Provinia doesn't seem as crowded now, as at the beginning of the game!
Yes, the people that are there are a lot more powerful, but there aren't
as many of them.
At the beginning of the game, due to crowding and lack of starting
resources, players were forced to cooperate. I don't see that the
current situation is any different. In some ways it is easier, as there
are powerful existing players, who may be willing to help out a new
player.
i.e. "Hi, I'm new, if you help me build a galley, I will sail away and
pass on information about what I find.", or maybe take a Noble of the
helper along for free, etc.
Unfortunately, with SWEAR being deleted, a new player can't offer to give
the helper a noble (i.e. NP), in exchange for wood/workers, etc.
And new players can still cooperate with each other and "escape". They
just need to be a little more polite than at the beginning of the game.
As to starting new players in nearby other towns. Sounds bad. Are they
going to become safehavens? Lets put the IN Castle in a Safehaven,
sounds fair... If they aren't safehavens, then seems new players are big
time toast.
Steven Goodman