*sigh* It really would be nice if we could edit our posts after an hour. The current format is really not friendly for forums like this, in which people are creating house rules that require testing and modification.
Anyhow, here is a more refined and fleshed out version of the OP, copied from the BGG thread....where I could edit my post... :
Certain items (rings, amulets, etc.) have the 'accessory' trait. In pen and paper RPGs, if you are wearing something, it's always "on". This rule variant would attempt to mimic that. You just decide how many "accessory slots" (head for crowns, neck for amulets, hands for rings, etc.) a character would have and, if you have them in your hand, you can play, as normal, one per "slot" AND one other (non-accessory) item per step or check. Also, I think it would make sense to ignore any powers on accessories that allow an additional item to be used while implementing this rule, simply because it would effectively be redundant.
It seems like the fact that you'd gimp yourself pretty badly by keeping too many in your hand would provide balance...but like I said, I haven't tested this.
Quite honestly, because many (but not all) items with the accessory trait already give you the ability to use another item, and because this ability can be chained together as long as no single card gets played more than once, there are many instances in which this variant wouldn't change things at all. Mainly, I suspect it would kick in the most to allow the use of damage reducing accessories when they normally wouldn't be allowed because you used an item to affect the check or determine the die.
Example: With this variant, you could prevent damage with a ring and amulet if you have them in hand, even if you played a wand or amulet earlier. Remember that the balance comes from how horribly ineffective you'd be if you let too many accessories take up space in your hand.
