25.0. Trials:
Unfortunately, there comes the time when Justice must be met upon those who have earned a position on the wrong side of the law. To this end, there is a legal system to try and deal with the meddlesome on the wrong side of Justice. Depending on the charge or offense, one can be tried in a Civil Court, by an Ecclesiastic Tribunal, or by Court Martial. Of course, there is some overlap between the different arenas. Just because the CPS doesn't try a dueling Abbe for murder doesn't mean that the Church will also let it pass. Remember there are often politics involved in trying or not trying a case.
25.1. Civil Trials:
In some circumstances arrests are automatic. In others they are not. In either case the Commissioner of Public Safety (CPS) may choose to ignore the matter and dispense with a trial. However, a good CPS will arrest the villain and bring the matter to trial.
If the CPS is a PC, he may issue a warrant for an arrest, regardless of the presence of any evidence, as a pre-monthly action unless a trial is already scheduled for that month. To make an arrest, either the CPS or one of his ferrets, must be in the same location as the victim in any week of that month. Someone at the front, on an expedition, or in a province may not be arrested in this way. To arrest someone who is working, entertaining at home, doing nothing or training strength, the CPS or ferret must have ordered to arrest that person that week 'at home'. A week's arrest attempt 'at barracks' is needed if the person is practicing his regt weapon or doing regt duties. If the person in question is actually committing a crime that week (e.g. stealing, spying) he is arrested and found out. An arrest attempt negates any other actions planned for that week if successful, although an arrest attempt 'at home' or 'at barracks' can not be combined with any other actions.
Example: The CPS could order to attend a party at The Golden Lion in
week 2, to carouse, toady, and arrest ABC if at The Golden Lion. His ferrets
could each order in week 2 to Arrest ABC at home and to Arrest ABC at barracks.
IF ABC attends the party at The Golden Lion, the CPS will arrest him
but will not participate in the party (no carousing, toadying, no SP for
attending), but the arrest is made. The ferrets end up doing nothing that week.
IF, however, ABC does not attend the party at The Golden Lion, the CPS
will participate, carouse, toady, and receive SP for attending, but make no
arrest. The ferrets might make the arrest if ABC remains home that week or if he
shows up at the barracks (regimental duty), or they may again end up doing
nothing.
If the arrest attempt fails, then the warrant becomes public knowledge. The CPS may continue to seek an arrest the following month, or cancel the warrant. If arrested, a character loses any actions from that week and spends the remainder of the month in gaol awaiting trial. Again this will be public knowledge and the CPS must hold a trial in the first week of the following month or release the prisoner as a pre-monthly action. The charges being brought must be announced.
Trials are judged by the City Governor or Provincial Governor (for Low and Serious Crimes) or the MoS (for High Crimes). If the MoS is being tried, the King acts as the judge. A PC judge simply decides whether the accused is guilty or not and states this in his orders; he must spend that week attending the trial. Alternatively, a PC may delegate responsibility to an NPC minister, thus 'passing the buck' and allowing him to do something else that week.
Witnesses must make themselves known through the press or to the GM. They must be of an equal or higher SL than the accused, and may not be from the same, friendly or enemy regiment. They must spend that week's action attending the trial, and may not remain anonymous. Witnesses do not have to tell the truth, and may send a summary of their testimony to the press or with their orders. The CPS cannot be a witness although his ferrets can. Only PCs may be ferrets, and the CPS may dismiss ferrets pre-monthly at any time, unlike normal appointments.
The Adjutant General is responsible for overseeing the military judicial system. If evidence is given to him, he decides whether to press charges (an NPC will do so on a 4+, may be influenced). If the AG is a PC, evidence should be sent direct to the player concerned (of which there will be very little considering the nature of the game, but past orders may suffice); if an NPC, it should be sent direct to the GM and not the press. An officer of the rank of Lt Col or above may bring up evidence concerning anyone in his command, whether it is genuine or not. An NPC will not do this.
If the AG decides to press charges he must schedule and announce a court martial to take place in a particular week of the following month. The accused is automatically under 'loose arrest' until that date (he may make normal weekly actions except for the week of the court martial itself, but may not leave London). In the case of an automatic court martial for cowardice and gross incompetence the AG must schedule these for the earliest possible date. Multiple courts martial for the same charge may be held in the same week with the same presiding officers.
The outcome is decided by majority verdict from a board of 3 presiding officers, appointed by the AG. Two of these officers should be one rank higher than the accused (min rank of Cap) and the third should be 2 ranks higher (min of Maj). Presiding officers may not be from the same, friendly or enemy regt as the accused. If a Col or Brig Gen is the accused, the AG may appoint himself as one of the presiding officers. The MoS, MoW and FM are used to judge Generals. An NPC AG will make a random selection between PCs and NPCs in choosing presiding officers. A PC AG is free to choose anyone he pleases though he must announce his choice to give them time to comply. PCs may not refuse to sit on a board (or more precisely, they are subject to disciplinary charges if they refuse - and the AG's office goes into overload!). Presiding officers use that week's action in attending the court martial. A maximum of 2 witnesses may appear for the defense and prosecution and they too must use their week's action attending the court martial. They must have a rank or SL at least equal to the accused and may not be members of the same, friendly or enemy regt.
PC presiding officers are free to choose a guilty or not guilty verdict which they should include in their orders. If found guilty they will be sentenced according to the crime and their rank. If there is a choice of sentence, the senior presiding officer chooses, and should include this in his orders also.
25.3. Embezzlement and Tax Evasion:
Embezzlement falls into all three of these categories. The Chancellor may siphon from the seafaring ships. Governors may tight-fist the taken taxation. The Director of the Lottery can lift the loot from the lottery. The Director of the Theatre Royale can purloin a partial performance purse. Clergy can case the clerical coffers. And Officers of the Military can steal from the soldiers' sack. In each case it falls to the quarter in which the light-fingering occurred to judge and punish. The chance of an embezzler getting caught depends on the amount missing.
Characters may also try to avoid the taxes that are levied on them by the different groups: Government, Nobles, Clergy. The chance of the character being caught is dependent on their wealth level. The base chance is 11+ (3d6). Richer characters are more likely to be caught since the collection will be missing a higher amount and the tax collectors always make sure to knock on the doors of the wealthy!
