It is potentially a frustrating Catch 22: If combining the MBs results in more activity, which draws more interest and members, stimulating further activity, in a year or two we could find ourselves in the same situation that prompted splitting wotmania into the format RAFO chose to emulate. On the other hand, without such a MB merger the segregated MBs could become so fractured and stagnant activity peters out to nothing.

Again, it is pretty clear which is the greater threat at present, but were it my decision (which it definitely is not) I would hesitate to make any large scale change I could not easily un-make at need. Website architecture has come a long way in the last decade, so maybe that is not a great concern, but as a rule (which, like all such, has exceptions) major commitments should not be lightly made.