Your Elective Fantasy - How will your elective realm work ?

[Rags17]

With the latest dev diary PDX has finally opened up the elective succession mechanics to modders and lunatics such as myself, complete with two new pre-made elective succession types - Princely Elective and Imperial Elective.

Fine, fine, all good and well and BOY am I looking forward to all the cutthroat intrigue and backstabbing that will ensue playing in the ERE. But I since the devs have said that players will be able to mod in their own weightings for elector concerns I thought now would be a good time to start thinking about how to completely screw the system with new elective types.

Here's some sensible ones for starters -

Pure Democracy - Everyone is an elector, the most important factors are the elector's opinion of the candidate and whether or not they have the "X Sent me a GIft" opinion modifier.

Plutocracy - Every landed person in the realm gets a vote, the candidate with the most cash on hand is the main successor

Theocratic Conclave - Only theocrats of the current title holder's religion with a certain honorary title (viz Cardinal) are electors, opinions are heavily weighted towards Zealots with high Learning and Diplomacy, along with whatever the theocracy considers to be a holy trait, eg Kind, Humble, Generous etc.

Divine Succession - Only candidates with a certain bloodline need apply. Electors are anyone with that same bloodline, or to mix things up a bit - another, competing bloodline !


Maybe not so sensible -

SInister Succession - Left handers only need apply - all candidates and electors must have the left handed trait.

Figurehead Succession - Only candidates who are Incapable, Infirm or Imbecile need apply. Will almost always require a Regent to rule, electors consist of the most powerful rulers of the realm.

Kidz Rule ! - Only candidates under the age of 16. Electors are all other children aged 6 or more.

Nasty, Brutish and Short - Only characters with a Martial or Intrigue education are electors. Opinions weighted towards Wroth, Lunatic, Possessed and Cannibal characters. Bonus option - only members of the Devil Worshipers (or local variant) with Dark Power above a certain threshold are eligible to be candidates !

 

[klopkr]

These are all so fun! I hope they add some into the game and let you select them as options in random worlds.

I'd love to see the awful successions as a possible option lunatics might get an event to take.

If you become the leader of a devil cult then I think you should get a decision if you're powerful enough to enact a 'realm of the damned' and give you a special 'kingdom of evilgodsname' with a succession that makes all cult members eligible and make them elect based on who's the most satanic. Non members of a devil cult would probably all have to get a -200 optinnion modifier though.

 

[Dragatus]

One thing that could also be done is to have the ruler as the sole elector, but limit candidates. Essentially this would create a restrictive designation succession.

Xweddodah Designation: you can designate children or siblings born from a divine blood union.
Beauty Contest: can only select dynasts with a sex appeal trait.
Gender Cycling: you can only chose a candidate of the opposite gender.
Zodiac Succession: you can only chose an heir who has the same zodiac sign as you, but it can be anyone from your dynasty. Requires you to have Astrology doctrine. Alternative version would require the heir to have whatever zodiac sign comes after yours (so if you're Leo your heir must be Virgo and their heir must be Libra and so on).
Heroic Appointment: you get to choose from among dynasts who are Strong, Brawny, or Brave and who can't be Craven. Downside is that you must have someone like that in your dynasty or else.

 

[daisha]

First I want dozens of mutations in the After the End mod, then I want Atomicists to do succession by elective, mutated electors only, choosing the most mutated among them.

 

[icedt729]

I'm working through how I would modify the Byzantine/Roman succession for Chinese empires. The nasty trick for that one is that in most cases the court would favor a competent and popular close relative of the emperor, but when times are bad they might intentionally set the realm up for a long-term regency by a maternal relative.

It'd also be fun to set up some kind of warrior-aristocracy high kingship, where voters favor Prestige, Martial, and Personal Combat stats and pretenders can duel for the throne.

 

[Woifee]

Herizogo:
For pagan, tribal Saxony. King is a totally passive immortal placeholder character. When the Kingdom is attacked the landed character ls elect among themselves the character with the best military stats and troops to lead them in the war. If he dies they elect a new one. As soon as the war is over thr placeholder character returns to be the king, thr Herizogo loes the title and his claim to it.

Tribal authority is increased trough factions. At second highest every character is allowed to fabricate claims, at max authority characters are allowed to press claim amd with it change the SL. Rulers not part of the faction will hate the King, may start a faction to return to the old ways.

I’m no expert in modding but I assume I have to do a lot trough events.

Edit: members ot this kingdom act like independent. During peacetime they can raid each other and subjugate each other. But also ally each other to attach outside realms to add new lamd with newly created characters in charge of the counties to the kingdom.
If a ruling Dynasty of a county dies out without heir a courtier will inherit. If no courtier is available one will be created.
If a duke tier dynasty dies out without heir a count tier vassal inherits. If no vassal is available a courtier inherits. Like they would be independent.

 

[Foefaller]

I think it would be interesting for electors and candidates to be gendered roles: i.e. Female electors/elders and male candidates or male electors/elders and female candidates.

I also like the previously mentioned idea for candidates or electors being limited to society members.

I'm working through how I would modify the Byzantine/Roman succession for Chinese empires. The nasty trick for that one is that in most cases the court would favor a competent and popular close relative of the emperor, but when times are bad they might intentionally set the realm up for a long-term regency by a maternal relative.

It'd also be fun to set up some kind of warrior-aristocracy high kingship, where voters favor Prestige, Martial, and Personal Combat stats and pretenders can duel for the throne.

I think you'd use the Elder Succession stances that change based on how "stable" the elector thinks the realm is, based off of things like prosperity, revolts, wars, epidemics, whether the ruler is insane/senile etc.

If they think everything's well and good, then they pick a competent candidate. If they don't, then they'll pick the female relative, or an infant and you add an event where a high-skilled female dynast becomes the regent.

 

[GoldenShotgun]

Medieval Technocracy: Electors are characters with highest Learning and/or Scholarship focus, voting heavily on who is the most learned among them. Hermetic Society members may or may not pull the strings.

 

[Silversweeeper]

It obviously depends on what is feasible to mod (which is hard to tell before the code is accessible), but things I'm planning to try:

- A Thing succession type, where either personal levies or personal holdings count as votes (depending on which works best) to simulate every (free) man voting.

- A Gavelkind replacement where the ruler (and possibly his council) "vote" on how the realm is split between his sons (or brothers/etc.) instead of the game automatically dictating it.

- A version of the ERE/RE elective law where the Emperor's candidate automatically wins but other people that get sufficient votes can opt to instantly declare war for the throne.

- A new Papal succession law where the cardinals' voting is scripted (if possible; it is unclear if non-vassals can vote).

- An appointment succession law where the top liege and his councillors (and the holder) vote on the replacement for a viceroy (which I've received contradictory responses to the feasibility of in the dev diary thread).

- A new nomadic succession law where prestige, martial traits, etc. factor in and all kinsmen (and possibly the clan heads) are electors and losers can opt to become adventurers (either targeting the realm that didn't elect them or a neighbouring one), to simultate the Kurultai.

 

[C.N.]

I'm just wondering if you can have a system where the candidate that's the most successful breeder wins (most children without bad genetic traits), preferably combined with divine blood. No evolutionary dead-ends on the sacred throne!

 

[CassCD]

The Throne of Pain:

Life is pain and only those who have suffered the worst can know how to rule a realm. Anyone who's survived the loss of a body part and/or suffering from a long-term disease can apply. Bonus points if you're stressed and/or depressed. Not really related to the voting system, but in this dark, twisted fantasy of mine, parents can "break" their children in preparation for the throne. Only once they're of age, of course, I'm not evil or anything.

 

[Silversweeeper]

The Throne of Pain:

Life is pain and only those who have suffered the worst can know how to rule a realm. Anyone who's survived the loss of a body part and/or suffering from a long-term disease can apply. Bonus points if you're stressed and/or depressed. Not really related to the voting system, but in this dark, twisted fantasy of mine, parents can "break" their children in preparation for the throne. Only once they're of age, of course, I'm not evil or anything.

Found the Nurgle/Slaanesh cultist!

 

[GoldenShotgun]

Entire Team Is Spy!

The kings and emperors make grand speeches about "nobility" and "divine right", but behind all of them is a schemer who strangled an upstart brother or arranged an unfaithful wife to have an "accidental" fall off a bridge. Any who have mastered the art of the Cloak and Dagger, or held the rank of Spymaster are eligible; the throne goes to the stealthiest and cleverest.

(Translation: High intrigue and spying jobs net you the throne. Call it "Conclave of Spies" or "Backstabbers' Kingdom".)

 

[icedt729]

- An appointment succession law where the top liege and his councillors (and the holder) vote on the replacement for a viceroy (which I've received contradictory responses to the feasibility of in the dev diary thread).

I'm very interested in how implementable this is. I'd like to do something similar if it does work out.

 

[neutrondecay]

I have a polytheistic faith in which I'd like one or more deities to have their own high priests. The electors for the post would be everyone anywhere who worships the relevant god (tracked by a modifier), and the job itself is a titular duchy.

I wonder if I can make that work?

nd

 

[Dragatus]

I'm pretty sure that should be possible. You'd make the succession tied to the specific title and then you can make it so that candidates and electors are people who have the right modifier. The one issue is that you can still only have a single religious head. So the two options are to either make the religion have no religious head, in which case the high priesthood will be more of a honorary thing and you can't have great holy wars, claim grants, invasions, and all the other stuff religious heads can do for you. Or you can have a king tier religious head that has it's own elective succession in which the candidate and electors are the high priests for the individual gods.

 

[neutrondecay]

I'm pretty sure that should be possible. You'd make the succession tied to the specific title and then you can make it so that candidates and electors are people who have the right modifier. The one issue is that you can still only have a single religious head. So the two options are to either make the religion have no religious head, in which case the high priesthood will be more of a honorary thing and you can't have great holy wars, claim grants, invasions, and all the other stuff religious heads can do for you. Or you can have a king tier religious head that has it's own elective succession in which the candidate and electors are the high priests for the individual gods.

The idea is that the faith is too sprawling and disorganised to have a proper religious head, but some interactions, such as seeking a coronation, would apply to specific priests and high priests.

nd

 

[Henroz]

Guys From The 21th Century With a Time Machine Came Here And Founded This (G.F.T.2.C.W.A.T.M.C.H.A.F.T)
Every existing character in the realm votes, and the ruler automatically abdicate to the successor every X years. (probably four)
Everyone can try to become the Ruler as long as he have the money to launch the candidature, have the deceitful trait and is accepted by the council.

Good ol' USA's Military Puppet State
Only the current ruler can vote. Period. (Actually other people can vote but their votes are ignored)