The topic of Dukes having too much power is fascinating - and that is something I strongly agree with. It is quite possible to evict a council member, including a ruler (by protesting, even if the position is un-electable), but good luck doing that with a Duke. Oh, and you can also remove most council members by assassination. To me that says that Dukes have waaay too much power, being mostly immune to this as well.
But let's get back to the original post.
I have long argued that in the council, only two of the four positions have any actual power -- the judge and the banker (probably in that order). Ruler and general really have none. There is no gold associated with the position (unless the banker says so).
Yes, the ruler controls diplomacy, but that just gives you the power to seriously damage the realm by drawing it into a war. Having a big suicide button does not equal to having actual power. And if your realm-mates realize you are trying that, they can easily protest you out in a moment.
And yes, yes, I am talking about the power of shiny shiny buttons. And yes, one may have power in the realm by commanding respect and support of other nobles without having any buttons. But that does not require you to have a position of power. In fact, you'd be better off having a dukeship position instead (which is subject to less risk of losing it and comes with much more gold), if your plan is to lead through respect of other nobles.
I think it would be helpful to add some additional buttons for the ruler and the general -- because now I would (and have!) chose to be a marshal instead of general any time. Either to provide these two positions with additional power or at least to make it more interesting to play these prestigious positions.
