Daes Dae'mar · 5:15am Apr 5th, 2016
Translation of blog title: The Great Game
Note: this concept of government is heavily inspired by the political system found in the Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordon.
The Game of Houses, more commonly referred to as The Game for short, refers to the political maneuvering the Noble Houses of Equestria does to achieve whatever goal they have. It consists of both grand stroke and precise strikes, both public moves and back room dealings. The slightest action, no matter how small can send ripples through out the Nobility at the possible implication of such an action and what it could possible mean.
There are very few rules to the game, if any and those who are most skill hold the most power, or else you have the resources to back up things. The first and most basic rule of the Game is, everyone is a pawn, your friends, your family, your enemies, everyone is a piece on the board and the most skilled know how to use all the pieces to achieve their goal.
The most common place The Game is played is Canterlot as it is the seat of power for the nation of Equestria, those nobles who do not wish to play The Game live elsewhere within the country and even still they cannot truly escape The Game for they are of the Nobility and there for are Players but they have the smallest power out of any of the Nobles.
Even the Royal Sisters must play the game to some extent in order to run the country but they have some of the most power out of all the Players as the leaders of the nation but a few other Players come close to matching them in power.
It should be noted that The Game is not merely played by just the Nobility but anyone who resides or works within the Castle itself from servants to Royal Guards though they play basic forms of it and are usually pawns for the Nobles.
The Game has many Factions consisting of Houses who have form alliances and combined their power, to achieved similar goals but at any moment these alliances may dissolves and what was a friends today may be an enemy tomorrow. Common tactics used to play The Game are, bribery, blackmail, threats, sex and occasionally there will be and unfortunate “accident” that will leave a vacuum of power where that Player used to be that will quickly be filled by other Nobles as rarely is the next in line as hair to the family strong enough or skilled enough to keep the power. It should also be noted that The Game is also played between family members as well.
It is said that one of the best ways to put Players of The Game off balances is to be completely honest for this is an unheard of idea for Players and therefore is not expected, this is a common tactic used by Twilight Sparkle.
A relatively new player to The Game is Twilight Sparkle; she used to have been seen as a pawn that was for the most part firmly within Princess Celestia’s corner who did what she could to protect the young unicorn mare from the other Players of The Game. As such Twilight was only vaguely aware of The Game of Houses and only knew that there was political maneuvering and jockeying for power, but not to what extent it was played. She went from pawn to Player with the creation of the Equestrian Defense Force, a group seen as a new Faction within The Game and with Twilight as its leader, she is forced to play or else allow her Faction to wither and die.
At first the Unicorn was seen as a weak Player, but one with powerful allies in the form of the Royal Sisters and Fancy Pants, some of the most powerful players of The Game, but still was seen as a figure head for her “allies” and that her Faction had minimum power and what it did have was due to it being an army.
The first year for Twilight was the hardest as she was used to the straight forward way of doing things of a soldier and not of the underhanded and cloak and dagger styling of The Game.
Within the first year the mare learned somewhat how to play The Game and over the years she gradually grew in both skill and power and by the time she Ascends to Alicornhood she was an expert at The Game and one of the most powerful Players and not above using the Princesses themselves as pawns.
A secondary Player of The Game and seen as firmly attached to Twilight is Chrysalis of the Changeling Hive Faction. She was more skilled at The Game and adapted faster than Twilight do to being more used to scheming and using underhanded tactics to achieve her goals, and started with more power than the Unicorn at first due to the abilities she herself had as well as those of her Changelings who could not be bribed, blackmailed or threatened without the Queen knowing do to the Link she shared with every member of her hive through the Hivemind.
Many expected the Queen to use her power and skill to keep the young Twilight weak but for an unknown reason everything the Queen did was to increase the Unicorn mare’s power. Those who approached her to try and persuade her to their side found their attempts rebuke firmly and soon the attempts ceased as it was seen that the Queen was firmly in Twilight's corner for her own reasons that none could fathom, it should be noted once this was realized young Twilight’s power increased due to the Queen’s being seen as partly hers. It has also been theorized that the Queen also helped Twilight learn the ways of The Game and is one of the key reasons for the mare learning so rabidly.
By the time Twilight Sparkle is crowned The Princess of Friendship she is an expert at playing The Game and holds a large amount of power despite still being one of the smallest Factions within The Game. Also of note is that many of her political enemies have banded together in direct and indirect opposition of her and will vote against anything she proposes or wants on mere principle of being her enemies. There have been several near “accidents” on the mare before she became an Alicorn, all of which failed to stop the mare. All accidents have ceased since her coronation and many now jockey for her favor for glory, power, wealth or fame though she still has many that are either neutral towards her or in direct opposition to her despite her power and allies.
Of note when Twilight Sparkle states that she hates politics she is referring to The Game and being forced to play it.
The Game of Houses is so deeply engrained within Equestrian society, despite most people being blissfully unaware of it, that it cannot be escaped for the entire nation is the game board and her citizens are the pieces and those in positions of power, the Players who gamble with their very lives. All will play whether they know it or not for The Game will be played and those who try to resist will find their lives in ruins, the possession gone, their livelihoods destroyed and their prospects non-existent, and even still they are a pawn used for the Players' own gain.
It is all in the name of The Great Game, Daes Dae'mar
Well that's interesting.
Interesting description...
This sounds like a mixture of chess, Risk, Battleship and Roulette.
3849068 Welcome to Equestrian politics of the Soldier Series
3849055
3849060
Glad you think so.
now you see why CTS HATES Politics.
I need to reread that shit......
3849074 Would you rather have CTS take on Daes Dae'mar or the Equestrian underworld?
3849080 frankly i wouldn't be surprised if the Equestrian Underworld also played The Great Game.
also i am assuming you mean the Underworld as in Criminal element of society.
3849079 yes it is somewhat confusing.
You're starting to become one of my favorite writers.
3849125 really?
why?
3849127 Cause you write fun stories to read.
3849093 Somewhat?! It's like explaining a Communist government and how it works! To a westerner!
3849151 I think it's worse then that.
3849137 well that's great, we have quite a few more stories planned out.
3849388 Far.
Having read all but the last half of the 14th book of the Wheel of Time series, I was rather surprised when it made an appearance, but also quite happy.
thumbs.ebaystatic.com/images/g/IJgAAOSwZSFXJorO/s-l225.jpg
All the books are really thick......
3929320 oh god yes they are but its such a great story!
One of the best series I have ever read and frankly I found Daes Dae'mar to be extremely interesting and frankly looking at how some things happened in the show it honestly seemed to fit as a form of government for Equestria