Thank you for the feedback. I agree that it is not the players' fault that there are fewer players. The only thing is to ensure this doesn't lead to a situation where captains in larger teams don't play themselves. Otherwise, there won't be much point to the teams—it will just be single-player participations. And if some are forbidden from playing alone while others are allowed, that would also mean unequal conditions, unfortunately. We'll need to think about how to best implement and define this.

I wouldn't really want to make large-scale changes to the interface. Fix bugs, add features that won't cause significant discomfort (for example, disabling water spells, rebuilding the Mage Guild from any level, opting out of skills at the hut and with scholars, paying off neutrals, etc.). But balancing the game for "no-rules" play is already complicated. That's why I want to hear different opinions. As for the skills—if we don't change the core meaning of how they work, but just make them slightly more useful (Eagle Eye gives spells during battle rather than after, mines and quicksand summon only 2 more units, scouting gives +a few cells at expert level)—it doesn't make them OP, nor even a vital part of the game; they will still be used quite rarely. The only thing is that if you enjoy it, you can at least see it in the game occasionally. So that everything in the game is as playable as possible—albeit to varying degrees. But of course, this could introduce certain misunderstandings and errors, which is not good, and that's why discussion is necessary.

I think we should discuss the tournament for about a week, maybe slightly less, then spend about 1-2 weeks assembling teams, posting the regulations (they are almost ready) and the configured game versions so that people can already start playing. We can say how long the tournament will last once it becomes clear how many teams there are and what format can be selected for that number. In theory: a group stage + playoffs (with or without a lower bracket). 1 series of games per week.

Regarding OH. In theory, yes. But in practice, it turns out that players who play outside of game portals aren't particularly keen on playing in tournaments, and if they have to pay for something too, it will discourage them even more. For example, we had players from Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, etc., who were not ready to pay. And the Czech team didn't want to play at first partly because of OH, and by the time they assembled, it was already too late. Korea specifically decided not to participate back then because of OH.