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1000 Questions Framework

A diverse list of questions to help create a complete world.

1000 Questions: Page 3

Part VI: Government

Questions on Government & Politics
Citizenship & Rights
  • Who is considered a citizen, with the rights and privileges thereof?

  • What are those rights and privileges; and what responsibilities go along with them?

  • Are there certain classes of people who have fewer legal rights or less legal recourse than full citizens?

  • Are they considered mentally or morally deficient, a danger to the state, or is there some other rationale?

  • Is there a group of people who do not have full rights in this culture?

  • Are they considered mentally or morally deficient, a danger to the state, or is there some other rational?

  • Are wizards or priests or prostitutes or certain classes or races of people barred from certain kinds of government jobs or offices?

  • Do some government jobs require that their holder be of a particular race or social group?

  • What are the easiest or most common ways to advance in status?

  • How much resistance is there to someone advancing in social status?

Politics as Usual
  • What is the political status of oppressed communities?

  • Is bribery allowed?

  • Under what circumstances?

  • What makes someone a bad ruler in this society?

  • What can be done about it?

  • What major political factions exist at present?

  • What are their core philosophies?

  • How long have they been around?

  • Which factions are allies and which are enemies?

  • Are there any potential new forces on the political scene?

  • What are the controversial political issues?

  • What positions on these issues are considered normative, radical or even unthinkable?

  • How much influence do organisations such as guilds or universities or monestaries or temples or merchants' unions have on court politics?

  • How do they exercise their influence -- indirectly, e.g. by talking nobility or council members into taking their side; or directly, e.g. by bribery, coercion or having their own representatives on the council?

  • Are there any shaky political alliances between disparate groups?

  • Why were they formed?

  • How long is it likely to be before they fall apart?

  • When they do, what will the effects be?

  • What ancient rivalries, prejudices and hatreds still affect current attitudes and political positions?

  • What kinds of people are likely to face social or political prejudice, by race, ethnos, gender, trade or place of birth?

  • Is this enshrined as a matter of law, or is it primarily a matter of public or individual attitude?

  • Is the ruler powerful or influential enough to defy this prejudice and appoint a Dwarf as Chief Councilor or Secretary of Defense and make it work?

  • Are there people who have great influence on government or politics, but who do not hold any official position?

  • Who are they?

  • Why do they have influence?

  • How do these people wield their influence?

Form of Government
  • What is the form of government and how is it structured?

  • What are some of the most fundamental policies of the government?

  • How are government officials chosen?

  • How are new laws created or old ones changed?

  • Who has the right to give orders, and why?

  • What titles do various officials have?

  • How are the rules different for officials as opposed to common people?

  • How do government officials dress?

  • Who cannot rise to positions of leadership?

  • What is the basic form of government? -- feudal, aristocratic, oligarchy, monarchical, democratic?

  • What forms are used in neighboring countries, and why are they the same or different?

  • What services do the government or state provide: e.g. roads, schools, wells, courts, an army?

  • What services are provided locally or privately or through non-government means?

  • Who has the right to levy taxes and for what reasons and upon whom?

  • Can taxes be paid in kind, or do certain things require money?

  • Who provides support services for the head of state?

  • Are the various offices of government hereditary or are they appointed or elected?

  • Who will take over running the government if the current head of state is incapacitated and how is incapacity determined?

  • What is the structure of the line of succession?

  • What happens if the heir is a minor?

  • What safeguards exist against general attack, assassinations, magical assault, seditition & revolt?

Government Services
  • Is there a civilian police force, or is law enforcement the province of the military?

  • Is the police force a nationalised one, or are there multiple regional forces?

  • How militant or vigilante are they?

  • Are they usually or ever armed?

  • What is the extent of their authority: e.g. can they shoot you or use magic or telepathy or torture or otherwise force a confession from you?

  • Are there individuals or groups who are above the law?

  • Are there secret police forces of any kind?

  • What is the role of police informants, if such exist?

  • Is there an organized system of education?

  • Who provides it and how is it supported: e.g. government via taxes, religious houses via donations (or taxes), private persons by philanthropic gift?

  • Are there occasions when the ruler is expected to provide a celebration or spectacle for the people to enjoy?

Questions on Law and Justice
  • Who in society benefits from the Law and from the Justice system?

  • What groups are excluded and why?

  • Is there a parallel or subordinate or extra-legal system in place used by such people?

  • How is it determined whether someone has broken a law and who judges the case?

  • Is there some form of clemency or pardon?

  • Is the law codified and written down?

  • Who are the interpreters of the law?

  • Once accused, what recourse does a person have?

  • Is torture allowed as a general aspect of criminal justice?

  • What kinds of torture are allowed and against whom may they be applied and under what circumstances?

  • What are considered normal and legal ways of gathering evidence and determining guilt?

  • Are arbitrary judgments by the lord or landowner allowed, or is there an independent judiciary?

  • Is forensic magic possible and if so, is it utilised and by whom?

  • Are the results of forensic magic admissible in court as evidence?

  • Are there separate civil, criminal, ecclesial and thaumic courts?

  • Are there different legal systems in place for different races or ethnicities living in close proximity?

  • What is different about each type of court?

  • Are judges or other court officials required or forbidden to have studied magic?

  • Is evidence obtained by magic considered more reliable or less reliable than physical evidence or eyewitness accounts?

  • What things are considered truly serious crimes and why?

  • What are typical punishments for serious vs. minor crimes?

  • Who metes out punishment?

  • Are there prisons, or are criminals physically, spiritually, emotionally or economically punished and then released?

  • Are there varying degrees of punishment based on circumstance, gravity and even judicial whim?

  • How are alleged criminals treated before and after their convictions?

  • Who is responsible for catching criminals and by what rules do they operate?

  • How are the police or watch organised within a polity?

  • Are there volunteer posses, or is the right to apprehend an evil doer the sole prerogative of the watch?

  • What arms do they carry, if any?

  • Are there lawyers or advocates who plead for the defence?

  • Are there lawyers or advocates who prosecute?

  • Are they arranged in a relatively equal adversarial system or is one side stronger than the other?

  • Are people guilty until proven innocent, innocent until proven guilty, or does it depend on the mood the lord is in when they bring the case before him?

  • Are there judges other than the ruler, lord, or landowner?

  • If so, how are they chosen and how are they maintained?

  • Are appeals possible, and if so, to whom?

  • How often are outlying areas likely to see a judge?

  • Is "mob justice" common or uncommon and how wide an approval does it receive?

  • Are there sumptuary laws regulating what different classes or races of people may wear or display or even purchase or trade for in the market?

  • Do judges and lawyers wear special clothing to indicate their office?

  • What sorts of crimes is the average citizen likely to run across during her lifetime?

  • Who can make or repeal laws?

  • Is there a legislative body or is the ruler the sole legislator?

  • How much can the nobility, middle class tradesmen and the like influence the lawmakers?

  • Do the police, military, or city guard make a practice of roughing up suspects, or is this frowned upon?

Politics

Questions on External Relations

  • What is this country's overarching foreign policy?

  • Have there been recent innovations that may upset the balance of power, or are most countries in the region more or less equal as regards industry, technology, magical capacity and culture?

  • Who are the rivals or enemies of this country?

  • How close are they geographically?

  • How powerful are they, and how prestigious?

  • Do relations between countries depend mainly on the relations between the heads of state or upon ministers and diplomats?

  • Does this country have formal relationships with other countries?

  • If so, how are embassies formed and what is their function?

  • Are there standing embassies and consulates, or are special envoys sent only when some issue of import crops up?

  • How are treaties arranged and who negotiates?

  • Are treaties ratified or confirmed; how might they be broken?

  • How much do official attitudes between rival governments affect commerce and trade across the border?

  • Are there customs inspectors or their equivalents at border crossings?

  • Is the export & import of some technologies, thaumologies, magics & commodities regulated by the government, or by non-governmental cartels?

  • How does this affect political relationships between countries?

  • How much formal spying and intelligence gathering is normally done by governments, the military, guilds or other business, social and magical interests?

  • Are there actual governmental bureaux that collect such information, or is espionage done by diplomats or freelance agents?

  • Which countries or races of people are traditional allies and which are traditional rivals?

  • How do these traditions affect present-day relations between countries and races of people?

  • Which heads of state are related by blood or marriage, and how important is this in determining foreign policy?

Questions on Weapons & Warfare
Weapons
  • How do the weapons of this country compare with those of surrounding cities and countries?

  • What personal weapons are available to anyone who can afford them?

  • Are some weapons considered "for nobles only" or "for carls only" either by custom or by law?

  • Are there laws forbidding certain classes from being armed at all?

  • Are there laws requiring certain classes to learn particular weapon skills?

  • Are magical weapons available?

  • How is magic used in warfare, apart from charmed or ensorcelled weapons?

  • Is spellcasting fast enough to be useful in hand-to-hand combat, or is magic use slower and more suited to laying or breaking sieges?

  • How has the presence of magic affected the waging of war and progress of weapons technology?

  • How readily does magic backfire on the weapon wielder or spell caster?

  • Can magic be used defensively as well as offensively?

  • How much has the presence of magic affected strategy and tactics in general; is it for example a matter of study in war colleges?

  • Are there weapons (defensive as well as offensive) of stone, bone, horn, bronze, iron, glass, obsidian, steel, titanium, thaumium or some other ever more exotic material?

  • Are weapons all close range, or do long range weapons exist as well, such as bows or atlatls or gonnes, and if so, how sophisticated are they?

  • How are such ranged weapons used tactically?

  • What small arms are in common use during war: e.g., melee weapons, edged weapons, unconventional weapons?

  • What major weapons of war are available: e.g., siege towers and engines, catapults, bombards, thaumic bombs, holy grenades?

  • What weapons and armor are standard for an army's low ranking footsoldiers?

  • What about the weapons of mercenaries and their noble leaders or even the average peasant trying to defend her home?

  • Does a soldier provide weapons and armor from home, or are these provided by the army?

  • Are weapons, such as swords or pistols, a standard part of dress for any and all segments of society?

  • Are weapons kept by individuals or are they locked up in an armoury?

Warfare
  • Does the country have a standing army or navy or air corps?

  • How many soldiers can the state afford to keep at the ready?

  • How do the armed forces compare with others in the region or world?

  • Who has the power to declare conditions of war and peace?

  • What happens to prisoners taken in battle?

  • What weapons are favoured by the various armed forces?

  • What form of warfare does this society use: e.g., close-quarters hand-to-hand; stealthy attack; long range fighting?

  • How do battles in the airs or waters or underworlds differ from surface warfare?

  • Who are the elite warriors?

  • What distinguishes them from ordinary soldiers?

  • How does someone get command of troops?

  • Where do the loyalties of military units lie?

  • Do they make up the bulk of the military?

  • What is campaign or camp life like?

  • What ethical or moral codes do warriors adhere to?

  • How are battle injuries treated?

  • How long do wars typically last?

  • Has this society ever attacked another?

  • What was the nature or pretext of that war?

  • What would make this society go to war?

  • Has there ever been a civil war or a revolution?

  • What do soldiers do when there's no war going on at the present moment?

  • Are there any current tensions or outright wars with any other nations?

  • Who are this country's enemies and allies?

  • Who's winning the war?

  • What defences are available to cities and towns and other polities?

  • What are the accepted conventions of making war: e.g., only fight in winter when nobody is busy with crops; don't make war on civilians; only certain kinds of weapons are available?

  • How are armies typically structured?

  • Is there a formal, independent command structure, or is everybody officially under the command of whoever brought them to join the ruler's army?

  • If there is a formal structure, what are the various ranks and titles used?

  • Are there legal, customary, or biological restrictions on the types of weapons different races or magical beings can use?

  • Are battlefield commissions or knighthoods possible during wartime, or must such promotions wait on formal ceremonies?

  • Do normal social restrictions apply during times of war, or is everyone equal on the battlefield?

  • Who can call up men for an army, and how is this done?

  • Does the ruler ask the nobility for men, who in turn draft their peasants, or can the ruler go straight to the bottom as it were and raise her own army?

  • Are there professional soldiers and mercenaries?

  • Is a career in the army possible, or would one have to become a mercenary or hired sword in order to make a living as a soldier?

  • Does the army accept volunteers, or only draftees?

  • Can an ordinary soldier rise to officer ranks by displaying courage and merit on the battlefield, or are officer positions reserved for a higher class of person only?

  • Are there officer academies or war colleges?

  • What percentage of the soldiers in an army will be professional soldiers or mercenaries or veterans or academy trained and what percentage will be untrained recruits?

  • Are recruits given any kind of training, or are they expected to learn on the job, i.e., in battle?

  • How is the army supplied with food, shelter, medical care and ordinary necessities that aren't carried by the soldier in his kit?

  • Are soldiers allowed to live off the land, or do they pay for what they take from local peasants?

  • What happens if the supply caravan gets lost or captured?

  • How are supplies handled during long campaigns?

  • How many days' worth of supplies can the army haul along with them?

  • How does the presence of varied races of people affect strategy, tactics, and battles generally?

  • How might soldiers of various races turn their physical differences to their advantage?

  • Are particular races of people traditionally, or even actually, more capable of wielding certain weapons or using certain techniques better than others?

  • Are certain races or groups isolated into segregated units or are the armies reasonably integrated?

  • If so, are those segregated units considered elite troops or the most expendable soldiers on the battlefield?

  • How do the inter-species attitudes of the leadership affect their strategy and planning?

Government
Law and Justice
External Relations
Weapons and War

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