12-21-2016, 03:29 PM | #1 |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Small town, big politics
Greetings, all!
Rifthaven is a town built on a border between two civilizations, with the goal of becoming a centre of trade, diplomacy, scientific and cultural exchange. In some ways, it's filling a role similar to Babylon 5 and Defiance. Currently it has a very modest population of less than two thousand people, about half of them of a race that used to be isolationist but is currently trying to reach out to the outer world. Of course, RP campaigns being what they are, things aren't going to go smoothly. Despite its small size, the town has an all-but-guaranteed potential of becoming a hotbed of politics both internal and external. (Also of espionage, but that's a separate issue.) I'm trying to come up with ideas of making it as playable and interesting as possible. And I'm starting this thread in the hopes that it may facilitate some brainstorming / exchange of ideas / result in an exchange of useful advice. And perhaps you too will find some uses for the things said by me and others. I suppose I should note that I'm aiming for a campaign/campaign-chapter tone that is generally 'adventurer-friendly', and that has slight satirical/comedic/mildly-absurdist overtones regarding the political events, but definitely not coming anywhere near the 'laugh track' level. The campaign is only slightly cinematic, the characters are quite competent in their fields (300ish points), but their skillsets are only indirectly applicable to politics (e.g. espionage and diplomacy yes, but economics and party alliances no). ---- The starting conditions are such that the Skyless (the newly-minted term for the formerly-isolationist people who founded Rifthaven) are psychologically somewhat different from normal humans, and naturally tend towards very informal, community-oriented, self-sufficient, highly-trusting settlements with up to 200 households (though not families). But they understand that their way of doing things won't work for a mixed-race settlement, so they're trying to make a compromise form of government for it, with things like semi-direct-semi-representative democracy, and the right for the citizens to organize into districts with slightly different laws/rules/regulations. Yes, I know this sounds like the townbuilders (and the outworlders coming to live in Rifthaven) are somewhat over their heads. That's how it's supposed to be from my PoV as a GM. But the emphasis is on somewhat. I'm fully expecting complications in the campaign, but I'm not seeking a total trainwreck. I also haven't set some of the things about how the newly-forming legal and political system works, and am hoping to get some ideas, advice and warnings before further fleshing it out. Right now, trials are defined to work on a jury-like system. Legislation is not clearly defined yet, but I'm leaning towards declaring that it mostly works on a mixed system of direct petitions plus indirect representatives (with different representatives having different voting power depending on how many citizens are currently willing to transfer their vote to supporting the representative's legislative power). The ministerial branch of the government is supposed to be made of allegedly-apolitical hired professionals (e.g. a law enforcement professional for the sheriff's office, an economist/financist for the minister of economics and/or infrastructure etc.). ---- On the internal side of things, I'm aiming to show how, from its 'official opening', the town's citizens will gradually form into factions and how those shape the life within it. The current event pushing for such a formation is a recent break-in with intent to steal some personal data and bug the apartment. The likely outcome is the creation of a single-issue 'Information Security' faction, soon to be followed by more broad-issue factions. ---- I see that my post is already quite long, so I probably should stop with the narrative and ask a few questions:
Thanks in advance! |
12-21-2016, 06:28 PM | #2 | |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Cincinnati, OH, USA
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Re: Small town, big politics
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Is inter-player conflict a theme in your campaign? If you expect the PCs to get along, you should design the factions so that characters can belong to different factions without being at each other's throats. |
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12-21-2016, 07:34 PM | #3 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Denver, Colorado
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Re: Small town, big politics
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Since the town has only about 2,000 people, it shouldn't have too many factions. However, because it is a small town, the differences between the factions could be quite bitter. That said, the small population means that, for some services or professions, the town may have only one family or clan that provides it. So, to make permanent enemies of that particular family or clan is to make the that service completely unavailable, since there's nobody else who can perform that service. As such, while the elders of different families may work very hard to "smooth over" difficulties, some of the townsfolk could have long-simmering resentments toward one another that stretch back generations. Those issues have never been resolved, because to even address them threatens to cause the old bitterness to break out into actual, harmful enmity -- and perhaps trigger a feud, or something. (One would think that I actually lived in small town, for awhile....) Anyway, that brings up a few questions: 1. How many different ways does the town have to earn a living? Is it primarily a farm community with some support trades and services? Or does it do enough limited business with outsiders to secure staples, which means it focuses on resource extraction or some other profession? (I assume the former, since isolationist communities probably wouldn't trade too much, which means they probably enjoy agricultural self-sufficiency. Also, resource extraction -- mining, lumbering, etc. -- only works in an area with strong trading ties so it can enjoy relative efficiencies.) 2. Who in the town would benefit most from open trade, and would anybody suffer -- even in the short term? 3. Do the two neighboring areas have good relations with one another, or are they rivals (or even traditional enemies)? 4. Of those who favor more open trade, do some favor one neighboring nation while others favor the second? If so, why? 5. Also, if the two neighbors have tense relations, does the trade faction include members who seek strict neutrality between the two in an effort to not get mixed up in any foreign policy mess (dangerously naive), while others seek to play one neighbor against the other for the benefit of the town (dangerous, period)? 6. Why would either of the two larger neighbors give a single damn about this podunk town? Why wouldn't one or the other just decide to take it over or, alternatively, turn it into roadkill? What does the town have going for it that makes it not worth either annexation or destruction? Is it in a "shatterzone" area between the two larger nations that have tacitly decided a buffer is a good idea?
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12-22-2016, 02:07 AM | #4 | |||||||
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Re: Small town, big politics
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However, since the town is such a convenient midpoint between the two civilizations, it is gradually becoming a centre of trade in exotic minerals and other alchemical substances mined/harvested/etc. in the skyless region. Quote:
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The Harsha are a Skyless caste that handles trade with the Outsiders, and they're typically allowed free passage in neighboring Outsider regions even without a passport . . . for a while. There used to be some nasty history between the two areas, including religious wars (whether civil or military I haven't decided), but it was 1-2 centuries ago. Quote:
There's a group, though, which is starting to exhibit a 'shrug, whatever' attitude. They're informally nicknamed the Red Collars, as a portmanteau of Outsider term 'Blue Collar' and the colour red (which is typically associated with the Skyless for various reasons). These are blue-collar workers that were the first arrivals into the town, and were involved in building it from the very beginning. The term primarily refers to Outsiders who have been exposed to Skyless culture while working together with them on this project, and have largely adapted to it, forming a linguistic and a cultural pidgin, and adopting some of the traditions and manners; however, to the lesser extent the term also refers to the Skyless workers who underwent the same process in the opposite direction. They found common ground in the self-image of being honest hard workers, having a no-nonsense get-the-job-done attitude while on duty, a quality of life deprived of high luxuries, and a certain amount of disdain for opulence (how sincere the latter is is a matter of some argument). Quote:
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In general, the incentives for letting it be are enjoying a moderate success: it does make trade in alchemical exotics more convenient, and it does provide access to some neat biotech for the rich people willing to take the trip a few miles into the AZ. Also, taking it over would likely destroy those benefits. |
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12-22-2016, 10:16 AM | #5 | |
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
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Re: Small town, big politics
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Might I suggest finding historical analogues for your office titles? For instance I use "Doge" for a cities Constitutional Monarch(and Archducca for one of the titles of the constitutional monarch of the whole commonwealth). In what way are they different from humans? It is hard to tell how their government will work. What sort of environment do they live in? What is their TL? What is the economy? A society is not quite defined by what it eats or how it acquires it but it is one indicator. Be careful about importing political issues you are familiar with. When you do you are in danger of importing your own prejudices. And more importantly everyone else's. I have noticed that with a lot of otherwise good modern Sci Fi, that to much is an imitation of the politics of whatever decade the writer is living in. Unless he just wants to refight World War II again. Please define "household" better. Unless you are just thinking of an aristocratic class 200 households and 2000 individuals seems far to little to work with. By comparison Medieval Genoa had dozens of Alberghi which would be far more then two hundred individual households and certainly more then 2000 people. Your town might not even be survivable if it intends to become a great crossroads. Babylon 5 or DS9 would hardly be functional at 2000 people. There should be factions of foreigners as well as homebodies. Maybe a merchant quarter. It is a good idea to focus on a theme, perhaps a single crises, otherwise the campaign will dissipate itself. Possibilities include a blood feud between factions, a large diplomatic convention(this allows for lots of chrome including feasts, intellectual and athletic contests, and whatever cultural things are associated). Perhaps a long-running war between empires is ending and the loose ends have to be tied up. Or there is an important assassination and the killer has to be found. Or a new economic project is in the works. Elections for governmental and other offices(guilds for instance) are an idea. What is the art and culture like? Use Starports. Also use Glisten. Tredroy is another possibility. Even Granicus has some ideas. Vorkosigan Saga is much about politics. B5 and DS9 are good inspirations. Another one you did not consider is Godfather. The cynicism can grate but the picture of traditional Italian tribalism as well as being operatic is a useful one for a political campaign.
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"The navy could probably win a war without coffee but would prefer not to try"-Samuel Eliot Morrison Last edited by jason taylor; 12-22-2016 at 10:30 AM. |
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12-22-2016, 10:43 AM | #6 |
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
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Re: Small town, big politics
If your town is that small but still more or less sovereign it exists in a position that the big boys have to indulge it. In other words it is off the grid. Politics is likely to be quite petty: issues like road tolls to the nearest robber baron(and whether these are to be paid in silver or lead) are important. The issues of big empires are not except how they impinge(think of the town in Good, Bad, and Ugly that couldn't decide if it was Federal or Confederate).
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"The navy could probably win a war without coffee but would prefer not to try"-Samuel Eliot Morrison |
12-22-2016, 11:28 AM | #7 | |
Hero of Democracy
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
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Re: Small town, big politics
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Minor resource disputes are the most common in this sort of situation. Water rights. Whether or not agents of the Big Baron to the west can use the toll road for free. Who gets to hunt in the woods.
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12-22-2016, 01:43 PM | #8 | |
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
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Re: Small town, big politics
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That is an example of what politics of the kind described are like. Local issues are paramount while intrigues of the Great are interesting and colorful but rather peripheral-from both the point of view of the Great Powers and from that of the locals, although for different reasons.
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"The navy could probably win a war without coffee but would prefer not to try"-Samuel Eliot Morrison Last edited by jason taylor; 12-22-2016 at 01:47 PM. |
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12-23-2016, 02:31 AM | #9 | ||||
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Re: Small town, big politics
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Climate between temperate and slightly northern. The surrounding wilderness is biodiverse, with lots of grasses and bushes and stuff, but lacks big animals and lacks trees. There's a lake near the town. The surrounding ecosystem is slightly weird (and very slightly more poisonous/venomous than the outside world) and generally thriving. TL6+3^, retarded in aerospace and some less significant areas, advanced in force fields and weird radiation research, and currently making a big step forward in biotech. Quote:
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For the Skyless, art is often minimalistic in terms of resources required. There's no filmmaking. Music is mostly synthesized/electronic, or done on low-maintenance instruments. Visual art tends to be in the form of paintjobs on vehicles, and of makeup patterns. The rest tends to be in digital form (e.g. no dead tree books). |
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babylon 5, city stats, defiance, politics |
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