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Democracies on LOTC, thoughts?


Javert
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Do you like true LOTC democracies?  

95 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you like true LOTC democracies?

    • Yes
      33
    • No
      62


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I was actually elected Rex of the Orcs back in 2013-14 by the confederation of orcish clans. it was going pretty well, but a lot of orcs wanted to go back to the klomp system after I was elected. 

Edited by ErikAzog
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I like the idea of democracy on the local level of things, like within towns and whatnot, because I feel like democratic institutions can be better-enforced when you don't have the NL protections afforded to you. I do think what you can strive for is more community input and collaboration, because I do think the OOC aspect of running a nation is a lot more democratic. You don't actually hold any real power when you're a minecraft NL and you still need to appeal to the electorate (people who will play in your nation). 

 

During my reign I had a thing called 'focus groups' which were basically these little chats that anyone could join where we were reforming critical parts of the Empire (knighthood, the military, the courts, etc). It was very much an OOC thing (it's obviously boring to RP out talking about court reform irp) but these focus groups were honestly pretty successful and did churn out some cool things. I think these sorts of models, where you can get direct community input on things, is probably the closest you'll get to a democracy.  

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1. Democracy is hard - elections are a huge administrative burden, keeping people on side is a constant occupation and exhausting, and the very nature of voting creates factionalism. Also political/legal RP is boring (sorry not sorry).

 

2. (most) People play LOTC for escapism - the majority of the server are from Western democratic nations, so being able to roleplay in kingdoms with archaic power structures like absolute monarchy/aristocracy is interesting and different from IRL. The politics involved in court life are more nuanced and tied up in social interactions compared to campaigning and meeting with constituents. It's more fun :))

3. Unlike IRL where there are huge institutions and structures set up to support democracy, LOTC is populated by teenagers and young adults who either a) don't have the knowledge or expertise to uphold such structures or b) don't have the time because this is a game.

4. Elections can be and are rigged all the time (High Prince elections in the Dominion of Malin anyone??). Unlike the OOC process of selecting an heir, the OOC process of messing with IRP elections gets messy and toxic super fast and is just not fun.

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The biggest roadblock has to be that a functional democracy would not have a PRO (all powerful executive figure who can disappear ppl at will). Even republics struggle with this OOC mechanic - moderation will not recognize your nation's constitutional limitations on PRO power, at best they will throw things into a ponderous "internal conflicts" war run by ferrymen

 

PRO held by an unusable alt account and region owners (irply stewards, officials, government men) elected by the local council could be an interesting system though. 

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On 1/28/2023 at 6:11 AM, Esterlen said:

Most voters in the real world tend to care about kitchen-table issues above everything else - am I getting a raise, what are my taxes like, what is my healthcare situation, how is inflation affecting the cost of living, etcetera - but these dilemmas are almost totally irrelevant in the context of Minecraft RP.


I was going to post something myself, but this sums it up on why democracies just won't work on LotC on a large scale (beyond local groups, or things along the lines of this). Different problems 

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On 1/27/2023 at 7:12 PM, exoo said:

As much as I love how fair this system would be, some players would oocly not be experienced, or would chase their own benefits rather than everyone as a whole. I feel like democracies should be there only with a limited amount of players, whom are trusted enough.

 

You just described Real-life Democracy.

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14 minutes ago, Bellegarde said:

 

You just described Real-life Democracy.

Ppl using this democracy debate thread as a soapbox to voice their discontent with democratic concepts and universal suffrage IRL really shows the mental maturity of the server is in the early teens.

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35 minutes ago, NotEvilAtAll said:

Ppl using this democracy debate thread as a soapbox to voice their discontent with democratic concepts and universal suffrage IRL really shows the mental maturity of the server is in the early teens.

I'm sorry jumper, chess?

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 One time back in Atlas I tried to have a democracy in a settlement. Not a majot nation even, just a smaller settlement. You know, trying to set up some cool roleplay idea, make it fun for people, make it feel like a nice tribal thing.

 On the very first attempt, my opponent in elections instantly started calling in outside people to vote in their favour, to the point where I was contacted by an outside person who told me exactly about it. I mean, it was so absurd to the point, where there were more votes than people in the settlement. And when I called that person out, it turned into a massive drama and they were denying everything.

 

 Ever since that day I've realised that democracy is inherently gonna be abused because it opens way too many doors to gain advantage over the other side in really unfair ways. Making a fool proof system will not be a good idea either, because every time a vote is called in, one side has to lose, and apparently no one likes losing, so it turns into a massive drama and oftentimes will cause a split in the community.

 

 Generally speaking 2/10, not recommend. Absoloute Monarchy ftw.

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I think an Autocratic Stratocracy where you still have absolute power but the country's military entirely owns the state is a cool idea.

 

You could have that Starship Troopers vibe where being a soldier means youre a higher tier citizen and get lots of perks meanwhile the plebbits that dont want to serve cant be put into office. Nobility would still exist too, as you'd have military dynasties of skilled warriors and commanders that would be competing for promotions and positions within this militaristic state. 

 

Could even have democratic system with 'officers' or high-tier citizens meeting to vote and discuss plans on where the country's going and where things should head. Cool thing about this system is you could make it revolutionary, idealistic, racist, inclusive - whatever! As long as you serve the state! :)

 

And ofcourse, they would come together to elect a supreme leader from their ranks, most likely by duel or popular vote to ensure the strongest, most respected and most capable battle commander is leading their state. 

 

Pure democracies are kinda mid unless you put a cool spin on it like that.

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there is no reason every lotc society shouldn't be monarchistic, feudal, or communistic

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Democracy is inherently evil and players must learn to accept their feudal obligations. The Magna Carta is one of the most disastrous events of human history, advocating for constitutionalism is advocating against your liege-lord and anyone who does that deserves to be put up against a wall and shot (in minecraft).

 

Urguan elections made me wanna neck myself.

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3 hours ago, MalchediaelVult said:

 

 

Urguan elections made me wanna neck myself.

 

Real 

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