Politcal Maneuverings as plot

Well there´s a lot of scope here. If you´re looking for reasons for forming a coalition you could also consider defence/attack (common enemy), economic factors (trade), there could also be religious reasons (against infidels(heathens/heretics), expansion through marriage. Lots of different avenues to follow with this one.

You could also look at what you can do with loyalties and strains on loyalties, and maybe how changes in the culture might affect traditional coalitions. Are there political dynasties? Is there corruption that's been winked at, up until the hero finds out about it?

English Civil War?

Kristin Landon said:

You could also look at what you can do with loyalties and strains on loyalties, and maybe how changes in the culture might affect traditional coalitions. Are there political dynasties? Is there corruption that's been winked at, up until the hero finds out about it?

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The English Civil War might make a good model for parliments and dynasties in conflict. As might the French Wars of Religion or even the
Thirty-Years War (with the Holy Roman Emperor as the elected by the seven electors)...actually all 3 of those sort of intersect...and even with the 80-year's war (Assorted netherlandish estates vs. assorted enemies headed by Spain)...Perhaps your hero could be a Sir Phillip Sidney type but avoid getting killed or a Prince Henry and avoid dying in his youth or a Mad Halberstadter and avoid all of his disasters...or the Winter Queen (who did not really do so badly all-in-all, if you count her offspring and their progeny)...or even Henry of Navarre and avoid getting assassinated or Richelieu and not be quite as successful, but more romantic. Of course there is Prince Rupert who did very well as a hero all-in-all. Or Cromwell (perhaps not as acceptable as a hero). Lots of choices in the 1565-1645 range. Plenty of intrigue.

you're not seriously asking us to give you a plot for your own story, are you? lol.

another to consider is the new king who, gasp, tries to help his people (for example by starting up a parliament). this naturally will piss off every nobleman and royal who likes things just the way they are. the focus isn't on the good king as much as the vile things that have to be done in order for the king's wishes to be fulfilled, rather an end justifies the means thing. biff, the duke of earl, stirring up a plot? he's gotta go then, and there ain't no impeachment process that doesn't end at the end of a pike, right? i'd probably make the king absurdly pious, yet he doesn't want to know the methods by which his goals are accomplished.

or the king could just be flat-out wonky. syphullus will do that to ya, ya know. hardliners will take his ramblings to heart while the rest realize the situation for what it is and know something has to be done. again, there's a plot to kill the king thing involved.

as far as models go, those are excellent ones to choose from, though i think you could look to the czars for inspiration, too. particularly the last one. this brings up the immediate aftermath of a successful revolution and the chaos therein. i actually like this one the best: the king and his family are slaughtered by the third chapter, if that long, and the conspiracy members begin to fragment. the new king quickly learns that compromises have to be made to keep everyone on the same chapter (because keeping them on the same page is impossible), and even some additional warfare to squelch the stubborn ones is in order. soon, he realizes that being a monarch isn't quite how he thought it'd be and some of the things the former king had to do is suddenly very understandable.

i also like the idea of a desposed king fleeing to another country, one where that king is sympathetic to him and invites him into his fold. the desposed king, naturally, attempts to wrest control from his host, gaining popularity with the court and commoners.

i think what you've got to ask yourself is 'political maneuverings to what end?' stereotypically it's all about money, power and women. sometimes revenge. very rarely you play people to accomplish something good. it can be to cover up some past whoopsie.

if you're asking for plot points, i'd need some more information first.

abemorgantis said:

True. Maybe I'll just dive right in and see where it goes.

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You could dive right in... and break your neck because you didn't notice how shallow it was under the bright reflection.

Politics makes great stories. Politics makes fantastic stories, especially since the more fantastic plot devices will inevitably draw comparisons to that original story. Like that goofy list of things not to do (such as questing for the object that will save/destroy the world). Sure, you could write the next "Lord of the Rings" – just like the other 23,000 people that have written the next "Lord of the Rings"... and their work still isn't breathed in the same sentence as "The Lord of the Rings."

At the very least, taking a political situation and wrapping a story around it will make it far more approachable by an audience that's demanding increasing sophistication in its escapism. We've seen Vietnam beaten to death in SF (and it wasn't half bad), why not use some of the middle east mess in fantasy?

Before you dive in, though, I'd strongly recommend a little due diligence. Work up your background: names, places, a little history. Once you've got it, for gawd's sake, DO NOT TELL ME ABOUT IT. Dribble it through the environment, tease me, tantalize me, but Do Not Infodump On Me.

So, ahmmm... other that that, go nuts!

i've seen a few fantasies with the mid east culture as a base, not necessarily modern issues put in a fantasy setting. more the interplay between tribes and how they consider women, that kind of thing. there wasn't even a disguise involved which was a bit off-putting.

that's what i don't like about alternate worlds, the idea that humans put in the same environment will also, say, degrade women based on their religion, as if there's no other possible outcome, or that the desert people in another world would also adapt identical clothing colours and patterns. castles i can buy into because, well, that seems a natural conclusion to me.

your environment can dictate cultural nuances which in turn suggests your religious, economic and government bases. for example, if your enviroment dictates a tribal setting, you probably won't have a represenative democracy. this *doesn't* mean you trade women for whiskey or camels.

in your story, you mentioned on the other thread a pervasive bleakness. we know there's a town, so it's a permanent place. we're then lead to believe this is typical of how people in the country live. you want a king, so you'll have a monarchy set-up. not sure if it's feudal or not, but you need to decide that, because your king could be beholden to the emperor (the king being the emperor's vassal, a lord vassal to the king, a fief holder vassal to a lord). this in itself can suggest a lot of avenues.

given the bleakness you're aiming for, that suggests to me an economically depressed town. not sure how far this idea extends, if it's just that one place or indicative of the country as a whole. again, a country in a depression can open up a lot of particular storylines.

since you're wanting some ideas, you'll have to tell us what kind of situation and characters are involved for starters, i think. i can tell you what i think is cool, but that's not to say that's good entertainment or right for your story. besides, i'm in a philosophical mood today, so off the top of my head i'd say the witch isn't capable of helping or isn't in town (or burned at the stake given the new decree by the king... i just think the remnants of the old crone chained to the charred post is a cool image). hop onto a caravan going towards the king's castle, and that part of the story involves the spiritual growth of that character as he travels and learns, which again suggests a base character to start with (given the bleakness of the surroundings, i'd probably go with an equally dismal-feeling character, one who learns the value of life along the way).

the king and his court, whoever they may be, will (philosophically) represent various aspects of life (paralled by the traveller, each section posing questions the opposite side answers, taking turns back and forth). it wouldn't necessarily be about overt intrigue, rather intriguing questions along the lines of the necessity of violence at times or the pitfalls of justice, a man's weakness in face of a woman's wiles or the cost of money against a man's soul (to mean what a man will do to survive, what he'll do against his nature to survive).

sounds boring and dialogue heavy, huh? not at all. it's a thinker, though.

or the princess is preggers, but who's the daddy? prince biff says it's not his, but will he defend his argument by going to war if he has to? what will prince biff do once the king has to save face by wiping out one of biff's border towns? and is the priestly advisor to both kingdoms playing them for some insidious purpose? or is he the father? these answers and more in the next exciting installment of 'who's your daddy?'

p.s. i rule. feel free to tell me that at any time, too. i'm always open to compliments.

abemorgantis said:

I imagining (along with a Bad Day In Fantasyland) a story, I'm not sure of the exact plot, about politcal maneuverings in a legislative body in a fantasy land, maybe a Parliament. I think ti would be interesting (at least to me) to write something like this.

Anybody have plot ideas besides "I'll give you my daughter if you join my coalition"?

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Here's a crazy, off-the-wall suggestion:

Why don't you do what other writer's usually do and RESEARCH the subject.

Find some history and politcal science books at the library or a local book store or online and READ them. I think this will help you a lot more as far as coming up with plot ideas for your story as well as ideas for generating conflict, setting, characters etc.

I'm still trying to figure out why (or perhaps what) you're asking. Political shenanigans have long been a popular motivator in fiction of all sorts. It sounds like you're fascinated with a "cool tool" you don't have any idea of how to use, when what you need is something like a story idea, or a ploit, or a character, or a setting, or a tale to tell, or....

brokenfingers said:

Here's a crazy, off-the-wall suggestion:

Why don't you do what other writer's usually do and RESEARCH the subject.

Find some history and politcal science books at the library or a local book store or online and READ them. I think this will help you a lot more as far as coming up with plot ideas for your story as well as ideas for generating conflict, setting, characters etc.

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I wholeheartedly agree with this.

If you want to write believable, interesting political conflict and intrigue set in a fantasy world, you really need to learn about real-world examples.