Comments

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  Beaumains

  Posts: 132 April 2012

  Surprised this didn't wind up in the _other_ forum, but yeah, that's a pretty clever idea. Immediately to mind comes the analogue in the US and UK where PETA and other Green and Animal Rights groups are a loud, sometimes violent opponents of laws they find distasteful. Given a well developed world like Coruscant, especially given more of a Star Trek setting, I'd expect the usual moral commentary to be underlying the issue, with Picard falling squarely back on the Prime Directive. Since *all* criminal prisoners are shipped off, that must include people whose crimes don't sound criminal to certain people (possibly even the PCs) and that's bound to create at least some backlash.
  
  However, you said this came about due to a change in politics; I imagine something analagous to a more serious application of Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal." It would seem that there is something fundamentally off about a society of people willing to eat their neighbors. Obviously this isn't some estranged colony or tribe of barbarians, so a civilization that effectively regards humanoids & intelligent aliens as cattle (is there a racist or xenophobic element, perhaps?) or other animals, in such a complete sense, is bound to make and have made other moral/ethical/social decisions that reflect that attitude.
  
  Things like privacy, property, movement, opportunity (economic, social, political, and other), and other things about whose freedom we in the US & UK often take for granted are likely to be more restricted in that society, and by popular consent (or maybe the politics are so corrupt that true tyranny rules?). People and property of all kinds (effectively the same, likely) are likely required to be registered or even licensed.
  
  Socially I'd expect there to be a wanton apathy, especially when it comes to respecting people or considering them worth anything. Things like slavery (worse than even this world has ever seen), trafficking, gladatorial combat, and child labor are probably sanctioned. Murder is probably legal in certain cases (i.e. what we would call murder), or when the victim fits certain criteria; as may be things like feuds, duels, vigilante justice, police brutality, and petty vengeance.
  
  Forget about actual animals; they're probably only ever seen as food, conveniences, guards, strays, or pests & vermin, in the eyes of the local populace at large; wealthy citizens may still keep pets, but that's probably an increasing oddity. Then of course there are the cockfighting and dogfighting rings that cater to the poor as entertainment, among other unsavory uses. There may even be a 'game' where people just watch people stuck in a bland pit with a rancor (or other monster) and no escape (or means of fighting back), or the brand new arcade Whack-a-Puppy.
  
  *Alternatives:*
  These things aren't all required. Given a sufficiently alien world their mentality could be quite weird. For example they may believe that all living things are equally deserving of life, from people to pondscum, and that a species has only the right to consume its own, and/or those who have given explicit consent (i.e. intelligent species). Such a society could be very similar to the above human-based one, save the gross mistreatment of animals; indeed they should have laws protecting the rights of trees, animals, fungus, insects, etc. They may even have an alien outlook on death, a very ascetic view that holds a corpse to be utterly valueless and dissociated from the former person, so why not use it? In such a case they may still respect freedom, liberty, property, privacy, and all the rest, still holding things like slavery in any form to be illegal (doubtful for your particular campaign, from what I've seen, but possible).
  
  Another possibility is that this is a government fix ala Sweeney Todd to make sure the poor have a source of protein (A Modest Proposal revisited). Such a society likely has a massive, practically insurmountable class divide between the under-poor (ancient Hindu untouchables) and everyone else. Laws and socio-political attitude should reflect this, if it's the case, and there should be much different laws regarding the different castes.
  
  Or maybe it really is an aboriginal world where the society has codified that mindset.
  
  Hope this helps,
  -Beaumains
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  RaseCidraen

  Posts: 890 April 2012

  So, I saw this topic and thought to myself, "Gee, here's my chance to sound smart and offer some good advice", only to find Beaumains has not only beaten me to the punch in those two regards, he more or less covered all aspects of the social spectrum, leaving me little constructive to add! ( :) )
  
  Socially, I am wondering if there would be reverse stigma attached to those who don't partake. Certainly the laws don't make it mandatory, so it can be avoided if such is the desire. There are restaurants here that cater to vegans, vegetarians, chicken lovers, etc., so it is imaginable that the same sort of restaurant types may evolve there.
  
  There also raises the question of the societal acceptance of it. If the populace is wholly in favor, you might see a new industry swing up around the farming of humanoids. It might come to pass that slaves are taken simply to be put on a farm, much as we have done with cattle. Free-range humanoid may become a sign of "good taste", and certain celebrity-types may sire children with designated breeders to create designer cutlets, as it were.
  
  ...unfortunately, this is making my stomach turn a bit, so I'm going to have to leave my commenting off here. It's a very interesting subject, and I'm staying away from beef for the rest of the day. Let me know if you need more input!
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  Baalshamon

  Posts: 585 April 2012

  really good answers guys.
  
  some feedback on the society as a whole. It was a world founded by Orion slavers that grew into a mega commerce planet. Anything can be gotten for a price and the crime families have pretty much run the planet for the better part of 200 years. Recent political changes including a military coup of the established government put a canibalistic blood cult in charge. The society has daily televised sapient sacrifice and now has the law regarding criminals. Up until recently prisoners were sold as slaves, so perhaps this is just an evolution of events.
  
  The backdrop on a galactic scale is that a dark energy, perhaps the star wars darkside, has been infecting worlds like a virus and normally good places have turned somewhat evil. Revolutions are popping up on hundreds of planets and tensions are running high between most of the galactic governments. The commerce world, because of the recent political changes, is being blockaded by the Federation and numerous economic sanctions are being imposed.
  
  I think that sums up the majority.
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  Beaumains

  Posts: 132 April 2012

  Rase!
  So good to see you're alive! (lol) Thanks for kind words; but I think you struck gold there as well.
  
  Steve,
  that background really sheds some light. It sounds a lot like Chicago under Prohibition combined with The Godfather. If that's so, then there's got to be a huge populace that's literally terrified, and possibly (depending on how western they are) a segment that's ready to revolt. I imagine the world in question now as one of the worst Orwell might have dreamed of (Animal Farm, in 1984) with a bit of Dr. Zhivago thrown in (unless I'm completely screwed up on my references). Anyway, with a militaristic blood cult in official power via martial law, only stayed by mob "protectors," everybody has got to be downright terrified - secret abductions must be common, and forget about warranted arrests, I bet the cops are just out to fill quotas, and because the overcrowding situation has been resolved ... I'll let y'all do the math there. In a normal campaign, this world would be extra ripe for a hero, so there's probably one or two who want to be heroes, whether the PCs are going down that road or not.
  
  I don't see this as the natural "evolution of events" so much as a final straw. It doesn't sound like things can get much worse (except that they always can), which means this is one of those make-or-break points for the society. Either they're going to cow to the powers that be (pun intended), or try to take back their world, and there's bound to be heavy opposition and division against the latter option, even without a film noir / gritty overtone to it.
  
  This should be a trying time for any Jedi present (vis-a-vis standard interpretation), as well as any other crusading types: what can they do to possibly salvage things, and can they do it? (bonus adventure hook, btw.)
  
  The galactic background should be enough to fan the flames of war here, assuming enough people are aware of what's going on, though it sounds like the smart ones would form counter-underground movements, which may be part of why the Jedi are listed amongst cults and terrorist organizations (if I remember right).
  
  Since the crime bosses and slavers care first and foremost about the bottom line, the blockade and sanctions are probably enough for them to find ... unusual allies to get rid of the problematic government in the hopes of negotiating a cessation of the blockade ... or they might be completely despicable and use the opportunity to oppress the people even more, similar to the way US Foreign Aid was intercepted by oppressive governments and then redistributed to the people at exorbitant rates, forcing them into even deeper serfdom. Since they control the media (presumably) it would be no problem for them to blame the heartless Federation for adding insult to injury, and creating a secessionist movement (that they can publicly oppose). If they take different routes, in cooperation, they might effectively turn the population against themselves, thus solidifying their power even more.
  
  Anyway, I'd best quit now before I start giving people ideas.
  -Beaumains
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  GamingMegaverse

  Posts: 3,037 April 2012

  Too late Beaumains.... way too late....

  Just trying to help out.

  
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  RaseCidraen

  Posts: 890 April 2012

  Noo! Beaumains, your critical thinking has doomed us all! killervp is soon to unleash his unstoppable plan and... I don't know the details, but it wont be good!
  
  I like the idea of the strawman movement you posit there - they 'legitimize' their claim to power by framing a segment of the populace movement as insurgents. That's a hell of a way to secure your power base, by sowing enough confusion that when the dust settles it's too late to try and reverse the change without uprooting everything. It makes me wonder what other sorts of laws a cannibal cult would put in place. It may legitimize the black market for organs, which could actually benefit the populace if buying organs for health purposes were legal. Another industry popping up...
  
  Of course, they might be in competition with the restaurant industry..
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  Baalshamon

  Posts: 585 April 2012

  Beaumains you certainly get where I am going with this whole thing. The Jedi have been framed, for lack of a better word, as the enemies of the state, terrorists, and extremists. Probably doesnt help that one of them is running an actual terrorist organization and raising insurection on various worlds.
  
  As for the Commerce world itself, I shall be taking some notes and using your ideas in various ways.
  
  thanks
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  Beaumains

  Posts: 132 April 2012 edited April 2012

  L.O.L. I had to pique that with a bit of humor, lest my stomach follow Rase's and start turning: I like beef. I was going to insert a quote from Homer Simpson, but given the context, probly better to not.
  
  [EDIT]: glad to help, Steve!
  -Beaumains

  Post edited by Beaumains on April 2012