#domain turn

[sstabhmontown]

On Citizenship and Taxes

A slow introduction to the Domain Turn

As always of late, Tumblr has mangled the formatting of this post if you view it in the dashboard. Open it in the browser instead to see the table and the list as imagined.

Our language on Strongholds is about the end-game: you win. For as long as you keep playing, you can recruit henchfolk for free if you have a place for them to stay. But it seems that we have some appetite for more of an economic domain game after all.

The best domain rules I've seen are those in Kevin Crawford's Wolves of God. They have the right time-scale, being seasonal, and better yet they are grounded in a political economy, unlike Crawford's usual faction systems that are purely abstract game-pieces as in Worlds Without Number. In short—they rule. The second part of these rules (to follow) will be adapating and rewriting enough of that system to take it beyond dark-age england into our D&D non-time, a flattened ahistorical medieval that is every time between the year 600 and 1300, all at once but unevely distributed. Lots to do.

But first, what about everyone else? If I wanted to really build from scratch a game with this kind of grounding in political economy, I'd need either Wolves of God's curtailing of character types, or else an expansive view like Skerples' classic posts on Taxation and the Estates. But, a complex background system, more decisions at character creation, and entanglements with the world before a character is fully drawn are not things I am looking for in my drop-in friendly, low barrier game.

Becoming a citizen

The desperate characters we roll up at the table, who delve into dark places and criss-cross the landscape, are essentially members of the outlaw class. They are displaced persons, travellers from distant lands, or runaways making their own way. This is why everything they know about the region is probably from a rumours chart, and why nobody seems to remember them before they show up for an adventure. This is also why even when they meet civilized folk traveling the countryside, a few bad reactions can lead to bloody battle.

As Skerples puts it: “you owe no taxes, but you have no rights”.

As long as they continue their simple lifestyle of plundering tombs, travelling from place to place, and drinking towns dry, they stay this way. But at a certain point, they will want to put down roots: to establish a home base for magickal research, to swear a bond to a lord or holy order, or to establish a small church. Or simply because they find the building charts more friendly than the carousing ones for spending their money.

When a character enters the service of a lord or holy order, or establishes a home or place of commerce in town, they become a Citizen.

The Season Turn

On each Solstice or Equinox, or whenever a character returns to adventure in a place where they are a Citizen and one or more of those dates has passed since their last appearance here, they must settle their taxes. There are three steps to this:

Announce how much silver you have earned this season. Be sure to let your friends at the table know if you think your tally is accurate, and if your character is honest about it or not.

See how the local lord favours you—describe how your relationship has been with them, and roll a Reaction (2d6+Cha).

On 2–6, the spoils of your outlaw's life, in the dungeon and the wild, are judged to be ill-gotten gains, surely the rightful property of the lord. You owe it all, plus 10% tithe to the local church. There's likely an Accusation going around about you, depending on how much evidence there is of your profligacy or dishonesty on the numbers.

On 7–9, folks see you as a fine enough member of the community. But you have obligations. You owe 10% to the church, plus 50% to the local lord, or bishop for Clerics. The rest of your earnings, you'll be awarded as an allowance.

On 10+, you can avoid paying—if you'll use your high stature in the community to do a Service for those above you.

d6 Accusations Services 1 Witchcraft A gift of magic 2 Blasphemy Military conflict 3 Thievery Mediate a dispute 4 Robbery Tutor a student 5 Murder Manage some business 6 Treason Marriage

Try to get out payment!

There are several ways one might avoid ones debts. Here are a few:

If the lord himself, or whoever is above you in the church, owes you a favour, cross it off

If the lord's superior—the Duke, or the King, is known to be your ally, then the first season of arrears is likely to be ignored. Calling in their favour could get you out of several's worth of debts.

When you Carouse, mark down those you bring tribute to or celebrate with. Can they be called to vouch for you—deepening your debts for next season, but buying you time to find the gold?

If you are a Knight, sworn to service of your lord or a holy order, your needs are predictable: to Carouse at their hall, and to do a Service, each season.

If your peer is a Knight—they might be able to take you into their service, as long as you don't bring them into disrepute. But do you want to give them that power over you?

If you know the local lord personally—because they are a player character who has built a stronghold and remains in play—you can negotiate your own terms.

If you've done a Famous Heroic Deed beneficial to the realm, you can completely ignore the result of any one season in the year that follows.

Notes for next time:

How do we apply the Wolves of God domain rules more generally without losing their groundedness? How can we expand the "Found a Hamlet" move there to the development of towns and villages? And, what about wizards?

[sstabhmontown]

Merchants, heretics, and special advisors

Aside from becoming a Knight and taking other members of one's party into one's service, most likely to be possible for Fighters, there are a few other ways to change the taxation structure.

These rules are, even more than the first part, initial ideas likely to be bent or broken by the desires of our play-group.

Houses of worship outside the Church

Normally, Clerics pay their taxes only to the Church, being outside of the secular law, with amounts above their 10% tithe securing them favour and title within that body.

Clerics who don't follow the Pope (or Caliph or other official religious leader) have two basic options for the establishments they might build. And of course, the Cleric who does is likely to stray, since those in our party have many different ideas than their superiors, and are within the game an unusual figure. If a Cleric is the head of their own movement, they can hardly be said to owe any tribute to a Bishop above them. They can keep their earnings as long as they are recognized by civil authorities.

In general, rulers in the North who themselves are part of the Church do not look fondly upon other faiths. Only in the far Northwest where they have recently converted themselves are they likely to allow any houses for Pagan gods, and in either case are unlikely to welcome those built for the other book-faiths. In the South, the more tolerant world of the Caliphate is more likely to allow such houses, but each must be negotiated with the local ruler.

Alternately, especially for the Anti-cleric, such a house might disguise itself, either toeing the line of the official Church in public, or appearing to be a fully secular establishment. In this case, you'll be using the rules for common members of the third estate, unless you can get yourself involved in financing the lord's business, in which case your beaurocratic success will also get you access to this chart:

On a 2–6, the local ruler has had enough, and will repossess your land and evict you and your followers. Avoid this by making sure they are already in your debt.

On a 7–9, the local ruler is likely feeling pressure from the official faith to act against you. A 10% share for them to give to the official Church might help you to avoid a crack-down.

On 10+, the local lord has something they want your help with, outside of the strict guidelines of the official Church. This is your chance to share secret forbidden knowledge, to broker an agreement with a clandestine actor, or even to offer them membership in your heresy so they can accomplish something forbidden like Divorce.

The Merchant Adventurer

Although rare or even unheard of in the North, in the old empires of the East and more rarely in the Western cities of the Warm Sea, another type of arrangement is known: the Merchant Adventurer. These rogues could become famous and popular members of their communities, favoured by rulers, and settle into comfortable, independent lives.

This role is most likely to be taken on by a different sort of character: the class that most values the secrets knowledges of distant places and the flow of rare materials by commerce is of course the Magic User.

If the local ruler is availing themselves of a continuing service, you can surely avoid a 2–6 roll each year regardless of your official status.

If you can convince a ruler to recognize your outfit, you can pay them a flat 10% fee of your profits plus the value of your major properties like buildings and ships, plus of course your Tithe, on the 7–9 roll, and even on a 2–6 owe this much for your last season as you lose this status.

Royal advisors

Another route a Magic-user might take is to ingratiate themself with the lord as an advisor and executive for certain otherwise impossible tasks. This is treated similarly to a Knighthood, although without as sure an oath of service the Magic-user will have to continually prove their worth, and without the possibility of taking other characters into your service. Unlike taxpayers, such an advisor needs to check seasonally even when not present in the realm, taking -1 for each season they don't represent themself, cumulatively until their return.

On a 2–6 a rival is attempting to replace you at the lord's ear. If you can't come to terms with them, they'll replace you when this is rolled a second time.

On 7–9 things are stable so long as you carouse with your lord this season.

On a 10+, you'll be able to offer a service at your lord's request, or perhaps even of your own concotion, that might also advance your own interests in the world or raise your profile with more powerful patrons.

Additionally, you'll likely hear about Domain Events in your lord's realm. More on that to follow.