Playing God: Forming government in your fantasy world

Government is an integral part of any civilisation, and an element that should not be overlooked when world-building for a fantasy project. In today’s Playing God post, I explore why government is important in a story, some key considerations, and give a sneak peek at the systems in place in my own fantasy WIP! →

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SERIES CONTENTS

👍 Introduction | 💡 Creation | 🌟 Cosmology | ☯ Religion | 🔮 Magic | 🌍 Geography | 🌦 Climate & Weather | ⏳ History | 🎭 Race & Culture | 💬 Language | 🎵 Music, Art & Writing | 🏠 Infrastructure | 🤴 Government | 📜 Laws | 💰 Economy

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Government is the system and/or group of people that governs an organised community. They are responsible for making and enforcing rules in accordance with certain principles, and have a significant influence on the way we live our lives. Understanding how government works in the world of your fantasy WIP is essential—here’s why:

🌳 Realism

History in our world has shown that whenever people gathering in numbers, some form of governing authority—that is, government—has developed around it. From the most primitive of tribal structures to the complex institutions of the modern era, government is an intrinsic and integral part of any society. To ensure your world is realistic, it is important to consider the role government plays in shaping the world and your story. Even if the system is falling apart, you should understand where it began!

🎭 Culture

Government and culture are inherently linked by the norms and traditions of the society that the system is established to govern. This is a two-way street: cultural values will influence the rules and laws that the government decides to implement, and in turn, the rules and laws of the society will shape cultural expectations. When world-building for a fantasy project, it makes sense to create and contrast these elements so they are consistent.

⏳ History

As time passes, governments rise and fall, and even the most virtuous of systems has a few skeletons hiding in the closet. Political tensions can be found at the heart of many historical events, and having an understanding of how your world’s government has shaped—and been shaped by—history, will only serve to enrich that history. And you never know when you might be able to draw parallels between the past and what is happening in your story’s present!

📚 Plot

And once again, it is vital that you consider the influence government has on the plot during the world-building phase. Both the group and the system of government may serve to free up or restrict your characters in achieving what they need to achieve, and could very well impact how their actions and behaviours are perceived. Yours might also be a story that involves corruption within the government, or society rising up against it, and in order to pull those off you need to have a very strong knowledge of how the government works!

Governments can be large and complex beasts, but you don’t need to specify every aspect or write a constitution when world-building for a fantasy WIP. The extent to which you should develop your world’s government(s) depends on how important they are to the plot and characters. As a minimum, however, here are a few key considerations you should give a little thought to:

🏛 Form of government

What form(s) of government preside over the societies within your world? Do you have a monarchy, where a single person is the head of state, and if so, is it constitutional or absolute? Or perhaps you have an aristocracy or oligarchy, where all the power rests with a privileged few? Maybe a form of democracy exists, with the people having a choice in who governs them, or a theocracy, where a deity is recognised as the ruling authority. There are so many different kinds of government—perhaps you’ll blend a few to create something unique of your own!

💫 Separation of powers

Political power is typically divided into three distinct branches: the legislature, which makes laws; the executive, which executes and enforces the law; and the judiciary, which adjudicates, interprets and applies the law in legal disputes. You may or may not choose to have your government’s political power separated in these ways, but it is important to consider how much power your government holds and what it can and cannot do. What are its limits? Or perhaps you have a true autocracy where there are no limits at all!

📜 Obtaining political power

Another aspect that ought to be considered is how one goes about obtaining political power in your system of government. In our world, the two main ways to rise to power within government are through hereditary succession (i.e. the next in line, often within a family, takes over when the seat of power is vacated) or electoral content (i.e. the population votes members into their position). But there is certainly much scope in the fantasy genre to formulate different methods of gaining power, so don’t feel the need to restrict yourself!

🌏 Tiers of government

The world is a big place, and while in some fantasy stories there is a single government that spans the entire world, that is not always the case. A decision you need to make is how government varies from place to place and how it is structured so it can work both at the local and “global” level. If there are different nations within your world, do they all have the same form of government? Within each nation, are there separate tiers for small communities, regions, and the country as a whole? And don’t forget to consider how this relates to each distinct culture.

🤝 Intergovernmental relations

Finally, if your world does support more than one government—whether they work in a similar fashion or not—it is essential to think about the relationship between those multiple governments. Are they hostile, ambivalent or friendly to one another? Do they engage in trade? Do they have a treaty in place? How do they deal with border or transnational disputes and what are their diplomatic arrangements? Formulating an idea of the intergovernmental relations gives you a great opportunity to inject conflict and tension into your story!

I have put quite a bit of thought into the way government works in the world of my WIP fantasy series Graceborn. When it comes to the main human nations, there are currently eleven distinct sovereign states, many of which are governed differently. Below, I summarise the key forms of government, how they work, and what dictates intergovernmental relations:

Directorial city-state: Asphodel, the home of the Graceborn, is a directorial city-state governed by the Council of Eight. As the name implies, the Council is made up of eight Graceborn, whose powers are set out in a document known as the Asphodel Charter. Each individual member of the Council chooses their successor.

Constitutional monarchy: The nations of Lomhara and Dalaith are governed under the Lomric system, a type of constitutional monarchy. In this system, laws are created and modified by a council of elected officials known as the Assembly, which are then implemented by a sovereign monarch. The monarch can be of any gender, but the position is hereditary.

Absolute monarchy: The nations of Maribor, Tarnow and Mykene are absolute monarchies, where the sovereign monarch has supreme authority over the law, its modification, and its enforcement. In Maribor and Tarnow, the line of succession is patrilineal, meaning only men can inherit, whereas in Mykene it is matrilineal, and only women can sit on the throne.

Oligarchy: The nations of Kannur and Narath are oligarchies, where authority over the law, its modification, and its enforcement lies with a small ruling class known as the Families. The Families come to power based on their wealth, military might, or other forms of demonstrated strength. There are currently four Families in Kannur and five Families in Narath.

(Presidential) republic: The nation of Rumen recently established a new form of government after its last king tried to take over the world. The common people in each region now elect a senator to represent them on the Senate, as well as two national leaders called Consuls. It’s a little complicated, but most closely resembles a “presidential” republic (I think).

Parliamentary republic: The nations of Finnmark and Hebron are parliamentary republics governed by a representative democratic system. The common people elect ministers who make up the Ministry, which makes and modifies laws by majority vote. The ministers themselves elect a leader called the First Minister, who acts as a figurehead for the nation.

Intergovernmental relations: The rules for intergovernmental relations are set out in a document known as the Treaty of Volund. It contains eight Articles, which detail agreements around Graceborn, objects of power, national borders, the universal language, currency and trade, and conventions on war. For the most part, the Treaty is followed, and the Graceborn acts as intermediaries.

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How does government work in your WIP’s world? Are there different kinds? What considerations do you think are important when it comes to forming government?