Poppyseed45
SOC-12
So, recently got the Classic Supplements Reprints, and had a read of the essay on Nobility, and the Noble and Diplomat careers in Supplement 4. Very interesting stuff, and it's made me think of the role of nobles in such a "feudal" system as the Imperium. For my upcoming game, I thought I might do this:
1. Have noble titles, as outlined in the text. However, the titles do not reflect a fief. Rather, they really do "just" confer status upon the holder. And some people can earn it or get in to the noble class through various means. At most, title might, say, confer a house and some land somewhere.
2. Political power rests with those who take the actual Noble or Diplomat careers. Change Noble to Magistrate, and based promotions and the like on the Roman Republic/Empire. Following Supp 4 rules, this means that not every person of nobility will be a Magistrate, but every Magistrate, by law, must be a noble. See where I'm going with this?
3. As such, only magistrates run the Imperium - a local person can run the planets, depending on their own government, but any place that falls as a colony, or a controlled government, would be Imperial, run by a Magistrate. Also, all Imperial Offices would be only by Magistrates (so, someone in charge of what the OTU called a country or duchy would be under Imperial Magistrate control, rather than a count or duke).
4. This means (whew!) that it's quite easy for a noble, who served as a Magistrate, to be down on their luck, empty in pocket, and looking for a way to get rich again. Happened lots to Roman nobility, so why not here?
5. In this system then, if a member of the nobility doesn't take the noble career, then he just has his title, and that's that. Never amounts to much, doesn't sit in the subsector senate, etc etc.
6. If he DOES take the Noble career, then he serves in a variety of posts, moving up the ladder if he gets his Position roll, and Promotions. I'll explain in a bit. But it still means that when he leaves office and retires or quits, he's just whatever his noble rank was before, with whatever he mustered out with. Though, I'd say, if he managed to get Position, then he gets to sit on the subsector Senate, say, and if higher, than the Sector one, and, if at the top, the Imperial Senate. But, naturally, these are unpaid positions, see? A noble is supposed to do it out of the kindness of their hearts (leading to massive graft and the like, naturally - ditto for Magistrates).
7. I'd change the Noble career to reflect this - keep the rolls the same. Each position gets a new name. I'd add a +1 social benefit for the muster table, since I'd be making a sixth rank anyway.
That's the idea in a nutshell, sort of forming in my mind. Otherwise, we keep everything else OTU as it fits, and solve the noble problem. Thoughts?
1. Have noble titles, as outlined in the text. However, the titles do not reflect a fief. Rather, they really do "just" confer status upon the holder. And some people can earn it or get in to the noble class through various means. At most, title might, say, confer a house and some land somewhere.
2. Political power rests with those who take the actual Noble or Diplomat careers. Change Noble to Magistrate, and based promotions and the like on the Roman Republic/Empire. Following Supp 4 rules, this means that not every person of nobility will be a Magistrate, but every Magistrate, by law, must be a noble. See where I'm going with this?
3. As such, only magistrates run the Imperium - a local person can run the planets, depending on their own government, but any place that falls as a colony, or a controlled government, would be Imperial, run by a Magistrate. Also, all Imperial Offices would be only by Magistrates (so, someone in charge of what the OTU called a country or duchy would be under Imperial Magistrate control, rather than a count or duke).
4. This means (whew!) that it's quite easy for a noble, who served as a Magistrate, to be down on their luck, empty in pocket, and looking for a way to get rich again. Happened lots to Roman nobility, so why not here?
5. In this system then, if a member of the nobility doesn't take the noble career, then he just has his title, and that's that. Never amounts to much, doesn't sit in the subsector senate, etc etc.
6. If he DOES take the Noble career, then he serves in a variety of posts, moving up the ladder if he gets his Position roll, and Promotions. I'll explain in a bit. But it still means that when he leaves office and retires or quits, he's just whatever his noble rank was before, with whatever he mustered out with. Though, I'd say, if he managed to get Position, then he gets to sit on the subsector Senate, say, and if higher, than the Sector one, and, if at the top, the Imperial Senate. But, naturally, these are unpaid positions, see? A noble is supposed to do it out of the kindness of their hearts (leading to massive graft and the like, naturally - ditto for Magistrates).
7. I'd change the Noble career to reflect this - keep the rolls the same. Each position gets a new name. I'd add a +1 social benefit for the muster table, since I'd be making a sixth rank anyway.
That's the idea in a nutshell, sort of forming in my mind. Otherwise, we keep everything else OTU as it fits, and solve the noble problem. Thoughts?
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