Why people get so furious over the Ladder? Is it really that important? As far as it seems almost half the players don´t like the settings, or was it one/third?
First of all stalling is not cheating, not even near to that. And I doubt playing two accounts on ladder neither goes under that category as well. While playing 2-accounts is against rule, stalling is just not maybe ethical in board-game sense, and it seems especially in case when some players position is hold down.
I have never played in a ladder, but as far as I have read in wiki you can determine yourself how many ladder games you want to be active, am I right?
You can, however, pick how many games you'd like to be playing at any given time.
So, just increase your ladder games and then one does not need to worry about the stalling 30-turn up to 2 month game in queue. So I really do not see how it affects your rating, when score is calculated at end. It only offers a stalling player to keep his current rating from downsize.
The Rating system is whole new topic. I am not fan of TrueSkill. I do think Bayesian-Elo is way more sensible system, but it sure hell is not perfect and definitely not for a game which is in no category Pure-Skill: warlight has many factors. But it is so much easier to criticize than offer better rating system actually. Ripple effect or "Timed Victory" dilemma? Both offer ways to manipulate. Some issues could be solved with expired games duration or players elimination from ladder if they are gone suddenly inactive?
I am a little bit sarcastic over the "competitive clan" thread underlying here. Seems like the invisible pressure is too weak to change the idea of clans. There are plenty of free rating-system-software to be used in private purposes. Nothing forces players to use built-in ladder which is directed to each player. Private tournaments and ladders can be organized, CLOT etc. It does not have to be 1v1 Strategic Ladder that determines true 1. Rank in Warlight, it can be anything -(as far as community recognizes it) I think the force of invisible pressure is directed to wrong causes! Yeah Fizzer lurks in the Digital Cloud indeed, but hes too high to see who galumphs in the mud down on the earth.