The Republic (Nation Roleplay)

[Will Laurence]

The Republic

Concept

The general concept is that everybody will be a part of the political class of a single Republic. The story will consist primarily of a political game/drama about competing political parties in a new era of uncertainty. The setting will be on a fictional planet, in the no-too-distant future, where mankind has been united under a single planetary government. Technology has progressed to the point that mankind is on the brink of space colonization. Meanwhile, at home the political winds are changing, and the once-stable republic has entered a new era of political uncertainty.

Introduction

“For all of human history the world has been divided against itself. Humans have fought and died for lines on a map. This culminated itself 430 years ago when the world was conquered and subjugated under the Great Empire. The first of its kind, the Great Empire unified the entire planet under one all-powerful man. The first emperor and his sons were power hungry men. They solidified their rule through fear and violence. They bled the people dry for their own enrichment. The Iron Dynasty ruled over the world for three generations, bringing with them a new dark age.

Out of the darkness came the light of The Liberators. Formed from underground networks of freedom fighters, the Liberators were eventually able to stage a grand coup, sweeping the conquerors from power as suddenly as they had seized it. Our founders imagined a world where all men would band together, where humankind could grow and prosper under the righteous regime of the people. In pursuit of this, they first took control of the military, the Great Empire’s chief power source, and purged the institutions of power of all those enemies of democracy, before razing the institutions themselves to the ground. They then drafted a charter for a new world. The Articles vested all powers of government in The Assembly. Elected by and for the people, the assembly would forevermore have full sovereignty over the affairs of men.

Since, The Republic has endured for centuries as a bastion of democratic ideals and progress. The people have grown prosperous under its rule of law and stability. Long gone are the days of devastating war and authoritarian regimes. Long gone is repression, gross inequality, and discrimination. We have reached the pinnacle of human history.

In this great age of peace and freedom the Free People’s Party has led us to new heights of greatness. Under the wise leadership of the People's Party, culture has flourished, technological innovation has been unleashed, and markets have experienced unprecedented growth.

In this new era of exploration let us not abandon our founding ideals. Let us not lose our self to faction and division. Be sure to get to the voting booth this Thursday and vote again for the Free People’s Party! Long may the reign of the people last!”

The Republic has indeed entered a new era. Beset by internal and external forces, the political establishment of The Republic has all but collapsed entirely. The Free People’s Party has ruled as a single, unopposed party for a generation of voters. Having formed in the “Age of Peace” following the strife of the Secession Uprisings, the Free People’s Party was the manifestation of a time of relative political stability. Happy the violence was over, and mollified with generous social programs and low taxes, voters were generally uninterested in the goings-on of the assembly, and were disposed to let the political elite do as they pleased in the capital. The political elite, for their part, were more than happy to oblige them by flying under the radar and sucking what they could from the state. The Party (as it has come to be called), in turn, grew gluttonous, complacent, and corrupt.
Everything seemed to blow up at once. A story leaked to The World, the Republic’s foremost news agency, implicating the Prime Minister in a corruption scandal of unprecedented proportions. Simultaneously, voters in not one, not two, but twelve different districts were taking to the streets calling for a recall vote on their delegates to The Assembly, in reaction to a recently-passed law that made it illegal to bring cases against sitting Assemblymen for most crimes. The motivation for the law? There had been a spate of recent cases brought to courts across the planet for all types of crimes committed by these Assemblymen, courtesy of the newly formed non-profit: the People’s Rights Union (PRU). Finally, the semblance of peace that had been kept for decades, the last and final claim to success by The Party had left, was broken by a new uprising in the north.

The “Age of Peace” is over. The People’s Party is over. Nevertheless, The Republic endures. What is next for The Republic and its people is entirely dependent on the next generation of political elites. In an age of uncertainty, the people need new leaders. The people need you.

RP Structure

This will be a nation RP where each player will play a political party trying to fill the vacuum left by the collapse of The People’s Party. I intend for there to be numbers and statistics underneath the story that drive how the world runs, but first and foremost will be the political drama that will unfold as we all battle it out for control of the Assembly.

The game will be cyclical. Each cycle will represent 3 months out of a year. Just as in the real world, you will run for re-election at the end of each term, and a large part of your character’s energy will be spent appeasing the constituents (again supported by underlying numbers on my end so you CAN lose reelection). Each cycle you will be sending me orders via private message to execute.
The thread will document the professional and personal lives of key players in this drama as they battle it out to drive their policy initiatives. I prefer players each form their own party, and even if they don’t directly narrate the party leader character, maintain and implement a larger party strategy to keep the game interesting. At the end of the day it really is about the story however, so keep that in mind when ruthlessly devising a strategy to takedown your enemies. In addition, colorful personal stories and narratives can only add to the world, and are greatly appreciated.

Finally, because of the competitive elements of the role play, world building must be somewhat limited. I will give you a chance to flesh out your district some at the very start, but other than that I will mostly have to drive macro-worldbuilding (economics, people groups, etc). This will mostly be communicated to you through releases of The World, and reports to your individual parties through private message. On a micro-level, worldbuilding (especially things having to do with individuals) shouldn’t be an issue. If you are unclear if something you are thinking will work, just run it by me and we can probably make it happen.

Let me know if there is any interest. More information about the world itself will come with the OOC sign-up thread should sufficient interest be expressed.