Politics

In WAKFU, the whole political system depends entirely on you: choose your nation, set up laws, elect a governor and form the government.

Politics in WAKFU

Once you've left Incarnam, WAKFU's training zone, we can finally get down to business.

Become a citizen of a nation

You will arrive in Astrub, the City of Mercenaries. Here, you'll have the chance to explore your surroundings, discover the local countryside with all its wildlife, and – above all – learn about each Nation's ideology. Take your time familiarising yourself with them: soon, you'll have to choose whose side you're on and it's not a decision to be taken lightly…

Your loyalty to your nation will be measured in Citizenship Points. These can be earned or lost according to the Laws in place, which will depend entirely on the Nation you have chosen as your own. Political roles, such as Gouvernor, Guard and Soldier and access to the government will require you to get involved in your Nation's politics. Finally, the game's international relations will constantly affect your Nation – will you succeed in protecting its best interests?

Citizenship Points

Citizenship Points are used to show how politically involved you are with your Nation. If you want the right to vote, you'll have to earn 100 Citizenship Points. If you want to become a Guard or a Soldier, in addition to these 100 points, you'll have to unlock an achievement (killing 10 outlaws for the Guards, participating in a battle against a Clan Member for the Soldiers). And if you want to stand as a candidate for Governor in the elections, you'll have to prove your worth by amassing 1000 Citizenship Points!

Citizenship Points can be earned and lost depending on how well you respect your Nation's laws…

Laws

There are different types of laws: some of them enable you to earn Citizenship Points when you respect them, whilst the majority make you lose points if you break them. Laws can be the same as those of other Nations or specific to the Nation you're in.

To earn Citizenship Points, there are three rules that must be obeyed in all Nations:

Devotion: +1CP for each action that fulfils a Clan Member's wishes.
Maintaining Order: +10CP each time you successfully attack an Outlaw.
Conquest: +50CP for each time you defend your territory or conquer a new area.

Restrictive laws can be changed by the Governor, who can activate laws from a list depending on how many Law Points he has at his disposal.

The amount of points needed will vary according to the importance of the law (Minor Offense, Serious Offense or Crime). The Governor may, for example, choose to punish a lot of smaller infractions, or just a few big crimes…

Political Roles

During your political career, you can serve your Nation by occupying a post, which will give you additional rights and duties.
This means you'll get bonuses and access to new game options. It's only possible to hold one role at a time.

The Gouvernor

The nation is managed by a player, the Gouvernor, who is elected to the supreme post by his fellow citizens.
If you want to be elected to this post, you will need to have at least 1000 Citizenship Points.

The election period lasts 48 hours, including candidacy registration and voting, during which time all citizens with over 100 Citizenship Points can vote for the candidate of their choice.
The Governor is elected for a term of two weeks, during which he can :

Set taxes for each territory ;
Spend Kamas in the treasury on Challenges, Climatic Improvements or reintroducing and protecting species;
Define his Nation's laws;
Manage international relations;
Name his government.

The Government

Once the Governor has been elected, and for the duration of his term, he may recruit other citizens from his Nation to help him with its administration.
He can select:

The Vice-Governor: who has the same powers as the Governor, except that he is unable to name someone for his own post. This is the Governor's right-hand man, so he'd better choose someone trustworthy!
The Head Guard: who is in charge of the Nation's Guards.
The Head Soldier, who is in charge of the Nation's Soldiers.
The Weather Engineer, who can buy climatic improvements for the Nation's territories.
The Treasurer, who can set the taxes for the Nation's territories
The Challenger, who can buy Challenges for his Nation's territories.
The Ecologist, who decides which species to reintroduce and/or protect.

One character can't be named for several roles at the same time, and a role does not necessarily have to be filled at all. The Governor can change the members of his government whenever he feels like it.

Governor's popularity

Warning: all citizens who carried out their civic duty by voting during the elections also have the chance to show their disappointment in the Governor with a vote of no-confidence at any time during his term. If the Governor becomes too unpopular, he will be ousted from his post. In this case, an early election will be held to select a successor.

Guards and Soldiers

These roles are always available, as long as you fulfil the entry conditions. You can join by taking a test set by your Nation's archivist.

GUARDS: are responsible for domestic security. Their job is to track down criminals and ensure the safety of their fellow citizens within their Nation's territories. To help them do their job, they will get a bonus when fighting against Outlaws in their Nation.

SOLDIERS: specialise in conquering and defending territories. They will get a bonus when they attack or defend a Clan Member.

International Relations

Foreign affairs

There are three statuses to describe the relationship between two Nations:

Neutral: A citizen may travel freely within any Nation which has a Neutral relationship with his own. However, if he upsets the ecosystem, no matter how slightly, he could become an enemy of the Nation. If this happens, he can be attacked on sight and sent back to the border.
Allied: Being allied with a Nation is almost like being part of it. You can move around freely and carry out actions, as long as you respect local laws.
Enemy: As soon as a member of an enemy Nation sets foot in your territory, you can attack him on sight to get him sent back to the border.

The Governor is in charge of forming alliances and declaring war on other Nations. A declaration of war takes effect immediately and need only be issued by one of the Nations concerned. If you want to return to a neutral or allied status, both Governors will have to agree to it.

Conquerable islands

There are some neutral territories which do not belong to any nation. These areas host rare or unique resources, monsters and items. Each nation has the opportunity to benefit from these advantages by invading the territories and seizing control.
In order to achieve this, the island's Clan Member must be defeated in battle. Though beware! Your nation is not the only one interested in controlling neutral territories. Those little skirmishes could very well lead to an all-out war in the World of Twelve!