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Post by tdenmark on Nov 3, 2020 15:29:12 GMT -6
Page 89 of the AD&D Dm's guide lists these 19 forms of government:
Autocracy
Bureaucracy
Confederacy
Democracy
Dictatorship
Feodality
Geriatocracy
Gynarchy
Hierarchy
Magocracy
Matriarchy
Militocracy
Monarchy
Oligarchy
Pedocracy
Plutocracy
Republic
Theocracy
Syndicracy
Is this list complete? What would you add for helping a DM make a fantasy world? Did you every make use of this list in your games?
For me as a middle schooler I found this list to be my introduction to the concepts of various forms of government, and if social studies and history been presented to me in D&D books I was much more likely to learn it than from any boring old teacher in school.
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Post by Red Baron on Nov 3, 2020 16:48:43 GMT -6
Many of those do not seem mutually exclusive. I would roll two or three times on the list and then figure out how to combine them in a way that makes sense.
I would differentiate autocracy from dictatorship by defining a dictatorship in the roman republican sense (an elected temporary emergency autocracy), whereas an autocracy is a more permanent non-hereditary position (like the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork).
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Post by Punkrabbitt on Nov 3, 2020 17:24:12 GMT -6
Anarchy isn't listed o.0
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Post by mgtremaine on Nov 3, 2020 17:26:39 GMT -6
autonomous collective ? ;p
-Mike
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Post by tdenmark on Nov 3, 2020 17:28:26 GMT -6
Many of those do not seem mutually exclusive. I would roll two or three times on the list and then figure out how to combine them in a way that makes sense. That's how I use it too. The Ultimate Toolbox by AEG had some nice tables, though it feels a bit stretched out in order to fill a whole page. For example it expands Republic to five entries: Republic, (rule by elected officials) Republic, Capitalist Republic, Constitutional Republic, Parliamentary Republic, Socialist What I'm curious about though are government types that could only exist in a fantasy milieu like Magocracy. For example you could have a Divine Rulership by an immortal being, or rule by an Undead council. And so on. The full list from Ultimate Toolbox (and then it has 3 subtables that are expansions of this): 1 Caliphate 2 Clans 3 Commonwealth 4 Confederation 5 Dominion 6 Duchy 7 Empire 8 Federation 9 Hegemony 10 Kingdom 11 League 12 Principality 13 Protectorate 14 Realm 15 Regency 16 Regime 17 Republic 18 State 19 Sultanate 20 Union |
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Post by tdenmark on Nov 3, 2020 17:29:29 GMT -6
Considering Gary's penchant for making exhaustive lists I'm surprised that isn't there. |
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Post by tdenmark on Nov 3, 2020 17:34:03 GMT -6
Rule by The Collective.
Telepathic beings that share, and control, thought. It would be somewhat similar to a hive or ant colony. Anyone who expressed wrongthink would be terminated, excommunicated, or reconditioned to think correctly.
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Post by geoffrey on Nov 3, 2020 18:42:25 GMT -6
Page 89 of the AD&D Dm's guide lists these 19 forms of government: Autocracy Bureaucracy Confederacy Democracy Dictatorship Feodality Geriatocracy Gynarchy Hierarchy Magocracy Militocracy Monarchy Oligarchy Pedocracy Plutocracy Republic Theocracy Syndicracy Is this list complete? That part of the DMG is actually based on one of Gary's articles in issue #25 (May 1979) of Dragon magazine: "THE PROPER PLACE OF CHARACTER SOCIAL CLASS IN D&D". Here is its list: ANARCHY — No formal government and no social classes ARISTOCRACY — Government by a privileged class, this class so vested with power to rule being determined by virtually any circumstances of social or economic relevance AUTOCRACY — Government which rests in self-derived, absolute power (an emperor or dictator is typically an autocrat, but the variations are many) BUREAUCRACY — Government by department, rule being through the heads and chief administrators of the various departments of the system CONFEDERACY — A league of possibly diverse governmental and social entities designed to promote the common weal of each DEMOCRACY— Government by the people, i.e. the established body of citizens, whether direct or through elected representatives FEODALITY — Feudal government where each authority derives authority and power from the one above and pledges fealty in like manner GERIATOCRACY — Government by the very old GYNARCHY — Government by females only HIERARCHY — Typically religious government with a structure somewhat similar to a feodality MACOCRACY — Government by professional magic-users MATRIARCHY — Government by the eldest females of whatever social units exist MILITOCRACY — Government by military leaders and the armed forces in general MONARCHY— Government by a single sovereign, usually hereditary, whether absolute in power or limited (such as the English monarchs were by the Magna Carta) OLIGARCHY — Government by a few, usually absolute, rulers who are co-equal PEDOCRACY — Government by the learned and savants PLUTOCRACY — Government by the wealthy REPUBLIC — A government of representatives of an established electorate THEOCRACY — God-rule, or rule by a god’s direct representative |
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Post by DungeonDevil on Nov 3, 2020 19:33:33 GMT -6
Callistocracy -- rule by the prettiest of all. (My vote is for Queen Bey!)  |
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Post by tdenmark on Nov 3, 2020 20:52:24 GMT -6
Callistocracy -- rule by the prettiest of all. (My vote is for Queen Bey!) That's interesting. So when the queen dies there is a Miss Universe contest to see who's the next Queen? Then there would be tremendous intrigue behind who gets to be a judge, or would it be a popular vote by the people? So a Callistocracy Democracy? |
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Post by geoffrey on Nov 3, 2020 21:05:47 GMT -6
Callistocracy -- rule by the prettiest of all. (My vote is for Queen Bey!) That's interesting. So when the queen dies there is a Miss Universe contest to see who's the next Queen? Then there would be tremendous intrigue behind who gets to be a judge, or would it be a popular vote by the people? So a Callistocracy Democracy? Cf. "Guyal of Sfere" in The Dying Earth by Jack Vance. |
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Post by Piper on Nov 3, 2020 22:39:32 GMT -6
Callistocracy -- rule by the prettiest of all. (My vote is for Queen Bey!) Okay, sorry to ask, but ... who is Queen Bey? I figure it's a pop-culture reference buy a quick search of the 'net yielded no definitive results. |
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Post by Piper on Nov 3, 2020 22:41:16 GMT -6
I shivered a bit when I read the title of this thread. I should've known to have a bit more faith in my gaming buddies here on ODD74!
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Post by tdenmark on Nov 3, 2020 22:43:03 GMT -6
Okay, sorry to ask, but ... who is Queen Bey? I figure it's a pop-culture reference buy a quick search of the 'net yielded no definitive results.  True story, I worked with her dad on a video game. |
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Post by Piper on Nov 3, 2020 22:52:11 GMT -6
True story, I worked with her dad on a video game. Oh, that's cool! Did you get any cool Beyoncé gear from him? Even if you aren't a fan you can sell it for a killing on eBay. ETA: d'oh ... Bey = Beyoncé ... I should have been able to figure that one out after my Google search. |
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Post by Vile Traveller on Nov 4, 2020 3:02:05 GMT -6
Here's the Traveller '77 contribution - lots of overlap, of course. IIRC LBB6 added a few more?
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Post by DungeonDevil on Nov 4, 2020 3:20:50 GMT -6
Athanatocracy -- rule by the undead (I know, I know, there's no Greek word for 'undead'. Just roll with it!)
Cepopygmaeocracy -- rule by garden-gnomes
Megalophonocracy -- rule by those with the loudest voice
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Post by Finarvyn on Nov 4, 2020 13:45:35 GMT -6
autonomous collective ? ;p -Mike I didn't know you were called Dennis.  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2020 15:26:49 GMT -6
More for the list, one way or another, FRP governments must proffer some range (even if empty) regards the following:
1) strident rulers and ruling class,
2) basic law and order, temples, and military,
3) land, productive resources, and industry,
4) merchants, commerce, guilds, and trades,
5) hard-pressed underclass,
6) cults of all kinds,
7) reactive, brutal criminal underclass
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Post by Desparil on Nov 4, 2020 15:37:28 GMT -6
autonomous collective ? ;p -Mike I didn't know you were called Dennis. BLOODY PEASANT! |
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Post by tdenmark on Nov 4, 2020 22:38:06 GMT -6
True story, I worked with her dad on a video game. Oh, that's cool! Did you get any cool Beyoncé gear from him? Even if you aren't a fan you can sell it for a killing on eBay. ETA: d'oh ... Bey = Beyoncé ... I should have been able to figure that one out after my Google search. No schwag. The project was cancelled when she pulled out. The company went under, we were all out of a job. The whole project was really weird with some shady people at the top. |
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Post by Piper on Nov 4, 2020 23:56:55 GMT -6
The whole project was really weird with some shady people at the top. That's showbiz, neh? Or at least that's what I've been told, I'm in healthcare and that's about as far from showbiz as a fellow can get. |
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Post by tdenmark on Nov 5, 2020 12:05:53 GMT -6
I'm in healthcare and that's about as far from showbiz as a fellow can get. To be honest, I wish I'd chosen a more normal & stable biz to work in. Like health care. |
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Post by Vile Traveller on Nov 5, 2020 18:25:49 GMT -6
Hehe, I've had plenty of landscape projects with weird and shady people at the top collapse when I was consulting, but then those clients are pretty common in the Far East. There was this one Disneyland clone in Vietnam, a notorious father of a dead pop megastar was one of the supposed backers ...
Alignment added to the mix would make for a whole range of variation in each type of government. Chaotic bureaucracy, vs. Lawful or Neutral? What about Good and Evil, as well? You'd never have to repeat from one Realm to the next.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2020 14:25:27 GMT -6
Callistocracy -- rule by the prettiest of all. (My vote is for Queen Bey!) That's interesting. So when the queen dies there is a Miss Universe contest to see who's the next Queen? Then there would be tremendous intrigue behind who gets to be a judge, or would it be a popular vote by the people? So a Callistocracy Democracy? Nonsense and poppycock. Everybody knows the talking mirror chooses the fairest of them all. |
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Post by tdenmark on Nov 7, 2020 15:40:59 GMT -6
That's interesting. So when the queen dies there is a Miss Universe contest to see who's the next Queen? Then there would be tremendous intrigue behind who gets to be a judge, or would it be a popular vote by the people? So a Callistocracy Democracy? Nonsense and poppycock. Everybody knows the talking mirror chooses the fairest of them all. Not a bad idea at all. |
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Post by Starbeard on Nov 8, 2020 16:44:30 GMT -6
A talking mirror is a great idea! It could announce the fairest, strongest, noblest, whatever is needed for any type of meritocracy. Call it a katoptrocacy, rule that is determined by a mirror or oracular vision. The most common adventure hook would be to track down the person seen in the vision, because they may not give full disclosure.
"We must choose the next autocrat! Mirror, mirror, on the wall: who is the worthiest one of all?"
"I see woods; a woman, blue and yellow, living amongst dwarves."
"Find her!"
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2020 18:57:17 GMT -6
Talking Mirror elected for president of NPCs 2020.
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Post by tdenmark on Nov 8, 2020 20:51:32 GMT -6
A talking mirror is a great idea! It could announce the fairest, strongest, noblest, whatever is needed for any type of meritocracy. Call it a katoptrocacy, rule that is determined by a mirror or oracular vision. The most common adventure hook would be to track down the person seen in the vision, because they may not give full disclosure. "We must choose the next autocrat! Mirror, mirror, on the wall: who is the worthiest one of all?" "I see woods; a woman, blue and yellow, living amongst dwarves." "Find her!" This is not too unlike how the Dalai Llama is selected, or found if you will. Adventure idea: The mirror gets in the hands of a dark lord or evil queen. When it prophesies who is the rightful ruler that evil lord/queen sends assassins out to find that person...the pc's must find that person before the assassins do. |
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Post by tdenmark on Nov 9, 2020 14:04:25 GMT -6
Adventure idea: The mirror gets in the hands of a dark lord or evil queen. When it prophesies who is the rightful ruler that evil lord/queen sends assassins out to find that person...the pc's must find that person before the assassins do. I had no idea until now what a great DnD adventure Disney's Snow White could make. I'm going to take a new look at all those Disney princess movies. |
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