[HoneyBadger]

I should have mentioned that this mod would be intended more for the "long game" or atleast longer than the minimum, as the modified Pretenders may give an unfair advantage in a blitz-game.

I feel they could still be used-and will be balanced for use-in a blitz-game, but others' opinions may differ.

I have the disadvantage of assuming that others will think in the same directions I do, and I tend to focus on particulars without explaining the--to me--more obvious elements, so I appologise for that, and for any further confusion.

My point here is to potentially make your Pretender your "best SC" if someone should choose to do that as a strategy, while paying for it in other areas. And notice that I'm not suggesting adding a lot of buffs, mostly just things which will help the Pretender survive over a long duration.

Basically, it gives you the option of playing a "Roving Monster" strategy, where your nation is geared up to support 1 single out-of-the-box SC from the beginning of the game, and then using the profits from that strategy to "industrialize" the rest of your nation by mid-game, so that you are narrow but powerful in the early game but then have to focus on broadening your options by the end game. It makes for a risky strategy-especially against humans-but a decent and fun option, and I think a fitting strategy for Dom3.

I like the idea of being able to have your Pretender at the head of your army in more than just last-ditch defense efforts. I also like the idea of your Pretender being ready to go "out of the box" at a high price, but then becoming more marginalized as the game proceeds.

If someone wants to use their Pretender in a more active role, I think they should have the option to do so. That's not to say that I want to make them wildly powerful, there are ways in the game to do that already. It just at once makes your Pretender both the strength and weakness of your nation, which I feel can be quite thematic.

Primarily, I have to admit that I am concerned with the recovering from afflictions issue, but there are other things that can be tweaked, on an individual basis. I believe that most of the Pretenders in the game now were designed to be used in Dom1 or Dom2.

Some gentle, rational retrofitting should not only be expected, but desired, since it's obvious to everyone I've heard from that Dom2 and Dom3 are very different animals.