THE AIR IS CRISS-CROSSED BY RADIO STATIONS SPEWING DIVISIVE, FEVERISH POLITICAL RHETORIC. FOR THE POOR PEOPLE OF REVACHOL, IDEOLOGY IS A BLOOD SPORT. EVERYONE MUST SUFFER. [Word of gods] – {{{3}}}
Disco Elysium has a robust alignment system, tracking your cop's alignment across four ideologies of the world: Communism, fascism, moralism and ultraliberalism.
Ideologies are developed over the course of the game, not picked at character creation. There are always little integers in the background, counting everything you say and after a certain threshold - usually four remarks - one of your skills will pop up, suggesting you make it official. The opportunity to espouse your agenda usually comes in the form of “political forks”, that is: dialogue choices usually consisting of four political options. Try to remain impartial and you will drift toward moralism (Elysium's centrism).
This is not an instant commitment, but rather, it unlocks a Thought Cabinet project that you can internalize to gain bonuses and define the cop's political standing. The four major thoughts are supported by a number of other thoughts, and the game will respond to any combination of those. Your political beliefs have mechanical implications. They're not just for role playing. As said, each is a thought, which you can develop in your Thought Cabinet, revealing some rather dramatic effects. Ultraliberals earn money by saying that stuff. “Traditionalists” get double the bonus from the most traditional drug of all: alcohol. Thus, ideologies strongly affect the way you play the game.
Communism
- Thought Cabinet project: Mazovian Socio-Economics
- Supporting projects: The Suicide of Kras Mazov
- Representatives: Cindy the Skull, Evrart Claire, The Gardener, The Deserter
- Organizations: The Commune of Revachol, The Insulindian Citizen's Militia
- Colour: white
- Symbol: inverted star wreathed by antlers.
The ideology the game wants you to play as. Why? The communists are downtrodden. The party is supposedly over. They'd rather call themselves socialists and social democrats at this point. The commies got their asses handed to them, but they are not without hope. The civil war gave foreign powers a casus belli to invade Revachol. Also, Kras Mazov, the father of scientific communism killed himself. There's a lot of intrigue there.
Pick this ideology. It's a swamp of melancholy and would-have-beens, and therein lies the fun of it. Who doesn't want to eat the rich? Who doesn't enjoy a good working class ass kicking of the bourgeois elite who hoard resources and throw us scraps? The most interesting dialogue choices are commie. After all, capitalism has killed multitudes (read: billions) more people than communism ever did. Be a red and kill some fash bootlickers.
Fascism
- Thought Cabinet project: Revacholian Nationhood
- Supporting projects: Advanced Race Theory
- Representatives: René Arnoux, Racist Lorry Driver, Measurehead, Gary the Cryptofascist
- Organizations: Revachol the Suzerain
- Colour: brown
- Symbol: sticks of wood tied together with an axe. Something dumb like that.
This is the baddest of all the ideologies, so no one admits they're a fascist. Rather, they're “traditionalists”. Or “nationalists”, a term they get really angry if you associate with fascism. (No one wants leprosy on their brand.)
The emotional draw here is, of course, that pretty girl who didn't want to sleep with you. The other ideologies don't explain why that happened. Fascism does. Because the commies pushed the king under a street car and now nothing in the world is holy or beautiful. During your stay in Revachol plenty of women will tell you no, so, naturally, most people will pick this one. I mean, who doesn't want “absolutely giant fascist” in their Steam achievements? Also, it goes really well with alcoholism.
Moralism
- Thought Cabinet project: Kingdom of Conscience
- Supporting projects: Opioid Receptor Antagonist
- Representatives: Kim Kitsuragi, The Sunday Friend, Trant Heidelstam
- Organizations: The Moralintern, Revacholian Citizen's Militia, EPIS, ICP
- Colour: signal blue
- Symbol: a forget-me-not
Ah. The boring, milquetoast "centrist." In this world, this is the ideology of someone who only cares about himself. How? By looking at the options on the table and saying: no. I don't want any of those associated with me. I just want to play a regular, inconsequential, doesn't-really-believe-in-anything type of detective.
If you're looking for the most boring playthrough next to fascism, well, you're in luck! After the commies and the fascas tag teamed Revachol, opportunistic foreign nations with moderately deadly artillery came and levelled the city, put all the commies against a wall and turned Revachol into a debt colony / financial buffer zone / whatever the hell they want it to be. Hell, essentially. They rule the world. And also the RCM, the law enforcement agency you're part of. Bourgeois idiots and law enforcement team up just like in the real world.
Ultraliberal
- Thought Cabinet project: Indirect Modes of Taxation
- Supporting projects: The Fifteenth Indotribe; Bankruptcy Sequence
- Representatives: Joyce Messier, Siileng, Mega Rich Light Bending Guy
- Organizations: The Wild Pines Group, Frittte, Coupris, FALN
- Colour: yellow / gold
- Symbol: The Franconigerian sun crown
Do you “grind” and “hustle?” Sure you do. You're a money engineer. A money scientist. You move money on a level inconceivable to the ordinary citizen. What is money, anyway? Money is trust.
There is no ideology being an ultra doesn't compliment. Fascist moneyman? Sehr logisch. Money-commie? Vie sexy! Money and moralism? Peanut butter und jelly! Money's not jealous. Money's like light, love and friendship. It plays well with everything. During the Revolution the ultras banded up with the commies to dispose of the king. Then they made a deal with the moralists to profit from the ensuing occupation.