> By that logic, no medieval castle would have survived any period of tumult. But they often did, and I think a similar gameplan would apply. I think it would turn out some of the toughest “Army buddy” types would rather have themselves and their families inside the fortress with the lord (or equivalent) and would fight like hell against any wayward “Army buddies” who tried to storm the place.
I'm not so sure:
1. Medieval castles were basically owned and operated by the "army buddies." IIRC, you became a "lord" by being part of the last invading army or descending from someone who was, and you stayed a lord by providing military capability.
2. The people that lived in them were part of the permanent social structure of the area.
The global super wealthy who think they can parachute into a bunker in some remote location during a time of collapse, and proceed to become a local lord on account of their pre-breakdown social standing are probably going to be in for a rude awakening. The system that gave them their power and status will be gone or crippled, their skill-sets will be obsolete, and what little of their wealth that translates into the new order will be plunder for the people who are better adapted to the new circumstances.
IMHO, at best such a bunker is a ticket to merely survive. After that, the bunker holder will revert to being a regular Joe, and maybe a somewhat disadvantaged one at that, due to lack of social connections.
Yeah, after societal collapse my money is on these groups taking over (in this order):
1. Rogue ex-military
2. Existing street gangs
3. Some dude from the local community (if they have access to weapons), starting something that ends up like a gang.
But how many of those people built a kingdom, rather than inheriting it?
It helps that throughout history, the best Army guys tend to have rigid personal moral codes and decades of experience conforming to strict honor systems. If the original owner’s claim to the enclave is seen as legitimate and he has the wherewithal to continue allocating resources to those he favors (and again, their families), this tends to add up to the potential for a great deal of personal loyalty to that person to form among any elite Army guys that happen to be on the scene.