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Some of the newer players among us may not understand what has happened to our government and our lovely country. I won't comment on the whys and wherefores just yet, stay tuned for a followup interpretation of events. This article is supposed to give even the greenest of greenhands an understanding of the underlying mechanics. Without it, the interpretive section won't mean a lot.

So, what is a dictator? At least in the context of eRepublik, a dictator is a new role. The dictator replaces the democratically elected president as head of state (or player-in-charge), and renders the congress (Senators) obsolete. Any and all laws can only be voted on by the dictator, rather than the usual gaggle of Senators. Literally, their word is law.

Sounds like a good gig, right? How on earth do you set about being a dictator? In eTitle at least...I won't comment on the real life version. Actually, they are rather one and the same. Essentially, you launch a coup d'etat (a fancy French phrase for the military kicking the government out). The Game Admins have written a long sequence describing the process in their standard Romanian-English, which you can find through the "Updates' link at the bottom of your page. I'll paraphrase here...

The Commander of a military unit (like, say, Guagature for the ADF) declares that they are launching a coup. This is not a trivial declaration, costing the princely sum of $200k (or pesos, or rupiah, or...you get the idea). Yes $200,000...a rather staggering amount of money. The Commanders of all other military units in the country are given a few hours to decide if they are for the coup. Like a lot of things in the eWorld if you're not for it you are, by default, against it. A battle then follows, just like any other. The winner gets the keys to Kirribilli House.

Except that it is not like any other battle. Your personal thoughts for or against the coup are irrelevant - your Commander has decided for you. And you must be in the capital region to fight. Sounds simple enough, right? I'm straying into the territory of my followup article, but it being simple is the best and the worst thing about it.

While the dictator rules, the President and Senate are impotent. They are still elected, provided we have any regions to meet the requirements (a whole other article...). They just have to sit by as powerless as any peon...err...citizen. 🙂 If a dictator's reign extends over an election period, the election takes place normally just to no practical effect. Like arguing over a front row seat at SeaWorld - why would you bother, right?

Finally, and I'm sure you're thinking this by now, wow do we "undo" a dictatorship? Like any other citizen in the flesh and blood world, by taking to the streets with Kalashnikovs and hopefully some American F-15s. A "counter-coup", for lack of a better phrase, is launched exactly the same as a coup. One cashed up military unit Commander forks over his $200k, while the rest get a few hours notice to hash out their allegiances.

And then, ladies and gentlemen, it is on for young and old...

Stay tuned for Part 2, where I express some thoughts (currently not offically endorsed) on dictators, fight my urge to call them dicktakers, and link some interesting philosophical arguments from other places around the world.