Government type indicates the "official" structure of control that exists within a nation. Many of these governmental forms overlap and often a nation may exhibit characteristics of two or three types of government. Autocracy blends with monarchy in the Rukemian Empire while magocracy and theocracy are both evident in Carrikos.
| Type | Description |
| Aristocracy | Rule by a small group (such as a high council). |
| Autocracy | Rule by a single individual who wields unlimited power. While an emperor may rise to power due to hereditary lines, but is referred to as an autocrat rather than a monarch because his power overshadows his bloodline. |
| Democracy | Rule by representatives elected by the population. An abstract form of polity. |
| Magocracy | Rule by the mages. Those capable of wielding magic form an elite group or upper class and control the government. |
| Monarchy | Rule by one individual who attains position because of hereditary lines. |
| Ochlocracy | Rule by organized crime. Usually several factions or cartels rise to power and balance each other through conflict and cooperation. |
| Oligarchy | Rule by a small group wielding virtually unlimited power for evil or selfish goals. Oligarchy and plutocracy often overlap. |
| Plutocracy | Rule by the wealthy. The upper classes completely control all laws and government positions. |
| Polity | Rule by the people. Every law and decision are put to a vote. This is the truest form of democracy, but only works in a limited fashion over small populations. |
| Provincial | Rule by the provinces (or other territorial breakdown). A provincial government is one in which each village or other unit of area rules itself and there is no central government. |
| Theocracy | Rule by the church. In this case, church and state are virtually one. Priests hold political offices and adherence to the religion is required for citizenship. |
| Anarchy | No rule. Lawlessness and upheaval abounds. Most anarchy occurs shortly before a new government takes its place, or continues until it stabilizes into a fluctuating ochlocracy. |
| Krytocracy | Rule by the judges. Occurring in rare cases where a strong force of law has retaken a previously-fallen government, austere legal courts pass final judgment with a puppet ruler in place. |
| Meritocracy | Rule by ability. While a hereditary ruler reigns over the nation, all of the real work of administration is carried out by a well-educated, highly-powerful class of venerable scholars. Though the ruler has the real authority over key institutes such as the military, a large bureaucracy runs the country. |
| Republic | Rule by one individual whose power is kept in check by a small group elected by the people. These representatives have power to penalize the leader, and in pure republics both share power equally |
Government stability is an approximate indication of the likelihood of a major shift in political power or structure. An unstable government may be one which is hated by the public or which lacks power to control large organizations within the nation. A stable government is one which possesses the support and respect of the people and military.
| Stability | Description |
| Very Unstable | Small shifts in power are freqent (such as assassination attempts, mergers between groups, dissolution of groups, etc) and the likelihood of the government collapsing or being overthrown within the next five years is high. Such a government has a tenous hold on the military at best and is hated by the population, keeping them in line with threats and martial law. |
| Unstable | An unstable government usually involves conflict between internal groups and may involve a population that dislikes the ruling class and a military which occasionally resists government authority. Such a government faces hard times ahead and there is a good chance that there will be changes in the politics of the nation some time in the next 10 years. |
| Stable | This is the "average" among the nations. A stable government is one which has firm handle on the military and grudging respect from the people, even if they do bemoan their taxes. It is likely that this government will stand for at least the next 25 years. |
| Very Stable | The government is rock solid and is built upon traditions and rituals that have last for many generations. It is highly unlikely that such a government will undergo any significant change in the next 50 years. Such governments are usually strong and have full support of the military and the people. |
This page last updated Monday, October 08, 2007. Copyright 1990-2008 David M. Roomes.