[Cainehill]

As one of the people who's probably going to be playing this game, I'd like to point out some complications with some of the proposed rules.

Not equipping anything but recruitable troops is all fine and good, but - it won't stop summoned commanders from getting items off the battlefield, or from the Death Match games. So - if the item isn't cursed, it has to be removed from the commander? Presumably it doesn't have to be thrown away, if the commander isn't at a lab and doesn't have fellow commanders with open slots.

Banning spells (Soul Vortex) : The thought of banning a spell is nuts. If for no other reason, because the AI might cast it once past the script. Also - because it's basically an innate ability of the commander that's being stripped away. It's like saying that Banish can't be cast, screwing priests.

(Note that I've never _cast_ Soul Vortex, but the thought of banning spells is, as said, just nuts. It's not terribly abusable, given that only a few commanders can cast it, unlike wraith swords and blood thorns, which can (and do) get thrown on every SC.)

Also - not being able to put magic items on the pretenders seems a bit extreme. It puts a huge advantage on those few pretenders that don't need much equipment, and also on those pretenders that have almost no slots. It just seems ... unreasonable to me.

I'm against the suggestion of "Only pure magic level raising items can be created / used", given that it really means that only astral nations get magic items (the ring of sorcery / wizardry are about the only ones that are "pure" - almost everything else is also a weapon, a helm, produces gems or can conjure an air elemental, etc.)