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High Control/Law Level Worlds

Hal

SOC-14 1K
Hello Folks,
I thought I'd post this and see what ideas shake out
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You're at work and the Boss has televid you saying "My boy, I've got great news for you! You've just been selected to represent the firm at <fill in planet name here of choice>. We have arranged for you to arrive there within 6 weeks - so start packing, as the journey itself is some 4 parsecs away."

With sinking heart, you realize that this world has a reputation for being one of the most tightly controlled worlds within the Imperium. As if to confirm your worst fears, you realize that your company has engaged the services of a really noteworthy, AND expensive law firm in case you get into trouble.

Here is the question: What would you expect such a world to be like? To start this off, here are some ideas ;)

1) the world has no hard cash currency - but instead invests in credit card system with but one central bank.

2) all travellers are expected to either read the regulations and rules of the world, or sign off on the waiver that states you are familiar with the rules and regulations.

3) all visitors are required by law to hire the services of specific transportation systems - failure to hire said services results in a fine to not only the off-worlder, but also to the firm that engaged in business outside its domain.

4) all visitors are required to check in with a central agency that seeks to protect off-worlders - as a precaution of course.

My question is - why would such a society have such a high Law level to begin with and how do they justify its existence elsewhere?
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Maybe the goverment feels threatened by its people which is a good reason to deny them arms and control their movements, finnancial transactions and behavior.

Perhaps they also have an extrememly xenophobic society so offworlders NEED protection from the populace.
Or the goverment could be involved in a sort of secret war with another world's goverment leading to a threat of terrorism by offworld types.
 
My question is - why would such a society have such a high Law level to begin with
because they can. many people have a great desire to control others. they'll talk about "hospital rules" or "officer safety" or "worker's rights" or "gun control" or "anti-terrorism" but the real goal is to get everyone around them into a position of having to do what they say ("take off your shoes and stand with your arms straight out.") whilst avoiding being in such a position themselves ("you don't need to know why we've arrested these people. national security and all that.").

'least, that's the american view. I hear the french are different.
 
Ask someone who's worked in an arab country (e.g. Saudi Arabia) - the rules there are sufficiently different (and in some cases draconian) that you can get into serious trouble doing something you didn't realise was wrong in their culture.
 
Tradition!


Also in a highly stratified society where most people have an ordained place with little social movement there is often little need for diversity in businesses or services. Certain companies / organizations managed by certain factions handling certain funcitons and all is well.

Examples that come to mind are the late medieval Guild structure (Borgia Family come to mind) and various Confucist systems. One way to view it is as a "Favor" system writ large. I’d be tempted to add Austro-Hungary though I’d have to look up just how much corporations were centralized and how much noble influence.

That’s another thing, local nobles (or the local equivalent) likely also run or have significant parts in the big companies and organizations, with the ones that work with offworlders being of either significant interest or seen as a “frontier outpost” depending on the current leaning towards opening up further dealing with offworlders.

If your visitor plays by the rules and adapts to the planet's culture his firm could likely stand to make a hefty profit. I'd suspect many others either don't bother or have not succeeded in this firms place. It's not that trade or whatever the firm does isn't desirable by this planet, it's that not many offworlders have approached it in the proper manner.

One other possibility for why offworlders have different treatment is perhaps the government / planet as a whole is a patchwork and views outside influence as potentially dangerous. Though likely a high control / law level world treats its native population similarly.

As for justifying it elsewhere beside efficiency and profit, it could seen as maintaining a traditional culture while integrating with Imperium standard technology (or close to it) and the Imperium is a big 'verse. With 11,000 worlds or so the Imperium frankly doesn't care nor can afford to care *how* member worlds are run in most cases.

[EDIT]Some additions and clarifications[/EDIT]

Casey
 
Such a place would easily come into being with a sufficiently harsh climate. Once leaders gain power over others, it is difficult to downgrade that power without rebellion. A failed rebellion would cause local leaders to get very cautious and restrictive. "Sir, put down the spoon and step back slowly!" :rolleyes:
The level of paranoia in a society could get extreme. Think of East Germany in the 70s. It was a persons duty to report any deviations out of the norm to your local police. Not to make a report was a reportable offense, even within a family. How many times was someone reported disloyal before they could file a report on the other reporter? "I saw him in the park after dark looking at the sky for signals. He must be arrested before he lets the invaders in!"
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All this was justified as a defense against Western aggression. The system failed when people found they could get out by crossing into eastern communist countries without heavy border defenses resulting in a flood of refugees. A planet ruled with such paranoia with no easy way off could become a restricted high control/high law world.
 
In CT in tipical american style law level was derictily related to gun controll, I like to think that was bacause for freebooters and mercs (the PC's) gun laws would be the first point of contencion for GM's and PC's alike (pc sais what can i get away with/ gm sais what can i nick them for) but what about those worlds (or naisions in the RW)with strict gun laws but lots of personal and social freedoms isn't un-fair to call places like the UK, Canada and my own land of OZ and their si-fi analogs high law areas when we have stringent gun laws to prevent fire arms from beaing placed in easy reach of violent offenders or those who become emotionally unstable arfter some personal crises??? conversaly what of places that due to historical presures have stricit civil codes but also requier their citizens to partispate in the militia and mantain personal assalt weapons?
some things to think about next time you generate a law level!
 
Actually 313 the ONLY people who can get firearms in the UK now without alot of bother are those scumbag criminals.

But this isn't a soapbox for me to rant.
 
Hal, I've made these additions IMTU. Please tell me if any of them apply to your dystopia:

GOV E: Non-Charismatic (Ethnic) Oligarchy; the economy is based upon slavery - the forced labor of a cultural, ethnic, or racial majority by another cultural, ethnic, or racial minority.

GOV F: Cybernetic Dictatorship; the government has been turned over to (or taken over by) an Artificially Intelligent Supercomputer. The AIS monitors and controls every aspect of every citizen's life (The 'Colossus' books).

And...

LAW B: No freedom of assembly; More than two people gathering in a public place is prohibited (Martial Law during peacetime).

LAW C: No freedom of movement; Movement beyond one's own neighborhood is restricted (Martial Law during times of war).

LAW D: No freedom of press; All press outlets are owned or controlled by the government (Cuba, Saddam's Iraq).

LAW E: No freedom of speech; Anything you say will be held against you. TEC 8+ worlds have ways of screening every conversation ('Brave New World', Orwell's '1984').

LAW F: No freedom of privacy; you belong to the State, which chooses when you procreate and how often. Your body may be used at any time as a source of spare parts. You never know when you may be the subject of a State-run 'behavioral modification' experiment (THX1138, the 'Cyberpunk' RPG).

IYTU, you may choose to change the order of LAW B to F. IMHO, this list represents a progressive invasion of an individual's right to privacy.
 
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