Another thing to consider is that no system is truly independent in Inner Sphere.
You can easily make assumption that land is initially kept by colonial venture financier and then by other interstellar concerns. This land is owned by planetary ruler if system has declared itself independent.
There is a long-term trend towards falling amount of ownership by initial interstellar concerns as they eventually need to reward more and more of their followers with titles and tracks of land. Simultaneously there is a long-term trend towards increase in ownership by rising interstellar concerns as they increase their power in systems due dynastic ties and fortunes of war and favour.
The off-world ownership falls towards roughly 30% of land in long term from 70% (this is rough distribution in invaded land in one medieval example).
Assume there are three off-world owners in land: Primary Interest, Secondary Interest and Tertiary Interest (Comstar). The percentages owned by various lords naturally depend on history of the system.
Use following guideline to set your interstellar empire:
I assume that all Interests are either:
a) Major public political entity such as Major Interstellar Empire (for example Lyran Commonwealth), Regional Interstellar Empire (for example Tamar Pact) or InterStellar Proto-State (numerous small co-operative factions that existed before Major Interstellar Empires).
b) Various smaller colonial ventures by small entities. <Venture> is foundation, religion, corporation, ideology, nation-state in Earth (like Austria) etc.
1) Was system colonized during Earth Alliance supremacy?
if System was part of original colonization drive the Primary Interest is either Earth Alliance or <Venture> with another being Secondary Interest if it existed.
Choose one of the following:
a) Primary 70% <Venture>
b) Primary 70% <Earth Alliance>
c) Primary 50% <Earth Alliance> and Secondary 20% <Venture>
d) Primary 50% <Venture> and Secondary 20% <Earth Alliance>
When Demarcation Declaration happened in 2242 each system outside 30LY radius became automatically independent.
Now system is ruled by either <Venture> or new independent planetary government.
Choose one of the following:
a) Primary 70% <Venture>
b) Primary 70% <Independent>
c) Primary 50% <Independent> and Secondary 20% <Venture>
d) Primary 50% <Venture> and Secondary 20% <Independent>
2) Was it created during Exodus?
During this time the various independent colonies were formed as Earth was facing steady exodus of population and colonization effort ran at wild pace. During this time the civilization reaches 150LY range.
At this time most new colonies are Ventures and local independent systems remain weak. Public concerns describe nearby independent systems colonizing to support themselves to become proto-states (for example Alliance of Galedon).
Choose one of the following for new colony:
a) Primary 70% <Venture>
b) Primary 70% <Proto-state>
c) Primary 50% <Proto-state> and Secondary 20% <Venture>
d) Primary 50% <Venture> and Secondary 20% <Proto-state>
3) How it became part of a Empire during Second Exodus?
If colony already existed during exodus, it eventually becomes part of a major alliance during chaotic colonization drive. Two major reasons are for being part of alliance are joining to a defensive alliance or a predatory alliance.
Ultimately these alliances form large interstellar empires (LIE) with far more power and several Regional interstelar empires (RIE) as its smaller parts.
Alliance forming also means that various local colonies have to give up certain amount of their resources to alliance. The local ventures eventually became normal part of local system and its government. Amount of power shift depends how agreeably alliance/empire and colony interacted during this time:
LIE and colony or member of RIE/LIE (traumatic)
--> Primary 50% (LIE) and 20% Secondary (RIE), 30% Local
RIE and colony or member of RIE/LIE (traumatic)
--> Primary 50% (RIE), 50% Local
RIE and colony or member of RIE/LIE (agreeable)
--> Secondary 20% (RIE), 80% Local
LIE and colony or member of RIE/LIE (agreeable)
--> Primary 5% (LIE), Secondary 20% (RIE), 75% Local
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4) Did System change hands during empire formation?
The chaotic time of Second Exodus before Age of War finally colisondated the large interstellar empires led to situation where many systems changed hands for various reasons. Civil wars were common too during concentration of power to RIEs.
Use Step 3 to determine if system was part of numerous localized conflicts during time. Perhaps 1D6 - 4 traumatic events happened in this time. Otherwise assume that system continued without problems through these turbulent times.
For example some systems in Federation of Skye did not agree to colisondation of power to Marsden. These systems went through a civil war. Depict this as RIE and colony or member of RIE/LIE (traumatic).
5) Did system exchange owner during Age of War?
The first major interstellar war between RIEs was Age of War. During this times several systems exchanged owners.
Use RIE and colony or member of RIE/LIE (traumatic) to depict major invasion result and LIE and colony or member of RIE/LIE (agreeable) if there was a negotiated result.
6) How Succession Wars touched your system?
Most unfortunately the Star League ended with a brutal war and interstellar nuclear holocaust and near collapse of civilization with anarchy. The only hope was Comstar that maintained some resemblance of civilization admist brutal warlords.
This benevolence made Comstar moral compass of Inner Sphere and led to rapid increase of its power as it received any gifts and donations to support its efforts.
Simultaneously there was steady decline of power with all interstellar empires as warlords had to sell their land stakes and titles to raise money to wage war.
The collapse of RIEs was most remarkable during 1st Succession War while comstars power increased most durinng 3rd Succession War.
Assume that all interstellar interests sell off and gain donations at following percentages (do not reduce if stake is already 0) during Succession Wars:
RIE/LIE/Comstar
1st Succession War: -15% / -5% / +5%
2nd Succession War: -10% / -5% / +5%
3rd Succession War: -5% / 0% / +10%
Net gain in percentage goes to local lords in the system.
7) Were there are consequences of Jihad?
Invasion by Kerensky's barbarian hordes and Comstar's active participation in wars increased Comstars respect but these short terms gains were eventually wiped out and worse during its bloody schism that engulfed entire Inner Sphere (often called Jihad). Assume that many local lords simply took over Comstar's lands during this time.
-10% to Comstar's land ownership in Inner Sphere. This is a major source of local arguments during this era.
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This system should be used to determine what percentage of power was ruled by which power during system's history as long as landowners are concerned.
For example after Marsden's bloody civil war the power in one planet you roll for all landowning counts:
LIE and colony or member of RIE/LIE (traumatic)
--> Primary 50% (LIE) and 20% Secondary (RIE), 30% Local
Roll 1D10: 1-5 (--> serves Archon directly), 6-7 (serves Duke of Skye directly), 8-10 (--> serves Duke of Planet)
Now, assuming that it is end of Jihad the balance is:
--> Primary 20% (LIE) and 10% Secondary (RIE), 10% Comstar, 60% Local
The same method should be used to also Barons underneath these lords (naturally they serve Count above them).
End result is that you have a feudal pyramid where each lord is both tied to next upper level by chain of command yet also swears loyalty to a lord that totally different person. This means that you can have total confusion in chain of command due peculiarities of dynastic family inheritance, treason trials and fortunes of war...
