Caveat: I like the new system (I'm a maxed human sage so I may be biased) this is just an idea I had fun exploring today. Because I do that when work is boring.
TLDR: Combining old science (books) and new (scientists) while still removing the gc link:
A province spawns scientists from their population at a random rate. Laboratories increases the spawn rate.
Scientists still accumulate experience, exactly like this age (70).
Those Scientists write books, at a rate dependent upon their experience level. Revelation increases the writing rate.
The Scientists have no category, and neither do their books until published. Books only effect when they are published into whichever category you choose. (Like old system)
Amnesia rolls back the scientists experience (small but permanent, they have to retrain) as well as the books/effect you have (moderate yet temporary, the spell wears off and the effect is restored over time)
Learn attacks steal a portion of published and unpublished books, according to how they were distributed.
Abducts continue as they are this age. Accumulate more scientists, accumulate more science.
Science isn't linked to acres/nw/population and can't be bought with gc. Perhaps cap the scientists that can produce books according to the population (eg. 'only an equivalent of 1% of the population can be employed as a scientist at any time) extra scientists cannot produce work and don't accumulate experience while they are redundant. Scientists don't count as population, same as now.
Rather than a hard cap, have it scale so more is needed.
Sage continues to have more effect and protection of books.
Universities continue to protect scientists, but also protect a % of books.
Humans and Faeries continue with Revelation. Someone else, like maybe elves, gets faster graduation of their scientists (less time needed for each experience level). Undeads can't build laboratories.
....thoughts?
