While I agree with your statements of what each of the boards could use, I don't think merging them is a realistic way to get it.
Specifically, I think what is most likely to happen is that while the RPs posted there would get some more attention, and some replies, overall, the tone of the board would stay pretty much the same as the Locals. And yes, I think that means that some comments posted on the roleplays would be nasty. I certainly don't see people writing less on topics that are not roleplays just because the roleplays are intermingled. At worst, I see people bitching and moaning about having to sift through roleplays that "no one really cares about" just to read the topics that are important to them (though given the volume of the RP board in the recent past, I doubt that will be much of a problem).
Relatedly, I would like to ask you to clarify something: Are you proposing to merge all the separate continent boards into one Locals board, with the RP in it, or separate continent boards, with both discussion and RP for the continent to be posted there?
(As for naming, I'm not sure there is a better name than simply "locals" or something similar for a board that is explicitly both IC and OOC, and because of that dichotomy, I'm really not sure it will have anything like the kind of positive effects you hope for...)
