PDA

View Full Version : Monopoly-based government



Trufflehound
2012-03-14, 01:11 PM
So last week I was suddenly put in the DM seat for a party of two. I started out with having the players note the relatively uniform clothing style (all from a certain emporium), the state-mandated hats, the mandatory carnival (of Asmodeus), the oddly uniform selection of vegetables in a restaurant. It was improv DMing, queer but enjoyable.

But if they spend much time in the city I need a better idea of how the place runs. I was considering that a number of large businesses had first established monopolies, and then gotten a stranglehold on the city government. That the city had no large central government because it is a tributary of a larger country. How would you establish the connections? Still not completely sure how this would work on a practical beaurocratic level.

So far I have:
The religion
The farm collective
The clothing business
The houseware company
The sheep monopoly

What other businesses would you throw in?

TheThan
2012-03-14, 02:18 PM
Oh easy mode:
The wizards’ guild:
If you want to use magic of any kind, better be a card carrying member (literally). You can only buy or sell magic items permitted by the guild, anything else is contraband.

The thieves guild(s):
Want to run a con game at the local in? Better check in with the guild. Want to pick pockets or rob houses? Better check in with the guild. They’re not so much an official recognized guild, but they do hold a lot of sway, and are as involved (secretly of corse) in politics as any other organization.

The merchants guild:
They are involved in buying and selling almost any commodity you can think of. Just about any legitimate store of any kind has to belong to the guild. Store owners have to pay the guild a membership fee. Failure to pay the fee means a visit from their private “security” force.

The Brewers guild:
These people run breweries, distilleries and the like. They may even operate all the bars, pubs, cantinas, inns and taverns in town. If it has to do with booze, they’ve got their hand in it.

The grocer’s guild:
The Grocer’s guild is made up of farms, dairies, ranches and the grocers that sell their products. If it’s got to do with food, they are in charge of it. There is a lot of inner conflict in this one, as each of it’s aspects jockey for power and position inside the guild. You can throw butchers, bakers and fish mongers in here too.

I hope that helps out.

QuidEst
2012-03-15, 07:11 AM
I was really hoping (but not expecting) that this was a government based on Parker Brothers' best-selling game. XD

The practical bureaucratic level here is probably representatives from the various guilds. The number of representatives is proportional to how much your guild contributes to the public funds, capped at some number to limit sabotaging other guilds a little. A very showy guild might contribute more than required to meet the cap.

The public funds are what run the city watch/police, fire department, etc. Abusing these funds (if it can be proved) can be up to a capital crime depending on the degree.

I wouldn't do a guild for anything illegal- I think even if one were established, it would get jockeyed out of position, then public favor, then existence as a result of making the whole city look bad, which in turn is bad for trade.

Trufflehound
2012-03-15, 05:50 PM
Oh easy mode:
The wizards’ guild:
If you want to use magic of any kind, better be a card carrying member (literally). You can only buy or sell magic items permitted by the guild, anything else is contraband.

Arcane magic is already outrightly banned. And divine magic users had better be part of the aformentioned church of Asmodeus.

What do you mean, I only decided that because the two party members are a paladin and a sorcerer?


The thieves guild(s):
Want to run a con game at the local in? Better check in with the guild. Want to pick pockets or rob houses? Better check in with the guild. They’re not so much an official recognized guild, but they do hold a lot of sway, and are as involved (secretly of corse) in politics as any other organization.

I'll call it the "soap guild".


The merchants guild:
They are involved in buying and selling almost any commodity you can think of. Just about any legitimate store of any kind has to belong to the guild. Store owners have to pay the guild a membership fee. Failure to pay the fee means a visit from their private “security” force.

This is an excellent idea - strictly controls imports and exports, taking a cut off of both. Anything the players buy, until they are official residents, will of course be considered an export.


The Brewers guild:
These people run breweries, distilleries and the like. They may even operate all the bars, pubs, cantinas, inns and taverns in town. If it has to do with booze, they’ve got their hand in it.

Will the game be more interesting if I ban liquor too? Possibly. Otherwise this is necessary.



The practical bureaucratic level here is probably representatives from the various guilds. The number of representatives is proportional to how much your guild contributes to the public funds, capped at some number to limit sabotaging other guilds a little. A very showy guild might contribute more than required to meet the cap.

That sounds like a beautiful solution. Allows for economic stability, a nice balance of power, and plenty of political and not-so-political power plays, and an endless economic battle at the same time. Should give me a fair amount of elbow-room as a DM.


The public funds are what run the city watch/police, fire department, etc. Abusing these funds (if it can be proved) can be up to a capital crime depending on the degree.

Thus the city doesn't tax directly. And the city watch doesn't enforce all those petty rules that it considers "guild regulations", thus necessitating some guild-associated inspectors.


I wouldn't do a guild for anything illegal- I think even if one were established, it would get jockeyed out of position, then public favor, then existence as a result of making the whole city look bad, which in turn is bad for trade.

True; anything blatant would be a target of opportunity. But 'there is a crime behind every fortune', and where there is bureaucracy there is a strong desire to circumvent it. Official guilds will dabble in crime sooner or later - at the very least I'll blur the line between guild and corporation.



I was really hoping (but not expecting) that this was a government based on Parker Brothers' best-selling game. XD

Why not? All guilds already pay into the community chest. I'll just throw in the realtor's guild, have a misterious contact named 'ship' give the players the code-names 'boot' and 'wheelbarrow', and have the citizens be fighting against the new idea of parking meters.

'Go directly to jail' should be easy too.

Storm Bringer
2012-03-15, 11:32 PM
The Guild of Smiths

If it contains worked metal, then this guild had at part in it's making. blacksmiths, foundries, smelters, etc all are controlled by them. 95% of the weapons in The City are marked with the guild seal. maintians good relations with the Woodworkers Guild (to ensure thier supply of charcoal for the forges)

the Woodworkers guild
controls the supply of wood, and, by extension, the supply of fuel for cooking, heating and industry, Carpentry also falls under thier remit, after they absorbed the Guild of Capenters (not without some dissent).

The Honourable City Watch
Police, Inc, in a nutshell. They are funded mostly by grants from the City council, plus a cut of the fines they levy for minor crimes. the laws of the City are set by the council in votes which the Watch cannot cast a vote, only advise. However, the Watch is free to Enforce the laws as they see fit, which tends to lead to a fair amount of "donations" form the other guilds to make sure they enforce the rules in thier favour (this is the other main scource of income for the guild). the net effect of all this bribery is actually a mostly even handed enforcement of the law, at least to Citizens. Non citizen Residents tend to get harsher punishments than Citizens, but are not found guitly signifcantly more often the Citizens.

TheThan
2012-03-16, 02:08 PM
Arcane magic is already outrightly banned. And divine magic users had better be part of the aformentioned church of Asmodeus.

What do you mean, I only decided that because the two party members are a paladin and a sorcerer?

Magic items are a major commodity for players. It should be the same for NPCs. There are tons of little magical items that common folk could find useful. Therefore it makes perfect sense for an organization to try to regulate and control the flow of magical items in and out of the city. I mean here in the US, we have the FDA (food and drug administration), which control the quality of food and medicine that is available for consumers. We also have the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (abbreviated ATF), which regulates (among other things) the licensing and interstate sale of firearms (and related equipment). So with this in mind, the “mages guild” can easily be an organization that regulates and controls the flow of magical items, licenses wizards, sorcerers and other arcane casters so they can practice magic (legally and safely). Since guilds run the city, it may be illegal to buy or sell magical items and potions unless you have a license, likewise it may be illegal to practice magic without a license.

The Guild of Smiths

If it contains worked metal, then this guild had at part in it's making. blacksmiths, foundries, smelters, etc all are controlled by them. 95% of the weapons in The City are marked with the guild seal. maintians good relations with the Woodworkers Guild (to ensure thier supply of charcoal for the forges)

the Woodworkers guild
controls the supply of wood, and, by extension, the supply of fuel for cooking, heating and industry, Carpentry also falls under thier remit, after they absorbed the Guild of Capenters (not without some dissent).



I’d probably roll the smiths in with the woodworkers. Makes sense they would form an alliance to be stronger, especially if they’re competing with something like a mercantile guild. Call it something like "The crafters guild" or some such.

QuidEst
2012-03-16, 03:16 PM
That sounds like a beautiful solution. Allows for economic stability, a nice balance of power, and plenty of political and not-so-political power plays, and an endless economic battle at the same time. Should give me a fair amount of elbow-room as a DM.


Thanks! Glad you like it. I don't know how practical it would be in real life (if it were practical, we'd have more examples, although some now-Italian cities ran on something similar for a while), but certainly it's something you can pull off in a fantasy setting.

If people aren't taxed as much, the guilds will spend a fair amount of effort making sure goods don't come in outside guild supervision. Unless they're goods that are actually outside of guild supervision, that is- it'd be inefficient to have a guild for everything. Spend a little time deciding what shouldn't be guild-controlled. That's just as important for the realism. :)

As far as guild crime, sure… but every time I see something similar, it's very focused on the corruption, etc. It might be a little more interesting if the consequences are very severe, with thorough investigations by several unaffiliated guilds. One idea: Suppose a guild shown to have illegally wronged another guild has to pay a percentage or all of the "tax" that guild provided last year on that guild's behalf. This has a number of results. Guilds that don't fork over much risk getting walked all over by other guilds. Fewer votes and less consequence for anybody taking advantage of them. On the other hand, if they catch another guild doing it, that guild has to pay up. The wronged guild basically gets to double their contribution from last year, and the guild that did it is out a bunch of money, and probably moves down in rank. Trying to frame a guild gets the maximum penalty, and abusing funds is considered a crime against all the guilds. /overthinks

navar100
2012-03-16, 10:05 PM
I was really hoping (but not expecting) that this was a government based on Parker Brothers' best-selling game. XD



Every time the PCs return or pass by their home city they get 200 gp.

Slipperychicken
2012-03-16, 11:32 PM
Every time the PCs return or pass by their home city they get Collect 200 gp.

Their home city is also colloquially referred to as Go. To really drive the point home, make it a street instead, and there's some kind of charity walk which hands out 200gp every time they walk in a clockwise circle through the outskirts of the city.


If they do anything illegal, they're teleported "directly to jail". Do not make a save, do not pass Go, do not collect 200gp, go directly to jail. Officials hit them with extraordinary "luxury taxes" if they loiter around Boardwalk or Park Place.


EDIT: Also, the place is filled with red hotels, and dark-green colored houses are the style now.