I'm thinking of running a fantasy campaign in the near set in a nation that was once ruled by a Dark Lord sort of figure who was defeated by an alliance of heroes and nations. It's been a while (at least a generation) since this happened and there are terrible problems in this kingdom. The governing body (made up of the previously mentioned alliance) are extremely corrupt and many of the people are crying out for the Dark Lord's return.

The characters will learn that some of the Dark Lord's followers (kind of like a cult to him) are trying to resurrect him and overthrow the current rulers. The followers of the Dark Lord that the players will mostly encounter will be principled in a somewhat harsh way, genuinely dedicated to their deceased master and truly believing that their goals are good and that they'll be rescuing the people. The players then will get to decide if they are going to try to thwart the Dark Lord's resurrection, aid it, or seek some alternative to fight both the corrupt alliance leaders and the Dark Lord's cult - none of which would be strictly the right or wrong solution.

I was hoping to see if anybody had some ideas as to how I could introduce this scenario and construct it in such a way as to make this a complex and difficult choice.

The Dark Lord had the following good things going on:

All were considered equal under the law, with a trial of their peers and guaranteed legal representation and ability to appeal.
The roads and highways were maintained and patrolled.
Taxes were flat and fair.
Nobility were not in the nation. The government was elected.
The Dark Lord was a benevolent dictator who insisted on the Ultimate Rule of Law (Lawful Evil)
Taxes were often paid by mages and churches by doing a set amount of time of community service
Art and Theater was seen as something for the wealthy to patronage
Food was plentiful
Guard and military forces guarded even the smallest rural village
Libraries, free education
The races lived in harmony

Evil Parts
Nobody was above the law. No excuses. No loopholes.
Farms were worked by communal work pools and prisoners
The dead were often animated to work on road crews
Vote buying was standard, creating huge voting blocs
The Dark Lord only allowed one church to build more than a tiny chapel. His church. Dedicated to him.
Conscription.
Vast  amount of tax money went to statues.
If convicted, a criminals personal possession and wealth were seized by the state. Afterwards, they were given a new identity, possibly even with magic.
Hedonistic cults
Manufacture of drugs and illicit substances (often exported to neighbors)
High nationalism and populism (To a fanatic degree)

Now that the corrupt government is installed, people have finally started talking about "The good old days" underneath the Dark Lord, who was seen as a Deific Father Figure (Who had a wife of each race) who cared deeply for his subjects (Excellent orator with excellent PR advisers).

The majority of the goods and resources of this kingdom are now flowing outward to the conquering kingdoms, the conquerers have installed themselves in positions of the Guilds, seized the natural resources, convict for the most minor crimes without a trial prisoners to the labor pool, the forests are being clearcut, coal and iron and silver and gold are being stripmined, the conquered citizens are treated as second class citizens and often abused.


Hope this helps.

Those are some good ideas. I think I might switch a few ones a little bit. Maybe under the Dark Lord, there should be no democracy of any kind, but the officials were relatively honest even if the policies were questionable. While under the new system, there are at least certain elements of democracy, but in large part it's a charade where officials are bribed by various powerful people or groups, including the foreign powers.

You can take inspiration from historical events after a given monarch or dynasty were deposed, or from the religious upheaval in 16th century England, for example.

Well, I'm inclined to say that this is the scenario of many real world countries if you invert the liberal canon/view it from a royalist or reactionary perspective.

Quote from: Nerzenjäger;1048041Well, I'm inclined to say that this is the scenario of many real world countries if you invert the liberal canon/view it from a royalist or reactionary perspective.

When a government collapses, there's always people who end up worse than before, including tons of people who had nothing directly to do with said government.