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#1 nedlum Oct 01, 2004 20:59:18

There is a certain convention in any given fantasy setting that the assumed system of leadership is basically an idealized version of the monarchy of France or England. Possibly, if in an Oriental setting, there might instead be an Emperor like that of Japan or China. Or maybe Rome. Enough with that, say I. There are more systems for governance and society lying somewhere betwixt Baator and Arborea then you dare dream of. You don't even have to stretch your imagination very much. Imagine a system where every few years, some sizable sect of the population (all True Elves, freeholders, landowners) gathers into townships and chooses the wisest and most informed of their fellows, and sends him to the Capital. There, these Elect meet, and after much debate, cast two lots to determine what noteworthy citizen not present (the Elect cannot are not eligible) shall be Lord. These ballots must each be for separate people, and only one can be from the township represented. He (or She) with the highest total of lots is the supreme Lord of the realm for the next few years. His word is law, except for in the selection of the next Lord, a process he has no right to meddle in. This version, for those who didn't take a US government course, is loosely based on the original system for selecting the President of the United States. Another system, applicable toward city-states more then nations, involves a magical artifact that every dawn sends Helping Hands to twenty random citizens of the city. These citizens are thereby summoned to the Debate Halls, where they will serve for ten days governing the city; two hundred citizens at a time are in these Halls. Failure to appear when summoned is one of the most heinous of crimes, a form of treason. By forcing a random segment of the populace to speak their minds, the government has ensured that all voices will be heard. Another way of looking at government is to consider the government's goals. Students of American political theory know that the American ideal is a government that protects your life, liberty, and property, and that's about it. After that, you're on your own. All very well and good, but consider the alternatives. A state where philosophy is prized above all, so that the government supports great thinkers simply for thinking. A state dedicated to the God of War, where every man and woman between sixteen and twenty-five is a soldier, all food comes from the spoils of battle, no sound can be heard in a city but that of forgehammer against platemail. A state that cultivates beauty, where those who can't afford houses are discretely hidden, the slums replaced with artistic fountains and verdant gardens. A state whose fair ladies of the court walk about with bare steel, ready to duel at the drop of a hat for a handsome gentlemen's honor. A state where nobody owns anything, so everyone owns everything. A state that... And so on. My point is that it is that there is no shame in having a map that says "Here's a Kingdom and here's a Kingdom and here's a Mage kingdom and here's a kingdom that's evil." But if you give your nation a purpose and a bit of governance nuance all it's own, your players will never forget it. "No. We're not going back to Gorne. I got enough of it long before they fined me for not giving a dagger to that cutpurse when I sundered his."