Legalities

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From: Loren J. Miller (MILLERL@wharton.upenn.edu)
Date: Thu 21 Apr 1994 - 08:10:55 EEST


Martin Crim writes:
> Seriously, though, having the fuzz arrive is an anachronism,
> and anachronisms really irk me in RPGs and fantasy fiction.

I agree. The only worse anachronism I've seen in RQ games is the war-on-some-drugs. I always felt that the "cops and jails and fair trials oh my" model of legal systems was WRONG for most fantasy campaigns, but at the same time had trouble coming up with an alternate legal system that would be effective in maintaining some modicum of order in the face of player character rough-housing.

> I got into a looooong discussion of this on-line once before, so
> I'm not going to get deep into it again.

Please do get into it again. I don't remember anything on this forum about it, and you're hardly likely to find a more receptive audience of roleplayers for historically accurate preconception-busting than RQ players.

> Suffice it to say that
> "the watch" ought to stop fires and riots; the way to deal with
> an on-going crime (in areas analogous to Europe) is to raise the
> hue and cry, after which all able-bodied men are legally required
> to aid in apprehending the criminal and bringing him to the
> sheriff; prisons were rare in the ancient world, and justice
> swift (shoot, Delaware was caning people into the 20th century
> because they didn't want to build prisons!)

I gotta run, but I'd like to see more discussion of this. I'd be able to contribute my ideas about Carmanian justice, though I'd need to write them all down first.

whoah, 

+++++++++++++++++++++++23
Loren Miller            internet: MILLERL@wharton.upenn.edu
"Enough sound bites. Let's get to work."        -- Ross Perot sound bite

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