I voted "other." What I'd like to see is a system that strictly limits how many items you can create, but does not mandate a lot of jumping through hoops to do it.
Wizards learn new spells when they level up, on the assumption that they have been doing research and experimentation in their "down time." What if magic item creation worked the same way? If you're an item-crafter (whatever the requirements for that may be), you can make a new minor magic item each time you level up, or a major one every X levels, or some number of consumables. It's assumed that you've been working on the item in down time.
Then just throw in some dials for DMs to adjust how many items can be created and their power level, plus suggestions for those who want additional requirements (special components and the like).
Wizards learn new spells when they level up, on the assumption that they have been doing research and experimentation in their "down time." What if magic item creation worked the same way? If you're an item-crafter (whatever the requirements for that may be), you can make a new minor magic item each time you level up, or a major one every X levels, or some number of consumables. It's assumed that you've been working on the item in down time.
Then just throw in some dials for DMs to adjust how many items can be created and their power level, plus suggestions for those who want additional requirements (special components and the like).