Weird political systems

[DreadPirateMurphy]

Something the other day reminded me of the old B5 TV show, and how the Drazi used to pull sashes out of a barrel. They randomly got either a purple or a green sash, and the two sides would beat each other up until one side won and got to rule.

I also vaguely recall a sci-fi novel where anybody who wanted to run for office was disqualified.

I'm wondering if anybody had any inspired political oddities in their campaigns? Mostly, I'm just curious. Given how bizarre the normal stuff is in D&D, there should be some interesting ideas.

(Please be careful not to violate the forum rules -- I'm sick of hearing about real politics, anyway.)

 

[Savage Wombat]

I always liked one David Eddings came up with.

Every few years, they need a new leader. So leading citizens get nominated, and everyone votes. The winner becomes the leader.

Of course, when you become leader all your money and property are confiscated, and effectively "invested" in the national economy. If the country prospers, so do you. If not...

"Why would anyone want to be leader then?"

They don't. We have to arrest them when they get nominated so they can't run away.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Something the other day reminded me of the old B5 TV show, and how the Drazi used to pull sashes out of a barrel. They randomly got either a purple or a green sash, and the two sides would beat each other up until one side won and got to rule.

Purple!

-Hyp.

 

[airwalkrr]

In the Shatterscape PBP campaign I run, we've devised a city-state that is effectively ruled by a guild of assassins. The city is nominally ruled by five elected councilors, but the guild assassinates one of them if they ever lose the majority. Another city-state is ruled by the reigning gladiator team for that year. This means that just about anyone can "run for office" by entering the annual gladiatorial tournament. The less popular the current rulers, the more challengers there are that year.

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

You could also be thinking of some words of wisdom from Douglas Adams

Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.
Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

 

[Shades of Green]

In Arthur C. Clarke's Songs of a Distant Earth, I recall reading about the colony's leader (president?) being selected randomly from the population in order to give everyone the same chance to be a ruler and to avoid power-hungry politicians.

 

[STARP_Social_Officer]

In Terry Pratchett's The Last Continent all politicians in Fourecks are arrested and imprisoned as soon as they're elected. Because it saves time.

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

And there is of course, the Ankh-Morpork democratic system:

Ankh-Morpork had dallied with many forms of government and had ended up with that form of democracy known as One Man, One Vote. The Patrician was the Man; he had the Vote.

-- Discworld politics explained (Terry Pratchett, Mort)

 

[Set]

One version of the Legion of Super-Heroes used a computer lottery system of government. The computer picked three people, and then the people of Earth voted on which of those three they wanted to be President.

In the issue I recall, the three people were;

A Chinese poli-sci student, just starting college, who had written a well-received paper on government reform.

The foreman of a construction team (not company, just literally a team leader) who had gotten some impressive results.

The head of a large family in India who had advanced his families fortunes significantly.

 

[Snapdragyn]

I had a society in a homebrew gameworld with an odd sociopolitical system.

The society was descended from the harem of a cruel & abusive mage. The women of the harem had managed to trick the mage & kill him, thus gaining control of his isolated keep & all of the arcane treasures it contained. They had then studied his tomes in order to gain the strength to maintain their freedom.

Cut to the 'current' era. The political governance is by a forum and a president. The main economy of the city-state is based on exporting magical items. Men are strictly forbidden from learning magic (male sorcerers or other spontaneous casters would be exiled). Men's roles in society are to be guards, servants, & to father talented daughters. They hold an entirely subservient role in a very repressive society.

The society is divided into matrilineal merchant houses, each holding one seat in the forum, plus one house consisting entirely of men. The men of this house are chosen from the other houses to join, & occupy a unique position in the society as they dress in women's clothes & are permitted many of the rights of women (though not schooling in magic). Their house does not take part in the magic trade (or any other), nor do they hold a seat in the forum; instead, they are the 'neutral' house which serves as the bookkeepers for all of the other houses. Every 10 years, they hold a Grand Accounting, & the house which they deem to have the greatest wealth is granted the presidency of the forum. Bribery runs rampant at these times. Although the (& here I've forgotten the term I had for those of this role - let's just say 'berdache' for now) berdache are supposed to be neutral, some of course retain a sense of loyalty to their old mistresses; indeed, it's considered a high honor to have a male chosen to join the berdache house just for the possibility of political manipulation that provides.

So - it's sort of a 'merchantocracy', with some fun social role twists & political corruption thrown in.