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'Why is it that when I encounter an Ultima variant, it inevitably seems
more complex than Ultima, not less?'

What defines an Ultima variant? Is it possible that no game simpler than
Ultima fits your definition of 'an Ultima variant'?

At some unspecified time (1970s most likely) I collaborated with John
Ishkanian on an Ultima variant named 'Ultimate Ultima'; I still have a copy
and have seen it within the last few weeks but it would take me years to
find it again (Phil Cohen probably still has a copy and can find it
quickly). The premise was based on my idea that the duration of a game
depends on the ratio of power to space; and we tried to create a playable
game with so much power to space that games would rarely last longer than 4
moves -- this would be a great game for playing at lightspeed radio against
an opponent in another star system!

Four pages of dense and terse single-spaced typewriter text with characters
out to the narrowest margins. Rules not all that complex, but interactions
beyond belief. The Carrier (is this the right name?) could move like Q, but
at each single step could pick up or drop pieces; and if you drop a Mixer
it can rearrange all adjacent pieces (all of this happening within the
context of the single=move multi-square move of the Carrier) and by
rearranging a Transporter it could cause pieces to teleport to other
squares, and if you teleported a Converter it could make enemy pieces yours
and so on.)

We spent probably 3 months hashing out the rules and then played 2 games,
which lasted maybe 5 plies between them (I won both).

That's my idea of complex.

Compared to that, the Game of Nemoroth is so simple!