I personally very much enjoy the House/Feudal aspect of KOTR. It has become a central aspect to the game and has really made it vibrant. That said, we are very deep into the game and I think it would be a bit wrong to change all of the vassalge rules at this point. There are plenty of ways for the Kaiser, the Dukes, and the King to reward/punish their followers if they get a bit creative.

Whenever we do the next game, I think we should put more thought into the rank/vassalage structure to make it a bit smoother and perhaps increase the rewards for climbing the ladder. That's a long way off though, and can be dealt with in detail when the time arrives.