One of the biggest mistakes long-lived characters make is to stop taking risks.
Risk-averse play leads to stagnation and boredom.
In the 2-3 years I've been playing:
144 characters. 14 of them stored.
The rest of you are pikers. Play Armageddon the rogue-like. Antagonize other people. See what's 4 rooms off the road. Whisper your assassination plots instead of Waying them. STIR UP CONFLICT.
As many problems as this game has, if I want to live a long time, I've got non-permadeath muds I can go play for that. If I want pure storytelling and drama, then I've got to come back to Arm despite having quit several times. But if I focused on longevity, I'd be bored shitless.
I've seen the depths of the Grey Forest. I've been tortured to death by the Soh. Murdered when I manifested my secret magick in front of superstitious tribals. I've seen a Templar wipe a tear from her eye. I've killed for money, for spite, and for fun, and been killed for money, spite, and for fun.
My BIGGEST pet peeve of the game is not karma or any other shit. It's people who don't risk their cushy positions. They hoard the few positions of power for RL years, logging on only in their safe spots for 15 minutes at a time or for parties.
Play the game. Take risks. Or go play something else with a SAVE GAME function.