16 GOVERNMENT APPOINTMENTS
16.1 Préfect de Police
Le Préfect de Police seeks out traitors to the Crown. He appoints up to two ferrets for use as spies and receives 10 livres per month for their salaries. He may pay them whatever he desires, however, any excess coming from his own pocket. He can make up to five arrests per year, during which the victim is incarcerated for one week. He may also trump up charges against five players per year. During the first two seasons of his appointment he must trump up charges against one player character. If the player character is not convicted, he will lose the post.
The Minister of State judges all charges made by the Préfect and may be influenced. The Préfect may resign at any time.
The trial is based on the chart below if there is no player as Minister of State. Roll two dice. The player is convicted if the die roll equals or exceeds the number appearing in the To convict column. The
sentence is as indicated for the player per the chart. Influence may be used.
Successful prosecution of a Minister permits the Commissioner to assume the Minister’s portfolio. Half of all property confiscated is the Commissioner’s. A non-player Minister accused of treason will use all influence of his Social Level and office to fight the charge. A non-player character accused will have a Social Level equal to the minimum for his position plus the number rolled on one die. Cases involving the Minister of State are judged by the King.
The King, if appealed to, will commute any sentence on a roll of 6 with one die. He will commute a death sentence on a roll of 7 on one die (influence is necessary here).
Witnesses will aid in conviction. A witness of the same Social Level or higher will give a -1 table modifier to the conviction column. A witness from the same regiment or an employee will give a -1. A maximum of two of each is allowed in any one trial, and all witnesses must be player characters. Of course, if the accused character really is plotting treason, there is a -1 modifier. Admissions of guilt are not allowed.
In order to try a character for treason the Préfect must first issue a Summons - though the issue remains secret until the Summons is executed. Armed with the Summons the Préfect or one of his ferrets must be in the same location as the subject of the Summons in order to have it executed. Arrests are made at the end of the week by the Paris Guard if the suspected traitor is in Paris, or by the King's Musketeers if in the Provinces - and do not count towards the arrest total the Prefect can make each year. Once arrested the accused is incarcerated in the Concièrgerie until brought to the Palais de Justice to stand trial at the end of the month/beginning of the following month (actually between the two). The Préfect may execute up to five Summonses per year and assumes the portfolios of any and all ministers who are successfully prosecuted.
If a convicted traitor is sentenced to death he or she is incarerated in the Bastille for a month while the results of any appeals for commutation of sentences are dealt with. If the sentence is upheld then the execution takes place at the beginning of the following month and all his or her property is sequestered in addition (this was the usual sentence handed out to traitors at the time). Half of this property goes to the treasury, with the remainder going to the Préfect de Police.
In order to arrest a player character the Préfect must first issue a warrant - though the issue remains secret until the warrant is executed.
Armed with the warrant, the Préfect or one of his ferrets must be in the same location as the subject of the Warrant in order to execute it. Once the Warrant has been executed its subject is arrested for questioning and incarcerated in the Concièrgerie for a week. At the end of the week's questioning the Préfect may decide to issue a Summons against the character (see above) without having to trouble himself finding him or her once more.
The Préfect may execute up to five Arrest Warrants per year.
Although the Préfect is not considered to be a Minister, the Minister of State may feel that it would be useful to draw on his knowledge and expertise at Government meetings. In order to effect this, the MoS often appoints the Préfect to a Ministry within his gift in addition to his Préfecture (usually the Ministry of Jusice). This may be effected in the same month as his appointment as Préfect de Police.
The Préfect de Police also appoints the Royal Executioner.
16.1.1 The Royal Executioner
This is a post open to all standard characters who do not hold an alternative appointment : Min SL 3, 2 SPs, appointed on 5+, Retainer 3 livres per month.
Last edited by Puckohue, September 30 2019 08:15:20. Secured game article. You most log in to contribute.