The Solomani, not just bad guys anymore
- Thread starter Murph
- Start date
That is probably the essence of what it means to be a Confederation, vs a Federation. The Confederation Government needs to be loose enough to allow its member polities a fair amount of leeway, but reserve certain rights (by mutual agreement) to itself only as necessary (i.e. military & naval coordination, foreign intelligence, etc). Otherwise those member polities are essentially self-governing.
That is also likely why there are so many divergent factions within the Party.
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
By necessity, it's a Big Tent, and ideology may just receive lip service from some quarters, economic and power base interests being paramount.
kilemall
SOC-14 5K
I believe the historical CSA approached that conception as a federal government created and potentially dissolved by constituent state-nations.
One might use the current EU/NATO defense treaty/currency-trade-rights union as a looser confederation model, perhaps SC is between these two examples.
Could be another way of dealing with the whole distance/governance issue, to be a series of large sector-states that trade on common rules and currency, come together for defense and otherwise govern themselves locally.
And this (IMHO) is what makes the Solomani Confederation interesting, and not just simply another human-dominated polity. Different regions of the Confederation have different flavors, and local politics all their own. And yet they are all still united as "Solomani" (which goes beyond political boundaries).
Oh you are pretty much right but that is the fun of the Confederation. Also do remember there are things that bind them together like the Military, SolSec, and the Party. SOme of these or all of them to some extent want this and there is a power struggle between the Member States and the central government.
The best way to reconcile the totalitarian racist police state and loose fractious Confederation is to think of the Party as having a similar role as the nobility in the Imperium. That is, it generally functions at a very abstract and distant level and plays very little role in day to day life.
Many Americans don't know who their state representatives are, or even who their federal reps or senators are. Many belong to a church but couldn't tell you what are the important theological doctrines of their denomination. The Party is like that, but at even greater remove. People know they belong to the Solomani Party and that's a good thing, but they might not know who represents their world in Secretariat or could explain what the Party platform is.
For most Confederation citizens, and even most Confederation worlds the Party has no real role -- you only see the Big Brother stuff on the few high pop, high tech worlds with Class A starports.
Many Americans don't know who their state representatives are, or even who their federal reps or senators are. Many belong to a church but couldn't tell you what are the important theological doctrines of their denomination. The Party is like that, but at even greater remove. People know they belong to the Solomani Party and that's a good thing, but they might not know who represents their world in Secretariat or could explain what the Party platform is.
For most Confederation citizens, and even most Confederation worlds the Party has no real role -- you only see the Big Brother stuff on the few high pop, high tech worlds with Class A starports.
I don't see the Solomani as a totalitarian racist police state, more an Anti-Imperium, Anti-Imperial nobility sort of a state. The alleged hold that SolSec and the Party hold, I think is vastly overblown. I also abhor the tendency to confuse the Solomani with the worst KKK excesses. You could not survive in a multi-empire universe if you did.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Think of it this way - the Alien Races books are written from the Imperial point of view...
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
I am of the opinion that of the three CT human empires the 3I is the most corrupt, has the least concern for the value of life, and does the least to improve the lives of the average citizen.
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
In a homogeneous society, this is less, or maybe a non-issue.
As you get to the borders, this becomes one, and the Party has probably contingency plans to homogenize after they're recovered the lost territories.
As you get to the borders, this becomes one, and the Party has probably contingency plans to homogenize after they're recovered the lost territories.
I can see that but I also think there can be a lot of corruption in the Confederation depending on where you are. Plus I also think there is a lot at the top where you get the fight between the Confederation Government and the Member States. I am also believe that the Confederation has a lot more power on individual member worlds than they do vs the Member States like the Bootean Federation. But then that's the fun of running a campaign in Solomani Space.
It might be helpful to think of the Sololmani Confederation as a Soviet Union like state; there's an implied racism among the ruling and mainstream class from which the ruling class derive because of the confederation's fractious nature.
A special note, "con" in "confederation" means "with Federation", meaning with a body of partially self autonomous parties in addition to an overarching regime. Again, like the Soviet Union because none of the individual Soviet states had any kind of self rule, and allegiance was always deferred to the ruling party. In this case the Solomani party.
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
CoDominium, which essentially was the capitalist North Americans with the Socialistic (presumably) Second Soviet Union, or possibly the PRC if retconned, and minimal representation from everyone else.
kilemall
SOC-14 5K
Perhaps, but consider what the results of the Ramshackle Empire did to everyone.
Maybe you have to be cruel to be kind.
In the right measure.
Nick Lowe was an Emperror of the Flag? 
o:
o:
Does not compute.
