The politics are completely toxic right now as stated above. That's not the problem though. There is a huge dichotomy right now between IC and OOC perceptions of characters and players.
In terms of Coria:
On a completely OOC level, Coria has been completely stale and boring for a long long time. I took an action which I knew would liven up my realm. My action was one which woke everyone up that things weren't exactly nice and daisy. However, I have had a wide range of responses from players about what they think of it. Some have explicitly complimented me on what I have done, while I have also been questioned about the methods I employed whether they were considered within the spirit of the game.
On a completely IC level, my character took an action which completely upended his realm. He essentially ran a bloodless rebellion by pulling out of his political power and influence to make himself King. To do so, he polarized one of his closest friends into an enemy, and his other close friend as a helpless bystander. Merlin for multiple reasons while losing the support of the majority of the lords of the realm, likely has the support of the majority of the realm to become King. HOWEVER, there have been drastic moves and actions taken within the realm and amongst Coria's allies in an attempt to guarantee that Merlin cannot be King of Coria. These actions have been largely successful in the sense that even if I win the throne, the situation is so toxic that it will not be fun for me to play Merlin in any respect for the foreseeable future. Perhaps ever again. (Note: Currently in Coria a referendum is ongoing on whether or not to let Merlin remain as King of Coria or to have him step down and resume elections)
In terms of Atamara:
On an OOC level: Atamara is on its way to a period of extreme stagnation and peace built upon by the course of current politics. If the current pace of things continue, CE and co will win the war against Darka and BoM. At the end of that war, the entire continent will be allied to either CE or Tara, or forced into peace by treaty. At that time, it will not be possible for any realm to operate a war without prior permission from CE and Tara. Of course, since we all know players want wars, CE or Tara are likely to choose a side in this war, guaranteeing that the winner is likely the one to either appease CE(from now on considered to be both CE and Tara) or the defender who can claim abusive aggression. My plan to found this Phoenix Empire would have allowed this period of stagnation to never have occurred. The Empire was not a military organization, but a diplomatic framework for limited warfare, and pre-stated terms for peace in war. This would have prevented the coming stagnation and allow EVERY PLAYER on Atamara to enjoy a more fun experience over the course of time.
On an IC level: Many players decide to fully 100% create a dichotomy between their support for my proposal and their character's opinions. Fine, I accept that, but this dichotomy is also a very destructive pattern to take when it comes to playing games with friends. I have had many characters whose players support my plans fully, not just oppose my plans but go above and beyond in effort to run them into the ground and to make me feel bad about it at the same time. There have been what I see to be very intentional misreadings of my in game plans (which only have the intention to allow limited warfare, and more fun and dynamic wars) to read completely different things. Characters are completely ignoring what I write in letters, and refusing to discuss or debate anything. All of this is just fine in game, but if you're going to destroy someone, yet completely preclude them from any chance to even do anything, I kind of lose interest. I have spent the past week writing maybe 25-100 letters every single day just on Merlin. I've received between 100-200 letters each of these days and they are all demeaning.
Final thoughts: There is a reason that stagnation and terrible situations are allowed and able to occur. Players aren't interested in taking risks, not because their character might lose some power, but because if they take a risk, they risk being simply destroyed in all aspects. You want a ruler to let your realm have fun and to encourage interactive game play, fine. But don't rip them to shreds when they try to do some interesting things. Right now, I'm trying to decide between simply quitting battle master and simply stopping all meaningful game play. It is worth understanding that while we play characters, those characters can send their messages with the understanding that another player is the one reading those messages. At least give them the benefit of the doubt. Even if you plan to disagree and oppose characters, there are very specific ways you can go about it while still being reasonable. I just logged on to read my most recent set of msgs, and I can't even bring myself to try anymore. It doesn't even matter that I will likely WIN the f***ing election in Coria which grants Merlin the power to remain King of Coria.
All I know is that when I'm playing a board game with friends, you don't always plan fully to win everything. If I see something which will make things more fun for everyone at the table, then I'll try it out even if it isn't the smartest decision for myself personally. Because I'm here to have fun and play with friends, not to max min, and roflstomp those people making things interesting.
