I don't have a lot to say about this right now, but one of those differences that scale between socieities is how firm the roles are. And what are the nature of those roles.
An example that may help the typical player is to compare their Multiverser character to the D20 character. D20 is a role or class based system. Multiverser is obviously not.
Almost all societies to some degree are class based systems, but people themselves not so much.
A1 is wanting to discuss roles. MJ is correct that medieval societies were very role oriented. We mostly think of roles in relationship to the Spheres used by Victorian society, but the Medievals were even more so.
One marker for high roles structures is Credentialism. That is, you can't do a job without the proper papers. This could be Union Cards, or it could be being a Lawywer, or anything else.
Nowadays, it seems that a rise in credentialism has occurred over the last few decades. I regard this with suspicion.
Now back to Lawyers and Judges. You might think such requires credentials....but part of the purpose of this is to stretch the mind. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a quasi-Libertarian classic of SF by Robert Heinlein. Judges are chosen by a group of spectators to a crime, and paid by the defendant and the victim. Trial is held in the street or at a nearby bar.
I wrote a sketch world on this--taking this concept and ripping it to shreds. But that is not the point. The point is that you theoretically could run a society with almost no credentials, and almost no roles.
It occurs to me that our sliding scale might be marked, at least in part, by which professions require credentials. At one end, Doctors are allowed to practise when they put up a sign in their door, and at the other end of the scale, Pizza Delivery Drivers have to take a twenty week course, and pass several tests in order to get a Delivery Driver Card (which is on top of the Driver's License everyone also has to get.)
Or even better, Gamemasters have to take ten semester hours in game theory in order to get their Amateur Gamemaster Golden Dice which they wear on a chain around their neck (I'm thinking of a society in which everyone has necklaces covered in small charms which represent approval from various Testing Boards for certain activities.)
