DariusSolluman/MassGovernance
This is HIGHLY DISORGANIZED right now, as it's almost a sandbox of my thoughts on this subject.
Several of my players want to take over countries; this forces me to a quandry similir to why I made the Mass Combat rules. I hate constant ST fiat; arbitrary difficulties, random-but-not disasters, etc. Although some situations (an Exalt with no combat experience vs 500 Dragonblooded), others are less clear (A combat oriented starting Solar vs 500 Elite mortals with a competent commander).
Likewise with governance. I like crunch; I want a mutually agreed upon system with my players to help arbitrate and make quicker sense of what they're doing and what the impact is. I like systems, cause they give a chance for Exalts to break them and stunt with them and demonstrate how cool they are by doing stuff no one else could. Fuzziness bugs me.
So, I'm taking what one of my players termed the 'Birthright Evolution' step, and coming up with system guidelines for running a country.
These are my notes so far- Incomplete ramblings. As always, comments welcome. I apologize in advance for the messy organization of my thoughts. :) DS
Meh. No progress. Which is somewhat annoying.
Basically, I seem to have an incompatible pair of assumptions, and trying to make both true hurts my head- but, looking at matters historically, they both /are/ true.
Assumption A) Population centers produce a relatively fixed income. That is, the income of a nation is a roughly linear value, based on the size of said nation and the richnessof it's natural resources. However, the bureaucratic costs associated with running a nation increase exponentially, as more layers of government are needed to keep everything in order. This means there is a maximizing 'best size' of government; bigger is not always better, as eventually the increase to the cost of the bureaucracy outweighs the bennefit of the additional income.
Assumption B) Nations tend to grow unlimitedly unless prevented by neighbors. This doesn't always stop them. And the biggest countries are almost invariablly also the richest.
Something here is Not Right. But I can't mentally track it down and squish it. Maybe I should treat the money vs size as more of an inflow-outflow equilibrium problem... DS
- Falcon - Well... for starters, assumption B isn't always right. Russia, for example - biggest country in the world, and the standard of living isn't particularly good. Thinks...
- Well, I did specifically say 'Tend' :) I was actually thinking of Rome, China, Alexander's empire, etc. Empires of the classic era, hewing closer to Exalted's source than the USSR.
- Oh, here's an idea. Under assumption A and with no competition, a country will grow and grow until it collapses under the weight of its own bureaucracy. Now, to avoid this a country must stop growing. Some will be constrained by their neighbours. In others, internal bureaucracy politics will tie up attention and resources (time and money, mainly) that would otherwise be directed outwards - the bureaucracy itself acts as a brake on national expansion.
- So... a country with an efficient bureaucracy will be able to expand further and faster than a country with an inefficient bureaucracy. A country with an inefficient bureaucracy will use up more of its own resources than a country with an efficient bureaucracy. Therefore... it's not the case that size increases wealth, or vice versa, but that an efficient bureaucracy leads to both size andDariusSolluman/I> wealth. A bureaucracy tends to become less efficient as it grows larger, but the rate of efficiency loss is dependent on a whole bunch of other factors like style of government (democracy, oligarcy, etc) and random historical events. In Exalted, bureaucracies are likely to sprawl beyond all reason because a complex bureaucracy is (weirdly enough) more convenient to manipulate, and many many people will be trying to manipulate any given bureaucracy.
- I kind of came to the same conclusion myself :) See below, about numbers run. However, don't underestimate the degree to which a proper and clean bureaucracy can help generate money for a country; regulations, tariffs, and proper assessment of taxes all aid in bringing in a steady and high volume of tax income without damaging the morale of the populace. Although, taken to excess, this does naturally lead to disaster.
- Phew. I'm sick of typing bureaucracy now, so I'll stop. :P
Hmm. So, I've run some more numbers. They don't feel awful in my head, which may or may not be a good sign. Villages are now profitible, increasingly less so as the size of the government expands, but always profitible. This also unifies money behind a common cause, which is, naturally enough, quite helpful for large projects, of both a military and a public works type nature- which is the major advantage of the growing empire.
My error, I think, was over-estimating how fast the various sizes of governments grow. While there is a per-village greater burden on the total cost of government for a Village in the Realm than, say, a little Threshold mini-fiefdom, the cost is no where near the amount of additional income said village brings in to the whole. Thus, additional villages are always profitible. Or rather, less an error, and more a too-great assumption about how quickly the government should increase at each step. DS
NOTE TO SELF (2/23)
MONEY is akin to motes of Essence (including the distinction between Personal and Peripheral Essence). RESOURCES is akin to Permanent Essence. QUALITY OF LIFE is akin to Permanent Willpower.
The analogy isn't perfect, but it's right frigging close. And gives me a better metaphor/analogy to work with while constructing the system.
Countries as people? A full character sheet for a country? Thoughts whirling...
Being in Charge
Being in Charge means, functionally, a few things. A) You dispense justice. You create and enforce the laws, and the systems that moderate those laws.
1) You mandate religions. You make actions and speech taboo. You prohibit people from bearing arms. You Are The Law, Any Law. 2) You decide who can sell, how much they can sell, who can buy, how much they can buy, etc. This frequently doubles as a method of census taking. A
recordless system is deeply inefficent and very prone to corruption.
B) You collect taxes for the public good. You spend the money collected for the public good. Indulging your own interests is, of course, for the public
good.
---
Relevant Attributes and Abilities
Perception: For noticing the small discrepencies that signal corruption-at-work; Maintenance Intelligence: For setting up solid systems that don't implode; Creation Charisma: For inspiring people to follow you; Loyalty Manipulation: For getting people to do what you want them to; Usefulness
Presence: For making people loyal to you; Loyalty Bureaucracy: For setting up and maintaining the Wheels of Government; Maintenance, Creation, Usefulness Performance: For decreasing someone's popularity; Loyalty
Being in Charge
Being in Charge means, functionally, a few things. A) You dispense justice. You create and enforce the laws, and the systems that moderate those laws.
1) You mandate religions. You make actions and speech taboo. You prohibit people from bearing arms. You Are The Law, Any Law. 2) You decide who can sell, how much they can sell, who can buy, how much they can buy, etc. This frequently doubles as a method of census taking. A recordless system is deeply inefficent and very prone to corruption.
B) You collect taxes for the public good. You spend the money collected for the public good. Indulging your own interests is, of course, for the public good.
---
Relevant Attributes and Abilities
Perception: For noticing the small discrepencies that signal corruption-at-work; Maintenance Intelligence: For setting up solid systems that don't implode; Creation Charisma: For inspiring people to follow you; Loyalty Manipulation: For getting people to do what you want them to; Usefulness
Presence: For making people loyal to you; Loyalty Bureaucracy: For setting up and maintaining the Wheels of Government; Maintenance, Creation, Usefulness Performance: For decreasing someone's popularity; Loyalty
To set up a new Agency: Intelligence + Bureaucracy; minimum success to start = 10 + Difficulty, new roll once every week (local and selective), month (Cantrev, county sized), three months (30 Cantrevs; a large kingdom), nine months (an entire Direction), one year (half of Creation) or three years (all of Creation). This is the Minimum Number of Successes; having more is the sign of a well run Agency, while running close to the wire can be iffy.
Agencies almost invaribly wind down over time; without new motive force incoming, they become less efficent and more corrupt. Each week, an agency loses 1 level of it's competency. They may also lose more, due to deliberate sabotage.
The Head of the Agency may opt to spend the (period) in cleaning up the Agency of corruption and reducing it's inefficeny- essentially, taking another roll to add to the Agency's operations. They may also opt not to, or to do so partially or selectively, if bribed or cooreced. Corruption or complacancy at the top inevitibly leads to the bottom becoming ever more rotten.
Once established, an Agency does it's job as best it can. GUIDELINES
2x Difficulty in successes- the Agency is exemplary at what it does. It's agents are motivated, trained, eager and incorigible. There is virtually no internal paperwork, and yet remarkably few problems.
2x to 1 1/2x Difficulty: The Agency is trained and responsive. Although minor gripes may persist, there is little in the way of geniune problems; more like inconviences. There's a minimum of paperwork; Agents are trusted with a high degree of autonomy.
1x Difficulty: The Agency is sound and mostly honest. The occusional kickback doesn't hurt anyone, and eyes sometimes look the other way. Paperwork may be obnoxious, but it all makes sense and is reasonable.
1/2x Difficulty: The Agency is rapidly becoming rotten to it's core, but still recognizibly functions. The police are in the Mafia's pocket, but they vigerously chase petty criminals. Good agents find red tape binds their hands; even when they know what they should do, they find themselves unable to because of bizaree procedures.
Less than 1/4x Difficulty: The Agency is a puppet of some other institute, which bends it wholly to some other whim; those who want to serve the original purpose find regulations and insane paperwork styme them. If it does it's job, it's almost by accident. Cleaning out the corruption means burning the ground and starting over. The one or two agents worth keeping almost drown in red tape; tradition and requirements without rhyme or reason, frequently self-contradictory ones, are common. The Pointy Haired Boss is the middle manager of an Agency at this stage of corruption.
What good is a Country?
Taxes
None: You get no tax money. People love you.
Light: Peasants have to work less then three months of the year to support themselves. You annually recieve Resources 1 from each village, Resources 2 from each town, and Resources 3 from each city.
Moderate: Peasants have to work between three to six months of the year to support themselves. You annually recieve Resources 2 from each village, Resources 2 from each town, and Resources 3 from each city.
Heavy: Peasants have to work between six and nine months oof the year to support themselves. You annually recieve Resources 2 from each village, Resources 3 from each town, and Resources 3 from each city.
Exhorbitant: Peasants have to work between nine and twelve months of the year to support themselves. You annually reciieve Resources 3 from each village, Resources 3 from each town, and Resources 4 from each city.
Armies
The construction and maintenance of armies is beyond the scop of this document and covered elsewhere, in the Mass Combat system. Needless to say, in the Age of Sorrows, most countries rely on a small standing army to deter threats, and the ability to conscript a large peasant levy quickly.
Personal Entertainments
A relatively cheap and easy way to keep various groups happy, pumping money directly back into them. Although this will have short term improvements in attitude, it's not a good long term solution.
Public improvements
An expensive way to improve long term quality of life, by spending money on things like roads, irrigation and aqueduct systems, and public schools. Public Improvements typically have little to no short term improvement in anyone's opinion, but will result in a long term increase in quality of life for the affected group.
Laws and Law Enforcement
How severe are the laws of the land?
Total Freedom: Anarchy. No one is compelled by force to follow anyone else's orders. Every man for himself; life is reduced to a state of nature. No one wants Total Freedom; it makes everyone miserable and hurts both immediate attitude and quality of life.
IMMEDIATAE ATTITUDE: What does this group think of you NOW. Every season, this will be adjusted one step towards their Quality of Life, in addition to whatever other modifers may be at work.
QUALITY OF LIFE: How well off is this group, objectively speaking? Every season, this will be adjusted by What Hath Gone Before.
(These both range from 1 to 10; 1 is abysmally bad, 10 is rocking the house)
Immediate Attitude is rolled once a season, post adjustment. BOTCH: Full scale, spontanious rebellion starts. A popular, charismatic leader or leaders rise up from this class, hell bent on tearing the current government down. FAILURE: Open Door Treason. The people are deeply discontent with their lot, and ferment treachery even when they believe the Man is listening- although armed conflict with authority is common, it has no focal point. Two Failures in a row launches a full scale rebellion. SUCCESS 1: Closed Door Treason. The people are unhappy with their lot, and wish it could be otherwise. Idle talk of deposing the current government is not uncommon, but nothing will likely come from it. SUCCESS 3+: Happy citizens! Although some few malcontents may still wish to tear down the throne, most of the group recognizes the good situation they've got going with this particular government- the people are deeply patriotic.
ly patriotic.
[Gc3]You can't simplify a country and a government to a level of bureacracy and a population. You could simplify it to various power centers or groups... for example, Rich landowners of the valley, cattle ranching landowners of the praerie, peasants, migrant workers, gypsies, urban merchants, and urban laborers. Often these groups might be ethnically different, or there may be two groups of rich landowners of the valley; for example, an immaculate order of monks and a bunch of country gentry.
Each group will have a set of problems they want resolved; and the more well established ones would be led by nobles or other personalities, perhaps even Exalted. These problems might conflict with those of other groups: the immaculate order of the monks and the country gentry might be arguing over water rights, for example, or the urban merchants want to reduce tolls and other traditional levies the landowners traditionally charge caravans.
To solve these problems will take "The wisdom of solomon". Most politicians will attempt to make his own supporters happier. This can be at the expense of others or even the long term good of the country. Determining even who are the major players in the country can be difficult for an outsider; you'll need good use of charms and role playing to find out who the players are and what they want. Determining the results of the changes to government that the ruler is asked to make will also be hard.
Now perhaps this is too boring to run in exalted. What you really care about is how good a backdrop to a dramatic story running a kingdom can be. In that case, you only need a few rolls made by the king.
You can try to solve local disputes in a just way: probably Lore+Intelligence+Temperance or something. Failure means at least two groups in your kingdom are at odds with each other, setting up conflict. A conflict can keep growing until it becomes a war. If it rises to this level, your authority crumbles.
Extracting resources from the kingdom to run your army: probably intelligence+bureacratics. This will give you extra income above and beyond what has traditionally been granted to run the country. In any case, you'll have to make another roll to prevent unrest. Taxes should cause "Wound damage"e to the economy of the country. You can target particular groups which may localize the unrest to that category alone. (For example, just taxing the cattle barons).
Persecution and destruction of a group you don't care for: this has been a tradition in autocracies and other kingdoms where a particular group is hounded or persecuted. You'll have to assign an army to do this task. Tyrants do this to improve their power base, or to obtain resources (for example, seizing land from the gentry to give it to their supporters). This should cause wound damage to the economy of the country but provide you with more tractable groups that don't rebel.
A group that is particularly unhappy with you may collude with foreign powers, try assasinations, or even just rebel. If the other groups aren't that happy with you either, you may find out that the troops you can normally call up don't arrive to help you with the rebellion.
Enlightened approaches for more modern governance: These (rare) actions enable you to heal economic damage, and form new groups. You can take an action that would annoy an existing group in order to provide a better future for the country as a whole. For example, you may believe that trade would benefit everyone, so you attempt to get the gentry not to tax caravans anymore as they pass through their lands. You would need to assign an army and roll some sort of intelligence+beaurocratics roll to accomplish this successfully.
Any task involving an army that botches probably does great damage to your reputation, at least.
[GC3]
