I came across this civic education game titled ‘Lawcraft’ from the folks at iCivics, in which you play as a Representative in the US Congress and propose bills on behalf of your constituents. The game is quite charming. It also reflects the need for compromise and the rule of law in a way that, I feel, the Democracy series has yet to really capture. I think legislation mechanics similar to what are in this Lawcraft game would add greatly to the overall experience.
As a thought experiment: let’s imagine that it’s possible to take this Lawcraft game wholesale and blended into Democracy 4, it could come with the following restrictions, namely:
- As the country’s executive, you’d propose legislation/policies to address either an issue or a simulation value, and not the policy in-and-of itself. The policies would come about in deliberations.
- You can only hold 2 hearings per turn to unlock 3 clauses per hearing. The clauses would contain the new policies (and changes to existing policies).
Going through the legislative process could offer a massive discount on political capital. It may come at the cost of the process being longer and, possibly, not getting exactly what you may want.