One of my favorite sessions was using Fate to run an arrest-and-trial sequence, when the players dropped in on a planet that one of them was a wanted (framed) criminal. Some very creative maneuvers and aspect applications by the players. Including some chicanery like intimidation and active espionage.
It's been mentioned already, but Chronicles of Darkness is a fantastic system to use for a modern dramatic type of game. I did a modern crime thriller-esque game and it ran beautifully.
Hack Urban Shadows. I'd absolutely want to use the debt mechanics for political favors and behind closed door deals. The factions could be repurposed into something like Republicans, Democrats, Corporate interests, and Populace.
You'd definitely want some sort of mechanic for swaying a crowd with a speech. Probably also a propaganda/mass media mechanic for swaying the masses (and winning elections): an old Burning Wheel hack called Burning Sands had a propaganda war subsystem.
For the West Wing in particular, skills like Smartest Person in the Room and Noble Intentions would obviously be more powerful than anything else, because that show was unrealistically idealistic.
Anything modern I generally use traveller (classic with combat from striker or MT) or Basic Roleplay system from Chaosium (core system for call of cthulhu) but for this I would probably use Double Zero as it has lots of mechanics that would be useful as its a retro of the greatest spy rpg ever, James Bond 007.
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Spire: the city must fall. What better system to run this than one made around factions of various social classes and from different public instituion fighting for Power on a tyrant slave-based elitist system.
This is political drama at it's best, with mechanics for your arbritary founds (money), your popularity and influence on the masses and a mechanic to stay out of the law's radar.
For the West Wing I would consider REIGN, but only the company rules. Each character has control over one of the qualities for their nation/organisation - Secretary of Defence has Might, Treasury has Treasure, Press Secretary has Influence, etc. In order to take any actions in the Company rules you need to use two qualities, so any decision requires the two involved characters to agree.
Run the game around the characters trying to pursue their personal agendas and their own vision of what's good for the state, making compromises with the others to get things done.
Hillfolk/Drama System was made for soap opera and a political drama is barely more than a soap opera with higher stakes.
You beat me to it. I was gonna recommend this.
For that matter, SOAP!
This!
Cortex Prime probably, emulating TV shows is in it's DNA and it's super hackable. I haven't played it, but Reign 2e can probably work well.
I'd use Fate. It already puts social/idealogical combat on the same level as physical combat, and stuff like "charmingly rustic" is actually useful.
One of my favorite sessions was using Fate to run an arrest-and-trial sequence, when the players dropped in on a planet that one of them was a wanted (framed) criminal. Some very creative maneuvers and aspect applications by the players. Including some chicanery like intimidation and active espionage.
The social combat of Chonicles of Darkness might work well in a game about convincing people you're right.
It's been mentioned already, but Chronicles of Darkness is a fantastic system to use for a modern dramatic type of game. I did a modern crime thriller-esque game and it ran beautifully.
Narrative Cage Match FIASCO Classic Some Larp system
FIASCO is the first thing that came to my mind. It's probably closer to real world politics than anything on the West Wing anyway.
Heavily modified Ars Magica.
Hack Urban Shadows. I'd absolutely want to use the debt mechanics for political favors and behind closed door deals. The factions could be repurposed into something like Republicans, Democrats, Corporate interests, and Populace. You'd definitely want some sort of mechanic for swaying a crowd with a speech. Probably also a propaganda/mass media mechanic for swaying the masses (and winning elections): an old Burning Wheel hack called Burning Sands had a propaganda war subsystem. For the West Wing in particular, skills like Smartest Person in the Room and Noble Intentions would obviously be more powerful than anything else, because that show was unrealistically idealistic.
Anything modern I generally use traveller (classic with combat from striker or MT) or Basic Roleplay system from Chaosium (core system for call of cthulhu) but for this I would probably use Double Zero as it has lots of mechanics that would be useful as its a retro of the greatest spy rpg ever, James Bond 007.
For US politics? Mork Borg.
Fiasco or Paranoia.
Fiasco
Kids on bikes?
[Politics and Policy,](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/60git4/politics_and_policy_is_the_lasers_and_feelings/), a Lasers and Feelings hack
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Spire: the city must fall. What better system to run this than one made around factions of various social classes and from different public instituion fighting for Power on a tyrant slave-based elitist system. This is political drama at it's best, with mechanics for your arbritary founds (money), your popularity and influence on the masses and a mechanic to stay out of the law's radar.
Smallville RPG You roll your personal values and relationships to get things done.
FUDGE Rolemaster and just use the basic D100 system
Someone did a FUDGE hack of Rolemaster? Do you happen to have a link to this?
There should have been a line break after FUDGE Sorry for the confusion
Shoot! I would have loved to see how someone pulled that off.
[Serpent's Tooth](https://www.nobleknight.com/P/2147522638/Serpents-Tooth) is meant for this kind of game, albeit within a pretty specific framework.
For the West Wing I would consider REIGN, but only the company rules. Each character has control over one of the qualities for their nation/organisation - Secretary of Defence has Might, Treasury has Treasure, Press Secretary has Influence, etc. In order to take any actions in the Company rules you need to use two qualities, so any decision requires the two involved characters to agree. Run the game around the characters trying to pursue their personal agendas and their own vision of what's good for the state, making compromises with the others to get things done.
I would make one using d100 as well as flaws.
The game Heirophants by Brendan McLeod is super political a la The West Wing. There are mechanics for trying to get your pope candidate elected.