A. I don't think it breaks SMA. It is serious, it is antiquity (although perhaps more Roman/Greek BCE than medieval).
B. So far, the only people slinging insults and demands are those in power. A ruler-elect and a steward-elect are about equal station and can be expected to mud sling.
A. It is serious, and it is antiquity, but it is not medieval. A knight speaking out of station to a Duke would have been a pretty big slight.
B. Bowie isn't in power. He was elected in an early election and did not take the necessary actions to become the seceding Duke when it would have been /very/ easy for him to do so. He may be ruler-elect, but Sevastian isn't a steward-elect, he is the steward. He has royal status within the realm as such. Huzzah mechanics.
Well it's not like I started the conflict middle fingers flying. It began with a request, then it turned into a disagreement, and then an argument and then an ultimatum, and THAT'S when it went public. I attempted my end of "negotiating" but I also know when to draw a line and back it up.
Or you could just leave Swordfell. All of us want to play together fairly, equally, and communally. Sevastian is not a team player because he obsesses over his lands and personal status too much. We can't have a community with an autocrat. That right there's the gist of the whole fishfry.
Yeah, you pretty much did start the thing with middle fingers flying man, Sevastian was beyond understanding and conciliatory. The first bit of private messages was nothing but Sevastian asking you to stick to the original plan. Bowie's first private message was a statement of no patience and a demand to step down.
You cannot say you were polite or courteous with a straight face, otherwise, you really should play in Luria.
And I could just leave Swordfell? Right, because my character is going to give up his stronghold, duchy, allies, and powerbase. All because Bowie throws a tantrum immediately after secession. That's totally logical. Yes, he is worried more about his own domain than the lands belonging to Duchess Abbigal, but those are /her/ lands. It isn't Sevastian's place to overlook lands that have sworn allegiance to someone else. That would be rather rude. As a Fellian person, he cares about the well-being of the realm, but to aid in that he needs to do his job as Duke, just as Duchess Pike needs to do hers over her own lands.
* Woelfy smacks Bowie Ironsides with a trout.
I don't want a freaking cuddlefest. What I would like is a since of community where the whole community works together and can have heated discussions where it doesent end in I am the duke so I win since you are only a knight. If the Duke is being an ass he should be called on it. I will agree right now there are a there are a decent amount who are getting what they deserve. Sevastian and Bowie both deserve to be taken out for a bit.
I'm all for a sense of working community with heated discussions. The duke has not once said 'I'm a duke so I win'. The duke has called people out on not giving the proper respect and showing some damned patience. Massive difference. Sevastian has always maintained autonomous Ducal power, was promised it by Ingi and Bowie, and isn't quite like a regular Duke anyway. I won't deny he has turned into a stubborn and obstinate ass, but it is completely reactionary to the fact that Bowie demanded Sevastian step down from his Ducal and Lordship seats immediately. (yeah, the same seats he had previously promised to Sevastian)
The ability for everyone in the realm to speak their mind, within the limits of respect an courtesy, is important for all realms. I think is a core concept for BattleMaster, and is vital to an enjoyable game. I have never seen a realm that tries to limit free speech beyond the "be courteous" guideline. I don't think that this requires any kind of "we're all equal" nonsense. I suppose it could be an idea for some democratic realm concept... but it seems like it would be very easy to go too far with it.
I agree, and have no problem for people speaking their mind. Nor is Sevastian looking to limit free speech. Unless you look at "limiting free speech" as nobles speaking as nobles appropriately befitting their relative station within the hierarchy.