Balance opinions

[sector24]

I think there's a world of difference between increasing the cost of something and increasing the path. A path increase to an item or mage changes the fundamental nature of what they can do. A mage with an additional path could open up the use of 10 additional spells, that synergize with the existing 20. Changing the requirement on an item can ruin your whole game if you didn't know about that requirement ahead of time. It makes you re-memorize what a potential enemy can and cannot do to you.

Changing the cost is different. For instance, increasing the cost of Tartarians seems to me like a reasonable change to consider because they are ridiculously powerful and cheap. When you try to compare the cost of something like a Tarrasque to a Tartarian, you can see just how good a Tartarian is. It's also a pretty safe bet that the player trying to summon the Tartarian isn't down to his last 10 gems.

On the other hand, early in the game sometimes you really are strapped for gems. Changing the cost of a Dwarven Hammer could totally wreck your well laid plans. I've had plenty of games where I've only found a single earth site by the time I wanted a hammer, so even an increase of 5 gems would equate to an unexpected 5 turn delay in my plans.

I can see both sides of it. There are situations where you definitely want to make some nerfs because it's easier and more prudent than boosting everything else in the game up to that level. Generally though, nerfs should be reserved for situations that occur later in the game, where they have a smaller effect on the fundamental identity of a nation.