Changes to Special Applications

[ArmageddonMUD]

Hello all!  With the condensed karma scale being a rather large change to who can play what, we made a change to the special application process to coincide with that.  Of course, we don't always get everything right on the first go.  We're rolling out a few more changes to the special application process as a result of seeing how the new karma scale is affecting the game.

These changes are as follows:

1) The classes and races you can apply to will be changed to your karma level+1.  Yes, this is down from your karma+2.  Sorcerer subguilds and psionicist characters will remain special-app only, and be available only to players with 3 karma. 
2) Approved special apps will "expire" 6 months after you submit an application.  You may not have more than one approved special app "ready to play" at any time.
3) Staff will no longer attempt to maintain a queue of approved applications for roles that are limited; this is primarily for sorcerer and psionicist characters.
4) You'll now be able to special app for something twice per year, up from once per year, to compensate for these changes.
5) If you are approved for a sorcerer or psionicist character, you will be expected to use the skills that make the role a limited one.

Why did we make these changes? 

A few reasons. 

We found that so many players were able to, and thus were, applying for sorcerer and psionicist characters, and staff has limited the number of both these to be active at any given time for many years. 

Initially we thought we could manage a queue of who is up next to play these roles, but that has proven unmanageable and is only getting worse as time passes, not better as the list continues to grow. 

This is because players in the queue may or may not be active in-game at any given point of time, the next person up on deck may be in the midst of an interesting character or plot(s) that they don't want to part with, they may be interested but want a little time to wrap things up and store their character - meanwhile other people were behind them in the queue and ready immediately - and so on.

It's not practical (or fun) for staff to manage an ever-growing queue of people to play these limited roles, and deal with any of these circumstances.

Anyone who was given an approval to play a sorc or psionicist and was waiting on the (now decommissioned) queue - we're going to give you a free special app under the above new rules to use.  If this describes your situation, please send in a game-related question request with the details of your situation and we'll treat it as we would any other special application.

With regard to number five above, sorcerers who never cast a spell or psionicists who never bend minds are essentially squatting on limited roles that other players really want to play.  This is mostly self-explanatory.  Details on any deviations can be worked out with staff as a part of the special application itself.