Hey everyone! Let’s try to get some more activity in here. I was wondering what kind of rulers you have all created. I realize most medieval settings will probably have a monarch rule the lands, but this does not have to be the case. So, what kind of governing systems have you created in your worlds?
I’ll start off as I am making the post. My players are in an archipelago divided into five inhabited sections. One of them excersizes a system I have dubbed “Elected Sacrificial Monarchy.” Bit of a mouthful, but the principle is simple. The people elect a mostly absolute ruler who will rule for five years. They can be granted two additional years in a re-election if they are popular enough. When their term, extended or not, ends, they are beheaded in public after a new leader has been chosen. There are clauses that can give exceptions in dire cases (defensive war or some other disaster), but they are rarely invoked.
The principle of this is that only those who wish to better their nation and are prepared to pay the ultimate price to do it will put themselves forward as a candidate to rule. It is by no means a perfect system, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. So, what about all of you? Did you have any unique governments in your settings? Tell us about it :)
I usually just copy paste historical (flawed) stuff I find interesting.
While I like goofing around with stuff like “modeling functioning government”, I believe it distracts from the PC’s stories (and leads to ideological discussions at the table.)
I think that it could distract in the forefront, certainly. However, the ideological discussion it sparked in character was a great moment for everyone to roleplay according to their differing values and cultures between them and the locals and between each other. Therefore, in our case, it worked quite well.
Probably the time the party descended into the mind of a genius madman. What governed the world(s) was entirely his thoughts. Kind of like Through the Looking Glass. But there was a method to the madness, and they were able to eventually destroy what was causing his madness, and thereby free him to save the real world.
Descending into a mad god’s mind to save the world is a very cool adventure hook indeed!
Thanks!
I wouldn’t say creative, but a soulless corporatocracy is our current ruling group. On an interstellar scale, it’s all about minerals and stealing knowledge from others.
I’m not sure it’s very strange or creative, but I liked what I had for the little city state of Bass Lake.
There had been an absolute monarch. He was an evil man, and the people overthrew him. There was a dramatic final showdown on the top of the keep and everything.
Afterwards, the people who had lead the revolution didn’t want to set up the same kind of system. They declared themselves a sort of commune. Shared property, equality for all, etc. Very idealistic.
However, most of the people didn’t really get that. They kept referring to the head of the revolution, Lucas, as the king. And he’d be like no, not the king, an equal like everyone else. And they’d be like oh right sure. And then later be right back to calling him King. It was very exasperating for Lucas. The neighboring states also didn’t like it at all.
The main plot of the game was tied into some counter-revolutionaries who wanted to restore the old king to the throne. They weren’t happy being “equals”. They wanted to be on top. To be the boots on the necks and to be able to push people around with impunity. Well, and one key character just blamed Lucas specifically for his family dying, so he threw in with the counter revolutionaries.