Please calm down everyone. Diplomacy and propaganda are best kept until the game start.
I think it's high time we get the game going. I'll PM everyone who haven't joined and tell them they can upload their pretenders now
As for starting positions... You can never count on them being fair, even with fewer players. Some people will draw the short straw. Happened to me last game I played, I was stuck in the middle of a swamp, surrounded by wasteland on one side and Lanka on the other. Kind of thematic for Sauromatia but it still sucked
So what I'm trying to say is: try not to get angry at a bad starting position.