Currently, Warlords are permitted to challenge each Barony once per cycle. That's seven challenges over the span of the cycle, or conceivably one every other week. That just strikes me as way too many (despite the fact that I had Guill challenge immediately after being defeated! Such is his warped little mind!)
So I'd propose the following.
- Should a Warlord fail in a challenge for a Barony or Overlordship, he will be unable to challenge for another Barony for a period of 30 days.
- Should a Baron or Overlord be dethroned by a Warlord, he will be unable to challenge for another Barony for a period of 30 days.
- (A) Should the Overlord be dethroned by a Renegade Baron, he will be unable to challenge for the Overlordship for a period of 30 days.
(B) Should the Overlord be dethroned by a Renegade Baron, he will be unable to challenge for the Overlordship for the remainder of the cycle. - Loyal Barons would need only to defend their title once per 30 days.
1 and 2 would provide for a bit of a cooling-down period for Warlords, as well as restrict their challenges to no more than three a cycle. I still think this is too many, but it is in line with current rules for Fists and Magic. Note that the restriction is only in effect for challenging for a Barony - the traditional Warlord's Tournament prize of a direct challenge to the Overlord would be unaffected by this.
3A would provide that a dethroned Overlord (by a Baron) would have the same cooling-down period that a Warlord might. 3B extends it, in line with how a dethroned Baron cannot challenge for the title they lost for the rest of the cycle.
4 would eliminate a bit of a loophole in the current rules, which provide for one defence per calendar month. By these rules, it behooves a Loyal to schedule defences early in the month, for they may not be challenged for the rest of the month. On the contrary, a challenge late in the month means that their grace period has effectively vanished.
By no means do I expect these to be adopted. But I think honest discussion in an open forum is a constructive idea. (In any case, you'd have to assume that this would take effect no earlier than the beginning of the Spring 2010 cycle.)