Basic Trope: "The Empire": Large and powerful, but often benevolent, ruling through generally peaceful means.
- Straight: The Troperian Empire controls one-fourth of the world's landmass, and indirectly keeps another third in its sphere of influence. Its military is active but more often used as a bargaining tool than a weapon, and it has a nice standard of living to boot.
- Exaggerated: The Troperian Empire has the willing fealty of entire universes - Trillions of worlds, all loyal to one man.
- Downplayed: The Troperian Empire, while not the sort of empire to burn down entire cities For the Evulz, is still oppressive and brutal; At best, it's A Lighter Shade of Black.
- Justified:
- The Kingdom of Troperia started as the dominant member of a The Alliance, but over time gradually centralized power around it until the other allies essentially became their subject states.
- The Empire of Evulz used to conquer and pillage any territory it pleased, but after being forced to put down a major rebellion of its dissatisfied subjects by the skin of its teeth, it decided to adopt more peaceful methods.
- Inverted:
- The Empire of Evulz controls one-fourth of the world's landmass through military force, indoctrination, and fear, but few actually respect the Empire enough to willingly become a Voluntary Vassal.
- The Troperian Alliance is a loose coalition of states and factions where no one power holds sway over any other.
- Troperia is a tiny city-state subject to The Empire and has little in the way of political weight.
- Subverted:
- The Troperian Empire claims to have the fealty over many different subject states, but they really just pay lipservice to it and act independently.
- The Troperian Empire claims that it is a benevolent force for good, and that its "policing actions" are done for the "greater good" of the lands they attack. In reality, it's just a facade to be able to conquer more land and resources.
- Double Subverted:
- The Troperian Empire still has a great deal of sway in how these subject states are governed, and even if they have less direct control over them, the Empire still has a great deal of economic and cultural sway as well.
- The Troperian Empire's "policing actions" are only undertaken against countries that are in genuine revolution and controlled by governments insensitive to the needs and wants of the population; Once one such country is conquered, the Empire collaborates with the local population to establish a lasting political solution - under Troperian protection and jurisdiction, of course.
- Parodied: The Empire is a Micro Monarchy with little real influence over any other countries, but its Emperor still insists that it has the suzerainty of many surrounding states.
- Zig-Zagged:
- The Troperian Empire on the surface appears to be a force for good, granting its citizens many freedoms and primarily expanding through voluntary subjugation of smaller countries into its economic and cultural sphere. However, then it is revealed that several military operations it has deemed "policing actions" were actually just for the sake of conquering new land to add to the Empire. Then the Empire reveals the process it has in administering a new land, including working together with the local population to determine local laws so long as they pay their taxes. Then someone finds out that the Empire utilizes Secret Police to keep these laws in the Empire's favor...
- Averted: Either there are no Empires in this work, or any ones that do exist are Obviously Evil.
- Enforced: The writer dislikes the idea that all empires must be entirely evil, and so decides to write a more sympathetic variety into their own story.
- Lampshaded: "FINALLY, an Empire that isn't bent on conquering everything in sight!"
