This weeks “10 Questions About….” covers the topic of laws, crimes, justice, punishements and so on. This is another one of those topics that every soceity, in some form or another, has to deal with. It affects everyone, to some degree or another. There are often as many types of laws and system governing them as there are subjects.
This topic covers some basic questions, but should be enough to get you thinking about the laws of the land. These would apply to everything setting and genre. Even a simple “the law is what you make it” approach that is often found in , for example, post-apocalyptic settings is a law of some kind, one that is enforced and acted upon by the ones governed by it.
- Are the laws different for certain types of people?
- Do those accused have to represenet themselves?
- How are those who break the law treated?
- What do you call those who work on or with the law?
- What is the process for ascertaining guilt?
- What is the highest penalty for a crime?
- Who decides what the laws and punishments are for breaking them?
- Who or what oversees the ones who monitor or enforce the laws?
- Who/What enforces the laws made?
- Who/What is the highest authority on the law?
Bonus question – What happens if somone is later found out to be innocent/not guilty?
The on-going & growing list of world building prompts & questions can be found HERE. Current count – 176 questions/prompts.
What world-building topic would you like to see next time? Let me know in the comments below or on social media like Twitter.
