So, this page continues describing the various characteristics of a world in Traveller. The hydrographic percentage has no surprises; the maximum a planet can have is 100% water, which is an 'A'. That was intuitive.
Next up is population, which, like hydrographics, goes from 0 to A, in multiples of 10. I haven't rolled for this yet. 0 is an empty, desolate planet; 1 is an outpost of 10 people, 2 is a small research station of about 100, and so on until 'A', which is a heavy-duty 10 billion people. Earth would be somewhere between a 9 and an A, then.
Next up is the governmental type, which I haven't rolled yet, either. This section is interesting, because there's no linear progression of government types. 0 is no government, which could mean total anarchy, or family-dominated systems. 1 is a company or corporate structure; most citizens will be company employees or dependents. Can you imagine a world with a population of 'A' and a government of '1'? Everyone on the planet works for the same company. It's like Planet Wal-Mart. Now there's a horror scenario for you.
2 is a participating democracy, like ancient Greece where every citizen voted directly on things. 3 is a self-perpetuating oligarchy, where ruling functions are performed by a restricted minority, and the people don't really have a say. Hmm, that sounds familiar. Oh, this isn't a politics blog. 4 is a representative democracy, like Canada or the United States are set up, with elected representatives running the government.
Now we get into some interesting results. 5 is a feudal technocracy, which sounds weird. I'll quote: "Ruling functions are performed by specific individuals for persons who agree to be ruled by them. Relationships are based on the performance of technical activities which are mutually beneficial." How does that work, I wonder? The first part is straightforward; the people basically agree on a dictator. But I'm wondering about the 'technical activities.' Does this mean a technological basis for government?
6 is a captive government, where someone else is calling the shots; it's a colony, or a conquered area. Pre-Revolution America, or Quebec prior to Confederation would be good examples. 7 is Balkanization, where there are a bunch of local governments in competition. The law level (which comes later) refers to what's going on around the planet's starport (if they have one).
8 is a civil service bureaucracy, and I like how the book claims that the bureaucrats are selected for their expertise. That is adorably naïve; everyone knows that bureaucrats can't and don't actually accomplish anything, let alone have expertise. If they had expertise, they wouldn't be bureaucrats, would they?
9 is an impersonal bureaucracy, where the agencies don't even bother paying attention to the governed citizens anymore because their power is so absolute. Yeah, that sounds familiar, too. 'A' is a charismatic dictator, who runs the ruling agencies but is also very popular with the citizens. That sounds mutually exclusive, but I guess the future is more enlightened or something.
'B' is a non-charismatic leader; it's an 'A' government that is under new management, and the guy in charge isn't nearly as popular as the old guy. It doesn't have to have been a revolution that put him in charge; he could just be 'A's successor.
'C' is a Charismatic Oligarchy, which is like a combination of 3 and 'A', where the ruling class is actually popular. And finally, there's 'D', which is a religious dictatorship, where the individual citizens' needs are irrelevant. Hmm, that seems rather limiting; what if it's a popular religion that does care about individuals? Still, a religious dictatorship can go in different directions, depending on the religion.
And that's it for this page; it's an interesting set of data, though. I wonder how much of an effect population will have on the type of government. I look forward to finding out.
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