The Klingon Empire

Government

The Klingon empire is a feudal oligarchy ruled by the high council and the chancellor. at least, on the whole. the empire is divided into many houses, each an extended family and their retainers. most houses are lesser houses, having limited influence and holdings. the great houses however, command much influence, primarily through feudal and blood ties to many lesser houses, and it is the heads and/or representatives of the great houses that comprise the high council. the great houses vary in power (and thus their ability to influence the council), and are constantly vying to increase their power or hinder the other houses, largely through efforts to gather more lesser houses to their side. assassination, espionage, duels, and sabotage are not uncommon in these shadow conflicts, although technically frowned upon by the society as a whole. the number and identity of these great houses has varied over the centuries, as the power of each house waves and wanes. minor houses have elevated themselves to great house status in times of war and change, while some great houses find themselves fading in power. generally there are 10 to 15 great houses at any time, tied to a multitude of lesser houses.

The high council, as mentioned above, is composed of representatives of the great houses. they control the bureaucracy which runs the empire. at the head of the council is the chancellor, who holds immense political power as the head of the empire and the leader of the defense force. in the Klingon feudal system, the office of the chancellor is what even the great houses owe fealty to. the chancellor is a lifetime position, but not a hereditary one in normal course. the chancellor is normally chosen from within the high council. the designated successor must have proven his worth, and be recognized by the majority of the council. when there is no designated successor, or there is a challenge to the validity of the chosen successor, it is the role of the arbiter of succession to choose a new chancellor. the arbiter acts as a regent for the time it takes to decide a successor, although without the full authority of the chancellor in regards unilateral action. the arbiter must be chosen from a house unconnected to those vying for succession, and if the chancellor has not chosen an arbiter the council must select one, with those in succession abstaining from the vote.

The third element of the imperial government is imperial intelligence. while officially subordinate to the high council, I.I. in practice only reports to the chancellor. I.I.'s mandate is officially espionage on the enemies (and allies), however since its inception its authority has been expanded to internal security as well, keeping tabs on the activities and loyalties of the great houses and defense forces. it is this latter mission, and their use of covert methods and activities, which account for the low regard the great houses accord I.I. intelligence is generally regarded as dishonorable, however it finds many recruits amid the lesser houses, where the potential for position and authority is respected, even if it comes from unconventional means.

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Rogue houses

The most severe punishment for inappropriate actions (such as treason, gross dishonorable conduct, etc) in the empire is dis-commendation, or exile. most commonly applied only to individuals, it can dishonor an entire house, and has frequently been the cause of a great house's fall to minor house status. there have been times however that the actions of the whole house have been so problematic, that an entire house has been discommendated. these houses have their assets seized and find themselves with no formal allies in the empire. however, if the house was powerful enough, or devious enough, and anticipated their fall, they could often escape with many of their more mobile assets intact. these rogue houses often turn pirate, using their fleet and resources to support the house, or turn mercenary, for much the same result. a few however have chosen to travel into the unexplored regions, turning conquistador. If their conquests or actions prove of great benefit to the Empire, they may regain their place. some of these rogue houses attempt to manipulate the empire and great houses, in attempts to have their dis-commendation lifted and their positions restored without risking all in wars of conquest.

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jeghpu'wI' - Subject Races

"Gentlemen, I have seen what the Klingons do to planets like yours. They are organized into vast slave labor camps. No freedoms whatsoever. Your goods will be confiscated. Hostages taken and killed, your leaders confined. You'd be far better off on a penal planet. Infinitely better off" - James T. Kirk, on the Subject of Klingon Conquest.

"You are now subjects of the Klingon Empire. You'll find there are many rules and regulations. They will be posted. Violation of the smallest of them will be punished by death."

"From this day on, no public assemblages of more than three people. All publications to be cleared through this office. Neighborhood controls will be established, hostages selected." - Kor, military governor of Organia, upon taking control of the planet.

The Klingon Empire has conquered and subjugated many worlds and races, and like the ancient Romans of Earth, have integrated them into the Empire. Non-Klingon members of the Empire are referred to as jeghpu'wI', meaning "conquered people." The longer a race has been a part of the empire the more free that race is within it. newly conquered races, or those with history of rebellion, insurgency, and anti-assimilation movements, have limited freedoms, and will typically be restricted to their own worlds, made to toil for the benefit of the Empire producing what resources their worlds offer. Races which have adopted Klingon culture and support the Empire gain many of the freedoms enjoyed by full klingons, although they can at best only hope for second class status as a full Klingon will always rate higher than even the most loyal non-klingon. Loyal races are generally found filling specialist roles within the Empire. A race with a history of innovation and skill with machines gravitating towards the scientific and Engineering circles of the Empire, races with warrior traditions or high aggression are often found in the KDF as Auxilaries and shock troops, an so on. The Empire however does not fully trust non-Klingons, and does not allow jeghpu'wI' their own military fleets, nor do they allow them to form more than a small fraction of the crew of any KDF vessel. The Empire classifies their subject races into three levels. Trusted Races are those races which possess the greatest freedom within the Empire, and which serve the Empire more or less faithfully. Restricted Races are those races which the Empire does not fully trust, but which have proven to posess enough worth or loyalty to lift many of the restrictions on their movement and involvement in Klingon society. and Untrusted Races, those newly conquered or with a history of resistance to the Empire since their conquest. Untrusted races are used largely as forced labor,

Some Notable Subject Races.

The Klingon military

The Klingon military in many ways is a microcosm of their government. its main part is the defense force, or KDF. This is answerable to the chancellor and high council, and is (officially) neutral in disputes between the houses. the KDF's main mission is the defense and expansion of the empire. the KDF is also typically equipped with the most advanced vessels and technology in the empire. However, the Great houses supply the KDF and use house ties to its commanders to further their own plans and power struggles. as a result the technological superiority, size, power, and competency of the KDF vs the Great Houses fluctuates over the years. Technology developed for the KDF trickles down into the fleets of the Great Houses, and in periods of relative stagnation the Great Houses can often match that of the KDF. Likewise the KDF is often used as a training and recruitment source for the fleets of the Great Houses, although the reverse has been known to happen as well. One role of the KDF that is not often mentioned is that of internal security. The KDF and its officers swear loyalty to the Chancellor and the Empire, and in theory at least, may be employed to enforce the council or Chancellor's will against the Great Houses in the byzantine politics of Qo'noS. It rarely has been required in this capacity however, as the mere unspoken threat usually suffices to keep the fighting between the Great Houses to the shadows.

The Fleets of the Great Houses however are pledged to the defense and expansion of the Empire, and in times of conflict the Chancellor can call upon a levy of the Great Houses to supplement the KDF. The Great Houses fleets are generally comprised of lighter vessels, easier to build, maintain, and crew. As well as providing many officer positions for important House members. Nepotism and forced retention of poor officers generally mean the training and skill quality of the Great House fleets is generally inferior to that of the KDF. This however is often offset by a singularly aggressive mindset, as their performance in battle directly effects their standing within the Great House they are a part of or pledged to.

Imperial Intelligence maintains its own small but powerful fleet. Meant as a check against ambition within the KDF itself, this fleet has more often been deployed in I.I.'s many covert operations. I.I. vessels mount some of the most advanced technologies within the empire, and all are equipped with cloaking technology. However, I.I. Resources are stretched across the Empire, which means it is rare to see a full I.I. Fleet deployed. It is far more common for I.I. to attach a small force of vessels to a larger fleet. Typically such forces are assigned to fleets comprised of Great House troops, with I.I. serving as both the Chancellor's check against ambition, and as a mediator between House forces should disputes or rivalries arise. Within the fleets of the KDF, I.I. vessels are primary attached for special operations or particularly sensitive events. within the KDF, Imperial Intelligcen prefers to rely on their overt and covert agents aboard KDF ships.

Lastly each world in the Empire is required to maintain a planetary militia, typically composed of light patrol ships, defensive stations, and armed shuttlecraft. These forces are typically staffed with old warriors and young cadets, but in times of conflict all able bodied warriors may be called up, and the Militia's take over the role of planetary defense, to free up forces for the frontlines. Militia's are also tasked with the bulk of the less popular work of border security and trade regulation enforcement, albeit with KDF liaison officers. The quality and size of Militia forces vary by world. Prosperous worlds or those on disputed borders maintain relative large forces, with greater quantities of Patrol ships. While less prosperous worlds make do without or rely on ties to a Great House for defense. When a klingon world is in danger, it is also not uncommon for a Militia to commandeer any nearby Merchant vessels, as Klingon merchants fly armed vessels, and while poor warships compared to those of the Great Houses and KDF, they can provide additional defense at short notice.

Interstellar Relations:

The Klingon Empire traditionally has not had much success with diplomacy, preferring conquest and battle to treaties and negotiations. This has colored it's relations with its neighbors, and it has gone to war with most of them repeatedly.

The United Federation of Planets: The UFP has fought the Klingons, officially and unofficially, since the 22nd century. during much of the 23rd century the Federation and Klingons were in a state of Cold War, frequently on the verge of open warfare, but held back by circumstances and occasionally outside intervention. The Klingons realized that the Federation, although less warlike and posessing a smaller star fleet, held a quality and organization advantage which made them the Empire's equal in warfare, and their rapid pace of technological development meant that in the times of open warfare any gains the Empire obtained would be reversed rapidly. As a result the Empire chose to conduct covert efforts to weaken the Federation and its border region. In the wake of the devastation to the empire caused by the explosion of Praxis, the Empire has made a tentative peace agreement with the Federation, although this has not stopped the houses from raiding federation space in acts of piracy, or many of the covert operations.

The Romulan Star Empire: During the 23rd century, relations with the Romulans were contradictory. Although the two Empires had close trading ties at the time, several of the great houses raided and conquered Romulan colony worlds. After the destruction of Praxis, the Romulan Star Empire perceived an opportunity and has begun raiding and liberating their former colonies.

The Tholian Holdfast: The Holdfast and the Klingons have a long bitter history. Holdfast territory was carved out of Klingon claimed space early in the Klingon Empire's expansion, and although the Tholians have not been expansionary since the establishment of the Holdfast, those Great Houses which lost colonies to the Holdfast have long desired the return of their 'ancestral' holdings, and have been the cause of multiple conflicts.

The Granida Cluster: Although the Granida cluster lies far from the boundaries of Klingon claimed space, the Klingon's were one of the first Beta Quadrant powers to establish ties to the cluster's native political entities. Although the Klingon Empire itself only maintains diplomatic embassies with the Imperial Pact and New Republic, several small Rogue Houses have relocated their fleets to the cluster, loosely allying with the New Republic in their fight against the Imperial Pact and otherwise attempting to carve out a Klingon pirate state within the cluster. The Imperial Pact refuses to recognize the rogue nature of these houses, which has left the Klingon Empire at odds with the primary power in the cluster.

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Klingon House Rules:

(rules by StarRanger)

Disruptors - A new weapon, designed to represent what was seen in the original series episodes. It is the heavy weapon of most Klingon ships.

Disruptor: Mass 3, 2 arcs, +1 mass for a 3rd arc. Cost is 3x Mass.

Fired as a Pulse Torp but instead of a damage roll, a fixed 2 points of damage are inflicted. Screens have no effect, and if armored, 1 point of damage to the outer layer of Armour and 1 point to the next layer (2nd layer of armor or hull depending on design)

Point Defense - All classes of Beams may engage fighters as if they were a longer ranged form of point defense cluster. Target a group of fighters as if it were a ship, a fire Control per group targeted is required. roll damage as normal for it's class of beam, but for each point of endurance a fighter group uses to evade, there is a -1 modifier to the roll.

Cloaking Devices - Cloaking Devices are represented in my fleets for Full Thrust as level 2 Stealth hulls, which in the game serve to reduce enemy weapons ranges when being fired at. this best represents the cloaking device of StarTrek, which does not protect the ship from enemy fire while cloaked, and which can be countered or defeated with standard Sensors detecting signals and emissions that leak through the cloak or are left behind as the cloaked ship travels. for the sake of gameplay, just assume that the stealth hull represents ships cloaking to maneuver, and decloaking just long enough to fire. Not all klingon vessels are equipped with Cloaking devices (stealth Hulls), but all possess the option of mounting one. the coast of adding the capabilities to each ship will be provided by class.)

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Klingon Ship Classes

(of the 23rd and early 24th century)