How about during this period, the only resources, aka florins available to each city are those profits the cities make for themselves? To simulate to breakdown of order over the entire Reich?

Also how about letting every assigned avatar and their armies moved by their player and TC not using up the said avatar's movement point? That I think may slow down the game somewhat, but could allow for more individualistic play, i.e. for people who wants their avatar to survive rather than to help out the situations on the whole?