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[As an alternative to my suggestion, we could simply add in a "bi-annual" (every 6 months) election option, which would help bridge the huge 9-month gap between quarterly and yearly.]

Yeah, I would PERSONALLY prefer quarterly elections over monthly, but the idea is to give us more options overall.

Plus, if you think about it, having more frequent elections would be better for larger nations, since there would be more people who want to pursue the position(s)

As an alternative to my suggestion, we could simply add in a "bi-annual" (every 6 months) election option, which would help bridge the huge 9-month gap between quarterly and yearly.

I didn't know there were quarterly elections, but yes, one per month as opposed to all of them every four months would be a lot more fun if that were the case. I think it would be nice to have the option, so realms could focus on one debate at a time, instead of four.

Or, be able to set the elections individually for each position, like if a realm wanted to have a quarterly election for ruler but a monthly election for other positions, or whatever combination the people who make a realm deem appropriate.

Or, to make it simple, just set the number of months between each individual election when you make a realm, so for instance you could set 10 months for every General, 2 months per Banker, 6 months per Judge, and 1 month per Ruler, or whatever other crazy configuration you want.

It seems like elections always run at the same time every month. It would be cool if a realm could choose to 'stagger' their elections, so only one runs at a time.

In which case my sentiments echo De-Legro's: the rule should be re-written to properly reflect this reality. The rule saying nothing about the debatable aspect of "forcing" another to become a place holder.

I agree. I can definitely see how the placeholder rule, as read, could be interpreted as invalid pertaining to this particular case, and therefore unknowingly abused by players in the future. I think it could use further clarification, as I don't fully understand it myself, and I feel I have a pretty decent grasp on the English language.

HOWEVER, threatening to leave the game just because you lost your position puts the authorities who make these decisions in a tough spot. Say, hypothetically, that Anaris (or the "titans", or whoever) were to give in, lift the ban, and return Erik's position(s)- then every person who gets upset about any decision in the future will know that they can get their way by throwing a tantrum and threatening to leave. Either leave, or stay, but don't try to guilt your way out of a situation with threats.

Finally, if you truly believe this game is all about the RP, then losing your position shouldn't matter, should it? In fact, "long-standing Duke loses his Dukeship and is now a pauper" is a WAY more interesting plot point than "long-standing Duke continues to have his Dukeship in perpetuity".

I agree, in principle, with what you say. Knights only make lords poorer, lords only make dukes poorer, and none of the feudal titles can be held accountable for being greedy. There used to be incentives to having knights, now it's the opposite.

Actually, this explains a lot of what was happening in Swordfell. At one point some 25% of the regions had no Lords, even though there were plenty of Nobles who could be appointed. The Dukes hold all the power and have no reason to appoint Lords. This created an elitist, entitled attitude which completely ruined the vibe for me. New players aren't going to stick around if there is no incentive to give them and opportunity for advancement.

Players shouldn't be rewarded for antisocial behavior. I'm fairly new to this game, but it seems pretty clear that this is an inherent problem.

This whole conversation is ridiculous. Interactions like this completely defeat the purpose of roleplaying- what is the purpose of playing in-character if all the important decisions are made out-of-character? These are things that should be discussed in-game, or not at all.

Play the course as it lies, play the hand you're dealt, let the chips fall where they may.

So yeah, you said this...

Right after I posted this...

I really think that if people are going to ignore the opinions of female players regarding someone playing a male sexist character, then they don't really deserve to speak on the topic...

Also, I would like to add that not all fantasy books are your typical cliche orcs/elves/humans stuff that gets shoveled out by mostly crap authors who can't think of an original idea. There are many other fantasy books that have different settings, several of which have very, very gritty and realistic settings (The Black Company by Glen Cook comes to mind in particular, and I recommend it for anyone who reads fantasy).

I don't think it's fair to tell me that I "don't deserve to speak" just because some other people already agree with you and I don't. It's not like all women think the same- just because some are okay with it doesn't mean we all are.

Look, the BattleMaster general discussion forum is not a place for crusades about sexual abuse awareness. If that's your goal, then I'm sorry, but take it somewhere else. I'm not "refusing to talk about it", but Constantine is right: This isn't the place for it.

Er, lemme clarify.

The issue I'm talking about now, the one that I feel is important, is specifically misogyny as it relates to the game and the fantasy genre. I'm not the one who called it a crusade, and it's really not- I just didn't feel it was necessary to refute that assertion because it is not relevant to the topic.

I'm just trying to cover all the bases, make sure all of the information is on the table. That's what is important to me: make sure that any decisions that are made or opinions formed on this subject are made with every perspective in mind. It's not like I think we can put an end to rape in the Battlemaster forums. But we can make the most responsible decisions by having all the information.

Really not trying to ruffle anyone's feathers here...

It was just a light-hearted comment.
I do believe a casual online game is not a place for moral crusades and rants about rape and domestic violence.  :-\

Sorry, but this issue is really important to me. I don't think there is such thing as a "wrong place" for this conversation. As I said, the biggest part of the problem is that people refuse to talk about it. I apologize if that makes you uncomfortable.

Again, sexism is a real fundamental part of how we're wired. A world without any sexism that featured humans would be a strange world indeed. But again there is a difference between a sexist author who writes sexist prose, and a really nice guy who writes characters that are sexist.

Fundamentally, I think as long as we treat our female players with the same dignity and respect we treat anyone else, how our characters treat female characters should be entirely up to the whims of the players.

See, the possible problem with that argument is that not everyone necessarily agrees with. For instance, me. I don't believe that anyone is 'fundamentally' sexist; that's something that one chooses to believe. We are sentient beings, after all. No one is "born" sexist, and the way we are now is not inevitably how we always will be. At least, that's what I think.

Besides, the point of a fantasy world is that it's not our world. It's not just human- it's orc/elf/dragon/whatever else you want to throw in there. One might argue that the fantasy genre is fundamentally escapist, and constructing a eutopic world perfectly in bounds of what is acceptable in the genre. Not everything has to be dark, gritty, and realistic. Sometimes it's just nice to escape into a world of purely imaginative fun.

I do think that in-game misogyny, if done properly, could fuel some great plot points. However, it could also hurt someone's feelings. Women who play the game who have experienced sexual abuse may just simply not want to be exposed to a sexist character, regardless of the player's intentions (though 9 times out of 10 she will not say so).

Like most everything else, it's a little more complicated than simply "yes, it's good" or "no, it's bad".

Did you know that 1 in 6 men experience sexual assault or violence? It's not as one way as you say...

The figure I have for America is 1 in 20 men, but it is generally acknowledged that getting accurate statistics on sexual assault vs. men is virtually impossible due to the even greater stigma of male rape. It is DEFINITELY also a huge problem, and for the same reasons. I am in no way saying that it is "one way".

The difference, of course, is that most sexual assaults perpetrated against males are done by other males. I do not mean to sound sexist, but studies show that women, by and large, just simply do not rape. Women make up just barely 1% of rapists, whereas the other 99% are men.

Domestic abuse is another story, and in America the number of incidents of female on male spousal abuse are actually on the rise.

Do not mistake my feminist perspective for zealotry. We were talking about misogyny vs. women in a medieval setting, so that is what I wrote about. I do think it is important for people of all genders to step forward and share their experiences so all can heal. 

The keyword here is "often". I guess I should be more specific as to say good fantasy literature is often devoid of sexism. Yes, many terrible authors stoop to hyper-masculine tropes, but you can say that about any genre in any medium.

Also, you are arguing with basically the least important statement I made in my entire post.

I was wondering about this as well when I first joined.

Fantasy realms are often devoid of sexism. Can you think of one sexist moment in "Lord of the Rings"? Or even one explicitly feminist? It is written almost entirely devoid of any gender commentary, as are many other fantasy novels. It is not necessitated by the genre that sexism be present.

Obviously, prejudice creates conflict, but conflict creates plot, and plot creates change, and change is the story. On the other hand, games already have a general problem of being a "boy's club", and RPGs in particular.

Oppression against women in society is far worse than most people realize. 1 in 3 women in the world will experience sexual assault or other violence. Most women experience discrimination in the workplace. Part of the problem is that it's unseen, viewed by many cultures as shameful, and often viewed by the victims themselves as shameful. The biggest contributing factor to the prevalence of the problem is that it remains out of sight.

So we can continue to hide from it, and pretend it doesn't exist, but that doesn't really help. 

That being said, a character who is constantly being misogynistic would be really irritating, regardless of the reasons for it.