Political hierarchy

docs/political-hierarchy-system.md

Political Hierarchy System

Overview

The Political Hierarchy System in FeudalSim creates a comprehensive, player-driven governance structure that reflects medieval power structures. All positions are filled by players who perform specific in-game duties, make consequential decisions, and interact through a chain of command that mirrors historical political frameworks.

Core Principles

  • Player-Driven Governance: All positions are held by actual players, not NPCs
  • Meaningful Powers: Each role has specific powers and responsibilities
  • Hierarchical Structure: Clear chain of command with delegation and oversight
  • Dynamic Tenure: Positions can change hands through various mechanisms (election, appointment, conquest)
  • Consequence System: Political decisions have real gameplay impact
  • Factional Dynamics: Support, opposition, and political maneuvering

Hierarchical Structure

Sovereign Powers

#### Monarch (King/Queen, Sultan/Sultana, Emperor/Empress)

  • Selection: Hereditary, election (HRE), conquest
  • Powers:
  • Declare wars and sign peace treaties
  • Appoint/dismiss high officers of the realm
  • Issue royal edicts affecting entire kingdom
  • Control royal treasury allocation
  • Grant and revoke noble titles
  • Responsibilities:
  • Kingdom defense coordination
  • Diplomatic relations with other realms
  • Final arbiter in major disputes
  • Economic stability of the realm
  • Game Mechanics:
  • UI dashboard for realm management
  • Ability to send kingdom-wide announcements
  • Direct control over royal guard forces
  • Access to special royal privileges (tax income %)

#### Royal Council

  • Selection: Appointed by monarch or elected by nobles
  • Composition:
  • Chancellor (diplomacy)
  • Treasurer (economy)
  • Marshal (military)
  • Steward (administration)
  • Bishop/Mufti (religion)
  • Powers:
  • Advise monarch on realm policy
  • Manage specific aspects of realm governance
  • Limited veto power on royal decisions
  • Propose legislation to monarch
  • Game Mechanics:
  • Position-specific UI tools
  • Ability to allocate resources in their domain
  • Receive reports and intelligence relevant to their office

Provincial Powers

#### Duke/Duchess (Archduke, Grand Duke, Emir)

  • Selection: Appointed by monarch, hereditary, or election
  • Powers:
  • Command provincial military forces
  • Collect and distribute provincial taxes
  • Appoint counts within their duchy
  • Issue provincial laws (under royal law)
  • Maintain provincial court of justice
  • Responsibilities:
  • Provincial defense and security
  • Economic development of province
  • Infrastructure maintenance
  • Law enforcement and justice
  • Game Mechanics:
  • Provincial management dashboard
  • Military command interface for provincial forces
  • Tax collection and allocation system
  • Provincial project management

#### Ducal Council

  • Selection: Appointed by duke or elected by counts
  • Composition:
  • Seneschal (administration)
  • Constable (military)
  • Chancellor (legal)
  • Chamberlain (treasury)
  • Almoner (charity/religion)
  • Powers:
  • Advise duke on provincial matters
  • Approve ducal decrees
  • Represent interests of counts to duke
  • Manage specific ducal responsibilities
  • Game Mechanics:
  • Council voting system
  • Position-specific tools and dashboards
  • Communication channels with ducal court

Local Powers

#### Count/Countess (Earl, Graf, Bey)

  • Selection: Appointed by duke, hereditary, or merit-based
  • Powers:
  • Command county military forces
  • Collect county taxes
  • Appoint barons within county
  • Issue local ordinances
  • Administer justice at county level
  • Responsibilities:
  • Local defense
  • Economic management
  • Infrastructure maintenance
  • Law enforcement
  • Game Mechanics:
  • County management dashboard
  • Local military command
  • Tax and treasury management
  • Local projects interface

#### County Council

  • Selection: Appointed by count or elected by local barons
  • Composition:
  • Bailiff (administration)
  • Captain (military)
  • Reeve (economy)
  • Judge (justice)
  • Priest/Imam (religion)
  • Powers:
  • Advise count on local matters
  • Represent baronial interests
  • Manage specific local responsibilities
  • Limited veto on count's decisions
  • Game Mechanics:
  • Local voting system
  • Task-specific interfaces
  • Communication with county court

#### Baron/Baroness (Freiherr, Lesser Bey)

  • Selection: Appointed by count, hereditary, or merit-based
  • Powers:
  • Command barony forces
  • Collect barony taxes
  • Appoint local officials
  • Issue village/castle ordinances
  • Responsibilities:
  • Local defense
  • Economic production
  • Infrastructure maintenance
  • Law enforcement
  • Game Mechanics:
  • Barony management interface
  • Local military command
  • Production management
  • Justice administration

Religious Hierarchy

#### Religious Leaders

  • Pope/Patriarch/Grand Mufti/Chief Rabbi
  • Selection: Election by cardinals/high clergy
  • Powers:
  • Excommunicate rulers
  • Call religious wars (Crusades/Jihad)
  • Appoint high religious officials
  • Issue religious decrees
  • Control church treasury
  • Game Mechanics:
  • Religious decision interface
  • Excommunication and blessing system
  • Religious treasury management

#### Archbishops/Metropolitan Bishops/Grand Qadis

  • Selection: Appointed by Pope/Patriarch/Caliph or elected
  • Powers:
  • Oversee religious matters in province
  • Appoint local clergy
  • Collect religious taxes
  • Mediate religious disputes
  • Game Mechanics:
  • Provincial religious management
  • Religious tax collection
  • Clergy appointment system

#### Bishops/Qadis/Rabbis

  • Selection: Appointed by archbishop or elected by local clergy
  • Powers:
  • Oversee religious matters in county
  • Advise local rulers on religious matters
  • Manage church/mosque/synagogue properties
  • Provide religious services
  • Game Mechanics:
  • Local religious management
  • Property management interface
  • Religious service scheduling

Bureaucratic Positions

#### Royal Bureaucracy

  • Chancellery: Document management, royal seals, proclamations
  • Treasury: Tax collection, auditing, monetary policy
  • Judiciary: High courts, legal precedents, royal justice
  • Royal Household: Palace administration, ceremonies
  • Game Mechanics:
  • Specialized interfaces for each department
  • Document management system
  • Process queues for petitions and cases

#### Provincial Bureaucracy

  • Provincial Chancellery: Records, land grants, provincial seals
  • Tax Office: Provincial tax collection and distribution
  • Courts: Provincial justice and law enforcement
  • Public Works: Infrastructure management and projects
  • Game Mechanics:
  • Provincial document management
  • Tax collection interface
  • Court case management
  • Project planning and execution

#### Local Bureaucracy

  • Local Records Office: Documentation of local matters
  • Tax Collection: Local tax gathering
  • Sheriff/Constable: Law enforcement
  • Guild Management: Oversight of local craft and trade guilds
  • Game Mechanics:
  • Local record keeping
  • Tax management
  • Law enforcement interface
  • Guild licensing and regulation

Decision-Making Mechanisms

Royal/Imperial Level

  • Royal Decrees
  • Issued directly by monarch
  • May require council approval depending on realm laws
  • Takes effect immediately across the realm
  • UI system for creating, approving, and publishing decrees
  • Council Legislation
  • Proposed by council members
  • Requires majority council approval
  • Requires royal assent to become law
  • Voting system with timed deliberation period
  • Royal Assemblies
  • Called by monarch for major decisions
  • Includes all high nobles of the realm
  • Decisions require majority or supermajority
  • Special session interface with voting and debate features

Provincial Level

  • Ducal Ordinances
  • Issued by duke/duchess
  • May require council approval
  • Applies to entire province
  • Provincial decree interface with notification system
  • Provincial Assemblies
  • Called by duke for important matters
  • Includes counts and important barons
  • Decisions by majority vote
  • Assembly interface with voting and discussion

Local Level

  • County Proclamations
  • Issued by count
  • Applies to county territories
  • May require council ratification
  • Local decree system with approval workflow
  • Baronial Decisions
  • Made by baron for local governance
  • Applies to village/town/castle
  • Simple decision interface with local announcement

Religious Decisions

  • Papal Bulls/Fatwa/Religious Edicts
  • Issued by high religious authority
  • Binding on all followers of the faith
  • Religious decree system with distribution workflow
  • Diocesan/Regional Religious Decisions
  • Made by archbishop/regional authority
  • Applies to religious matters in province
  • Provincial religious management interface

Player Interactions and Politics

Political Actions

  • Forming Alliances
  • Create formal or informal political blocs
  • Share resources and military support
  • Alliance creation and management interface
  • Political Intrigue
  • Spying on other nobles
  • Undermining political opponents
  • Secret messaging and agent deployment system
  • Rebellion and Civil War
  • Challenge authority through armed conflict
  • Rally supporters to your cause
  • Faction and rebellion management system
  • Diplomatic Marriage
  • Form alliances through marriage
  • Gain claims to titles and land
  • Marriage negotiation and arrangement system

Voting and Elections

  • Election Mechanics
  • Campaign for positions
  • Gain support through promises, favors, or bribes
  • Voting interface with candidate profiles and platforms
  • Councils and Assemblies
  • Debate issues before voting
  • Form voting blocs
  • Council chamber interface with discussion and voting
  • Impeachment and Removal
  • Remove corrupt or incompetent officials
  • Require sufficient support
  • Impeachment proceedings interface with evidence presentation

Implementation Requirements

Database Schema

-- Political Positions
CREATE TABLE political_positions (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT uuid_generate_v4(),
  title TEXT NOT NULL,
  rank INTEGER NOT NULL,  -- hierarchical level
  type TEXT NOT NULL,     -- royal, noble, religious, bureaucratic
  powers TEXT[],          -- array of power identifiers
  responsibilities TEXT[],
  region_id UUID REFERENCES regions(id),
  is_vacant BOOLEAN DEFAULT TRUE,
  character_id UUID REFERENCES characters(id),
  appointment_date TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE,
  term_end_date TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE,
  created_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW()
);

-- Councils
CREATE TABLE councils (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT uuid_generate_v4(),
  name TEXT NOT NULL,
  type TEXT NOT NULL,  -- royal, ducal, county, religious
  region_id UUID REFERENCES regions(id),
  leader_position_id UUID REFERENCES political_positions(id),
  max_members INTEGER NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW()
);

-- Council Memberships
CREATE TABLE council_memberships (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT uuid_generate_v4(),
  council_id UUID REFERENCES councils(id),
  position_id UUID REFERENCES political_positions(id),
  character_id UUID REFERENCES characters(id),
  role TEXT NOT NULL,  -- chancellor, treasurer, etc.
  voting_power INTEGER DEFAULT 1,
  joined_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW(),
  term_end TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE,
  created_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW()
);

-- Political Decisions
CREATE TABLE political_decisions (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT uuid_generate_v4(),
  title TEXT NOT NULL,
  description TEXT NOT NULL,
  type TEXT NOT NULL,  -- decree, law, ordinance, etc.
  status TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'draft',  -- draft, pending, approved, rejected, implemented
  author_id UUID REFERENCES characters(id),
  position_id UUID REFERENCES political_positions(id),
  council_id UUID REFERENCES councils(id),
  region_id UUID REFERENCES regions(id),
  effects JSONB,  -- game effects when implemented
  requires_approval BOOLEAN DEFAULT TRUE,
  approval_threshold INTEGER DEFAULT 51,  -- percentage needed
  proposal_date TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW(),
  implementation_date TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE,
  expiration_date TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE,
  created_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW()
);

-- Votes
CREATE TABLE votes (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT uuid_generate_v4(),
  decision_id UUID REFERENCES political_decisions(id),
  character_id UUID REFERENCES characters(id),
  position_id UUID REFERENCES political_positions(id),
  vote TEXT NOT NULL,  -- approve, reject, abstain
  voting_power INTEGER DEFAULT 1,
  reason TEXT,
  cast_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW(),
  created_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW()
);

-- Alliances and Relationships
CREATE TABLE political_relationships (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT uuid_generate_v4(),
  party1_id UUID REFERENCES characters(id),
  party1_position_id UUID REFERENCES political_positions(id),
  party2_id UUID REFERENCES characters(id),
  party2_position_id UUID REFERENCES political_positions(id),
  relationship_type TEXT NOT NULL,  -- ally, rival, neutral, vassal, liege
  relationship_value INTEGER DEFAULT 0,  -- -100 to 100
  start_date TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW(),
  end_date TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE,
  created_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NOW()
);

UI Components

  • Political Dashboard
  • Overview of political position and responsibilities
  • Pending decisions requiring attention
  • Power meter showing influence and authority
  • Recent political events affecting character
  • Council Chamber
  • List of council members and positions
  • Current issues for debate and voting
  • Voting history and council decisions
  • Political relationships with other members
  • Decision Interface
  • Create new political decisions/laws
  • Review pending decisions
  • Cast votes with reasoning
  • Monitor implementation of approved decisions
  • Political Map Mode
  • Visualize territorial control
  • Show political relationships
  • Highlight contested areas
  • Display faction influences

API Endpoints

  • Political Positions
  • GET /api/politics/positions - List available positions
  • GET /api/politics/positions/:id - Get position details
  • POST /api/politics/appointments - Appoint character to position
  • DELETE /api/politics/appointments/:id - Remove from position
  • Councils
  • GET /api/politics/councils - List councils
  • GET /api/politics/councils/:id - Get council details
  • POST /api/politics/councils/:id/members - Add council member
  • DELETE /api/politics/councils/:id/members/:memberId - Remove member
  • Decision Making
  • GET /api/politics/decisions - List decisions
  • GET /api/politics/decisions/:id - Get decision details
  • POST /api/politics/decisions - Create new decision
  • POST /api/politics/decisions/:id/votes - Vote on decision
  • PUT /api/politics/decisions/:id/implement - Implement approved decision
  • Political Relations
  • GET /api/politics/relations - Get character's political relations
  • POST /api/politics/relations - Create/update relation
  • DELETE /api/politics/relations/:id - End political relationship

Player Progression and Mechanics

Career Advancement

  • Starting Positions
  • New players begin as lesser officials or nobles
  • Must prove capability to advance to higher positions
  • Gain experience and reputation in government service
  • Appointment System
  • Higher-ranking players appoint lower positions
  • Requires recommendation or reputation
  • Term limits may apply to certain positions
  • Election System
  • Some positions filled through election
  • Campaign mechanics with promises and alliances
  • Different voting systems (simple majority, ranked choice)

Political Capital

  • Earning Political Capital
  • Successful governance actions
  • Completing political tasks
  • Maintaining alliances and support
  • Implementing popular decisions
  • Spending Political Capital
  • Push through controversial decisions
  • Influence votes and appointments
  • Override opposition
  • Fast-track initiatives

Political Consequences

  • Decision Impact
  • Economic effects (taxes, trade, production)
  • Military consequences (morale, readiness)
  • Social impact (happiness, unrest, migration)
  • Diplomatic repercussions (relations with other realms)
  • Accountability
  • Performance metrics for each position
  • Impeachment or recall for poor performance
  • Reputation effects lasting beyond term of office
  • Historical record of governance actions

Balancing Mechanisms

  • Term Limits
  • Prevent monopolization of power
  • Create turnover in important positions
  • Allow more players to experience governance
  • Checks and Balances
  • Higher positions can override lower ones but at political cost
  • Councils can check individual power
  • Religious authorities can influence secular decisions
  • Popular opinion affecting decision implementation
  • Active Player Requirements
  • Activity requirements for position holding
  • Automatic removal after inactivity period
  • Deputy system for temporary absences
  • Emergency succession for abandoned positions

Integration with Other Systems

  • Economy System
  • Political decisions affect regional economies
  • Tax policies influence markets and production
  • Trade agreements open new economic opportunities
  • Infrastructure projects funded by government
  • Military System
  • Command structure follows political hierarchy
  • Military campaigns require political authorization
  • Different positions control different types of forces
  • Defense budgets allocated through political process
  • Religion System
  • Tension between secular and religious authority
  • Religious influence on political decisions
  • Political protection or persecution of faiths
  • Religious requirements for certain positions
  • Social System
  • Political decisions affect population happiness
  • Public events and appearances build popularity
  • Social connections influence political advancement
  • Class and status affecting political opportunities

Implementation Timeline

Phase 1: Core Political Structure

  • Implement basic title hierarchy
  • Create council system
  • Build appointment mechanisms
  • Develop decision-making framework

Phase 2: Political Gameplay

  • Implement voting systems
  • Add political capital mechanics
  • Create political relationship system
  • Develop political map visualization

Phase 3: Integration

  • Connect politics with economy system
  • Integrate with military command structure
  • Link to religious hierarchy
  • Implement social consequences

Phase 4: Advanced Features

  • Add rebellion and civil war mechanics
  • Implement diplomatic marriage system
  • Create dynasty and succession mechanics
  • Develop political intrigue and spying

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