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my thoughts Posted on December 5, 2025 at 03:48:32 PM by Feather
I hope you don't mind that my previous experience as a GM influences my opinion. I can't recall exactly how often we cleaned up the reserved names board, but I remember doing it fairly frequently. We certainly did it if someone missed an activity check, but might have even done it as frequently as if someone was on away for over a month.
It says on the Inbox page, "After this [being away for over a month] you and your characters will be considered inactive, and you will need to rejoin should you return." For me this is effectively treating the player as though they have quit, and I think that makes sense. If someone has been away long enough for their characters to be moved to inactive, we don't know when they're coming back. Over the years I've noticed that most people don't actually explicitly use the word 'quit': they go on away and don't come back for a long time, if ever, or they simply disappear (not judging because life happens and I'm definitely guilty of doing this myself). But, whether the word 'quit' is used or not, the impact is the same: they're no longer active on the site. Currently players already lose claim on their territories after a month, which arguably is more impactful than losing reserved names since it impacts existing characters. If players lose claim on their territories, it makes sense they should lose claim on reserved names too.
In that situation I personally think it's completely fair that their reserved names list is considered void or deleted entirely, and for them to need to make a new list upon their return. Though I understand how it could be frustrating for the player involved if they return, it can be equally demotivating for active players to see names they covet out of their reach because an inactive player still has claim over them. In my opinion active players' access to new names should be prioritized, especially since duplicate names are currently only allowed for deceased characters, which means a lot of names are already permanently unavailable from players who have been inactive for years.
How often the reserved names board is cleaned up is another matter. I personally am in favor of clearing it as often as players become inactive: every activity check, at the very least.
Thanks for this opportunity to share our thoughts <3 Replies:
my thoughts - By feralDecember 5, 2025 at 04:42:32 PM