How is it bad for balance? It is GOOD for balance because it is another restriction to high skills. So we provide paraphernalia for training, what is the result. MORE high level sword fighters. You have yet to prove that this is a desirable thing.The requirement to go to a city to train is what provides part of the singular focus on the activity.
That will only be the result if the paraphernalia aren't adjusted properly. They'd need to be expensive, time consuming and limited in effectiveness.
The cities only system creates a situation where a hardened veteran who's been on campaign for months will almost always be worse at sword fighting then someone who's sat in a city training. One of the big complaints on the other thread was that combat doesn't give a high enough skill boost in comparison with the academy.
The real issue I see is that the Academy as it functions now separates two elements of gameplay and medieval society that should be intrinsically linked: military service and prowess in combat.
Frankly I don't care how the issue is addressed but the paraphernalia idea was instantly popular.
