Then the big realms would just stomp the small realms into the ground.
I don't see how is different now. Big realms stomp small realms right now!
Density does help a lot. If you're an active player in a realm with a total of ten nobles in total where the majority of players are passive then the odds are you'll be bored stiff because there's no one else active to play with and very little activity within the realm.
If you have the same situation with three times the nobles then at least there's likely to be enough active players to keep a decent level of activity going on within the realm.
Small realms without active nobles don't survive and in small realms one noble can make the difference... Big realms where only the council decide and 50 noblemen follow orders, are no much fun either.
If this was the matter, all big realms would have a steady growing in noblemen, while small realms would had disappeared... is this the case?... and honestly, if this was the matter, why begun the number of players begin to fall??? If the number of players is the reason, and some years ago, we have the "good proportion" of them... then why begun the fall in players?
