Different Types of Government for Your Fantasy Nation
So, you're trying to make a some fantasy nations. You have a militaristic one with the big bad general leader, a peaceful one with a cute little elder council, the monarchy based one with the tyrant king, and the normal one with the elected officials. But, those aren't really unique (not that there's anything wrong with it if they aren't the focus of your story) they're derivative. Besides, do you really think a world that has had thousands, millions, or billions of years to develop would have the same forms of government as ours? So if you're having trouble fine-tuning your governments, here are some examples:
One-party state
A one-party state is a government structure in which only a single political party controls the ruling system. In a one-party state, all opposition parties are either outlawed or have limited and controlled participation in elections.
Real life examples: Nazi Germany, Workers Party of Korea (North Korea), Communist Party of China, etc
2. Ergatocracy
A society with rule by the proletariat, the workers, or the working class. This type of society was likely the end goal of Karl Marx and the original Communist movement.
3. Technocracy
A society where experts, scientists, and specialists lead decision-making instead of elected officials.
4. Plutocracy "Rule by the Rich"
A society that is ruled by those of create wealth.
5. Theocracy
A form of autocracy or oligarchy in which one or more deities are recognized as supreme ruling authorities, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries, with executive, legislative, and/or judicial power, who manage the government's daily affairs.
Examples: a sea god rules their city on an island, a group of nature gods rule a city of dryads.
6. Noocracy: Rule by the wise;
A system of governance in which decision making is in the hands of philosophers, envisioned by Plato.
7. Government by Lottery:
A person is selected at random by lottery to be the ruler for a set period of time. You could have this be legitimate or simply be a system to install puppet rulers to prevent them from gaining too much power/reputation. For example, you could build a story about a poor laborer being drawn for the lottery only to discover it's all just a sham to prevent a ruler from taking power from the regents.
Other things to consider in government:
If there is voting, consider putting unique age limits. For example, you could have only teens be able to vote (because they have a mix of childish innocence but also developing knowledge), or only children under 12 (because they are “pure” and “uncorrupted”, or only the elderly (because they are “wise” and have much life experience). This could create a unique dynamic as candidates create campaign strategies based on their demographic, which could create some comedy, like offering a ban on timeouts or free lollipops everyday, or setting in place stricter quality laws on nursing homes.
If there is a ruler, what are the criteria for being a ruler. Do they have to be the strongest, the fastest, the bravest, etc. Do they have to be a certain race, species, or gender. Are they simply a puppet, or do they have autonomy?
If your government is corrupt, how so? Is there just the classic greed and power lust. Or is it something else, like a fungi virus or infection that takes over the rulers?
These are just some things you can do to make your fantasy government more compelling to readers.
