Yeah, we should add something to the effect of "a larger group of players" to the definition of a clan. I don't think anyone is worried about 3 or so people.
That depends. Three people with two characters apiece could easily control the government, dukedoms, and armies of a small or even medium-sized realm.
People who play in a group become a problem when they actively exclude others from that group. If you can't get a leadership position in your realm because you don't belong to the OOC cabal that runs everything, that's bad. But I'm not sure how exactly you'd distinguish that from the IC cabals that naturally form as people play together for years.
I'm not a fan of cliques and clans. But I would rather not see witch hunts against OOC clans, especially since accusations of clanning are so easy to abuse.
