AH Challenge: Create a Tyrant

[Ran Exilis]

Inspired by the "Create a Rogue State"-challenge.

The challenge, should you accept it, is relatively simple: create an AH scenario
about a ruthless/insane/delusional/whatever tyrant like Nero or Caligula.

You are absolutely free to choose from which background this tyrant comes and in which state or empire he (...or she) rules.

 

[MerryPrankster]

Nero and Caligula were nasty people, but both were overthrown and/or assassinated.

A really bad tyrant is someone like Mao or Stalin--someone who combines evil with effectiveness.

Is being a raving looney a requirement, even if it means their eventual overthrow?

 

[M79]

Does the "tyrant" in this case mean the public officeholder or power behind the throne?

 

[Ran Exilis]

Does the "tyrant" in this case mean the public officeholder or power behind the throne?

Both things will do.

In fact, an "éminence grise" might be even more interesting.

 

[Ran Exilis]

Nero and Caligula were nasty people, but both were overthrown and/or assassinated.

A really bad tyrant is someone like Mao or Stalin--someone who combines evil with effectiveness.

Is being a raving looney a requirement, even if it means their eventual overthrow?

Being a raving lunatic is not a requirement, although a bit of insanity always makes the tyrant and the scenario a bit more interesting.

And now that you mention it, they don't need to be eventually overthrown either.

If you want, you can make them live and rule until they die a natural death.

 

[The Dean]

An anonymous shadowy administrator gains a position of influence over the monarch, president or prime minister (enter the leader of your choice). Then a ruthless reign of relentless demands for ever increasing unreasonable payments of money, goods and service descends upon the country of your choice.
Failure to meet the demands of the "Collector" is not contemplated as the failure to make payment results in visitations from certain people. If satisfaction is not forthcoming the miscreants disappear for indeterminate periods of time reappearing as gaunt ghosts of their former selves drifting through life as though in a nightmare as they labour tirelessly to meet the demands of the "Collector".

Nah this should go to ASBs

 

[MerryPrankster]

Ran,

That was my point--the challenge used those two as examples, but their noteworthy traits actually limited their effectiveness as dictators.

 

[Ran Exilis]

Ran,

That was my point--the challenge used those two as examples, but their noteworthy traits actually limited their effectiveness as dictators.

True.

But like I said, lunacy is not a requirement, and I only used those two as examples because I couldn't think of any other good examples when I was making the challenge.

The only real requirement is that the tyrant will be perceived as a tyrant by the people he (or she) rules over.

Wether the tyrant on the matter is sane yet absolutely ruthless or batshit crazy or anything in between is all up to you to decide.

 

[MerryPrankster]

Hmm...

Many of the Roman Emperors were portrayed by later writers as tyrants, but their tyrannical behavior primarily affected the Roman upper classes, who were doing the writing (example: Tiberius's treason trials, Domitian's massacres, etc). Some revisionists have claimed lately that they really weren't so bad--Pat Southern, for example, has done this with Domitian.

Would the Roman plebs perceive Tiberius or Domitian as tyrants?