I agree that an unlimited number of receptacles on a circuit is asking for poor performance from the circuit.....and MANY locales have limited the number of receptacles allowed on a residential circuit.
It is no surprise that, by strictly doing the code minimum, you may end up doing some silly things.
Take this 6-12 rule as it is usually applied. Enter a room, mark off 6 feet, then 12 ft, etc...all around the room. Since many rooms are somewhat close to being 12 ft x 12 ft, the result of this method is that you run the absolute minimum number of receptacles- but the all end up in the middle of the wall. You've almost guaranteed that every one will be behing furniture.
A better result happens if you place a receptacl right by the door, then start counting off 12 ft. Since doors are usually near the corner of the room, you wind up with a receptacle on either side of the bed (or sofa)....at the 'expense' of ONE additional receptacle in each room.
