I've been thinking about these playthroughs, and since this game is *so* easy to edit, I've been wondering about minor edits to balance out different play-styles:
Like opening up each wife's equipment slots so they can equip four of anything, and thereby making them a consideration instead of focusing on Xeona for weapons. (I'd use the honor-system and not equip more than two weapons on each wife, to not break the game.) And maybe some edits with the babies, so they are actually part of the game. The mod that exists still isn't enough imo to make the gamble of having a child worth it.
And perhaps adding a second bonus to the sets in the game, so they are actually worth taking up to five of your slots (!). Maybe adding a bonus or two to the wives, like something not too overpowered, like a 100% Defense bonus on Mirabella to Robbers, Pirates, and Barbarians. I'm also thinking of something like -10% Leadership requirements to the race/group of units the wife benefits. Wouldn't more elves trust to follow you if you married one?
I'm not too sure on the skill trees, but there are a couple of things I'd like to rearrange in the hierarchy of the trees, like having Higher Magic buried at the bottom of Magic, and ditto with Inquisition and Tolerance in Mind. The Might tree is better, but it still sucks you have to invest in Combat Readiness and Tactics to get to Onslaught. And doesn't Glory just scream for a boost given the number of runes you invest for the return? How about +300/600/1000 Leadership?
Hero changes? I'm not sure, but it seems silly that a Paladin and a Mage couldn't drop whatever and hold a second weapon like the Warrior.
The only other change I would consider is in the realm of Spells. Perhaps boosting the Phoenix spell so that is actually useful outside of Darion on Normal difficulty?
That spell could use a huge boost. The only other ones I can think of, but have real potential to break the game, are to have level 3 Slow be a Mass spell, and have level 3 Dragon Arrows give one arrow to all allied archers. The spells seem pretty balanced already.
This all should probably go under modding, but these are some of the ideas I'm tossing around for my subsequent racial/unit games.
All opinions are welcome. Would any of these break the game? Too much?