Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > Roleplaying in General

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-08-2019, 02:34 PM   #591
Varyon
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anders View Post
Apologize if this has been taken up, but rulership by poker? The game, not the instrument. The audacious gambler rules.
Could be done with any gambling game, presumably. It brings to mind a skit from the Chapelle’s Show, wherein a man becomes the richest man in the United States thanks to a lucky streak in dice.
__________________
GURPS Overhaul
Varyon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2019, 02:59 PM   #592
Anders
 
Anders's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Absolutely. Or chess, go, any game.
__________________
“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius
Anders is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2019, 12:18 AM   #593
Johnny1A.2
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Imagine a state, based at least in theory on the Peter Principle.

Summary of the Peter Principle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle

Real life is more complicated than that, of course. Still, imagine a state organized around a bureaucratic hierarchy in which promotion is regularly granted to successful members...but there's a time limit. If the newly promoted official proves inept at his job and doesn't improve within the time limit, he is demoted back down to the level below...permanently, or else retired.

It wouldn't work for long, but it might work long enough to serve the OP purposes.
__________________
HMS Overflow-For conversations off topic here.
Johnny1A.2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2019, 06:44 AM   #594
Varyon
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2 View Post
Imagine a state, based at least in theory on the Peter Principle.

Summary of the Peter Principle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle

Real life is more complicated than that, of course. Still, imagine a state organized around a bureaucratic hierarchy in which promotion is regularly granted to successful members...but there's a time limit. If the newly promoted official proves inept at his job and doesn't improve within the time limit, he is demoted back down to the level below...permanently, or else retired.

It wouldn't work for long, but it might work long enough to serve the OP purposes.
That actually sounds like it could be somewhat stable, thanks to the demotion caveat (which puts the statesman back in a position where he/she has proven competence). Using the original premise, that each person rises to and stays in a position within which he/she is incompetent, would likely be more problematic (as you could eventually end up with every office in the nation held by someone who is incompetent at that job).
__________________
GURPS Overhaul
Varyon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2019, 08:22 AM   #595
jason taylor
 
jason taylor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2 View Post
Imagine a state, based at least in theory on the Peter Principle.

Summary of the Peter Principle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle

Real life is more complicated than that, of course. Still, imagine a state organized around a bureaucratic hierarchy in which promotion is regularly granted to successful members...but there's a time limit. If the newly promoted official proves inept at his job and doesn't improve within the time limit, he is demoted back down to the level below...permanently, or else retired.

It wouldn't work for long, but it might work long enough to serve the OP purposes.
I have a system like that imagined. Except I have it "braced" by long service bosses who stay in the same assignment all their careers. They are roughly equiv to noncoms and at the top level, VCOs*. When they get "promoted" they are rewarded in seniority, pay, rewards, privileges (including exclusive gift shops to choose their own trinkets), etc. However authority is not needed and for some is not desired.

*In days of old Indian Army officers were not allowed above a certain rank for fear of mutiny until the Empire started phasing out. Native subalterns and warrants were called Viceroy's Commissioned Officers. When policy changed it took decades to find and educate officer class material, not to mention dealing with social difficulties. In this case it is not meant to prevent mutiny but to provide a class of authorities with local familiarity in any given department.
__________________
"The navy could probably win a war without coffee but would prefer not to try"-Samuel Eliot Morrison
jason taylor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2019, 08:29 AM   #596
jason taylor
 
jason taylor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Quote:
Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
Could be done with any gambling game, presumably. It brings to mind a skit from the Chapelle’s Show, wherein a man becomes the richest man in the United States thanks to a lucky streak in dice.
There is one dictator somewhere in one of the 'stans who instead of advertising his military prowess (which could get him in trouble with someone) advertises his chess prowess. He has all kinds of Cassian* posters, including himself, the grandmasters and tournaments he is patronizing and you get the point. Sounds kind of silly although when you think about it there is some degree of common sense behind it.

*Cassia is supposedly the god of Chess
__________________
"The navy could probably win a war without coffee but would prefer not to try"-Samuel Eliot Morrison
jason taylor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2019, 09:00 AM   #597
Anders
 
Anders's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Rulership by the loudest voice. Whoever can outshout his fellow citizens gets to rule.
__________________
“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius
Anders is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2019, 09:10 AM   #598
jason taylor
 
jason taylor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anders View Post
Rulership by the loudest voice. Whoever can outshout his fellow citizens gets to rule.
Do they have a decibel counter?
__________________
"The navy could probably win a war without coffee but would prefer not to try"-Samuel Eliot Morrison
jason taylor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2019, 09:35 AM   #599
Anders
 
Anders's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Depends on the technology. Problem - the loudest sustained noise possible at 1 atmosphere is 194 dB. So we will not be able to distinguish between the truly distinguished shouters.
__________________
“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius
Anders is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2019, 12:35 PM   #600
jason taylor
 
jason taylor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
Default Re: Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny1A.2 View Post
Imagine a state, based at least in theory on the Peter Principle.

Summary of the Peter Principle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle

Real life is more complicated than that, of course. Still, imagine a state organized around a bureaucratic hierarchy in which promotion is regularly granted to successful members...but there's a time limit. If the newly promoted official proves inept at his job and doesn't improve within the time limit, he is demoted back down to the level below...permanently, or else retired.

It wouldn't work for long, but it might work long enough to serve the OP purposes.
One problem is that it would encourage people to do to many weird things. Like Caesar committing genocide in Gaul to buy votes. The system needs something to keep it sane as well as technically competent.

In a game that very idea can be made into a feature. A ship or outpost or a whole satrapy can be saddled with a promotion-eager commander. Kind of like Fort Apache.
__________________
"The navy could probably win a war without coffee but would prefer not to try"-Samuel Eliot Morrison
jason taylor is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:08 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.