Pulling That Lever: The Selection Of Leaders In RPG Societies

Nobles from ancient Mede
Okay, so for the first time since we started this online magazine/blog, one of us has missed getting a post up. Johnn struck problems with his planned post at the last possible moment, and then tried to rewrite it but missed the deadline; thought that he would be able to get it up a day late, but struck problems again. Each day that followed, he thought he was on the verge of getting it done, but like xeno’s paradox, he never quite seemed to get there. Rest assured, he will be back next week, and we’ll both be working doubly hard to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
For those who don’t know, Australia is currently in the middle of the lead-up to a Federal Election in which both candidates achieved their office by ousting the person who previosuly held office – one by party room ballot and the other by strongarm numbers politics from a dominant faction within their political party. It was quite surprising that the former politician, the Leader of the Australian Opposition, tried to make a big deal about the way his opponant came to power within her party, given that it was not all that different to his own story.
And that got me to thinking about societies in RPGs, and how their rulers were selected.
All too often, it seems that the model is divine right by birth, or seizing power through conquest or skullduggery, or the rulers are simply “there”. Those are far from the only options, so here are a few others to think about.
Appointment By Merit
Perhaps the ruler is appointed because he seems to be the best person for the job. There has been some historical precedent for this. The key question then becomes, “who decides?”. By using different methods of locating and selecting between candidates, quite different social models are achieved.
Perhaps only those who achieve a certain scholastic ability may be considered; what happens then if no candidates meet those criteria? Or perhaps military success is essential – the achievement of a certain ranking, or victory in a war – which means that the society in question must have these wars regularly, just to produce people qualified to lead them! Perhaps all the interested candidates have to fight it out in an arena for the position, and it goes to the last man standing, or have to win a poetry composition contest. All of these imply quite distinctive and unusual societies.
In my Fumanor campaign, prior to their conquest by Lolth, the Elves elected their Royal Family as the most charismatic amongst them (the human democratic model) but gave him absolutely no power except to be their policy mouthpiece. Of course, as my players know full well, that didn’t work out too well for the elves!
Election by Vote
In an era without mass communications, direct election by popular vote is not a viable alternative for a large population. A republican model is the only practical choice for a citizen-based decision within such a society, where the locals elect a local representative, and the local representatives then get together to choose one of their number to serve as a regional representatives; and these then get together and choose one of their number to serve at the next level up the heirarchy, and so on until you reach the very top of the power structure.
In any popular electoral system, the defining parameters of the society are the questions of who has the right to stand for election, and who has the right to vote. In Australia, there is no restriction on the first, and everyone not only has the right to vote, it is manditory. That in turn means that our voting happens on a Saturday. In the US, convicted riminals cannot stand for election, voting is not compulsory, many groups aren’t permitted to vote even if they want to, and voting is held on a weekday. Instead of a situation in which voting is percieved as both a right and a duty, like paying your taxes, the US has a situation in which it is a privilige – one that the system seems to make as inconvenient to exercise as possible, as though they were deliberately trying to covet the votes only of those with strong opinions.
Once again, these are not the only models. What if the right to vote is a privilige that must be purchased from the government at a set rate, and one can buy the right to vote multiple times to get multiple votes, for example – is that a plutocracy, or is it a democracy, or is it something in between?
Or perhaps voting is restricted, or weighted, according to Intelligence?
Or perhaps only those who have served in a military organisation are permitted to vote – the “Stsrship Troopers” model of government.
Election by achievement
Still another, often-overlooked choice, is the old “sword from the stone” standby, and any analagous patterns the GM may concieve. Perhaps, in a culture of hunters, one can only vote once one has a successful kill in a hunt, and there is a ranking of creatures hunted that determines the weighting of that vote?
Perhaps whosever can wear a certain ring is the rightful ruler, and to all others it grows white hot?
Perhaps a ruler must have a certain skill, such as healing? Or must befriend a wild dragon?
The most obvious election by achievement is conquest, of course.
Ruling by Divine Right: A fantasy variation
Even if the “Divine Right” of Rule is the system, we may be talking about a fantasy game in which the Gods are real, tangible, beings. Perhaps instead of rule being inherited from one’s father, all the sons and daughters of noble birth are gathered together and the actual Gods choose which of them shall be King or Queen?
The impact on characters
Consider that, whatever may be required in order to gain office, the current holders of that office must have done those things, met those requirements. Modern politicians live and die by the sound byte. In the recent past, it was a candidate’s ability to Orate that brought office, and there is still an element of that in modern times. In the future, it may be skill in utilizing internet-based social networking that makes the difference.
In earlier days, when politicians and public servants were poorly paid, only those who were independantly wealthy could afford to stand for public office; these days, the position pays so much that only those who already have connections to a political machine can reasonably hope to be elected, save by some wild fluke. Once elected, though, these wild cards tend to stay in office for quite a while, at least in Australia – where even 22 years after his departure from public office, a substantial slice of the community can still tell you who Ted Mack was. (If you don’t know, the page linked to above is worth spending a couple of minutes glancing over – politicians who act with integrity, and are seen to act with integrity, are rare enough that they should be celebrated).
The nature of the government, and how one achieves a position within that government, dictates broadly what sort of people will be attracted to that office and what sort of skills they must have cultivated in order to achieve it. This is not mere abstract information; this constitutes a thread of personal nature common to all representatives of that government, their abilities and personalities. And that in turn speaks to their general level of competance, and morality, within the leaders of the society.
There are so many options available, this article is only capable of scratching the surface, intended only to get you to think about the subject the next time you create a society for an RPG. Spare a little thought for how the officials of that society gain office; if you ensure that this methodology reflects the attitudes and values you want the fictional society to have, it will give you a foundation on which to base everything else in that society.
Discover more from Campaign Mastery
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:37 am
Not to pick nits, but voting in America isn’t as restrictive as you’ve inferred. Here’s a brief overview of the details (some of which I’m sure I’ll get wrong):
Any citizen over the age of 18, who is registered with the State in which they are considered a resident, and has not been convicted of a felony can vote. Because we’re (Federally speaking) a Representative Democracy with Representatives selected at the State level casting the actual votes for leadership, it is the States who determine voter eligibility, not the Federal Government.
In the past voting was more restrictive, but these restrictions (most agreed at the State level) have subsequently been removed by means of Constitutional Amendments. In the early years of the Republic, the eligible electorate consisted primarily of white, male, property owners. States gradually relaxed property-ownership requirements until all males of twenty-one years or more were allowed to vote. After the Civil War, the right to vote was extended to all citizens, regardless of race, by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. The Women’s Suffrage Movement succeeded with the 19th Amendment and the extension of the right to vote to women (some states already allowed women to vote, but the Amendment required all states to do so). The 23rd Amendment allotted electoral votes to the District of Columbia, thereby giving its residents the right to vote in presidential elections. And the 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971, granted the right to vote to every citizen who is eighteen years or older.
Regarding the day of the week in which America goes to the ballot box: Though voting occurs on a weekday, employers are required by law to provide an hour for any employee who cannot gain access to a voting precinct during their off-work hours. And realistically, in today’s age when Saturdays aren’t necessarily seen as a day off of work, it wouldn’t matter what day of the week an election was held.
Kevin recently posted..Measuring for Body Defense Armor
July 29th, 2010 at 11:09 am
All of which is true, but there are many US protectorates in Central America and (perhaps, I’m not sure) the Pacific. These people are considered to be US Citizens, they can get drafted, they pay taxes to the US, but they get no voting priviliges. I would also argue that even those convicted of felonies should be entitled to vote once they have served their sentances and been released. Those out on probation are a thornier question, but in general I personally would err on the side of inclusiveness. It’s also worth thinking about this subject in the context of manditory felony charges / minimum sentences over drugs, which predominantly affects afro-american males (though far from exclusively), effectively reducing thier level of participation in the process as a subculture.
The difference between US politics and those of nations where voting is manditory is always an interesting subject to discuss, but I don’t recall ever hearing of any firm conclusions, except that the American political parties spend a lot of money every time convincing people to vote, while in manditory-voting countries, the equivalent amount is spent trying to convince an undecided middle ground between the two parties.
Finally, I know from personal experience that an hour is sometimes not long enough – you can wait in the queue that long or more – though again, this might be different in a voluntary-voter system. Furthermore, a lot of poorer people can’t afford to take that hour off because it is without pay. So the poor are also under-represented at the polling stations. Further, the poorest people in the country, as a class, are minorities – Black and Hispanic – so these are even more under-represented than they would be.
In Australia, the common practice is to work a half-day on Saturdays, and the polling booths open early in the morning (6 AM) and close late in the evening (about 5 or 6 PM); and if one might possibly be working all day, or on holidays overseas, or whatever votes can be cast in advance by postal and absentee ballot. Records show that these are generally biased toward the party currently in government – and I believe the same pattern is observed elsewhere in the world. That’s not to say our system is perfect – it isn’t (don’t get me started).
None of which is directly relevant to the article, which isn’t about how the US runs things, but how they might be run differently in a country within a Fantasy RPG – though it’s useful information for anyone running a modern or near-future campaign, especially if they aren’t from America.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:42 am
All good discussion points and since this isn’t a topic about US voting practices, I’ll not take us down that rabbit’s hole.
I should also point out that in most pack and herd animals, election by achievement is the norm. Defeating the current leader (alpha male, herd female, etc.) is the surest means to securing a position of authority. Most likely this is how the more monstrous races in a fantasy setting (be they orc or goblin or what have you) might select a leader but it would be an interesting twist to have a test of skill or wits in an advanced society as well – perhaps a wizard’s duel to determine the head of the arcane society is held once every century or so.
Kevin recently posted..Measuring for Body Defense Armor
July 29th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
@Kevin, re monstrous races: true, but there are alternatives. Perhaps a prospective leader has to prove himself by leading a raid, or passing a survival test that “none but the true leader can survive”. And of course, what happens when somebody cheats? It’s fun, speculating like this, isn’t it?
July 29th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
An extension of the Divine Right; what if the gods say ‘here is the person who shall lead you,’ with no regard to noble houses et cetera.
While presumably the gods (or a single god) might choose the best administrator, perhaps they’ll select the most pious instead. Would that be a form of merit selection instead?
Here’s a fun plot: the gods used to choose but they’ve (been busy, distracted by some god war, been rubberstamping the selection process) and haven’t been paying attention. People got used to doing the selecting; either becoming corrupt or figuring if the gods objected they’d say something. Then the new ruler is being selected and the gods point out their choice. What do the people do? Listen to their gods or go with the previous selection?
July 29th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
@Seawicked: That sounds like fun. But I would bet that in the circumstances described (ie the Gods stop coming around and pointing to someone), the same thing would happen as it did to the Drow in my Fumanor campaign after Lolth was killed: the priests (or someone) counterfeight an appearance by the Gods, and choose the candidate they want. This of course only stirs up more trouble when the Gods Do come calling!
July 29th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
How about Oligarchical rulers? It’s reasonable to believe that a ruler comes to power because he owns enough land to constitute an entire Kingdom. Though his/her title would probably be Baron instead of King, the effect is the same.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
@Kyokai: Absolutely – but why whoever owns the most land? Why not slaves, or soldiers, or dragons?
August 2nd, 2010 at 10:44 am
[…] Pulling That Lever: The Selection Of Leaders In RPG Societies How are leaders of countries chosen? Well, it turns out there are quite a few beyond the typical patriarchal inheritance system that we all know and love. Mike has a great breakdown of the various systems over at Campaign Mastery. // […]
March 18th, 2012 at 5:55 am
How about Oligarchical rulers?
March 18th, 2012 at 6:58 am
An Oligarchy is a small group of rulers rather than an individual, who hold power collectively. How the members of an Oligarchy are selected is generally not going to be all that different from how an individual leader is chosen – it could be wealth, privilige, education, proven military leadership, or any number of alternatives. Or even one from each.
April 21st, 2015 at 1:54 am
[…] Pulling That Lever: The Selection Of Leaders In RPG Societies […]
April 11th, 2017 at 12:52 am
[…] start by deciding what the type of society is, and in particular, how leaders are selected (Refer Pulling That Lever: The Selection Of Leaders In RPG Societies for the most common […]