With the recent abdication and coronation of a new emperor in Japan and coronation of the King of Thailand, my interest in monarchies has been renewed. I am not a monarchist, I just think it is an interesting topic and ties in to my history degree where I focused on ancient and medieval history. At least as much as one can do with a BA. I also have an interest in European history up to WWII, which includes Napoleon, etc.

Regalia are the emblems or royalty. Possession of these items brings legitimacy to a monarch’s rule.

In the European and many other traditions, regalia are often a crown, scepter, orb, sword, or other physical item.

In Japan, the regalia are a bit different, for one, emperors do not wear crowns. They have 3 regalia, a sword, a mirror, and a jewel. All three have mystical origins with the sun god, who is the ancestor of the emperor. Instead of the palace, they are kept at different Shinto shrines, and even the emperor doesn’t get to see them, as they are wrapped up. In addition, the imperial household seal and the great seal of Japan were presented.

That throws in an interesting plot hook for a game. The regalia are stolen and it turns out they are something unexpected, like the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Such a scenario works with any genre of RPG.

For Thailand, the regalia are a 16 pound (7.3 kg) crown, slippers, fan and fly whisk, the Sword of Victory, and the royal scepter. It is interesting that on the surface, some of the items, like the fan and fly whisk are very practical for the tropical climate.

Any country with a monarch in their history will have some sort of regalia, you can find them on Wikipedia by searching for royal or imperial regalia of [country].

While I have not done an exhaustive search, it is a topic I think about for expressing royal office in a unique way in game. Not all monarchs will have a sword or crown.

Not all heads of state will be royalty. They may be some other variation, whether elected, or a council, etc. The AD&D 1e DMG [Affiliate Link] had a great section on types of government. Perhaps the ruler of a magocracy will posses a Wand of the Arch Magi. An oligarchy might use ceremonial gold coins to cast votes, heads for and tails against.

In more recent times, possession of the great seal of a state implies legitimacy. During the American Civil War, the pro South governor of Missouri fled with the great seal, as I recall, but I’m not finding a reference to clarify the details. Missouri stayed in the Union and the confederate state government spent most of the war in exile in Texas. So while the Confederate state government had the seal, they did not have control of the state and their decision to secede from the Union gave them seats in the Confederate government. A new seal had to be made, as I recall.

[Edit: I found a vague reference here. Further, a direct quote from here:
The day after that meeting, Jackson issued a proclamation denouncing the federal government and calling for 50,000 militia volunteers to fight the Union invaders. Within hours, Lyon embarked with 2,000 men on a river expedition to the state capital, Jefferson City, to capture the governor and any state guard troops who might follow him. Tipped off to Lyon’s impending arrival, Jackson and his staff frantically gathered papers, money and the state seal and headed west, ordering the destruction of three railroad bridges along the way to impede pursuit. The legally elected state government was now fugitive. ]

There have been other instances in history, where control of a symbol of authority, whether a piece of royal regalia, or a government seal were a source of great controversy.

In Japan they have named the throne, the Chrysanthemum Throne. A few years ago I did some research and as I recall, not many thrones are named.

In Roman Catholicism the bishops chair is a cathedra and is in the cathedral. The Pope has to be in his official chair as the bishop of Rome to make a pronouncement that is infallible. The Pope is also an example of an elected monarch, as he is effectively a king in the temporal sense. Note: Bishops in the Anglican and Orthodox traditions also have cathedra.

In Great Britain, when a monarch is crowned, all the nobles have their coronets, which are like little crowns of different size depending on the title. They also have their coronation robes. By tradition, they only wear them on coronation day. If you watch video of past coronations, all the nobles put on their coronets at the moment the monarch had the crown placed on their head.

All kinds of symbolism in ceremonies that evolve over hundreds or thousands of years. Some aspects may seem quite strange if you don’t know or understand the origin and it’s significance in myth and/or history.

Questions To Ask For Your Campaign

• Whether you have monarchs or other types of heads of state, what is their symbol of office?
• How is it significant?
• What is it’s backstory.
• Is it rooted in myth and legend?
• Is it magical? (Does the bearer know & know how to use it?)
• How many are there? 1d6
• What cool name does each item have? (If rooted in myth & legend, a cool name is important.)
• What does this item indicate about the culture, ruler, government?
• Do the regalia/symbols of office grant authority or are they merely symbols of office? (It might be a big deal not to have the crown of legend passed down through the ages.)
• Does it have a secret compartment?

If a secret compartment:

• Does the bearer or anyone with access know about it?
• How big is the compartment?
• What is in it? (Note, map, key, jewel, magic item, etc.)
• Could it be detachable, like a key?
• If not known, is it documented somewhere?