I've said it before and I'll say it again, since I hope the idea is workable. Many possible factions of smaller beginnings, such as Sweboz and the Lusitanians, in EB1 would greatly benefit from a similar system to that of Hayasdan: a representation of unification and consolidation. It'd be great to see a similar system for such possible factions as an Illyrian or Numidian tribe in EB2.

Another idea I hope is possible is the use of permanent forts to represent smaller towns or tribes in the region. In the case of a larger such as Rome, most of these permanent forts would either be empty or garrisoned by friendly troops, with the odd rebels popping up every now and then in the heartlands and more elsewhere. For smaller factions, the majority of surrounding forts would be filled with rebels, representing other tribes. If this could be combined with the proposed system of using a system of trade items and spawning invisible merchants to simulate additional income from owning a permanent fort I see a lot of potential for slowing down gameplay significantly while still keeping it active.