Communism (& Socialism) in RPGs

[S'mon]

For a serious look at socialism in a pre-industrial D&D setting, the mid-17th century Levellers of the English Civil War epoch might be worth checking out. Of course 17th century is post-Renaissance but I reckon their assumptions will fit much more easily into a pre-industrial milieu than would 19th century Marxist dialectic.

 

[Storm Raven]

Stop conflating communism and socialism, plzkthx. Also, read Bellamy again, perferably from the source instead of skimming Wikipedia. Bellamy's socialism is based on replacing capitalist institutions with central planning, but that planning is not necessarily ensconced in a ruling class (Looking Backward is pretty vague about political institutions). I do, incidentally, know the typical rhetorical ruse that comes with invoking Bellamy, too. Should I invoke Godwin's Law now, or wait until you've built up some steam?

I'm not. The original poster asked for discussion of a topic much broader than you seem to think. To quote the OP:

Can anyone else think of the communism, socialism, Bolshevism, totalitarian socialism, anti-consumerist anarcho-syndicalism in RPGs?

Communism is just a subset of socialism, and a very specific one at that. And not very well thought out either.

I've read Bellamy. Probably long before you did. And Bellamy doesn't assume that the means of production are owned by the workers. Perhaps you need to go back and reread Looking Backward and note how this assumption is not made, mentioned, or regarded as important. Socialism is not dependent upon the assumptions you seem to want to make universal. In point of fact, most of the 19th century socialist thinkers didn't make such an assumption.

 

[Storm Raven]

It would be more pre-modern, probably more religious than lay communalism, pre-socialism.

The Hutterites come to mind.

 

[sckeener]

Atheism is completely untenable in all published and most homebrew settings.

just because there is someone more powerful than you does not mean they are gods.

Now the scientific method might be hard to pull off in a fantasy setting unless you really nailed the magical mechanics really tight....in which case is it really magic?

The first communistic community IMHB that comes to mind is a Psionic one. I've an enclave that searches the world for psionic talent and offers them a place in their community. They've got all sorts of creatures living in 'harmony'.....basically if they accept to be part of the community they take a vow to work for the good of the community and to do harm to none in the community....this has recently hit a snag as the enclave's master telepath died leaving no successor to continue the voluntary vows. oh and the society is a communistic republic with their senate being made up of the psionic discipline masters.

I like the Chainmail Dwarves. I think I'm like most gamers and have my demihumans being socialists/communists and my humanoids being capitalists/tyrannies...with humans being anything.

I always find this wiki list helpful when I am crafting the government for a society

 

[Shortman McLeod]

*shurgs* I have a socialist country in my homebrew campaign. But then again our campaign is pretty damn far from Cannon DnD.

Or canon DnD, I imagine.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I like the Chainmail dwarves, too.

I think I need a campaign setting where the dwarves are communists, the elves Fascists, the gnomes socialists, the halflings run a parliamentarian monarchy, and the humans have a republic. The campaign idea will be: the elves sneak attack the gnomes, succeed after running off the halfling forces, then invade the dwarves, ultimately requiring the humans to come in on the side of the dwarves and halflings to put a stop to things. After it is over, the gnomes will resent the interference of the humans and halflings and ally with the elves against the dwarves.

 

[AnonymousOne]

Or canon DnD, I imagine.

Right... :\ My bad. Though things DO tend to blow up a a lot.

 

[hong]

Another problem with Communism in DND: Atheism is completely untenable in all published and most homebrew settings.

In D&D you might not be able to deny the existence of a god, but nothing stops you denying the legitimacy of that god.

Hong "a religion is a cult with an army and navy" Ooi

 

[Mardoc Redcloak]

Premodern society can't be called communist or capitalist because the assumptions of those systems didn't exist.

Common ownership of land and capital is possible in virtually any society that comes to mind.

 

[Kwalish Kid]

There were a surprising amount of capital ventures in premodern societies. Watermills were quite often capital investments.