If you were one of the smallfolk, who would you want to be your overlord?

[Ser Grimes]

Lets look from their point of view, knowing all we know now. I'm not talking about who inspires the most loyalty. I'm sure many men readily sign up to fight for lords they love. But is there anyone who even kinda/sorta maybe a little bit would even possibly consider thinking about the lives of all his smallfolk FIRST. Not just using them as a means to an end (taxes, production, warrior)

Tyrion gets kidnapped, so Tywin responds by having Gregor slaughter hundreds of innocents to incite a war.

Okay. Ned was locked up when he was innocent. So Robb starts a war that gets thousands killed to rescue his father. They kill Ned, he continues the war for pride/vengeance.

The ironborn start a war of conquest. At least they're up front about it. And it seems with Asha and Theon as commanders, they don't condone wanton brutality.

You catch the drift.

Where would you want to live in Westeros? Who would you want to be in charge of you? Protecting you? Who would you feel okay paying your taxes to and knowing they were gonna try to do right by you?

Edmure Tully springs to mind, he was incompetent, but at least he gave a damn.

[Helgar]

I came into this thread thinking of Edmure Tully as well. Caring for the smallfolk and actually trying to protect them is the one thing that makes him stand out from literally everyone else in the series.

[Julian Rayne]

Edmure Tully. As long as the Blackfish wasn't there to advise him.

[Helgar]

Oh, gosh. Is this thread going to evolve to an Edmure Tully appreciation thread?

At long last! I approve. Go, Edmure! :D

[Winter's Knight]

Arryn. Lysa'd keep me out of the wars at least. Or Martell'd be cool too. Maybe Tyrell. Definitely not Lannister (Tywin!), Tully (Riverlands are too exposed and war-y) or Stark (Others and wildlings and politically dense highlords-oh my).

[Mrs.Grumpy]

Edmure or the Tyrells.

[straits]

I also thought of Edmure before I entered the thread. Peacetime with Edmure? Wow.

Lysa's protection is more location based. If Lysa were overlord of Riverrun and tried to stay out of the war? We'd all die, and she wouldn't lift a finger. That doesn't make her worse than Robb Stark's legacy, where the riverland peasants died anyways, but location. Location, location, location.

Oldtown.

[David Selig]

Not Edmure Tully for sure. Good guy, good intentions, but his smallfolk suffered terribly during the war. Not his fault, but this won't help me when Vargo or Gregor visits my village.

I'd say Leyton Hightower. He controls the greatest city in Westeros and the lord is not an ambitious man politically and stays away from the wars.

[Free Northman]

Picking Edmure is like picking Jimmy Carter. Great, so he's a bleeding heart and all. But because he is so soft, the enemies push him around and your smallfok get slaughtered in their thousands.

If you instead had Don Rumsfeld or someone in charge, you end up kicking the smallfolk of other regions butts, while the wars remain nice and distant from your own villages.

EDIT:

So you don't want an Edmure - who is soft and incompetent.

You don't want a Roose Bolton - who is like a Stalin or someone who gladly tortures and kills his own people.

You want someone who wants to protect his own smallfolk, but is willing to do it the hard way, like the Blackfish, or Eddard Stark or Jon Arryn or someone.

[kingowinter]

Prince Doran Martell of Dorne, although considered to be a weak ruler he seems to have the interest of Dorne at heart with every decision he makes. He thinks things through before he acts almost to a fault but he has kept Dorne away from all the bloodshed of the wars in the rest of westeros. If I was a commoner I would want a ruler who did think before they act instead of making rash decisions based on emotion like many of the other lords have done in the series. Dany would be my first choice but her dragons and strong will I feel will always have her involved in a conflict of some kind

[Mikaele]

Maybe Edmure, has great intentions, but like someone mentioned above, he kind of gets pushed around too easily and doesn't inspire fear in his enemies, making us smallfolk easy targets to foes.

Have to go with the Martells.. Nobody wants to piss off Dorne, and Doran is a logical guy and seems to care about his people

[Free Northman]

I think someone like Eddard or Jon Arryn would be best. Someone who is actually interested in justice within their lands.

[Danelle]

Mance Rayder.

[Candor]

Wyman Manderly. Crafty guy. Not too bad at the war stuff. Also his lands seemed well-kempt and prosperous considering the time period.

[Free Northman]

Wyman Manderly. Crafty guy. Not too bad at the war stuff. Also his lands seemed well-kempt and prosperous considering the time period.

Good option.

[Ingelheim]

Alive or dead? I think someone like The Blackfish would be the best lord.

[Daena the Defiant]

Arryn. Lysa'd keep me out of the wars at least. Or Martell'd be cool too. Maybe Tyrell. Definitely not Lannister (Tywin!), Tully (Riverlands are too exposed and war-y) or Stark (Others and wildlings and politically dense highlords-oh my).

Strangely, yes, Lady Regent Lysa Arryn's complete non-involvement kept all the residents of the Vale safe but.... what I find perplexing is that the mighty Valemen and their lovely Andal blood and fine knights tolerate the Mountain Tribes occasionally slipping down into civilization to plunder and kill and steal women and the occasional noblewoman.

However, it seems that generally, life is good in the Reach under House Tyrell when House Tyrell was able to police its own waterways against raiders and pirates,

[The Drunkard]

The Hightowers. They're unofficial motto of "We're happy with what we have, just leave us alone and we won't trouble you with our bigass force" suits what I'd want from an Overlord.

[Aryastarkisawesome]

Nobody

Any Lord and his ilk has a potential to become a complete nutcase

[Val the Wildling Princess]

Mance Rayder.

Absolutely. For me it's either Mance or a Stark.

ETA. And when I say a Stark, I also include Jon Snow.