Weird political systems
- Thread starter DreadPirateMurphy
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Hypersmurf
Moderatarrrrh...
As part of the background for a story I am writing, the government of the nation is essentially a tri-cameral legislature. There is no separate executive branch. There is what amounts to the house of lords, the supreme court and the house of commons. The members of the house of lords are drawn from existing noble houses, the supreme court adjudicates the law and comes from professional judges out in the land. The members of the house of commons arise from peasants selected by random lottery. The house of commons has one power and one power only – they appoint the members of the house of lords and the supreme court. They have to select members of existing noble houses for the house of lords, but they can punish noble houses by selecting inbred retards from that family for the position and they often do this. So it is possible to find drooling imbeciles and violent lunatics among the halls of power.
Two good sources for fantasy government: Plato's Republic and Gary Gygax's original ("1st Edition") Dungeon Masters Guide. The DMG just had a list of government types, but you can look them up online to learn more.
Some of the more interesting ideas:
-- Timocracy -- rule of the brave in Greek. You can see this form of government in the "Starship Trooper" movie: "Service ensures citizenship". The basic idea is that only veterans can vote or serve in office. Plato thought this would be a good form of government, whereas Paul Verhoeven (director of "Starship Troopers", "RoboCop" and "Soldier of Orange" about his native Netherlands under Nazi occupation -- all meditations on fascism) thought it would be a vicious, warlike regime that lies to its own people to justify war.
-- Syndicalism -- Rule by guilds/unions. Anarcho-syndicalists (believing in no government other than by the workers in their own shops) actually did have a real movement and controlled some areas of Spain during the Spanish Civil War, until their best (elected) general was assassinated by their Communist allies. This bizarre but real(-ish) form of government has good fantasy roots. Remember the lines from "The Holy Grail":
"We don't have a lord. I told you, we're a self-governing anarcho-syndicalist commune. We take it in turns to be a sort of executive officer of the week, but all decisions of that officer have to ratified at a special bi-weekly meeting, by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs, but by a two-thirds majority . . . "
"Be quiet! Be quiet! I order you to be quiet!"
"'oo does 'ee think 'ee is, giving orders?"
-- Divine Mandate -- enough people have claimed it, why not have it as a real form of god-appointed leadership in a fantasy game?
Some of the more interesting ideas:
-- Timocracy -- rule of the brave in Greek. You can see this form of government in the "Starship Trooper" movie: "Service ensures citizenship". The basic idea is that only veterans can vote or serve in office. Plato thought this would be a good form of government, whereas Paul Verhoeven (director of "Starship Troopers", "RoboCop" and "Soldier of Orange" about his native Netherlands under Nazi occupation -- all meditations on fascism) thought it would be a vicious, warlike regime that lies to its own people to justify war.
-- Syndicalism -- Rule by guilds/unions. Anarcho-syndicalists (believing in no government other than by the workers in their own shops) actually did have a real movement and controlled some areas of Spain during the Spanish Civil War, until their best (elected) general was assassinated by their Communist allies. This bizarre but real(-ish) form of government has good fantasy roots. Remember the lines from "The Holy Grail":
"We don't have a lord. I told you, we're a self-governing anarcho-syndicalist commune. We take it in turns to be a sort of executive officer of the week, but all decisions of that officer have to ratified at a special bi-weekly meeting, by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs, but by a two-thirds majority . . . "
"Be quiet! Be quiet! I order you to be quiet!"
"'oo does 'ee think 'ee is, giving orders?"
-- Divine Mandate -- enough people have claimed it, why not have it as a real form of god-appointed leadership in a fantasy game?
resistor
First Post
I very much enjoy the crazy voting scheme used in the Republic of Venice, described here.
Basically, Venice was ruled by a large number of major families, led by a Doje who was elected for life, and wield significant power, but also had to pay all city-paid expenses from his own family's money. So determining the next Doje was an important decision.
The voting process went in rounds, of which there were two kinds. In a type A round, the member of the next "college" are chosen by lot from the members of the previous college (thus always reducing the number of members in the college). In a type B round, the members of the current college are elected using an approval voting scheme from the members of the overall electorate (all adult males of the major families). This always resulted in the next college being bigger than the current college.
The sequence of rounds was:
Type Size
A 30
A 9
B 40
A 12
B 25
A 9
B 45
A 11
B 41
The final college then elects the Doje by a straightforward approval vote.
While this scheme seems completely absurd to the normal viewer, the paper referenced above actually shows that it, in principle at least, has nice probibilistic attributes.
Basically, Venice was ruled by a large number of major families, led by a Doje who was elected for life, and wield significant power, but also had to pay all city-paid expenses from his own family's money. So determining the next Doje was an important decision.
The voting process went in rounds, of which there were two kinds. In a type A round, the member of the next "college" are chosen by lot from the members of the previous college (thus always reducing the number of members in the college). In a type B round, the members of the current college are elected using an approval voting scheme from the members of the overall electorate (all adult males of the major families). This always resulted in the next college being bigger than the current college.
The sequence of rounds was:
Type Size
A 30
A 9
B 40
A 12
B 25
A 9
B 45
A 11
B 41
The final college then elects the Doje by a straightforward approval vote.
While this scheme seems completely absurd to the normal viewer, the paper referenced above actually shows that it, in principle at least, has nice probibilistic attributes.
Fallen Seraph
First Post
One other fun blurb about Venetian Dojes, each of them has a portrait of them along the upper-wall inside the Doje's Palace. There is however one that is blacked out by a curtain.
This is because there was one Doje so hated by the people of Venice, they literally painted over his existence as a Doje.
Just a fun little thing to know
This is because there was one Doje so hated by the people of Venice, they literally painted over his existence as a Doje.
Just a fun little thing to know
resistor
First Post
I doubt Paul Verhoeven thinks much about it at all, considering he didn't read the book (where the idea is examined at length). The screenwriter probably just threw in the passing reference to the book to make fans happy. Robert Heinlein, certainly, but not Paul Verhoeven.
Wild Gazebo
Explorer
I have a couple of strange ones from some past world-building.
Governance of a tribal nation (very loose confederacy) was granted by killing the largest animal and displaying it to the elders.
The leader of a lizardman nation (aztecish theocracy) was decided by the lone survivor of a group of high priests who undertake a spiritual journey involving magic, drugs, and a desert.
Governance of a tribal nation (very loose confederacy) was granted by killing the largest animal and displaying it to the elders.
The leader of a lizardman nation (aztecish theocracy) was decided by the lone survivor of a group of high priests who undertake a spiritual journey involving magic, drugs, and a desert.
knightofround
First Post
I once had a campaign where people where people who wanted to be high-ranking military officers had to participate in gladiatorial combat. And popular vote decided who got promoted and who didn't. (American Idol style)
I also had ran another gladiatorial system where prisoners on death row were offered the chance to avoid execution if they chose to compete in gladiatorial combat. They could never win their freedom, but the prisoners were given limited parole and a luxurious lifestyle for a week for every combat they won.
I once had a group of kobolds that determined the leader of the tribe through a variation of paper-rocks-scissors. Luck was "divine mandate".
I also had ran another gladiatorial system where prisoners on death row were offered the chance to avoid execution if they chose to compete in gladiatorial combat. They could never win their freedom, but the prisoners were given limited parole and a luxurious lifestyle for a week for every combat they won.
I once had a group of kobolds that determined the leader of the tribe through a variation of paper-rocks-scissors. Luck was "divine mandate".
Simplicity
Explorer
I think it was Douglas Adams who proposed this form of government, but it works perfectly well in D&D (where there are plenty of large monsters to go around).
In essence:
Giant lizards are elected by the people to rule. Upon election, the giant lizard terrorizes the populace until the end of his term. Why would people vote for a giant lizard in the first place? Well, otherwise, the other guy's giant lizard would win.
In essence:
Giant lizards are elected by the people to rule. Upon election, the giant lizard terrorizes the populace until the end of his term. Why would people vote for a giant lizard in the first place? Well, otherwise, the other guy's giant lizard would win.
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