Well, here is my 2 cents...

When you appoint a general to be the governor of a settlement, is that not a title?? Considering the 500 year scope of the game, it may be too much to be worrying about the handing out of titles every few turns, though it would add some chrome to the game.

Mind you, you can transfer some rentinue to other generals by dragging on the icon for the retinue person and pulling it onto another general card. One could possibly do the same if a title was available.

Perhaps if one could change the names of the generals as you can the cities?

And about choosing the heir... wasn't it mostly hereditary? Which is why you sometimes get a loony? So send him off on his own personal crusade to charge up San Juan Hill and get him killed off and free up the next available heir. Has anyone done this and got a child king on the throne??