Thanks for clarifying; that makes perfect sense.
It's a fair point, and I can definitely see what you mean. In Fatal Tomb, characters can acquire the best mundane equipment relatively quickly, and that was intentional. My goal was never for progression to come from increasingly powerful gear. My design philosophy was that a man in the finest armour is still a mortal man. The adventure should make the hero, not the equipment.
Instead, I wanted progression to come from the adventures themselves: exploring stranger places, facing more dangerous foes, uncovering relics, and, potentially, commanding fortresses and armies. Those feel more in keeping with the kind of sword and sorcery stories that inspired the game.
I think fortresses and mass combat are probably the direction I'll explore, rather than full domain play. I'd like gold to open up bigger adventures rather than more bookkeeping.
Thanks again for the kind words and for taking the time to share your thoughts. Feedback like this genuinely helps shape the game.