Ideas for a corrupt but liked ruler

[gamerprinter]

Yes, a good example, but you lose the internet by saying his name.

Ah, I work by my own rules and win my way...

 

[darjr]

What if his corruption isn't a legal one but spiritual?

 

[Dougan Axehammer]

How about modelling him after someone like Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones). He was fairly corrupt, but the people loved him because he did so much for them.

 

[gamerprinter]

You mean Tywin Lannister, not Tyrion.

 

[delericho]

So anyway I'm just fishing for ideas on what a ruler could be doing that's bad enough for the pcs to want to dethrone him, but subtle enough/easy to cover up such that the general population still likes the ruler.

He imposes a 90% tax on the proceeds of adventuring. Half of the money raised goes into his pocket, the rest into public works.

 

[Grogg of the North]

What if it isn't just the ruler but the most of the government? Most of the taxes raised go to "administration overhead". The government is slow to do anything about social problems or infrastructure. Crime is on the rise and the police force is harsh in their response. Basic staples are becoming more expensive due to inflation.

However, the public mostly turn a blind eye to that. The government is putting on bread and circuses. Yea, I might be unemployed and over-taxed but I'm not going hungry and the free beer helps, too.

 

[N'raac]

Actually, the Hitler example is a good one. The people love him, the country is doing well, and the Ruler's (government's?) darker side is a closely kept secret. When it comes out, it will be far too late (perhaps, at an extreme, he is planning to sacrifice the entire population of the country to Dark Elder Gods, but the ritual has components and timing restrictions). The Heroes have information, but not proof.

Plenty of leaders have kept secrets from the populace. FDR's disability was a closely kept secret. Some religious leaders have seen a pretty scandalous end to their careers when their secrets came out. Keeping secrets in a typical D&D world would not be overly difficult.

 

[Dandu]

Yea, I might be unemployed and over-taxed but I'm not going hungry and the free beer helps, too.

If he's unemployed, how is he paying taxes?

 

[Grogg of the North]

If he's unemployed, how is he paying taxes?

Why should that stop the tax collectors from trying?

 

[billd91]

I'm brainstorming a plot idea but I'm running in to a small but crucial snag so thought I'd tap the hivemind here.

the pcs are going to be at their hometown and are basically starting the underground revolution to bring down the ruler. The ruler however, has a great public face and is liked by everyone.

I need to figure out what the ruler does that is so bad that the pcs want to overthrow him, BUT is something he can get away with and cover his tracks that the public does not see the problem and loves him.

It's pretty easy to come up with a corrupt leader who is loved or at least reasonably well-liked by the people. Congress is full of them. You just need to spend reasonably lavishly on public works while skimming to fatten your own coffers, be buddy-buddy with certain guilds who do most of your work for a bit above the going rate (thus enriching them too). The harder part will be coming up with a reasonable reason the PCs will want to depose him. Graft usually isn't enough unless they're real sticklers.

One possibility, building on the Hitler suggestion, is to come up with a leader who rose during a crisis (in Hitler's case, the post WWI economic crisis) and managed to make the people feel good about themselves. Hitler did it, in no small part, by deflecting the blame to a minority group and outsiders, sweeping Germany's own deficiencies and behavior under a rug of denial. And, quite frankly, people seem to drink that Kool-Aid avidly. Once you've got that, the leader will probably have carte blanche to do what he wants with the people's support.