Ask Game Masters

884 readers

1 users here now

A place where Game Masters, Dungeon Masters, Storytellers, Narrators, Referees (and etc) can gather and ask questions. Uncertain of where to take the story? Want to spice up your big baddie? Encounters? That player? Ask away!

And if you have questions about becoming a Game Master you are most welcome with those as well!

Rules

Be civil. Be kind. Treat each other with love and respect.
No question too small, no conundrum too complicated. Ask away.
If system is relevant to your worries do mention it.
If you post a link do add a few lines why it is helpful.
No piracy or illegal content. Do not link to, request or encourage piracy or any other illegal content or activities.
If your question, or answer, contains mature themes mark it NFSW.

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

What is the strangest/most creative form of government you have created for your world(s)? (lemmy.world)

submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

12 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hey everyone! Let's try to get some more activity in here. I was wondering what kind of rulers you have all created. I realize most medieval settings will probably have a monarch rule the lands, but this does not have to be the case. So, what kind of governing systems have you created in your worlds?

I'll start off as I am making the post. My players are in an archipelago divided into five inhabited sections. One of them excersizes a system I have dubbed "Elected Sacrificial Monarchy." Bit of a mouthful, but the principle is simple. The people elect a mostly absolute ruler who will rule for five years. They can be granted two additional years in a re-election if they are popular enough. When their term, extended or not, ends, they are beheaded in public after a new leader has been chosen. There are clauses that can give exceptions in dire cases (defensive war or some other disaster), but they are rarely invoked.

The principle of this is that only those who wish to better their nation and are prepared to pay the ultimate price to do it will put themselves forward as a candidate to rule. It is by no means a perfect system, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. So, what about all of you? Did you have any unique governments in your settings? Tell us about it :)

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] emergencyfood 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

This isn't strange; 'sacrificial kings' have existed in many cultures. To quote Wikipedia, 'The king might be designated to suffer and atone for his people, meaning that the sacral king could be the pre-ordained victim in a human sacrifice, either killed at the end of his term in the position, or sacrificed in a time of crisis (e.g. the Blót of Domalde).'

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It certainly has a basis in real-world history, I simply feel it is underutilized in fantasy worlds, especially for a society that is deemed civilized, as these rituals are typically used by societies which are depicted as "barbaric." In this case, the country that uses it is the richest one in the region, and has very distinguished high, middle, and lower classes like in 1700's/1800's Europe. Not a society typically associated with those kind of rituals, which made it extra interesting to me.

[–] emergencyfood 3 points 10 months ago

Ah, I see. I've actually read a rather sarcastic take on this idea in one of the Discworld novels, where the people of Fourecks (fantasy Australia) elect a Prime Minister and then directly put him in jail, since they'll have to eventually send him there anyway.