Is Famous underpowered?

[JustOneMoreTurn]

In MOM or COM1, I found heroes to be fairly useless at first, and game-spoilingly powerful later. I usually edited the heroes to worthlessness (stats to 1), which unfortunately cuts out what could be a fun part of the game. My preference would be to have heroes a bit more useful early, with a slower increase in power later. I'm not sure how that would work, since much of the problem is item stacking. Limits on stacking? To much powerful magic on one person ruptures the universe, requiring limits?

One other possibility is a (optional?) one hero per stack rule. Overwhelming arrogance doesn't allow them to work together.

Neither option solves the Famous issue, but they'd make boosts to Famous less overpowered. Let it more or less guarantee a worthwhile hero or two early, for a worthwhile hero strategy that is roughly equivalent to spending that point on another book or different retort.

[Anskiy]

Yeah, I've come to the conclusion that heroes are generally a problematic mechanic in Caster of Magic. Because they have the potential to be quite overpowered, they have to start weak. But it only takes Artificer and the appropriate books to effectively make them immune to lots of things, at which point they spiral out of control. Hell, in my last game, I had Sir Harold almost solo the Myrran Nature wizard by himself. The only things that posed any danger to him were Cracks Call and Land Linked Gorgons, and once I crafted a suit with Invisibility on it, I could mana drain her and assassinate her army unit by unit, until she had nothing to spare for fights.

[Seravy]

Maybe I remember wrong but I think there is no turncount limit for heroes hired normally. That's for prisoners.
Only exception being the Ninja.

Edit : checked the CoM 2 source, the turn limit is for prisoners only, it doesn't apply to hiring or summoning heroes.

If that so, I think famous should give bias toward visit higher quality heroes and higher tiers mercenary units to make effect of famous more noticable.

It does though, for heroes.

[Incanur]

But taken that either charismatic, or luck at the draw of opponents, is needed to win at high difficulty,

Is this true? Sapher? I'm still learning CoM at higher difficulty, but Sapher doesn't usually play with the Charismatic retort based on YouTube videos. And Sapher always wins, even with that weakest-wizard build.

Famous was ok for me the one game I've played with it, at Expert, but not great or particularly notable. I did get pretty good heroes that game as I recall, & a fair number of mercenaries.