1) Yes, it absolutely is a useful dynamic- In a less compelling and less flattering phrasing, the PC needs a lot of NPCs to do their bidding.
2) The current top figures are pretty much full-up on the number of Samurai that they can support, and when they find that they need more there is practically a waitlist and minor league. You can either try to work your way up the minor league to an all-star, or you can find a Daimyo that isn’t already at the top of the ranking. Those people will typically not get along well with existing Daimyos, because the hierarchical mindset tends to only be stable if there is a single person at the top. One way to find such people is to look at who is having conflicts with the major players. Because the Rat community has evolved a bit and there are still only a small number of major players, it has the characteristic that new potential Daimyos are extinguished rather than nurtured; by finding and swearing to such a Daimyo, you are likely to be a very important and counterfactually valuable contributor, but you will also be swearing to a cause which past history suggests will be extinguished.
3) Any Daimyo worth pledging to should be able to recognize when your presence is harmful to their goals, and dismiss you from service at that time. If you do not trust you Daimyo to do so, it is the responsibility of a Samurai to evaluate that for themselves, and to step aside when they are no longer providing benefit.
1) Yes, it absolutely is a useful dynamic- In a less compelling and less flattering phrasing, the PC needs a lot of NPCs to do their bidding.
2) The current top figures are pretty much full-up on the number of Samurai that they can support, and when they find that they need more there is practically a waitlist and minor league. You can either try to work your way up the minor league to an all-star, or you can find a Daimyo that isn’t already at the top of the ranking. Those people will typically not get along well with existing Daimyos, because the hierarchical mindset tends to only be stable if there is a single person at the top. One way to find such people is to look at who is having conflicts with the major players. Because the Rat community has evolved a bit and there are still only a small number of major players, it has the characteristic that new potential Daimyos are extinguished rather than nurtured; by finding and swearing to such a Daimyo, you are likely to be a very important and counterfactually valuable contributor, but you will also be swearing to a cause which past history suggests will be extinguished.
3) Any Daimyo worth pledging to should be able to recognize when your presence is harmful to their goals, and dismiss you from service at that time. If you do not trust you Daimyo to do so, it is the responsibility of a Samurai to evaluate that for themselves, and to step aside when they are no longer providing benefit.