What type of government/hierarchy do you use? And how many kinds are there?

[dannYves]

I struggle a bit with coming up with a form of government (i.e., dictatorship, ect...) and am curious to see what people usually use... so what type of government do you guys use?

 

[pmmg]

Well...I try to pick a form of government that seems suitable to the culture I am trying to write/invent, and would seem to be something that would organically have formed from the people present in the world. In the current work there are some Kings of small kingdoms, and some lords. In others there is more of an overlord, and in yet others there are things that are more tribal in nature with elders having respected roles. The most prominent leader type in my current WIP is a Jarl, but he does not play much in the story. There is a Princessa in the story, and she has siblings, but their title does not play much in the story either.

For great swaths of the lands, I think there would be close to no formal ruling entity, or only marginal allegiance to one.

 

[WooHooMan]

My government gimmick in this current setting is "no heredity monarchies and no democratic republics".
Military dictatorships, theocracies and guild republics/corporatocracies are the most common types of government. Various forms of anarchism are also common, usually based on different attempts of anarcho-communism through the first half of the 1900's.
There's a backstory reason why those systems got big while monarchism never really took-off.

 

[Orc Knight]

All sorts. From Military monarchies that (are supposed to) change rulers whenever someone gains enough power as a war leader and kills the one at the top to Proto-demococratic rule by representatives. A police state magocracy with golems and who's knights and griffon calvary purge the monster races in the city for fun and training. The drow hold a matriarchal monarchy that also has the new Matriarch(s) chosen because they killed the one before them. Much like the first military monarchy I named, they've had a bit of an issue getting past the current ruler. There's also tribal style rule and communes that mostly consist of farmers.

 

[Viorp]

Feudalism, Tribalism or Theocracy
Sometimes witch some old timey democracy, but usually not.

 

[skip.knox]

How are you planning to use the form of government in a story? That is, if there's to be an assassination, then some sort of monarchy, dictators included, would be the best choice. If it's a story of rival families, then the field is broader.

The other posts should answer your original questions: people use all kinds of governments, including none!

 

[elemtilas]

How are you planning to use the form of government in a story? That is, if there's to be an assassination, then some sort of monarchy, dictators included, would be the best choice. If it's a story of rival families, then the field is broader.

Standard transfer of power, that.

But themes surrounding assassination work well in democratic republics as well. Consider the multi-decade saga of the Kennedy assassination. That's still an ongoing story half a century later.

Family dynamics also work in republics, whether as rivals or coherent power bases. Consider the (successful) dynasties of Kennedy and Bush and the (failed) dynasty of Clinton.

The other posts should answer your original questions: people use all kinds of governments, including none!

Right. I am not aware of any truly or even largely democratic governments in The World. No presidents or premiers. Many queens, emperors, archons, chiefs and archimandrites though.

 

[Rkcapps]

Use whatever you imagine! As long as you write around rules in mind, you'll keep a reader happy if the story works

 

[Corwynn]

My world, being a world in transition, has a variety of government types.

You have your garden variety feudal and absolute monarchies (and do note, there is a difference).

There are tribes in the backwater regions of the world that have a wide variety of governing strategies, but by and large tend to be informal and egalitarian. Some of these have formed tribal confederacies for mutual benefit.

There are constitutional monarchies with elected legislatures as well. These run the gamut from places where the monarch is a powerless figurehead, to realms where the monarch can freely disregard or dissolve parliament, and various shades in between.

Rebublics exist, and take multiple forms. One major nation is a presidential representative democracy, while other states may be noble or merchant republics.

There are a couple of timocracies where the state is run by the military, or else is heavily militarized.

At least one theocracy exists, and is ruled by a god-emperor and his attendant priesthood.

No magocracies however, since the abilities of thaumaturgists are too much in demand for them to waste them governing.

 

[D. Gray Warrior]

I like to play around with them. I try to stay away from the stereotypical feudal monarchy, but otherwise don’t mind there being kings and royal families.

There is at least one Roman styled Republic, though I might tweak to make it a collective body like Switzerland.

I’ve been wanting to toy with diarchies and elective monarchies, and I have heard that a single ruler leading an entire nation was uncommon, if not rare, until feudalism emerged and the king was seen as a symbol of the state. I am not sure about the accuracy about this, though.

 

[Chekaman]

Vallermoore-A Queendom, with the difference that most Queens are lesbian so rather then being passed down through a family, there is some flexibility, avoiding the dangers of inbred monarchs over time. The most recent Queen is straight and had a daughter, whose death has driven her slightly insane.

The Kraken States-a group of islands each ruled by a Kraken, who owe loyalty to the greatest Kraken of them all, Big Red. The islands have councils that are either democratically elected or chosen by the riches amongst them or the Kraken in charge.

The De Madden Company-run by the Lord High Admiral, also known as the Shogun. Part meritocracy, part autocracy, with a Council of Admirals to advise the Shogun.