As a fellow Lord and player of many such strategy-war diplomacy games, I second all that has been said in this thread and agree that an 'if you feel like it' system could definitely be used to make things more interesting for those like me, while preserving the streamlined and natural playing style of others who don't quite feel like expending time and effort on micromanagement.
...Micromanagement... Hnnnngg.... My OCD senses are throwing a party!