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DF Suggestions / Re: The Law - the ultimate suggestion
« on: August 18, 2016, 09:32:36 pm »
North Korean Propaganda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1eUw9EsAR8
I agree. Although, it depends on the military training. Look at the Nazis and their average soldier. Imagine how much indoctrination went into those guys (some still resisted given the horrifying things they were ordered to do).
I would think that in order for politics to work in DF, there would be a need for some sort of system based on beliefs and incentives for choices.
Example:
In this country, the law giver is a hereditary position, the governors are elected by the citizenry, and the Keeper (head of the church) is elected by a council of bishops.
Issue: Slavery of elves... Ban or keep? (I changed from sheep just so I could make thins more interesting
)
Here are our (semi)rational actors:
Nomen - The Lawgiver of our Kingdom (Lawgiverdom?). He holds Executive and Legislative Power. In this case, the executive power holder is also the commander-in-chief on the army. He wants to Ban slavery due to his having an elven mistress.
Bar: This is a governor who rules a province where elven slavery drives the economy and most of its inhabitants follow the predominant religion (important later). His province's industry provides most of the military hardware for the national army and it also has its own militia used mainly for hunting escaped slaves and going on slave raids.
Agamm: This governor rules a province which borders an elven kingdom and has a lot of forests and elves in it. The majority of the people (and the governor) consider elves their equals and are opposed to the slavery of elves.
Thordas: He is the Keeper and has declared elven subjugation to be righteous as dwarfs are favored in the eyes of the gods. While the amount of religious followers in the nation is large, a large number of them are what could be described as 'casual' worshipers. However, there are several fanatical churches that could organize insurrections, lynch mobs, and the like if the issue became heated.
There could be many other factions in the mix like the main slave trade company, the neighboring kingdoms, and factions within the army.
The options of Nomen are few. He could try to mediate between the factions (implementing the social skills already in dwarf fortress). Although, as others have said, one individual does not hold absolute sway over an entire nation. If civil war was inevitable, which side would Nomen take? Would his decision cause parts of the army to defect to the other side? Would other kingdoms intervene (or take the opportunity to invade)? Possibilities.
Each of the other actors also has choices as well. Maybe Thordas could relax his hardline policies in order to be more appealing to the greater populace (and risk being branded an apostate).
Anyways, this long ramble is an attempt to illustrate how everyone in the system has choices and power to attempt to get what they want.
Quote
Also I think you're severely underestimating how much conditioning the average soldier goes through to obey orders, I doubt it would take much more than holding the badge(s) of office for an old enough empire.
I agree. Although, it depends on the military training. Look at the Nazis and their average soldier. Imagine how much indoctrination went into those guys (some still resisted given the horrifying things they were ordered to do).
I would think that in order for politics to work in DF, there would be a need for some sort of system based on beliefs and incentives for choices.
Example:
In this country, the law giver is a hereditary position, the governors are elected by the citizenry, and the Keeper (head of the church) is elected by a council of bishops.
Issue: Slavery of elves... Ban or keep? (I changed from sheep just so I could make thins more interesting
)Here are our (semi)rational actors:
Nomen - The Lawgiver of our Kingdom (Lawgiverdom?). He holds Executive and Legislative Power. In this case, the executive power holder is also the commander-in-chief on the army. He wants to Ban slavery due to his having an elven mistress.
Bar: This is a governor who rules a province where elven slavery drives the economy and most of its inhabitants follow the predominant religion (important later). His province's industry provides most of the military hardware for the national army and it also has its own militia used mainly for hunting escaped slaves and going on slave raids.
Agamm: This governor rules a province which borders an elven kingdom and has a lot of forests and elves in it. The majority of the people (and the governor) consider elves their equals and are opposed to the slavery of elves.
Thordas: He is the Keeper and has declared elven subjugation to be righteous as dwarfs are favored in the eyes of the gods. While the amount of religious followers in the nation is large, a large number of them are what could be described as 'casual' worshipers. However, there are several fanatical churches that could organize insurrections, lynch mobs, and the like if the issue became heated.
There could be many other factions in the mix like the main slave trade company, the neighboring kingdoms, and factions within the army.
The options of Nomen are few. He could try to mediate between the factions (implementing the social skills already in dwarf fortress). Although, as others have said, one individual does not hold absolute sway over an entire nation. If civil war was inevitable, which side would Nomen take? Would his decision cause parts of the army to defect to the other side? Would other kingdoms intervene (or take the opportunity to invade)? Possibilities.
Each of the other actors also has choices as well. Maybe Thordas could relax his hardline policies in order to be more appealing to the greater populace (and risk being branded an apostate).
Anyways, this long ramble is an attempt to illustrate how everyone in the system has choices and power to attempt to get what they want.
