I'm having thoughts about making magical dystopia settings because @yung_foxxii and our streaming channel @NeonNCLights may or may not be doing that. So let's do a thread about what makes a dystopia a dystopia.

First: a dystopia claims to be a perfect society but clearly is not. Generally there is a central authority claiming the society is perfect except for the malcontents or outsiders causing all the problems. These outsiders can be literal outsiders or a rejected social class.

Second: a true dystopia is virtually inescapable. This is either because it envelops the whole world and the technology reqioered to escape is suppressed, or the authorities kill anyone who leaves (or just anyone who leaves and tries to come back and prove you CAN leave)

Lastly: a Dystopia is maintained through extreme surveillance, propoganda, and gruesome public punishment. A combination of these three is used to dissuade any rebellion. The surveillance especially needs make the illusion or reality of being watched always.

So, while this is mostly done in a science fiction or modern setting, the asthetics of fantasy could be extremely interesting applied to this.

Magical surveillance of spells where saying a word instantly triggers a 'watcher' automita to follow you with all seeing eyes

Magical propoganda where every time you see a poster there is a slogan or mantra magically projected into your mind.

A magical punishment served in a town square where the victim dies slowly, publicly, and agonizingly.

A city wall that you can't fly over or teleport out of.

The politics wouldn't be that different from a despotic God king, or a secret counsel of masked nobles, and the rebellion could be any number of tropes. But the way they enforce the spying, manipulating, and containing of the populous would be fun fantasy stuff to explore.

Side note: a panopticon is a common concept used in Dysyopias whith surveillance. The idea is a prison where the prisoners don't know if they are watched, but they could be watched at any moment. This could literally just be a bunch of wizards scrying and being loud about it.