rights and races (who is protected?)

[alsih2o]

is there a document in your campaign that details the rights of citizens?

does it extend to all sentient beings? or just humans? just humans elves and dwarves? and half orcs? goblins if they are trading?

do humanoids get any "due"?

does the semiintelligent critter in the kingdom have any rights? is there a group that tries to protect the endangered owlbear?

how does the law deal with all the "monsters" and such? are they recognized as "monsters"?

i think unequal protection under the law could lead to some interesting dillemas, and i would like to hear how and if you have used these themes.

 

[Metallian]

Most governments IMC are LE or LN.

The LE governments often kill (or enslave, or at least exile) any members of "enemy" races on sight. They may also give special rights to members of the dominant race, or basically do whatever they like with respect to race.

Other governments are very suspicious of members of "enemy" races, and will put them under close scrutiny. If a member of such a race shows up at the gates, and the resources are available, a Cleric will at least scan them for evil before allowing them inside. This suspicion and scrutiny is proportionate to the reputation of the race and the immediate threat of the race. (A government that exists far away from any large Orc populations will be less suspicious of a visiting half-orc, for example.)

The Metallian

 

[fusangite]

is there a document in your campaign that details the rights of citizens?
* does it extend to all sentient beings? or just humans? just humans elves and dwarves? and half orcs? goblins if they are trading?
* do humanoids get any "due"?
* does the semiintelligent critter in the kingdom have any rights? is there a group that tries to protect the endangered owlbear?
* how does the law deal with all the "monsters" and such? are they recognized as "monsters"?
* i think unequal protection under the law could lead to some interesting dillemas, and i would like to hear how and if you have used these themes.

[/QUOTE]

Absolutely not. I wouldn't rule it out but it would be highly unlikely.

There are a few problems with having such a document:
1. Generally, when societies have rights that are conferred on everyone, they are viewed as natural or innate and thus, while represented in court proceedings and referred to in legislation, they tend to derive from a pre-literate common law tradition.
2. Most societies with the concept of "citizen" do not make it the encompassing category into which everyone falls. In ancient Athens, 7-15% were citizens.
3. Sentience is a peculiar, highly modern criterion of citizen entitlement.
4. I like my games to have a pre-modern feel so hierarchy is usually a pretty important thing; there is a natural assumption of social inequality. People forget that Magna Carta, one of the few examples of this, was all about recognizing the inequality of citizens and preserving baronial privilege.
5. If people do have "rights," I tend to use local and specific categories; thus, people from a particular town might have certain rights within a particular geographic region and these rights might be focused on the use of common land and some other locally-based tradition.

While some people may have fun imposing modern structures on fantasy worlds, that has never really been my thing; so I'm afraid that your question kind of leaves me cold.

 

[diaglo]

in most of the "civilized" countries in the campaign....those who own property write the laws...have a vote...or are the nobility. their word is law. all others must abide or get out.

but the majority of the campaign is "uncivilized" unconquered wilderness...so the law of the land is the strong prey on the weak.

 

[adwyn]

IMC campaign the primary church sets out some minimum "rights" they expect all laws to acknowledge. They include no slavery, some degree of freedom of movement, the right to own personal goods, and the right to inherit. It is the responsibility of the nobility to see to it that these rights are not infringed upon, however in a holdover from 1E the rights only extend to those persons with "souls" instead of spirits as defined in the 1E raise dead spell. Thus elves along with the goblinoid and giant races could be legally enslaved.

In contrast one small nation has become obsessed with the idea of a "natural law" that can be discovered the same way as modern scientists believe in string theory. Thus govt. should need to be administrative only and the discovery and explanation of the natural law left to well meaning philosopher/theologians. Ufortunately the logic models they use are derived from alchemy, not modern science.

 

[Dirigible]

1) does it extend to all sentient beings? or just humans? just humans elves and dwarves? and half orcs? goblins if they are trading?
2) do humanoids get any "due"?
3) does the semiintelligent critter in the kingdom have any rights? is there a group that tries to protect the endangered owlbear?
4) how does the law deal with all the "monsters" and such? are they recognized as "monsters"?
5) i think unequal protection under the law could lead to some interesting dillemas, and i would like to hear how and if you have used these themes.

1) Usually, the five related 'moonchild' races in my campiagn world make some proviso for each other in their laws, or at least get on quite well together. At least, that's the theory. In practise, orcs often fight anyone around them, dwarves keep themselves quarantined from outsiders. Elves and halflings are fairly open minded about this sort of thing, though.

2) Certainly. People pay for them to be rooted out and exterminated.

3) Uhhh... no. See 2). Maybe some druids may take a 'harbinger of the wild' approach, and use natural beasts to destroy civilisation.

4) Monsters are considered swordfodder.

 

[Nifft]

IMC, there are Free races and Damned races. Members of Free races have free will: they are judged and held accountable as individuals. Members of Damned races are killed on sight.

For a good example of a Damned race, read Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep. (In fact, go read it anyway. It's some of the best SciFi ever.)

IMC, there's more regional hatred than racial hatred. Of course, some races are from specific regions, so that overlaps somewhat.

Rights of citizens in the current kingdom (the biggest one in the known world) are very similar to American law, but without the right to a free lawyer -- money matters there even more than in our world.

-- N

 

[the Jester]

One area of my campaign world is infamous for the gnome tax- a tax on each gnome.

 

[Gez]

It all could be sumed up this way:

"Rights? That's the other side of left, but otherwise, is that even a word?"

 

[barsoomcore]

One area of my campaign world is infamous for the gnome tax- a tax on each gnome.

Is that a tax paid by each gnome on themselves -- or is a gnome merchant required to pay duty on every gnome they import? Is it per pound, per head or per beard hair?

Or is it just a small annoying tax that keeps causing problems?