Rusty of Shackleford
Ten Thousand Club
So...I recently started playing the console version of Stellaris, and through playing it, it's made me wanted to do a science fiction RP. Specifically, one set in a civilization based off of the Roman republic and Roman Empire. Not entirely, I don't want full on space legionaries. Just a society that takes a lot of inspiration from the Romans. I have a basic idea for the governmental structure, alongside a few ideas for the overall culture and traditions, but I'm sort of running on empty beyond that. I don't really have many hardcore sci fi friends, so I need some help. For reference, this is a mostly hard sci fi setting. there are lasers and warp drives, but no teleportation or lightsabers. Here's what I have:
The [insert name here) Empire is an electoral dictatorship. At the very top of the government is the High Imperator. The High Imperator has absolute authority in the Empire, challenged only by the Consulate. The Consulate is the senatorial aspect of the empire. Despite what you'd think, the Consuls actually have quite a bit of power in the empire. Firstly, every Consul is the official commander of their own army in one of the branches of military. This means that while during wartime all armies answer to the Imperator, the armies in peace time are in direct control by the Consuls, meaning any attempts to reduce the Consulate's power could very easily lead to a coup. Secondly, they and they alone are responsible for elected a new High Imperator upon their death from among their number. Senator's themselves are elected by official citizens of the empire, though underhanded tactics such as bribery, intimidation, and propaganda ha smore or less turned the Consulate into an oligarchy. In order to become a Consul, or any government position, one must have served in any of the military branches, with the minimum amount of years in service varying. For example, a simple two year enlistment would get you into a seat on the local council, while the minimum needed to be elected a Senator is ten years.
The culture of the Empire is a fickle thing. They have a deep appreciation for philosophy and art, yet have reputation for brutality, decadence, and the assimilation of what they see as lesser peoples. They preach of living lives of enlightenment and order, yet the lavish parties of the capital are a sight to behold, and the envy of even it's greatest enemies. It preaches equality and opportunity to all who live within it, yet conquered peoples are routinely mistreated and cast aside, or even worse, used as slave labor. Gender roles are mostly flexible, but due to the militarist nature of society, there is a fair amount of sexism. Women are not forbidden from anything, and some of the Empire's greatest commanders and Consuls have been women, but many are still treated poorly.
I have a few ideas for it's origins but I'm having trouble nailing it down. The first idea is that the Empire is the result of several outer colonies being completely cut off form Earth, and being forced to adopt a more structured society after a bloody civil war. The other option is that they are Earth. Something similar happened, except this time the inner colonies were attacked by a mysterious alien species, and now Earth has finally recovered and begun it's expansion into the greater galaxy.
Sorry for that massive info dump! I just have a lot of ideas and need to focus things. Like I said, I am absolutely open for any ideas you may have to improve things! Like I said, I want the general feeling of the Roman Empire. The Emperor, Senators, cutthroat politics, imperialism, legions, philosophy, that sort of thing, so any ideas are open! Thank you for reading!
The [insert name here) Empire is an electoral dictatorship. At the very top of the government is the High Imperator. The High Imperator has absolute authority in the Empire, challenged only by the Consulate. The Consulate is the senatorial aspect of the empire. Despite what you'd think, the Consuls actually have quite a bit of power in the empire. Firstly, every Consul is the official commander of their own army in one of the branches of military. This means that while during wartime all armies answer to the Imperator, the armies in peace time are in direct control by the Consuls, meaning any attempts to reduce the Consulate's power could very easily lead to a coup. Secondly, they and they alone are responsible for elected a new High Imperator upon their death from among their number. Senator's themselves are elected by official citizens of the empire, though underhanded tactics such as bribery, intimidation, and propaganda ha smore or less turned the Consulate into an oligarchy. In order to become a Consul, or any government position, one must have served in any of the military branches, with the minimum amount of years in service varying. For example, a simple two year enlistment would get you into a seat on the local council, while the minimum needed to be elected a Senator is ten years.
The culture of the Empire is a fickle thing. They have a deep appreciation for philosophy and art, yet have reputation for brutality, decadence, and the assimilation of what they see as lesser peoples. They preach of living lives of enlightenment and order, yet the lavish parties of the capital are a sight to behold, and the envy of even it's greatest enemies. It preaches equality and opportunity to all who live within it, yet conquered peoples are routinely mistreated and cast aside, or even worse, used as slave labor. Gender roles are mostly flexible, but due to the militarist nature of society, there is a fair amount of sexism. Women are not forbidden from anything, and some of the Empire's greatest commanders and Consuls have been women, but many are still treated poorly.
I have a few ideas for it's origins but I'm having trouble nailing it down. The first idea is that the Empire is the result of several outer colonies being completely cut off form Earth, and being forced to adopt a more structured society after a bloody civil war. The other option is that they are Earth. Something similar happened, except this time the inner colonies were attacked by a mysterious alien species, and now Earth has finally recovered and begun it's expansion into the greater galaxy.
Sorry for that massive info dump! I just have a lot of ideas and need to focus things. Like I said, I am absolutely open for any ideas you may have to improve things! Like I said, I want the general feeling of the Roman Empire. The Emperor, Senators, cutthroat politics, imperialism, legions, philosophy, that sort of thing, so any ideas are open! Thank you for reading!
