Thinking about Fantasy government is a lot simpler than thinking about real government. In fantasy government, there are competing needs where members of two parties that are otherwise aligned are forced into cutthroat competition for resources. In real life these competing interests interact among a dizzying array of different axes, so that even two groups who have interests that are fully compatible might come into conflict, while inherently adversarial groups might find themselves in an alliance.
In real life there are as many stakeholders as there are citizens. When designing a fantasy government, it is at least theoretically possible to enumerate the relevant parties. Here, we even have a color-coded list. But I think that there is room to gain Tactics points while also grabbing the Arete bonus for Non-Build Options discussion:
Who are the players in the Sovereignty Society? You won't believe who got left off the list
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Welcome back from the break. Before we left, we promised to reveal who the
real players are in Sovereign Society. The answer might surprise you. First, consider the intermittently color-coded list recited by the [Most High] in Tonight's Update:
The Elementalists
The Traditionalists
The Military
The Bureaucrats
The Civilians
...and, of course,
Lord Hunger, the Reckoner Himself
Each of these factions represents a different power bloc as the Sovereignty adjusts to this new Rotspawn Free world we've woken up in. The heroic High Elementalists have our gratitude, of course, for their continued dedication to our nation's safety and security. Now that the threat of Rotspawn is eliminated, some High Elementalists will surely be eager to retire into civilian society. Watch for the rapid commercialization of elements previously restricted to military use.
Traditionalists will bluster, of course, that the abilities held by High Elementalists provide an undue advantage over the more mundane members of society.
The Military will try to cling to power, even after their ultimate failure to secure the borders of the Sovereignty during the moment of greatest importance. We must guard against propaganda designed to weaponize our relief at finally achieving safety.
The bureaucracy will be franticly shifting responsibility and trying to claim credit, but what else can you expect from politicians? I will continue to use Public Access TV to provide hard-hitting journalism that asks questions like "how did a monster the size of a mountain sneak up on a hyper militarized state who spends 62% of GDP on military development!? Where did all those credits go?" You can trust me, Zampano, to hold our politicians accountable. I'll get to the bottom of the real conspiracy: We all use Elixir water, why aren't we all High Elementalists?
The previous administration was using the Elixir to
...yes, well that's a topic for our next broadcast. Let's get back on track. What is the major constituency that was concealed during the update by the [Most High]?
Tourists. We all know that the largest portion of the Sovereignty's GDP comes from Tourists vacationing to take advantage of our hot springs. They pay good credits to bask in the peerless rejuvenating waters of the Elixir hot springs. Even Lord Hunger the Reckoner is rumored to have taken a dip... maybe that's why his power grew so quickly? With the threat of rotspawn we can count on an influx of tourists, assuming the ministry of Propaganda is even a little bit competent at their job.
Why do the tourists matter to the discussion of the governmental reforms? Two Words: Visitor Passes. Regular visitors bring news of the Human Sphere, they bring novel inventions, and they bring a daily infusion of new currency to our society. They do all this while paying through the nose for the privilege! We need to enshrine protections for tourists, as the petrol of the Sovereignty's economic engine.
But we also need protections
from tourists. What's the legal status of a minor traveling with mundane parents who awakens an Element? What obligations does the Sovereignty have in assisting with the extradition of unintentionally created mages from the Voyaging Realm? These are important issues, and over the next six weeks I will take you on a deep dive into the legal history of three spontaneously awoken High elementalists...
