Iain M Banks - Space Opera
Iain M BanksA vage plot arc and background details for running a series of senarios in a universe inspired by Iain M BanksCulture books. Ultra-ultra high tech. The characters come from a society that builds planets and has an antiprime directive. (We know best and should interfere to save you from yourselves). Characters should be writtenfor the game.A science fiction campaign world for the Champions system by Mark Harris.Contact Golo.Hole@Handcuff.Freeserve.CO.UKLast updated:23/08/99 22:50Acknowledgements *Introduction. *Time-lines *Background. *The Embargo Culture. *Know Space *The Minds. *A few facts. *Technology. *Communications Technology. *Transportation Technology. *Medical Technology. *Robot Technology. *Power sources and Misc Technology. *Weapons Technology. *Ship to Ship. *Heavy weapons. *Personal Weapons. *Support weapons *Automated weapons. *Unavailable tech. *The society. *Making a living. *Trade. *Entertainment. *Religion. *The Wars. *Character Building: *Freeborn Human. *Clone Offspring. *Genetically Constructed. *Alpha / Beta Cloning. *Artificially Gestated. *Playing a clone. *Character History. *Human age bands. (Real age) *Points. *Special Disads: *Alien Races: *Alien race characteristic limits. *
SS Ascending Light. *Equipment specifications: *Special Equipment rules. *New advantages *Sense groups and detection. *Radiation Accidents (The technology of change). *Cortical Induction. *Surgery. *GM’s Section. *Story arcs *Story arc 1 Quest for the Holy grail. *Story arc 2 A house divided. *Scenarios *The Virus. *NPC’s *Second Alliance Security *Second Alliance trooper *Ascending light conference drone. *Ascending light servitor drone. *Ascending light mindstem *Chevron *EC Ships. *Steely Glint. (River class GSV) *Finer Things (River class GSV) *Personal Indemnity (River class GSV) *Curious Pastimes (Forest class GSV) *Ends of Invention (Forest class GSV) *No Small Thing (Continent class GSV) *Likely-as-not. (Quarry class GSV) *Less-is-More. (Quarry class GSV) *No Conclusions (River class GSV) *Tightrope (River class GSV) *Contented (Super-Continent class GSV Modified) *Weapons platforms. *Glossary of terms. *AcknowledgementsThis Campaign is mainly based upon the Culture series of books by Ian M Banks. I have also drawn materialfrom Greg Bears Moving Mars amongst a whole list of other science-fiction writers. I would also like to thankAlan E West (Arctic) for letting me bounce ideas off him.Introduction.This campaign has been partially played and modified to suit the group playing it. It was initially conceived for amad-thinker group, but was ultimately played by Character players. It can be modified for most types of group.However given the technology arc and the system used I don’t recommend this as a hacker campaign. Ultimatelynukes are fairly easily available and if you make defences capable of taking nukes then nothing short of a nukehelps in combat. Even with the weapons available the balance is difficult. Generally you have to rely on thecharacters not wandering about fully equipped for combat. Armoured space suits and plasma rifles do not makefor good first contact missions !The game system I used here was Champions. You could use anything but balancing the weapons technologywill be difficult.I did Physics at A-Level, but I’ve tried to simplify things. Hopefully no one will take exception to my bendingsome of the laws of nature so that the players can have fun rather than having to pass an exam.
GM’s not familiar with the Hero System may have trouble understanding a lot of the statistics given here. Thebrief summary may help on some of the basic points.On all the basic stats humans average 10 and the normal maxima is 20. Speed is a calculated stat and is average 2to max 4 (again for humans) Speed is the number of ‘actions’ the character can perform in a 12 second turn.Weapons generally do 1 point of body per dice of damage and the total of the roll as points of stun. Subtract anyarmour (or take off damage reduction %ages) take what’s left from the characters body and stun totals. Armourin the Hero System is split between Energy and Physical.The whole system also allows specifying ‘limitations’ on powers such as ‘only works against lasers’. Limitationsreduce the XP cost of the power. This makes the system so flexible as to be able to stat up almost any power youcould possibly think of. This is very useful for an extremely high tech ‘everything is possible’ type environment.I highly recommend the Hero System. It comes in a number of flavours. I played ‘Champions’, the superherogenre for a long while and found it possibly the most brilliant system I’ve ever used (and I’ve tried lots ofdifferent systems!) If you want flexibility to do ‘anything’ Hero System is ideal. AD&D is best if you wantsimplicity (IMHO), ShadowRun is quirky and fun for something different. Most other systems are a variation onthese three systems. Here’s a list of systems in order that I would recommend for playing this campaign:Hero System (Champions)Actually I can’t think of any others I’d dare to try a ‘Culture’ campaign with !Time-linesThe EC calendar is calculated based upon standard periods determined from the background gravity waveoriginating from the big-bang. One standard period is approximately 22 years.DateWarsSocialTechnology27.87x1021EventsThe big-bang(reference date)0Birth of theHiadan civilisationFirst recordedhistories14421.5First s.The Hiadancivilisationcurrently leads thefield intechnologicaldevelopments.They have supralight speed vesselscontrolled bymassive opticalcomputer systems.SC Optimumcommissioned(Hidian researchvessel 14428.6 –14509.3))62422Beginning of the communewars The Ne hue civilisationHistory recordsonly a few starFreezer storagemethods are in useEarliest DOB forCharacters
attacks the coalition ofSpindarks and Chiqows. Thewar is characterised by largescale use of artificialintelligence war machines. Thecause of the war is unclear evenfrom the start. It is widelybelieved that the war is foughtover the ownership of a bordersystem where an oldercivilisations technologicalrelics are found.faringcivilisations. Thereis little interstellartrade or cooperation.by some cultures.GSV Finer Thingscommissioned(Hidian Civ)GSV Immaculateperceptioncommissioned(Spindark Folly?)GSV Worst of allcasescommissioned(Chiqow Mil)62501End of the commune wars theNe-hue civilisation is almostcompletely destroyed. TheChiqows place the Ne-huehome world in isolation. TheSpindarks withdrawal from theinterstellar community.Fifteen races areknown to engagein regularcommunicationand limited trade.Most trade is inscientific data andstar charts.GSV Somebodycalling (Spindark /Hidian Civ)62514Founding of theAzmat Wickan onthe planet XarossIII.GSV Populouscommissioned(Ne-hue Civ)62516Fall of the Ne-huecivilisationHiadan’s inventPP communicationGSV PersonalIndemnitycommissioned(Hidian Civ)Loss of the Starsystem Trennidan(Destroyed by anunknown entity).GSV Populousbroken62550The Spindarksleave theirhomeworld for anunknowndestination. Theirculture is lost ?PP communication& power transferin use by ECGSV CuriousPastimescommissioned(Hidian Civ)Hiadan civilisationGSV "Somebodycalling" reports anunspecified naniteinfestation.GSV Ends ofInventioncommissioned(Keetunkan Mil)62600Beginning of the CopianInterstellar tradeGSV Steely GlintPresence of a
conflict. Chiqows fightKeetunkans along the Nedarpeninsula to prevent infectedKeetunkan ships reaching theareas around the Chiqowempire.andcommunicationmilitarises. This isthe beginning ofthe era of silence.Ships operate onstealth rather thansearching openlyfor contact.commissioned(Hidian Mil)62611The Copian conflict subsides.Fall of the HiadancivilisationHiadan ‘Shipmind’ technologybecomes thecommontechnology forlarge scale GSVtype ships.Retaliations andrecriminationsspawn increasinglylarge scaleconflicts.62635The planet Raffel a colonyworld of the Chiqow empire onthe Nedar peninsula isdestroyed by plasmatic fieldcarpet bombing. TheKeetunkan fleet claimresponsibility, but it soonbecomes obvious that theChiqow fleet allowed theKeetunkan incursion ratherthan deal with the situationthemselves.The Eelubrotherhoodbegins its workbringingtechnology to asmany planets as itcan. The cultraises many youngcivilisations to thebrink ofinterstellartechnology, butalso infects a fewsystems with thenanite plague.Virtual realitystorage and RNAtaping methodsbecome thepreferred methodsof long termstorage.The Chiqow ship‘Worst of allcases’ suicides inan apparentreligiousexperience.The independent Feenur fleetbegins a short war with theChiqow. The Feenur have nohomeworld and have beenliving entirely as a spacefaringculture for centuries. Withoutthe readily available resourcesof the Chiqow the Feenur arereduced to a few routed ships inless than 1 year.There are calls inseveral federationsfor a combinedembargo.The Tekarrhomeworldfinalises its plansto transferplanetarygovernment to apurpose builtMind.62654GSV Immaculateperceptiondestroyed byChiqow)nanite-plaguebecomes public.Panic ensues. ANumber of smallscale border warserupts. Trade fails.GSV No smallthingcommissioned(KeetunkanColony ship)GSV NoConclusioncommissioned(Tekarr Mil)The sun in theKeetunkan systemVeridani becomestoo active for themain habitableplanet Pee-kut toremain lifesustaining. Thepopulation isevacuated over thenext 2 years.GSV Less-is-Morecommissioned(Feenur Mil)GSV Likely-as-notcommissioned(Feenur Civ)62658Tekarr – Lanobarr assimilationwar The Tekarr and LanobarrThe Tekarrcoalition devolvesGSV TightropecommissionedThe planet FutkunII is settled under
fight over ownership of theVastor asteroid belt. The belt isextremely rich in volatilematerials suitable for buildingup a space fleet. The war endswith both sides devolving anindependent force run by shipminds designed to keep thepeace.6266062662EC forces Destroys the Yenaduorbital habitat found to have ananite-infestation when itsMerchant fleet flees the orbitalin panic.62664The Renabu War.Characterised by ‘learning’difficulties for the EC ships.The EC sustain heavy losses.The Pina War. Characterisedby ‘moral conflicts as the ECbegins to realise its potential asa pervasive war fleet. EC lossesare slight and mostlytechnology rather than organiclife.The Barra conflict. A smallscale war fought by the ECagainst the higher technologyof the aggressive Barra system.The EC wins though numericadvantage.The Emman War. The EC isrelatively well matched againstthe Emman system, but the EChave more vessels (in fact theyonly commit a small portion ofthe fleet.) The GSV ‘Ends ofInvention’ proves to bemasterful in its strategy throughthe conflict.the firstindependentembargo fleet.Others follow.(Tekarr Indi)extreme timepressure by theKeetunkanpopulationevacuated fromVeridani IIIFormal alliance ofthe EmbargocultureGSV Contentedcommissioned (ECCiv)GSV Virtuoustangent launchedas the first entirelyun-manned vesselof war.GSV Virtuoustangentcommissioned (ECMil)The Gullcivilisation cullsits infected shipsand donates theremaining fleet of16 cruisers to theEC. The Gull thenput their homesystem and 5colony worlds intoisolation.Artificial gestationbegins to becomepopular in the EC.The EC pattern ofsocial interactionsettles down.GSV Contentedmodified for Ultralong drive.100 years ofembargo conflictselapses and fadesuntil Embargoforces achieve asolid military ruleover interstellarspace.
62676The Nocoman Conflict eruptswhen a previously noninterstellar society of 7 planetstry to emigrate from their homesystem. The conflict lasts 30 ofthe bloodiest years of theembargo. Finally Embargo‘suicide’ ground forces destroythe shipyards and industrialcomplexes on five of the homeplanets. The Nocoman ceasesto push its system borders.The EC begins theSoldier breedingboom.The Enurex conflict. The ECwins a small scale conflictmostly limited to strategicattacks on the Enurex industrialcomplexes.GSV Ends ofInvention elects tode-militarise eventhough it willremain part of theEC.A few singleplanet conflicts afought over thefollowing 400years finallytapering off tonothing.62740The Embargoculture advisoryminds propose thede-militiarisationof the Embargoculture and theinstigation of aninter-stellarassistance programaimed atrejuvenating thepan-stellarcommunity.GSV Virtuoustangentdisembarks itspassengers to‘contemplate’ itsfuture.62742De-militiarisationstarts.62681The remoteweapons dronebecomes a popularweapon. Borrowedfrom theNocomansGSV Sustainablepotentialcommissioned (ECMil)The Kakarr War. The Kakarrafter a long period of isolationdecide that the embargo shouldend. They try to re-unite thedispersed parts of theircivilisation. At the same timeas the war they make manydiplomatic overtures.The single cruiser ‘pointedargument’ destroys half adozen remote ‘contact’ probesand a manned recon vesselconvincing the planetParbouough to remain isolated.62743The Chiqow invade the Esperisystem. The system waspreviously owned by theKeetunkans, but the colonydied off during the embargo.The Esperi system is very highThe first ‘Contact’units are formed inthe EC.GSV Sustainablepotential destroyedby non-specifythreat.
in volatile metals andradioactive materials. Thecolony could not survivewithout support.62744.2The present.The EC sendsteams to recontactspacefaring racesand assist in reintegrating theinterstellar society62744.2162744.22GSV’s LAN & LAM next cycle party.62744.223Planned completion of the EC orbital at Bemo Celesti. Also likely to be the largest ever party andconvergence of 5-10 GSVs62744.23Comet Lymphia II due to impact the Feenur colony on Apion62744.24Planned Pan-stellar conference on re-integration. To take place on the Tekarr ring world of "Noc"62744.25Next solar convergence in the Resperate system owned by the Chiqiow.62744.26Kino-atte system due to pass through the Glint-fall (discovered by the GSV Steely glint) asteroidsuper-belt. It is expected that the Kino-atte system will effectively be destroyed apart from itssingle sun. The system is owned by an as yet un-contacted race with minimal technology (barelyorbit capable).62744.27The black body mass Edneb due to pass though the Terra-Sol system. Edneb is a transient planetthe size of Mars. Its passing is likely to cause some disruption to the planetary orbits and disturbthe asteroid belt. Edneb will take only 18 hours to pass though the system and will not pass insidethe orbit of Saturn.62744.28Malijjir festival of Oklup-Ge celebrated on the Malijjir home world of Dkan. The festival requiresall non-Malijjir to leave the system. Although the Malijjir system government will not disclose thenature of the festival it is suspected to involve cannibalism. Many Malijjir are planning to return totheir home world to seek permission to attend even though many do not know what the festivalinvolves themselves.62744.29Planned exodus of the sleeper ship GSV Contented. The ship will carry stored personnel and willitself spend most of its time in hibernation. The ship is bound for the M29 Galaxy.62744.30Planned completion of the ‘Super-fold’ project at Oberon IV. The project plans to use a warp folddrive to drop the entire planet Oberon IV into an infra-space bubble and fly it out of the system. Ifthe Super-fold works it will prove some untried meta-math and be the largest super-luminelvehicle ever constructed.Background.The characters are born-to or have joined the Embargo Culture an inter-stellar community that has until recentlybeen responsible for preventing interstellar travel. The Embargo Culture was formed from a number of home
worlds of mostly human geni-types over 2000 years ago. The characters form the crew of a de-mobed star shipnow switching from military duty to aid work. They are not part of a defined chain of command. The charactersmust act as ambassadors for the culture but will also have to set policy. The ship minds are not far away shouldthe characters need advice, but the minds wants real people to make decisions, not act as dumb puppets. This is ageneral policy across the entire EC. The Minds coax the EC from behind the scenes (very effectively mind you!).Two thousand years previously the Azmat Wickan, a coven, released a Nano-virus (Xix-ta-pico-mapi). Thisvirus is capable of invading both nerve tissue and AI thinker architecture. Coven members are immune.The ability to infect both machines and organic creatures gave the virus an unprecedented ability to spread.Together with the intent of the Azmat Wickan to spread the virus the only course of action was to close allborders.The known galaxy now has to recover from the social and economic collapse resulting from the sudden loss ofall trade links.With the opening of borders old disputes may erupt and there is always the risk that some planets harbourhibernating viral strains waiting to be let loose to cause another round of disasters.The EC is not Earth-centric but old Earth colonies will play a major part in t he campaign.The air of change about the ship is palpable. Space here is crowded. 100Km to tall port of the "Steely glint"another GSV the "Finer things’ lays peacefully basking in the solar glow waiting for SG to pull clear of theorbital. Conversation between the two ships drifted into idle chit-chat. Both were making modifications to theirhull fields now that the de-mobilisation was official. SG’s modifications were the more significant and moresecret. Finer was trying to coax some hint out of SG after noticing the G-Mass-Moment around SG’s sternsuggested an increase in engine mass.SG was maintaining that it had to do something with the spare mass and engines were the most politically correctthing it could do with the 2 million tonnes of ‘war material’ it was shedding.Twinned pairs of sub-atomic pseudo-particles flickered with the banter completely inconsequential to the crewof the SS Ascending light. The SS Ascending light had itself completed a far more dramatic (at least it thoughso) change. The crystal membrane that formed its inner ‘real’ hull was still fractionally above the ambienttemperature cooling down as it settled round spaces that had once held plasma acceleration weaponry. It couldstill hold its own in a fight, but no longer was it quite the same ship that it had been 18 months ago before it tookits place in the maintenance bay of the Steely glint.Ascending light or ‘AL’ was looking forwards to getting its new crew together. In many ways it would miss theimmediate need of tactical information and desperate statistical guesswork of conflict. Still we all have to changeand a mind like its own would undoubtedly be around for the next war.Steely glint reached its determined parking zone and signalled Finer Things to go-ahead and move up for its turndocking with the orbital. Lots of people where changing ships, lots of ships were changing. There were streetparties starting up around SG’s urban quarter. For some this would be a last chance to visit favourite bars or meetfriends before leaving the Steely glint for the orbital. A few people, mostly technicians were transferring to theFiner Things. Some who where going to live on the orbital had already left. There were arrivals too, many ofwhom had been waiting on the orbital to rendezvous with SG. SG was monitoring many of them looking forblack sheep, outsiders on the inside.One nearly black sheep and a Civ; Senior SO Corin Pedin and Abraham Vult shuffled their notes ready to giveanother de-mob briefing.
The Embargo Culture.The Embargo Culture (EC) are entirely space borne society. They live on artificially constructed space habitatsand in huge travelling arcs capable of sustaining a near planet like environment. The EC is almost at the top ofpossible technological evolution.In an environment where technology is so advanced almost all of the mundane work has been taken over bymachines. Nearly all the things you could possibly want are available. The society is so prosperous so as to makewo
Iain M Banks A vage plot arc and background details for running a series of senarios in a universe inspired by Iain M Banks Culture books. Ultra-ultra high tech. The characters come from a society that builds planets and has an anti-prime directive. (We know best and should interfere t
Classical Music CHINESE COMMUNITY CELEBRATION IN SF BAY AREA Classical Music TITO PUENTES Classical Music MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS, PAUL PERRY DIRECTOR . Opera LUCIA DI LAMERMOOR Opera LA BOHEME Opera LES MIZ AND PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Opera BRIGADOON Opera CINDERELLA Opera PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Opera PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Banks, Iain M. Consider Phlebas Culture: 01/10 Banks, Iain M. Look to Windward Culture: 07/10 Banks, Iain M. Surface Detail Culture: 09/10 Banks, Iain M. The Hydrogen Sonata Culture: 10/10 Barbet, Pierre Baphomet's Meteor Barker, Cliv
A Broadway World reviewer recently commented on Shell’s new production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide: “This production was one I could watch over and over again.” Shell has directed productions for Atlanta Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Opera Omaha, Opera San José, Opera Tampa, Opera North, Virginia Opera, Santa Fe and
"The Threepenny Opera" remains the most famous and popular example of what Brecht called "epic theatre." It received its world premiere in Berlin on Aug 31, 1928. The premiere of The Threepenny Opera on this day in 1928 came almost exactly 200 years after the premiere of the work on which it was based: John Gay's The Beggar's Opera. In Gay's .File Size: 699KBPage Count: 14Explore furtherScript for The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht at the .archiveshub.jisc.ac.ukThe Threepenny Opera Pdf ePub Free Readfreereadebookonline.comBertolt Brecht The Threepenny Opera 1928 PDF .www.scribd.comThe Threepenny Opera Study Guide GradeSaverwww.gradesaver.com(PDF) The threepenny Opera (Complete ver.) - Bertolt .www.academia.eduRecommended to you based on what's popular Feedback
Minnesota Opera Debut: Tosca, 2005 Notable Engagements: Cold Mountain, Santa Fe Opera La bohème, English National Opera The Barber of Seville, Canadian Opera Company Rigoletto, Bremen Opera Company Ainadamar, Santa Fe Opera Un ballo in maschera, Minnesota Opera LEVI HERNANDEZ Baritone Hometown: El Paso, TX Minnesota Opera Debut: Madama .
musically" by Opera News. In addition to Tosca . with Michigan Opera Theatre, her 2017-18 season roles include the title role in . Madama Butterfly . with Santa Fe Opera, Thais in Thais. with Minnesota Opera and Polly in Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera. with Boston Lyric Opera. In 2016 she debuted with Des Moines Metro Opera as Alice in .
Coalescence and the i ction of Iain Banks Iain Banks’s second novel, Walking on Glass, seems to be ideally suited for the 2007 SAES conference theme of “l’envers du décor” or “behind the scenes”, since it is preoccupied with the exploration of literature’s mechanisms and
P, produced by A02. Next, A01 asks A03 for every such component to get offers from companies that are able to supply the component. So, a number of exploring transactions T03 may be carried out within one T01, namely as many as there are components of P which are not produced by the tier n company. In order to execute
