I like Drew’s suggestion of reputation and personifying political bodies within locations, that sounds cool and I think there is a lot of the good kind of variety in that direction rather than crafting.
In other news, I have had a change of heart with the suggested quality feature. I pondered the issue, and I think of mount and blade, how eventually equipping my 5-6 companions after each acquisition of loot becomes a huge chore – to the point where I stop giving them the latest and best because I’m too darn lazy. Now I imagine doing that with 12 companions! No thank you.
This is my new suggestion: Don’t add quality, leave crafting out – add low to mid level magical/special weapons that occasionally pop up, but not with such regularity that it is boring. Having a lean set of weapons will leave the player with more time to fight and adventure and less time clicking around in an equipment screen.