Thanks for the input, good to hear from players every now and again for things other than problems with the server and delay requests.
Of course, I'm not looking to change any victory conditions or differ from the current format really. I was thinking of setting up this extra non-participant team forum for awhile. Our game is open diplomacy anyway, so in theory anyone can betray anyone else, though it is obviously not in the interest of the team especially of the active players. At a minimum, putting the advisors in charge of inter team diplomacy and not the Captains (as it currently is) does give them a more active role and might act as a check to the Captain's executive power. It would turn advisors into real consiglieres, sort of.
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IMPERATOR·CAESAR·LVCIVS·SEPTIMIVS·SEVERVS·PERTINAX·AVGVSTVS·PIVS
Be harmonious, enrich the soldiers, and scorn all other men.
-Emperor Septimius Severus, to his sons shortly before his death, quoted in Dio Cassius (77.15.2).