Salem

First of all, I have to acknowledge that mining artifice is some of the most powerful due to the effect on purity. Thing is, getting high purity iron is a lot of work, so for most people it'll be easier to just buy good knives once competition drives their prices down. So for them there isn't all that much benefit in getting a good set of mining clothes, because the mining speed increase isn't that big of a deal. So to stimulate clothes trade I think mining artifice should help other related activities, such as:
- bonus to boulder chipping speed
- bonus to quarrying speed
- increasing chances of getting granite when quarrying
- increasing chances of getting bigger lime boulders

And yeah, M&M already works for the latter two, but I don't see what's wrong with having both artifice and proficiencies help.

Interesting.

Well it was certainly the hope that players would establish a market for knives so that every new player didn't find a necessity to dig to the back of a mine if they didn't desire to do so. I suppose I can see where that does devalue +Mining instead of holding an increase the value as was expected. Quarry speeds are already a bit generous with ambitious excavation. Chipping speeds as well with a pickax. I am not opposed to adding it in there but this is another one of those areas where to making room for the +mining speed bonus I will be forced to adjust down the average speed without +mining.

I'm undecided if I like Mines & Mountains & +Mining to both increase the same things as in with boulder chance.

Yeah, there's not that much room in the chipping department, but I was hard pressed to come up with benefits

I think the boulder chances are a solid improvement, though. For granite, it's mostly needed for building a stone fence. Somebody who's building those likely has low proficiencies, so a way to instantly boost granite production would be a godsend and well worth spending some silver at a tailor's shop. As for lime, a farmer needs plenty of it, and he'd rather spend his inspiration on S&C, so there's plenty of reason for him to buy too.

I think I might have to wait until we get to the new mining system. I am quite confident we will have a few things that might be dynamic in the new system that could be helped with +mining. If it is still lacking after then I will consider doubling it up on things otherwise in the MINES&MOUNTAIN category.

For now, I am a bit more concerned with +Weaving and +Cooking. Both of which still need love.