Ah Fleugs, funny, the timing of this topic. For those who might have missed the event, Fulco stepped down today in Luria Nova. Why? To put it simple, I couldn't motivate myself anymore to spend enough time on the character. Well, certainly not enough motivation to pull a realm of 44 nobles out of their apathy. I do disagree with you fleugs that its only up to a ruler to make a realm interesting. There are plenty of leading positions in a realm and it's the collective job of everyone with responsibility to do their best and create something. If it's only up to a ruler than he or she will lose their motivation at some point. Also, your character has not put any effort in making somehting of his time in LN, he was just as passive as the most random newb.
But I agree rulers should seek conflict more, create wars, it doesn't matter if you lose, as long as you have fun. This game is designed to have conflicts, to fight and also to play it with all. Politics are nice, but if it means that at some point 95% of your nobles just sit around and do nothing, than somehting is wrong. At the same moment rulers also need some reaction from their nobles. If you bring up events, choices and ask your nobles for their opinion, and nobody responds, even the most willing ruler will give up at some point. And it are not only the new players who are too afraid to speak up, but also the more experienced ones who don't bother to talk. There is a limitation to what rulers can do, at some point others have to stand up and make clear IC they want action, or else they have to rebel, protest or do something. If you just sit back and wait for the ruler to act, you are just as much to blame as the ruler itself.
