be the best options, but since you're pressed for time The State of the Art has 3 shorter Culture related stories, so that might be an option.

One of the best Sci-Fi writers alive today, IMO.

Offline naphta23

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Re: Iain M. Banks' The Culture
« Reply #3 on: May 25, 2012, 12:13:58 AM »
Thanks for the helpful hints!  :)

Since Asimov's, P. K. D1ck's, Galouye's, Lem's and one of the Strugazki brothers' passing away, I had the impression that the Golden Age of Science Fiction was over and we are looking at the post-apocalyptic landscape of SF literature. And once again I stand corrected and look like a prejudiced pessimist and fool.  :-[
Nihil scire felicissima vita.

Offline TAK

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Re: Iain M. Banks' The Culture
« Reply #4 on: May 25, 2012, 06:27:29 AM »
Haha, but it's good to look like a fool at times, reminds you that you're just human. I certainly have a large streak of pessimism and it has served me well.

But yes, I would certainly add Banks into that group of authors and he wouldn't be out of place.