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Terraforming For Dummies: Chapter 13 - Your Very First Society

Alrighty: so you've got shelter, you've got crops, and your Terranova-brand Lungfish Atmospheric Processors are humming. Life is looking pretty good, right? Wrong! Someone just murdered you and took all your food. Whoops! Forgot something, didn't you? That's right silly, you forgot to build a stable society with a rule of law.

Don't worry, it's a mistake all first-timers make. At first blush, taking the time to build a society seems like a whole lot of hassle for not much benefit. Who wants the taxman knocking on their door, or neighbors bugging you for a cup of granular carbohydrates? But let me tell you, when roving bands of murderous outsiders/wolves/aliens/post-apocalyptic bikers are terrorizing your homestead, a society will start looking pre -tty good! To kick things off, you'll need to pick the kind of society you want to build. There are a lot of options, but choose wisely! Some of them are less fun than others.
 * Having a society gives you the following key benefits:
 * Easy access to news
 * Assistance with building barns
 * Police protection and rule of law (Note: does not apply to anarchist societies)
 * Freedom to conduct business (Note: does not apply to communist or authoritarian societies)
 * Womenfolk/menfolk pairing off, what for to make the babies
 * Ability to circle the wagons/shuttlecraft/dirt piles with others for increased defense
 * Ability to make war on other peoples and force them into your society, because your society is totally better for them then the one they currently have

Protip: read a history book, find a society you like, then base yours off of it. Like democratic expression? Try ancient Greece! Like unbridled capitalism? Try ancient America! Like feudal power structures that concentrate power in a small minority and subjugate everyone else? Good news! History has a ton of those to pick from!

So now that you've picked a type of society, how do you get started? Split everyone into various factions. Factions are an essential part of creating the kind of tenuous, teetering-on-the-edge, quasi-stability that every fashionable society craves. Don't have any current disagreements? Invent some! Here are a few to get you started: Congrats! You are now a part of a vibrant society! We at Terranova wish you the very best with all that. And remember, if your society becomes advanced enough to conquer Earth, Terranova will extend a special offer of 20% off all future purchases. So get cracking!
 * 1) Find a good central location to hold meetings, like a town hall or a spooky cave
 * 2) Divvy up responsibilities. At a minimum, you should have the following:
 * 3) * Mayor
 * 4) * Sheriff and deputies
 * 5) * Town store proprietor (pick someone colorful or with a dark past for maximum entertainment!)
 * 6) * Corrupt political establishment
 * 7) * Saloon or tavern owner (with optional brothel, depending on your society type)
 * 8) * Heathen peoples to civilize (not required, but highly encouraged)
 * 1) * Skin color
 * 2) * Religion/spirituality
 * 3) * Stars upon thars
 * 4) * General worldview and thoughts on important issues of the times
 * 5) * Sports teams
 * 6) Figure out how to make alcohol. Every human society in history has done this sooner or later. Might as well get it out of the way now.
 * 7) Start populating! Your society will need people in order to grow. Make as many babies as possible as fast as possible. Note: make sure you have enough food, clothing, and shelter for the babies, or they will not grow into actual adults.
 * 8) Expand! Find some territory or people to conquer. You can use non-violent means if you're one of those kinds of societies. If you don't have other territories to conquer, try rebelling against your parent society.