Imperial Citizenship: Rights and Responsibilities

[Lord Iron Wolf]

Wanting to consult my fellow citizens on a question of Imperial Citizenship. IMTU (WIth a new group of players), I'm wanting to introduce the idea of two tiers of citizenship: Planetary citizenship in which all of the population of that planet is citizens and an elevated form of citizenship which is Imperial Citizenship. The players will be getting this due to generation i.e. having served terms in the Imperium under military or other type of service.

My question is what types of exclusive rights would Imperial Citizens have compared to Planetary Citizens?

The flip side of the coin is what responsibilities are inherent to Imperial Citizenship?

I'm curious to hear your thoughts and thanks in advance.

Lord Iron Wolf

 

[aramis]

Wanting to consult my fellow citizens on a question of Imperial Citizenship. IMTU (WIth a new group of players), I'm wanting to introduce the idea of two tiers of citizenship: Planetary citizenship in which all of the population of that planet is citizens and an elevated form of citizenship which is Imperial Citizenship. The players will be getting this due to generation i.e. having served terms in the Imperium under military or other type of service.

My question is what types of exclusive rights would Imperial Citizens have compared to Planetary Citizens?

The flip side of the coin is what responsibilities are inherent to Imperial Citizenship?

I'm curious to hear your thoughts and thanks in advance.

Lord Iron Wolf

For many years I had this IMTU...

Basic sophont rights:
Freedom from slavery, mutilation, and death sentences for anything less than murder or imperial treason. The right to have personal belongings.

Additional rights for subjects (Those who are citizens of a member world):
Communication access both local and interstellar.
To serve in the Military of the Imperium if otherwise qualified.
To live out a natural lifespan or more, barring accident or illness.
To a trial by impartial jury by preponderance of the evidence and majority +1 of the jury, and no less than 5 persons for a felony trial
To be represented by an attorney should you be able to afford one.
To be tried or released within a year of charges.
to be Charged or Released within a week of arrest or detention
To engage in business

For Citizens (serve 2+ years in the Imperial Services, or child of a noble, or 2+ years holding a merchant spacer license of any grade):
Trial by a jury of peers, no less than 11, nor more than 20, and no conviction with less than majority +3 jurors, to a standard of beyond reasonable doubt,
To have access to interstellar travel
To have the right to real property including lands, vehicles, and/or buildings
To be free from unreasonable or invasive searches without due cause.
To make (written) address to the local Nobleman

For Nobles...
To be tried by a jury of Nobles by Beyond Reasonable Doubt with no more than 1 dissenting vote and a trial of no less than 11 and no more than 13 jurors (plus up to as many alternates).
To be free on own recognizance in case of a hung jury
To be tried within a month of charging
To be charged within a week of arrest or detention
To be arrested or released within 48 hours of detention for anything other than public health.
To be free to travel between the stars at own expense
To meet with the local nobleman at least once per year
To appeal convictions to the local nobleman
To bear arms in public (to at least a dagger) except when charged or convicted of a crime, or when legitimately detained for good cause.
To have a unit of Huscarles, size by rank, at one's own expense. (Knight: a squad of up to 12; Baronet, 2 squads; Baron, a platoon of not more than 50; Viscount/Marquis A company of not more than 150; Count, a battalion of not more than 500, Duke, a Regiment of not more than 1700)

Landed, World, Cluster, Subsector, and Sector
No landed noble is subject to local law within their imperially granted fief; they are the sole local lawgiver within.
World Nobles are not subject to local law on their fief's world.
Larger levels are not subject to local law on any world within their See.
All fiefs are subject to cluster laws, subsector laws, sector laws, domain laws, and imperial laws throughout, as are the nobles within.
A landed nobe may, within the scope of his fief, train, station, and maintain a force of any size subject to his ability to recruit, pay, and control.
All world and higher nobles may second up to a company from each world's local forces, subject to no world being subjected to more than 5% each to World, Cluster, Subsector and Subsector, neither by budget nor by manpower.
To direct tax all subjects within their see (if any) to Cr1 per person per annum.

 

[Timerover51]

Wanting to consult my fellow citizens on a question of Imperial Citizenship. IMTU (WIth a new group of players), I'm wanting to introduce the idea of two tiers of citizenship: Planetary citizenship in which all of the population of that planet is citizens and an elevated form of citizenship which is Imperial Citizenship. The players will be getting this due to generation i.e. having served terms in the Imperium under military or other type of service.

My question is what types of exclusive rights would Imperial Citizens have compared to Planetary Citizens?

The flip side of the coin is what responsibilities are inherent to Imperial Citizenship?

I'm curious to hear your thoughts and thanks in advance.

Lord Iron Wolf

You do have the problem of "Balkanized" planets. I doubt if any nation on those would view the idea of a "planetary" citizenship very highly.

As for rights and responsibilities of planetary citizens, a lot of that would be up to the form of government the planet has. Pysadi, covered in The Traveller Adventure, is going to have a totally different view of citizenship than Regina.

Then you have the planets with a "0" government level, indicating no government, Emape in the Five Sisters Subsector of the Spinward Marches would be a good example. A planet with a population in the hundred of thousands with a "0" government level. There are 4 planets with "0" government levels in that subsector alone.

Then you have planets with a government type of "1", indicating a company or corporation controlled planet. You could easily have personnel from several different planets on one of those, with different planet loyalties.

While the idea of an "Imperial" citizenship might be a benefit on planets of the Darrain Confederation, it would definitely be a negative factor on the Sword Worlds or the Solomoni Rim. In Solomani Space, it could get you killed.

 

[GypsyComet]

The idea of tiers of citizenship is going to vary with the nations, worlds, and stellar polities involved, as well as the people themselves.

Within the Third Imperium timeframe, the Zhodani and K'kree, at very least, really have only the one layer of citizenship defined by their interstellar polities. The world is where you ARE, but you are always a citizen of the Consulate or a subject of the Steppelord of the Two Thousand Worlds. The Aslan are similar but stop at Clan organization; there are no citizens of the Heirate as such.
The Vargr vary from place to place, and time to time.
As a confederation, the Solomani theoretically have two or three layers of citizenship, but the top level is trying its best to erase the lower levels while talking them up in public.

Honestly, I'm really not sure about the Hivers.

Imperials are subject to laws based on two criteria. As Aramis notes above, these are social status, specifically Imperial Noble vs everyone else, and location. Just because you spent your first thirty years of life on Mora won't save you from Glisten System Laws if that's where you got caught stealing air...

 

[Condottiere]

Citizenship, residency and subjectivity very much dependent on individual regimes, whether planetary or interstellar.

So, case by case basis.

 

[kilemall]

Well, since this is an IMTU version rather then Canon argument, allow me to propose a simple concept-

Being an Imperial citizen and a planetary citizen are mutually exclusive- you are one but not the other.

 

[GypsyComet]

since this is an IMTU version rather then Canon argument

Conceptual examples are still useful, which is why I rolled out the OTU laundry list.

In individual practice, this is going to be just like any other social setting detail: privileges to be sought, realities to be fought, and a referee's tool to punish PCs for skills not acquired. It will have as much detail as the Ref wants to deal with in that context.

 

[Adam Dray]

For many years I had this IMTU...

(Great post, Aramis! I'd +1 you for it if the system would let me so soon after +1'ing something else you did a few days ago.)

Not apropos of that post, I think that this all feels very Roman. You join the military and become a citizen of the Empire, with all the protections that come with it, even when you're in foreign places.

The main benefit is that people fear messing with you. If a foreigner ever harmed a Roman citizen outside of Roman law, all of Rome's power came to bear on you, as a point of honor and principle.

 

[aramis]

(Great post, Aramis! I'd +1 you for it if the system would let me so soon after +1'ing something else you did a few days ago.)

Not apropos of that post, I think that this all feels very Roman. You join the military and become a citizen of the Empire, with all the protections that come with it, even when you're in foreign places.

The main benefit is that people fear messing with you. If a foreigner ever harmed a Roman citizen outside of Roman law, all of Rome's power came to bear on you, as a point of honor and principle.

You inferred the correct source of the inspiration.

Note that I capped both ends of jury size tighter as level of privilege rises - as well as the standard of proof the Imperium imposes and the requirement for peers.

Think of it as my "ProtoTraveller" version.

 

[flykiller]

My question is what types of exclusive rights would Imperial Citizens have compared to Planetary Citizens?

access to imperial courts and legal system - right to keep and bear arms, right to trial by jury of peers. right to out-system prospecting and property ownership. right to starship ownership. right to imperial military/police protection and support via navy and marines. permission to conduct interstellar business investments, corporation ownership, and operations. access to imperial academy training. access to certain technology, whether levels or kinds (personal such as anagathics and cybernetics, weapons such as laser pistols or pgmp-14's/fgmp-15's). rights to travel outside of barony, county, march, subsector, or sector boundaries. right to access interstellar news media and business data bases.

since the imperium is described as having nobility distinct from the general space-going population, you may wish to consider whether your system is two-tier or actually three.

 

[Quint]

The idea of tiers of citizenship is going to vary with the nations, worlds, and stellar polities involved, as well as the people themselves... ...The Aslan are similar but stop at Clan organization; there are no citizens of the Heirate as such...

IIRC there is also the "Aslan" and "not-Aslan" divide also. So you have "culturally Aslan" (including biological Aslan and even humans from the Zodia (sp?) worlds) who follow the tenants of Aslan culture and are considered as part of the Hierate while you also have barbarians (who might or might not be biologically Aslan and also include most other species) who do not follow Aslan culture and laws and are definitely Other.

D.

 

[McPerth]

Well, since this is an IMTU version rather then Canon argument, allow me to propose a simple concept-

Being an Imperial citizen and a planetary citizen are mutually exclusive- you are one but not the other.

Why so?

If we take the example of EU (and without entering in politcs about it), being citizen on any EU country also gives you EU citizenship, so giving you some citizenship rights in any such country.

I guess Imeprium may work likewise: being citizen of any Imperial planet (or any country on them) gives you Imperial citizenship, so giving you som citizenship rights in any such planet (or country).

After all, Imperil citizenship exists, and Cleon I clearly stated it (quoted from memory):

Any sentient living being in the Imperium is an Imperial Citizen, and so a protected being

As an aside, many comments about Imperial Citizenry rights, but what about the duties?

 

[Condottiere]

Conscription and taxation.

However, no one's forced to enlist, and I don't recall ever paying income tax.

Or even a poll tax.

 

[kilemall]

Why so?

If we take the example of EU (and without entering in politcs about it), being citizen on any EU country also gives you EU citizenship, so giving you some citizenship rights in any such country.

I guess Imeprium may work likewise: being citizen of any Imperial planet (or any country on them) gives you Imperial citizenship, so giving you som citizenship rights in any such planet (or country).

That's the conventional perspective, another example would be the case in the US pre-Civil War, at least emotionally, where people thought of themselves as which state they were from moreso then a US citizen.

But personally I like doing setting things that shock players into feeling 'they aren't in Kansas anymore', no space Romans/Americans/EU.

The thought came to mind that the Imperium forces a conscious decision to become an Imperial citizen, a choice like that of citizenship in Starship Troopers.

I didn't have in mind the service for citizenship model as the Imperium above all is rule of men, not rule of law, and so it is more a matter of pledging loyalty and service consciously and not coincidentally garnering rights and rewards.

For the vast majority of planetary citizens, they never leave their worlds, and so they are under their planetary law anyway and have no need of Imperial citizenship per se.

THIS divide could extend to chargen- a planetary citizen serves in the planetary navy, an Imperial citizen in the Imperial Navy.

Part of the point of Imperial citizenship is to tie the leading lights of a planet to loyalty of the Imperium. As such, I would consider the primary die roll for Imperial citizenship to be 2d6 check, roll SOC or below.

After all, Imperil citizenship exists, and Cleon I clearly stated it (quoted from memory):

Whoop, lost me there, clearly marked not a canon proposal for an IMTU take.

 

[mike wightman]

HG character generation:

Imperial Navy. . . . . . .9+
Subsector Navy. . . . . .8+
Planetary Navy . . . . . .7+

DM +1 if intelligence 8+
DM +2 if education 9+

 

[mike wightman]

IM proto-Imperium every intelligent being on a member world is technically an Imperial citizen, but...
Imperial government begins at the subsector level and so if you think your rights as a citizen are being ignored by your world government you have to somehow make your petition know to the subsector duke and his/her authority.

In frontier sectors the extensive home rule offered to member world governments, not to mention megacorp exploitation and corrupt nobles mean that your rights as a citizen could be extremely difficult to enforce at a local level.

In the very first adventure we have player characters jailed without trial, political dissidents 'disappeared' etc.

Consider:

a notorious political prison, with constant reports of torture and rights violations.

A well-dressed young gentleman (age 29,83799A) is found beaten in an alley.
If helped, in gratitude, he will discuss his father's business- a subsector mapping
and chart service. lmperial subsector officials are pressuring him not to chart
interdicted worlds, especially Shionthy (0706) and Algine (0708).

Interdicted worlds are interdicted because the lmperium is trying to conceal
its mistakes in social and political planning.

The lmperium has been suppressing political dissent in order to keep peace in
the Regina subsector.

In core sector worlds the majority are directly ruled by Imperial nobles, but that doesn't mean citizen rights are sacrosanct.

Most obvious is the colonize in lieu of prison term program. However, several other programs have also shown signs of success. In the unemployment insurance program, high population worlds have successfully used the colonization project as a means of reducing unemployment over the long term. In a similar medical insurance program, indigents unable to obtain medical treatment are provided with their needs in exchange for signing on to a colony.

 

[Timerover51]

The early books definitely portray a fairly nasty Imperium. In "Across the Bright Face", you have a massive workers revolt against the company running the planet. In "Research Station Gamma", you have some questionable psionic experiments, and I have a hard time believing that the person running the experiments was not aware that the Chirpers were "uncasted Droyne". I keep thinking about running that with one of the PCs being a Droyne Sport.

The implication from the early books is that with the Imperium so large, local officials could get away with a lot of questionable activity as long as it was not too obvious.

 

[McPerth]

Yes, before it was well defined (I'd call it protoimperium) it was quite dark, but as it grew and was defined, we found a more benevolent 3^rd Imperium, and one that is lightly intrusive in its memeber worlds affairs.

 

[McPerth]

That's the conventional perspective, another example would be the case in the US pre-Civil War, at least emotionally, where people thought of themselves as which state they were from moreso then a US citizen.

But personally I like doing setting things that shock players into feeling 'they aren't in Kansas anymore', no space Romans/Americans/EU.

The thought came to mind that the Imperium forces a conscious decision to become an Imperial citizen, a choice like that of citizenship in Starship Troopers.

I didn't have in mind the service for citizenship model as the Imperium above all is rule of men, not rule of law, and so it is more a matter of pledging loyalty and service consciously and not coincidentally garnering rights and rewards.

For the vast majority of planetary citizens, they never leave their worlds, and so they are under their planetary law anyway and have no need of Imperial citizenship per se.

THIS divide could extend to chargen- a planetary citizen serves in the planetary navy, an Imperial citizen in the Imperial Navy.

I agree with your view that it should not be American/Roman/EU (or other historical or present examples) in space, but I thonk most of those caes may serve as inspiration and comparison. ANd the case of multiple layers citizenship is one of them.

And this Imperial citizenship should grant some rights that, at least on the papers, cannot be dennied by local governments. One of them, as I see it, is the right to apply for acceptance on any Imperial service.

In practice, though, those may be difficult to achieve, as local laws may interfere with them, as long as interference is not enough to deserve Imperial attention (e.g. while the local government cannot deny you the right to apply for Imperial services, it may make you difficult to reach the place where you can apply for it).

This may lead to a situation where your Imperial citizenry rights are in fact stronger when you're not in your own planet, as, not being citizen there, the local government has less power over you, and the possibility to trigger Imperial action if you're dennied them is higher.

Part of the point of Imperial citizenship is to tie the leading lights of a planet to loyalty of the Imperium. As such, I would consider the primary die roll for Imperial citizenship to be 2d6 check, roll SOC or below.

Whoop, lost me there, clearly marked not a canon proposal for an IMTU take.

I found hte exact quote (MT:RC, page 36):

In the 17th year of the Imperium, Cleon Zhunastu declared,"Any sentient life form within the Imperial borders, regardless of its origin, is a protected being, and thus a citizen of the Third Imperium.”

So, and I guess it's quite canon, it seems that Imperial Citizenship is not so restricted (in fact, any sentient becomes Imperial citizen once inside the Imperial borders, regardless being born outside them, if we take it to the letter).

 

[aramis]

One of the reasons a subject should have a right to attempt to join the Imperial Services (not just the Military...) is that it means also that there is always an escape from a local despot, and always a reason to send scout teams to a world. A world not producing the expected 0.1% of the population in service to the Imperium is a world the local duke has a reason to invade, because "it's de facto obvious that persons are not being permitted to join." - All they need to do is find one willing 17-19 YO, and it's curtains time for the local ruler. Treason. Depravation of Civil Rights. And, as world leaders are axiomatically (per CT) also Imperial Nobles while in office, grounds to forcibly detain them, remove them off world, and see what happens next locally.