Ok perhaps I put it a bit to much as if I was an evil mastermind that leads and army of brainless minions. What I really think would ruin the game is the lack of interaction. And asking is a great way to create interaction. And one of the best achievement of the game is, in my opinion, have someone friendly and loyal to one of your chars because you taught him everything. From how to move to how to sell food. The necessary condition for this to be realized is the lack of information on the student's side.
But when I play with a group of experienced players, it's more fun. We don't have to re-explain every rule, we don't have disputes about fairness and unknown rules, and it's more up-in-the-air about who will win.
BM, obviously, has no winner, so it's a bit different, but the point still stands. I would rather play with people who know what they're doing.
You have those already. Your enemies, other dukes etc. Information is power, and that's just one more thing to keep in mind. Dukes who spend much time teaching and involving lesser nobles gain an advantage over other dukes, regardless of the number the game gives them under the form of gold or food.
And when that new player doesn't send food even after I've tried explaining it, and finally I get the judge to fine/ban him, and he complains about "Oh, there was this one thing I didn't understand," it simultaneously makes me feel like a jerk and takes away his fun.
This example is a bit extremal. He could have asked, and if he's a newcomer one can always make an ooc exception and revoke a ban for the sake of good play.
This way, I've written a guide so that the learning curve is reduced. Higher-level play involving food politics is much more accessible to new players. I'd rather appoint a new player as lord and have him immediately negotiating competitively than boringly set up an automatic transfer. More chances for RP.
Your char is free to teach them how to negotiate competitively if that's what you wish. Someone else may prefer a more cohese realm to achieve greater things. Let's face it: a realm with everyone that knows everything is doomed to fail. The steep learning curve of bm justifies the imposing hierarchy it has. One noble is usually a noble not just because he is the last to have joined the game, but also because of the knowledge he lacks. That gives an IC justification to the ooc possible frustration coming from the less fun one lower class noble has.
