Melee Weapons: I'm going to have to go with the book from here on out. Swords and knives do not become unabalanced after using or parrying, so they can be used every turn. However, weapons like Axes, Polearms, etc cannot without the appropriate level of ST. If you have 5 more ST than the weapon requires for you to use the weapon, you may wield it every turn. EG: You are using a Two Handed Axe. Suppose the minimum ST required to use a Two Handed Axe is 10. If you have ST 15, you can wield the weapon every turn.
BALANCED WEAPONS: This is an alternative to the above option. Here, you are paying for craftsmanship in gold rather than in CP. If you purchase a Very Fine weapon, it is considered balanced and you may attack with it every turn.
+3 To Dodge: I'm going to keep this one around for a while, until we all agree that it sucks. Remember, bad guys get this ability also.
+20 HP to HT Maximum: Only a bonus 20 points can be taken to your HT, mostly to prevent us from all becoming Juggernauts.
EX: Joe Schmoe has an HT of 10. He could have up to 30 hit points. Dan the Good has an HT of 12, so he could max out his Hit Points at 32.
Chambara Rules: Every 8 levels of skill indicates another attack with a weapon. So at level 16 Axe, you could wield your axe twice. At level 24 Axe, you could wield it three times. If you take "Trained by a Master," a 40 Point advantage, this effects the fighting system as per what the advantage says.(Which is more.)
Strangulation: I think everyone agreed that this works for them. I like it because it is an easier game mechanic for simply knocking a guy out, rather than killing him outright.
When you strangle a foe, name your intent. Intent to Kill, or to Knockout. It is then a contest of ST - whatever you win by inflicts damage as per your intent. Intent to Kill inflicts actual HP damage, while Intent to Knockout inflicts FP damage. At 0 FP, a character simply passes out. (We've seen mages do this quite a bit - there is no HT save when you run out of Fatigue Points.)
OTHER AREAS:
Max Level of Increased Speed: This advantage increases your speed by one, effectively improving your dodge by one. I think 2 Levels of Increased Speed are quite enough if we are using the +3 Dodge rule.
Max Skill Bonus: There is a 6 point advantage called a Skill Bonus - only one may be bought per character, rather than two or three levels. This advantage, when bought over and over, makes it too easy to increase skills, and one level games an advancement in the particular skill category well enough.
Reputation: Reputation reflects how well you are known, and whether or not people like you. The higher the reputation, the better. The way I see it, Reputation is mostly earned through deeds - rather than bought with character points. A character may begin with reputation, but cannot buy it after character creation. It must be earned from there on out. Reputation adds a +1 bonus to NPC reactions, and appropriate skills such as haggling with shopkeepers and whatnot. Bad reputation does the opposite; -1 to Reactions.