I reckon it's a mix of a number of models...a feudal benevolent dictatorship, pre-Magna Carta. Ziroc being the owner is the king and has absolute power, vested in him by Choc
. He delegates some of these powers (ie gives some land) to some knights, who then are responsible for overseeing the land (forums) and are answerable to the king. One of these responsibilities is the welfare and safety of the people who live on his land (the forums) from marauding trolls.
Of course, there's one landless knight (Mouse
) whose role is to travel from land to land to make sure that the King's will is upheld and the people are safe.
As for the people who live on the land, they have rights as outlined in the Rules and Regs, and as long as they follow them they are more than welcome to be part of the society as it is their output which makes the realm as successful and pleasureable as it is. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]
As for the funding bit...it's interesting that watching an internet forum evolve is like an accelerated version of the evolution of society over the ages - from despotism, to feudalism, to perhaps an oligarchy, to a democracy. We're not there yet, but it's interesting so see where it could head maybe 10-15 years from now...
[ 07-18-2004, 10:54 PM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]