Well, like it or not, some system of governance is a vital part of any world, and with some luck, it can even be fun. You've seen it play out in many stories. The dystopian government that needs to be defied, the evil Empire (or New Order), the tribal council, the council of mages, the corrupt governor, the evil king, the kind king being manipulated....the list goes on. But the society of your story includes many more dynamics than simply the government. It is the rules of society in which your character must move and act. Who has the power, is your character on the side of the power or do they oppose the current system? Is part of their journey learning how terrible the seemingly good system is? Are they going to struggle with their feelings about the world and conclude that the current system is actually a net positive?
Is your character a kid at school, and the system of government the other kids? Is your character on a interstellar ship subject to the rules of an AI? Here are some questions you might want to ask when designing the governing system of your world.
- Who is in power, and how are they chosen? (e.g. assigned, elected, last-person-standing, prettiest toenails)
- How does the government/society provide for the needs of its members? (In a schoolyard story, the needs of the members may mean acceptance. In an epic fantasy, it may mean the entire economy with levels of production and commerce.)
- How much agency does your character (and the general populace) have over their own life? (Can they choose any path in life, or are they cast in a certain role? Are they "Chosen" and therefore bound to a certain path, or are they free to become what they want? How does someone choose what job they will have in life?
- What is the social stratification? Are there wealthy and poor classes? Are there inherited roles? How easy is it to cross or intermingle between strata? How strong are class bonds?
- What role does religion play in your society? Religion has been a large part of all earth societies. Do your characters have religion at all? If so, what do they believe, what are they allowed to believe?
Another way to look at government is to note who cares about who? In order to make things simple, you can look at these two divisions. The individual and the tribe. When I say tribe, I mean the people that an individual cares about beyond themselves.
How does your character provide for their own needs in their society? How do they interact with their tribe? Does the society incentivise working with others like in many oriental cultures, or are people supposed to stand on their own two feet like in the USA? How far does their tribe extend? Is it their immediate family or housemates? Is it extended family? Is it their group of friends or co-workers? Who is their tribe, and how far would your character go to help them?
How does the overall government treat the tribes? Does it encourage family units? Does it encourage extended family units? Does it discourage or outlaw ties to blood relations?
In the USA, this year is a big deal for government. Maybe you feel like you don't have any control over what is happening. Maybe you feel like you do have a say. Either way, when you are creating a world and a story, you have complete control....what kind of government system is that?
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