[Discuss] anti-state-religion

[Lyman Stone]

> The fun of Battlemaster is in the interaction of diverse elements.
Please insert "for me" after "fun". I'm shocked that, of all people,  
I should be the one saying that what is fun for you may not be fun  
for everyone. Maybe some people get alot of fun out of creating  
uniformity. I know that I'd like to see some continents widely  
diverse, and some pretty uniform. It creates these amazing things  
called options.

> A continent isn't fun if there's only one realm,
Oh? Has it been tried? I believe FEI started with 2 realms perhaps (I  
wasn't there at the time), but the only time I can think of for 1- 
realm domination would be when someone wins SEI or SWI. I think  
having a continent with 1 realm could be rather enjoyable. For me,  
the biggest fun is the internal realm politics and developing the  
character and culture of a realm. Then again, that's just me.

> and likewise it wouldn't be very fun if there was only one religion  
> (although you're welcome to try).
Please see the previous two comments.

>
> Feudal Europe had a single dominant religion to deal with; members  
> of other faiths were in the distinct minority.  That is not the  
> situation we have now in Battlemaster, where it seems that average  
> religion size isn't much bigger than average realm size.  Add to  
> that the implicit assumption of diverse "pagan" beliefs outside of  
> organized religion, and you have continent-wide tolerance that is  
> not seen historically.
Two issues here. You're assuming that the present "situation we have  
now in Battlemaster" ought to remain the same. This is arguable,  
especially seeing as there is discussion going on as to how we might  
change the status quo of realms and religions. Indeed, if our goal is  
to keep the exact same environment in BM, we ought not change  
anything. But the very idea is to change that environment. Indeed,  
forced religion membership wouldn't work if nothing else changed, but  
forced membership would, I think, necessarily cause change. Ability  
to adapt is a trait most living things have and tend to use without  
even thinking about it.
>
> In an environment like that, requiring nobles to be of a religion  
> should be a choice left entirely up to the relevant characters.   
> They certainly have the means to enforce it.

See the above comment.