Greetings!

One thing we noticed after a few 4+ games and some thinking is that effects focusing on the Favor are greatly devalued in Enlightenment, especially in 4+ play. You do get interesting situations because of its rarity, like the Phoenix bribing other players with Isawa Mori Seido, but in general it feels like a detriment by making a significant part of the card pool nearly pointless to include. For example, it excludes a large number of clans/players from chiming in in fights by Censuring the side they do not favor and it makes including characters like Agasha Sumiko, Ikoma Ujiaki and Kakita Yoshi a huge gamble (admittedly, Sumiko would be really strong in Enlightenment otherwise).

For this reason I suggest there to be two Favors in 4+ play!

I imagine it working like this:

• There are two Favors: MIL and POL. They cannot switch sides unlike normal.
• The player with the highest number of Claimed Rings + Ready Glory picks either one of the two to receive.
• If there is a tie when no one has a Favor yet, the Favors remain unclaimed.
• The player with the second highest number of Claimed Rings + Ready Glory receives the remaining one.
• If there is a tie for second highest or if there is a when one Favor is claimed but not the other, the player who has the first Favor chooses one of the tied players to receive the second one (Bargaining!).
• If there is a tie when both Favors are claimed, the Favors remain with the players they are currently with.
• Any card effect that references the Imperial Favor means either one (i. e. if a cost/effect causes you to discard the Favor, you discard the Favor you have; the other Favor is unaffected).
• If an effect would allow a player to claim the Favor while they already have one, they may switch their chosen Favor, but they cannot have more than one Favor total. The other ones stays/becomes unclaimed.

Thoughts and feelings are welcome!

You could also make it a comparison of Military rings and Political rings claimed gives with the caveat that no player can claim two and so if they have one it goes to the player with the next most claimed rings of the appropriate type and in the event of a tie neither player can claim the favor.

2 minutes ago, Schmoozies said:

You could also make it a comparison of Military rings and Political rings claimed gives with the caveat that no player can claim two and so if they have one it goes to the player with the next most claimed rings of the appropriate type and in the event of a tie neither player can claim the favor.

I was considering doing something with Ring types, yeah. The way you phrase it makes it actually sounds better to me because it needs the least amount of additional rules. Just use the regular tie rules but compare MIL rings for MIL Favor and POL rings for POL Favor. Good one!