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<blockquote data-quote="Old Drew Id" data-source="post: 3180396" data-attributes="member: 12175">I wrote up a document at one point outlining a sort of step-by-step process for injecting politics into a game, but now I can't find it. So here's just a much shortened version:As Dave said, all politics is about power. Start out by identifying all of the major power bases in the setting. Then roll through all of the issues you can think of, and look for places where the different power bases would come in conflict. A list of power bases is a good place to start, but don't worry if the list is short at first, it can grow later. Example power bases would be any source of money, magical power, traditional power, cultural power, public opinion, foreign power, etc. Here's a list of some major political &quot;issues&quot;. Most of these are modern but can be easily modified to your particular setting:[CODE]Racism&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Civil Rights Sexism&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Civil Rights Other Forms of Discrimination&nbsp; &nbsp; Civil Rights Censorship&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Civil Rights Religious Authority&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Civil Rights Privacy&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Civil Rights Disabled Rights&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Civil Rights Welfare&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Civil RightsCorruption&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Crime / LegalDeath Penalty&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Crime / LegalForms of Punishment&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Crime / LegalImmigration&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Crime / LegalJuvenile Justice&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Crime / LegalCourt Proceedings&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Crime / LegalReligious Authority&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Crime / LegalArmed Citizens&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Crime / LegalLegalization of Drugs&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Crime / LegalGovernment Spending/Debt&nbsp; &nbsp; Crime / LegalEducation Standards&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; EconomyImmigration&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; EconomyTrade Agreements&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; EconomyKey Regions (resources, etc.)&nbsp; &nbsp; EconomyFarm Policy&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Economy Urban Planning&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Economy Welfare&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Economy Taxation&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Economy Labor Protection&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Economy Industrial Regulation&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Economy Free Access&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Education Religious Education&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Education Industrial Regulation&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Environment Weapons of Mass Destruction&nbsp; &nbsp; EnvironmentPollution&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Environment Use of Natural Resources&nbsp; &nbsp; Environment Foreign Dependence&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Foreign Policy Sovereignty&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Foreign Policy Each Neighboring Nation&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Foreign Policy Human Rights&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Foreign Policy Alliances&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Foreign Policy Foreign Aid&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Foreign Policy Key Regions (resources, etc.)&nbsp; &nbsp; Foreign Policy Trade Agreements&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Foreign Policy Immigration&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Foreign Policy Abortion&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Health CareCircumcision&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Health CareDisease Control&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Health Care Patient Rights&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Health Care Tobacco&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Health Care Universal Health Care&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Health Care Armed Forces Personnel&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Defense / Security Defense Spending&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Defense / Security Veteran Affairs&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Defense / Security Weapons of Mass Destruction&nbsp; &nbsp; Defense / Security Threat Planning&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Defense / Security Specific Conflicts&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Defense / Security [/CODE]So next, identify the major issues you have currently. The more the better, even if some are very minor. Often this list of issues will help you identify other power bases. If you are stumped for issues, look for places where the different power bases would come into conflict. In many cases, these political conflicts are the result of differences in moral codes or in different priorities for the allocation of resources including natural resources, people, and money (or land, labor, and capital if you;ve taken economics). So, by introducing different power structures or power bases in your setting which have different moral codes and different priorities for how resources should be used, you can introduce politics. So, next step is to identify the factions in your setting. For each faction, identify their power base, their stand on the major issues, and their moral code or set of priorities which determines their behavior. It may be helpful to go through each issue and list the factions that might be interested in that issue. Also, after identifying all of the factions, you may have more power bases to add to your list (and more issues, etc.) Later, you can also identify each faction's membership and relative power (see below, because a faction might be strong in one area and weak in another) Examples include guilds, churches, important families, etc. As a side task, identify any secret factions as well. Finally, determine a current balance of power on each issue. For each issue, the total of the power of the factions on each side should tell you where that issue is currently decided. If you realize that the current balance of power on a particular issue should lean one way, but your setting requires it to lean a different way, either adapt the power settings accordingly or else recognize that particular issue as a current controversy or &quot;hot button&quot; issue that must be resolved (often with the PC's help). Aside from those issues, any issue where the balance of power is too close to even to tip one way or the other is a controversial issue. Next, identify key players. A player might be an elected or religious official or celebrity. A royal or noble player might even function as their own power base. Once identified, note any factions that they side with or are members of. Every faction should have at least one key player, and some will have more than one. Every key player will likely have multiple factions that they support. Finally, it is helpful to identify the key battlegrounds and &quot;weapons&quot; where these political battles will be fought. Even in a medieval setting, not all political battles are fought in the throne room. Battlegrounds are generally tied to power bases, so look there for inspiration. Example battlegrounds include public protests and rallies, church pulpits, academic conferences, council chambers, court rooms, and secret meetings. These battlefields serve not only as settings, but they also identify the weapons to be used, such as smear campaigns, back-room deals, rallying speeches, challenges of honor, bribery, intimidation, etc. The actual political campaign depends on what you want to do, what your players find interesting, etc., but it will typically involve one or more political players making a move on a controversial issue by using some of their political weapons in a political arena. This move will usually cause the balance of power to start to shift on a particular issue. Then the PC's will be needed to either finish the job of tipping the balance, or must move to restore the balance before it goes too far. Here's two links for further inspiration:<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_controversial_issues" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_controversial_issues</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_epithets" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_epithets</a></blockquote>

[QUOTE="Old Drew Id, post: 3180396, member: 12175"] I wrote up a document at one point outlining a sort of step-by-step process for injecting politics into a game, but now I can't find it. So here's just a much shortened version: As Dave said, all politics is about power. Start out by identifying all of the major power bases in the setting. Then roll through all of the issues you can think of, and look for places where the different power bases would come in conflict. A list of power bases is a good place to start, but don't worry if the list is short at first, it can grow later. Example power bases would be any source of money, magical power, traditional power, cultural power, public opinion, foreign power, etc. Here's a list of some major political "issues". Most of these are modern but can be easily modified to your particular setting: [CODE] Racism Civil Rights Sexism Civil Rights Other Forms of Discrimination Civil Rights Censorship Civil Rights Religious Authority Civil Rights Privacy Civil Rights Disabled Rights Civil Rights Welfare Civil Rights Corruption Crime / Legal Death Penalty Crime / Legal Forms of Punishment Crime / Legal Immigration Crime / Legal Juvenile Justice Crime / Legal Court Proceedings Crime / Legal Religious Authority Crime / Legal Armed Citizens Crime / Legal Legalization of Drugs Crime / Legal Government Spending/Debt Crime / Legal Education Standards Economy Immigration Economy Trade Agreements Economy Key Regions (resources, etc.) Economy Farm Policy Economy Urban Planning Economy Welfare Economy Taxation Economy Labor Protection Economy Industrial Regulation Economy Free Access Education Religious Education Education Industrial Regulation Environment Weapons of Mass Destruction Environment Pollution Environment Use of Natural Resources Environment Foreign Dependence Foreign Policy Sovereignty Foreign Policy Each Neighboring Nation Foreign Policy Human Rights Foreign Policy Alliances Foreign Policy Foreign Aid Foreign Policy Key Regions (resources, etc.) Foreign Policy Trade Agreements Foreign Policy Immigration Foreign Policy Abortion Health Care Circumcision Health Care Disease Control Health Care Patient Rights Health Care Tobacco Health Care Universal Health Care Health Care Armed Forces Personnel Defense / Security Defense Spending Defense / Security Veteran Affairs Defense / Security Weapons of Mass Destruction Defense / Security Threat Planning Defense / Security Specific Conflicts Defense / Security [/CODE] So next, identify the major issues you have currently. The more the better, even if some are very minor. Often this list of issues will help you identify other power bases. If you are stumped for issues, look for places where the different power bases would come into conflict. In many cases, these political conflicts are the result of differences in moral codes or in different priorities for the allocation of resources including natural resources, people, and money (or land, labor, and capital if you;ve taken economics). So, by introducing different power structures or power bases in your setting which have different moral codes and different priorities for how resources should be used, you can introduce politics. So, next step is to identify the factions in your setting. For each faction, identify their power base, their stand on the major issues, and their moral code or set of priorities which determines their behavior. It may be helpful to go through each issue and list the factions that might be interested in that issue. Also, after identifying all of the factions, you may have more power bases to add to your list (and more issues, etc.) Later, you can also identify each faction's membership and relative power (see below, because a faction might be strong in one area and weak in another) Examples include guilds, churches, important families, etc. As a side task, identify any secret factions as well. Finally, determine a current balance of power on each issue. For each issue, the total of the power of the factions on each side should tell you where that issue is currently decided. If you realize that the current balance of power on a particular issue should lean one way, but your setting requires it to lean a different way, either adapt the power settings accordingly or else recognize that particular issue as a current controversy or "hot button" issue that must be resolved (often with the PC's help). Aside from those issues, any issue where the balance of power is too close to even to tip one way or the other is a controversial issue. Next, identify key players. A player might be an elected or religious official or celebrity. A royal or noble player might even function as their own power base. Once identified, note any factions that they side with or are members of. Every faction should have at least one key player, and some will have more than one. Every key player will likely have multiple factions that they support. Finally, it is helpful to identify the key battlegrounds and "weapons" where these political battles will be fought. Even in a medieval setting, not all political battles are fought in the throne room. Battlegrounds are generally tied to power bases, so look there for inspiration. Example battlegrounds include public protests and rallies, church pulpits, academic conferences, council chambers, court rooms, and secret meetings. These battlefields serve not only as settings, but they also identify the weapons to be used, such as smear campaigns, back-room deals, rallying speeches, challenges of honor, bribery, intimidation, etc. The actual political campaign depends on what you want to do, what your players find interesting, etc., but it will typically involve one or more political players making a move on a controversial issue by using some of their political weapons in a political arena. This move will usually cause the balance of power to start to shift on a particular issue. Then the PC's will be needed to either finish the job of tipping the balance, or must move to restore the balance before it goes too far. Here's two links for further inspiration: [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_controversial_issues[/url] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_epithets[/url] [/QUOTE]

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