turtletail
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Post by turtletail on Oct 31, 2016 11:15:23 GMT -6
thining about clan structure is fun. and thinking about different clan variants is even more fun! it's been shown in one of the Super Editions (Tallstar's Revenge) but i feel there's more to explore with it.
so, topic here is clan structure and how they could vary! some clans may wish to split their warriors rank up - one 'warrior' rank and one 'scout' rank. scouts would probably specialize in patrols and investigating strange happenings in the territory, as well as checking for dangers in and around the camp. warriors could do more with hunting and battle than actual scouting.
other clans may have more than one leader, an oligarchy of sorts (i'm trying this out for my Australian clans), as a group who makes decisions like a regular leader would.
or, in another clan, there may be no deputy, but rather a group of seasoned, experienced warriors.
there could even be a clan that has two leaders, or maybe a clan where a deputy has to go through a special rite before 'officially' becoming deputy. maybe in one clan, the elders hold a council, and vote on who the deputy is instead!
gimme some thoughts
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Foxthroat
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Post by Foxthroat on Oct 31, 2016 13:18:57 GMT -6
I've always liked the idea like this:
There's no deputy in the clan, but rather one (or two cats), selected by the leader from several candidates presented by the elders, to be the eyes and ears of the leader. They help organized patrols, patrol themselves, do the legwork the leader doesn't, and keep an eye on every detail going on and report back to the leader. Through this, they offer advice on various situations, and should a battle occur, they lead the group into battle so the leader is preserved.
Because there's no deputy, when the current leader dies, the next leader is chosen by the elders well in advance, and is somewhat mentored by both the current leader and the 'eyes and ears', and they step up to become leader when the old leader dies.
I overall really love elders' councils, and am trying to implement them in my own stories and world-building. I also am quite fond of the elders picking say, 1-3 cats to be possible deputies, and then the leader getting the final pick of those.
Another thing I've entertained is a clan with two leaders, as Turtletail said, but one is more like a deputy in terms of dealing with legwork and 'on the ground' leading, while the other is more spiritual and conducts rites and ceremonies and the like.
All fun stuff to play with, and I'm certainly experimenting with varied clan/group structures myself.
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machati
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Post by machati on Mar 31, 2017 1:11:31 GMT -6
I think it makes sense that even if all warriors are just called "warriors" there's some sort of unsaid ranking where they value the cats differently based on their skillset. Like it'd be a little foolish to pick a small but stealthy cats to patrol and possibly protect the border on the side featuring their biggest enemies. It'd make more sense to always have those guys hunting prey and/or or doing stealthy things while the bulkier warriors are more often tasked with the job a big cat would excel at. It'd be a logical progression for eventually one leader just being like "hey, let's title all these different roles/specialties."
Elders, what with their wiseman kind of place in the clan, does feel appropriate to play a role in the next leader. Especially in clans that might have historically had foolish/tyrannical/otherwise villainous leaders in the past. You'd think you'd want to be careful as possible to not have a Tigerstar come up again and again...
I'd think it'd depend a lot on the environment too. If the cats lived in a cold, harsh environment, I think it'd make sense for the clan to have more than one medicine cat or otherwise put an emphasis on being ready for epidemics in the cold.
Harsh cold might also be a situation where there are two leaders; the clan can't stick together as a whole through the leaf-bare months because they'd use up the local resources too quickly, so they split into two for the season, covering different stretches of territory for that time. Extreme heat and the dry season might also result in the same thing.
Or hell, extreme temperatures per season might have a clan temporarily splitting in two just based on coats; with longhairs and otherwise hardy cats staying in their homelands to keep it safe (and likely being well-respected for it) while the shorthairs/cats that can't handle it migrate, but probably return in spring with new kits, supplies, and word of what is going on in other places.
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