I've just set Marverni to AI - it wasn't looking like a fun position, and they are at least bordered by at least two nations, so they will still have to fight over the scraps!
It seems like a lot of people are running into borders quite quickly. I know I have 6 provinces currently, and border 5 other nations (hello Tien Chi, Neifel, Agartha, Ulm, and, uh, I forget the other). Marverni's position sounds enviable.