Losing the Community Post-Launch?

So, one of the things most people complain about in regards to the diplomacy of the game is that you can't stab someone without consequences, because you'll see them again in the next game, due to the small pool of players.
While I agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment, I think there are definite advantages to the small pool of players as well. For instance, one of the things I enjoy about this game is getting to know how others play the game. I can join a game and think to myself, "Ok, Person A tends to mine aggressively, Person B honors his alliances doggedly, Person C likes to hang in the background..." and so forth. While some might think this removes the random elements of the game, I think that it creates a definite *personality* to the meta. We all know each other, to one degree or another, and it's fun to play with the same people multiple times.
Again, I definitely see the reasons why a large meta helps the game. And I understand that private games are similar to what I'm talking about. However, a large meta becomes too anonymous, I think, for a game that's all about human dynamics, and a pool of my friends in a private game isn't big enough to compare to the medium-sized meta we have now.
Is there a way to make smaller groups within the large meta? Maybe a division system, where I could join a pool of a couple hundred players and play in structured seasons of games, with playoffs similar to the King of the Hill matches we did in beta? There could be rankings for the division, as well as worldwide rankings and games.
I'm sure this is a huge undertaking, though. It's just a thought.
While I agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment, I think there are definite advantages to the small pool of players as well. For instance, one of the things I enjoy about this game is getting to know how others play the game. I can join a game and think to myself, "Ok, Person A tends to mine aggressively, Person B honors his alliances doggedly, Person C likes to hang in the background..." and so forth. While some might think this removes the random elements of the game, I think that it creates a definite *personality* to the meta. We all know each other, to one degree or another, and it's fun to play with the same people multiple times.
Again, I definitely see the reasons why a large meta helps the game. And I understand that private games are similar to what I'm talking about. However, a large meta becomes too anonymous, I think, for a game that's all about human dynamics, and a pool of my friends in a private game isn't big enough to compare to the medium-sized meta we have now.
Is there a way to make smaller groups within the large meta? Maybe a division system, where I could join a pool of a couple hundred players and play in structured seasons of games, with playoffs similar to the King of the Hill matches we did in beta? There could be rankings for the division, as well as worldwide rankings and games.
I'm sure this is a huge undertaking, though. It's just a thought.