Realm merger + second capital + no strategic relocation sound like a disaster. More wars are good but that's not the way the devs want to go. They want smaller realms which I am actually against with the current density since the game simply cannot support so many small realms like they have envisioned. A bunch of small 5-10 people realms will just fall into inactivity and kill the game faster than other changes can probably be capable with. I mean there were definitely some realm merger cases like Solaria joining LN but some cases are exempt for special reasons. So if you want a second capital for now, just break your realm in 2. Just make a guild to connect two realms and play like that.
Unfortunately, rules won't change because you simply do not like them. Many rules of course were established during the time when the game had at least three times as many players but the reason why they were created still stands. Although the game seems to simply introduce more rules to force players to play in a certain way envisioned by the devs.
I don't really agree, and I'm not saying this for personal gain. I don't really want my realm to be split and we don't really need a second recruiting location. Westgard's always had things to do since I joined it and I don't expect it to change, I don't feel such changes would be good because my own realm would benefit from it, but because, from the outside, it looks like a lot of those other realms really need something to change.
I joined this game over 10 years ago, the rules aren't immutable. There are staples, sure, but those policies we speak of, they weren't even on the wiki before 2009, and only as "policies", the first iterations didn't mention them, and the last 5 years of gameplay strongly suggest they are no longer being applied in any noticeable way. Rules are there to make sure the game remains fun. If they make the game less fun, then they don't have a purpose anymore.
The dev team have encourage denser realms. I'm not opposed to this, heck I was greatly in favor, I'm just also gradually increasingly seeing risks and downsides to these measures. Decentralizing recruitment could potentially lower the impacts of some of the pro-density mechanics, but it mostly just gives more flexibility, especially to realms with screwed up geography. It's not about making realms larger at no cost or making them equally powerful everywhere, but allowing greater dispersal of resources in order to facilitate taking advantage of opportunities, and creating unprecedented ones. It'd allow a middle ground position between "allow realms to send 100% of their might anywhere to be able to crush enemies in all corners of the map" and "allow realms to spread out their abilities a bit so that they aren't left without options if there's no one near them on the map".
