What if you're a new player? Is it acceptable to say "We held a OOC vote two weeks ago and the results was that we would be mercenaries"?
Then live with it, or leave. What happens when someone joins Darka, but doesn't like mercenaries?
What if you didn't want to be a mercenary but were outvoted? Do you leave the realm, or do you play your character as opposing the mercenery idea? But if you're allowed to just go against the new culture of the realm, then why hold a OOC vote in the first place?
Because having the discussion OOC allowed people to talk frankly about all the options and allow some change of characters to fit the new idea. Some didn't like the idea, and either left or began working to see it overturned IC (though I think most of them actually voted for it OOC, they just liked the idea of fighting it IC), which it was with the next Ruler.
Note that it is fine to play mercenaries, I have no problem with that. I only have a problem with the whole idea of OOC voting. I don't even have a problem if three or four people decide OOC that they will take their character in a certain direction beforehand, as long as they allow other to join them afterwards; but three or four people is a free association. The realm should not be a OOC meaningful unit.
I would
much rather have the realm have an open, honest discussion about how to make the game more fun than a couple of people quietly deciding OOC to change things.
