The TMP Manor System

[kalos72]

A little idea I am working on...if anyone else has anything written out on along this line, I would LOVE to see it.

"The Manor System

Once the idea of using Staten Island as the initial base of operations for food production was agreed upon, Command needed to determine the best way to organize the efforts, both for the short and long term. They didn’t want to have to manage the entire process internally, so they drew upon the ideas of a feudalistic model of vassalage. Command would entice trustworthy and capable civilians to manage the day to day affairs of the farms for them, earning a percentage of the product for themselves as a “tithe” while the majority of the product would be sent to the “Project” to support the rest of the population.

In a system like this, the Command wouldn’t have to worry about the daily details of 1000’s of acres of land and at the same time, it would promote a renewed sense of “community” for the civilians working the farms as well as the “Lord” running it. It would foster a more selfish drive for the “Project” to succeed knowing that the more successful it is, the more land that will be needed to feed the every growing population. The more land needed, the more Lords running them. For the select few, a brighter future isn’t as far away as it once seemed."


I am working on the details on the system itself but this is the idea...

[Targan]

Sounds good. Shouldn't this thread be in The Morrow Project section?

[kalos72]

Hmm...not sure. I am running it in a T2K campaign though.

Sorry if I posted in the wrong place.

[kato13]

I remember your previous posts about rebuilding in the ruins of New York.

I am also planning a hybrid T2k/MP world so often the lines between games get blurred to the point where I am not sure where to ask a question.

If we get very "Project" focused answers this thread might get moved to the MP section. If they are of the more general sense about fudal tithing in a T2k world I guess it can stay here.

To keep this on topic, at least initially, I can totally see CIVGOV and MILGOV (as well as other factions) engaging in, or at least condoning, this practice in situations where they feel there will be gain. Of course the system will eventually lead to a portion of non-trustworthy people being in charge. Abuses and theft would be rampant at all levels and I am not sure that an unelected "Lord" would be able to motivate beyond the use of fear (doth direct and indirect) in the early years.

Going back to the project, I never expected them to engage in anything other than promoting Capitalism once the basics of survival were covered. This being motivated by the Founders capitalistic roots and the very strong us vs them attitude they had towards communism.

[kalos72]

The thing with this scale is that no Lord would be able to front an Army to oppose me they would have just enough manpower to work the lands being about 1 sq mile per Lord.

Another idea was to have each Lord monitored by a Provost, which would be military reporting to the Command.

[Legbreaker]

I like the general idea, although I'm hesitant to use the term "Lord". How many people may take umbrage and cause unnecssary problems?

[kalos72]

I JUST realized why peope thought I was talking bout Morrow Project...hehe!!

My "TMP" stands for "The Manhattan Project".

[kalos72]

I was thinking something about a voting system just hadn't worked out the details.

I was leaning towards the square mile being broken down into smaller farms, say 40-60 acres per and letting those leaders vote each season for the Lord. But then I had to worry about the details on the smaller level farms too and I hadn't gotten that done yet.

As for who does the work, the first round of farms would be placed on cleared land. Then from there, as the area was "reclaimed" by the engineers/salvage teams, it would cleared to earth and then handed over to the next set of Lords. But depending on the condition of the land perhaps the Lord can handle it himself.

As for the foot voting, I like that idea alot actually. But what would happen if a Lord saw all his people leave to go to the other Lords farms. Then they had to come back because that other Lords farm was full? Wouldnt that original Lord get pissy and possibly try to punish them? Perhaps they can voice complaints with the Provost?

As for the names, I dont like the Lord name myself but it was the most obvious considering the obvious feudal implications of the system. You made some good suggestions thanks!

[atiff]

Originally Posted by kalos72

As for the foot voting, I like that idea alot actually. But what would happen if a Lord saw all his people leave to go to the other Lords farms. Then they had to come back because that other Lords farm was full? Wouldnt that original Lord get pissy and possibly try to punish them? Perhaps they can voice complaints with the Provost?

And therein lies the politics Anyway, here's a very simple idea of what could happen.

Lord A has a happy, prosperous region. None wish to leave, but he has no room for more.
Lord B's people are satisfied. None wish to leave, and he has some room for more.
Lord C's people are unhappy. 100 wish to leave. They want to go to Lord A, but he can't/won't take them, so they go to Lord B.

Lord A sees more people want to join him. He requests more land from the Provost. How can he get more? Can he maintain his region at the current high level?
Lord B has to deal with an expanding population (growing pains). Can he maintain his region at a good level? What will that take? What will happen if things start to get worse?
Lord C is losing people, and therefore status. Will the Provost take away some of his lands? Will he "get pissy" with those that remain? Or will he take action against the lands of the other Lords? Or will he change his ways?

I see many plot elements here, even in this simple scenario.

[kalos72]

Thats true that system would weed out the bad managers and highlight the good ones as well as give the people a feeling of control over their lives, if albeit imaginary. :P

But then you could get one manager getting too much land and becoming a threat himself. Popular uprising anyone?