Dead leagues need to be dissolved.
Rather than post this under the Suggestions section, I've decided to post it here as it's a pressing issue that is negatively impacting both the gameplay for the players and Plarium's potential revenue.
When a new player starts a castle they are prompted to follow along the basic introductory Quests, giving them a feel for the most important mechanics of the game. Eventually they come to one of the final quests, "Join a League." This quest is arguably the most important step for all Stormfall lords and ladies. Joining a league enables the player to learn from experienced league members, participate in league events, and gives the player a sense of purpose.
As it stands, the game currently displays a list of small leagues that would, on paper, be perfect for a new player to join. Sadly, nearly all of these leagues are dead. "Dead" meaning the marshall is completely inactive. Most of these leagues also have innumerable inactive players among the lower ranks.
So now we have new players joining these dead leagues that seem to be recommended to them by the game, since they appear at the top of the "Join a League" tab. At this point the player either quits on the spot, or grinds it out for a few more days/weeks until he grows disinterested due to a lack of activity. This cycle of new players joining dead leagues then quitting has been an issue for years that needs to be addressed. The game is hurting from a steady decline of new players actually sticking with the game, and Plarium is hurting by missing out on the potential revenue with each and every player that quits.
I propose that dead leagues be disbanded. If the marshall has been inactive for over 3 months, disband the league so that any active players may move on to functional leagues and so that no new players get caught in the dead league. This issue has been discussed at length by many members of the most active leagues in the game, and there is a general consensus behind this proposal.
Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.