I concur with those who stated the limitation is the high gem cost per production.

I don't see any overbearing balance issues with T'ien Ch'i that they would be *unbalanced* if suddenly they can cast their own spells. It's not as if suddenly they are going to have the gems to make it happen.

You are forcing people to either A.) Make up to 8 (just for simple purposes) CM before they can cast the spells. B.) Take away more points from the variety of Pretender/Scale design by putting 2 Air and/or 1 Earth and 1 Astral.

Now as I've played TC quite a bit in all it's themes it is by far my favorite thematic nation and it is far from overpowering.

For christs sake, It's only 2 themes cannot use it's TC specific special ability of Conscription.

So while I agree that balance should be noted, this is not what I feel the case with TC, they already have the slowest commanders of all, crazy resource/gold costs that are lowest of the dogpile for efficency, extremely vulnerable to Magic Duel, a nearly useless set of national units in horsearchers (hopefully soon to be fixed), and their National Specific Pretender is by one of the Ostermans own words "May be underpowered for the cost".

I don't think they need to be left without their national summons on the off chance that one CM you happened to recruit gets hit by a Seeking Arrow, Fires from Afar or some other random event and make you recruit through another pile in hopes for it.

I'm sorry if this sounds rantish, but such simple disregard incensed my sense of fairness.

[ January 16, 2004, 11:50: Message edited by: Zen ]