Culture skill foci & nations/languages

[Black Cheese]

I'd classify Greece as Western European if only because of the literary traditions associated with it. When someone says, "Oh, you studied Western literature," no one immediately replies, "Yes, like Tolstoy and Nobel Prize winning Polish writer Wislawa Szymborska," and instead say folks like Homer and Shakespeare.

But that broad definition is, perhaps, too broad to do much good.

[ThunderMonkey]

I think the Cultures is per geographic boundries rather than socio-political boundries.

However, the way the foci examples (art, literature, etc.) break down for Cultures, tend to suggest that it is socio-political.

[afrodave]

The lines on the maps of today haven't always been the same. I try to think of which country has influned its neighbors.  In fact who does it think of as neighbors and who does it think of as enemies? 
Is Nepal,  Eastern Asia or Southern Asia?
Are the Philippines, Eastern Asia or Oceania?
Is Turkey, Eastern Europe or Western Asia?
And where is the line for North versus South Africa?

[Morgenstern]

Exactly. It's designed to have a little give, a little flex, dare I say, a little play to it .

[Ezram]

Exactly. Forget languages, how about dialects? Imagine trying to specify that when your character is in China...

[Merxiless]

Culturally, politically, it's western.

Language wise, Greek was the basis for Russian, so it's Eastern.

But considering, "you're going on a mission to this region, we'll give you these language books, and cultural profiles from the intel profiles of countries of the region...go with Western.

I like the fact that Culture skill is very broad.  Just used to specific languages.

In my game, it's the east edge of Western Europe.

I'm still working on my own fictional spycraft world maps for my campaign, so this is a good question, I hadn't thought of before.

Good times.

[Nezeray]

Since we don't play RPGs for real cash money in my neighborhood, I tend to put Greece in the region that benefits the characters. 

If I really want to make a designation between regions, I'll use a setting smack dab in the center of the region.  Like France for Western Europe, Russia for Eastern Europe. 

Besides, just because an agent had North America as a Culture, doesn't mean that he is proficient in "Ghetto Jive".   

Heck, I live in Kentucky and can't understand some of my neighbors and couldn't tell you how to work farm machinery.

James / Nezeray

[Antilles]

 

I think you got those mixed up...

[Nezeray]

I think you got those mixed up...

doh!  I was looking south.

Fixed

Nezeray

[spinningdice]

I don't have a problem with "fuzzy" borders. Is Greek East or West Europe, meh - either will do.

[Nepenthe]

I don't have a problem with "fuzzy" borders. Is Greek East or West Europe, meh - either will do.

As the former communist countries catch up to a more "western" standard, I'd start moving Greece towards east, as they'd culturally be closer to that, even if they socio-economically are more western... Of course, you could just have South Europe, with Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece - that wouldn't really be pushing it

[Desertpuma]

I consider Greece as Western Europe because of the Cold War split and Turkey as part of Western Asia.

"Here in the Balkans the game is played a bit differently." -- Kerim Bey, From Russia With Love