To disseminate any misconceptions, I will make a statement to affirm my position on the matter.

	[b]Bear in mind, however, that I am only proxy to Transience, and my opinion does not necessarily represent Transience's stance.[/b]

	Starless will continue to accept new players in the meantime, and we will never close our doors to fresh minds and new insights for now. To my knowledge, there are many people who are new or returning to roleplaying, and I am open to them if they add special flavor to the roleplay.

	That said, I would [i]not[/i] go as far to indiscriminately allow new players. The bar has been set by those who came before them, and if new players do not meet the roleplay's standards, then we reserve the right to deny them entry. It is a GMs job to assure that each character is different and game-changing, and it is a storyteller's job to preserve the evolving nature of a story; as such, I echo the sentiments of other veteran players when I say that I would like for new players to create [i]truly interesting[/i] and [i]unique[/i] characters who impress us and build on the expectations which our first players set.

	We will [i]not[/i] prohibit joining entirely unless the roleplay has progressed to a point where accepting new players is unthinkable. That is not and has never been our policy. It is not conducive to writing improvement or to lively roleplaying for veterans to behave with hostility and imprudence towards novices. I, like most, want a roleplay that has consistently active players, and I do not think accepting one-and-done players is productive to that end. That said, I also believe that taking on active players who are not terribly far below our standard is not out of the question. We should keep an open mind and welcome players who are inspired by and interested in the roleplay, and we should encourage them to grow as writers and as storytellers with us; it has been said before that this roleplay is, after all, closer to a collaborative story than it is to a game. We are not yet in the thick of the roleplay, and until then, when it will be too late for anyone to join, we will likely continue accepting players.

	Lastly, I want to seek a solution to the issue that will allow Transience and I as GMs to control our workload. I do not want to be incredibly burdened with an excessive influx of newbies. A staggered-entry system and a waiting list are among the ideas which I found best for flow control.

	I think that some newbies are a little paranoid that the opportunity to join might disappear entirely, and I promise you that it won't go away for a while. There's still time left to join, and if you're worthy, we're not opposed to letting you in. In kind, I also think that some veterans are concerned that the roleplay will become overrun with novice players and that the expectations that [i]they[/i] had when they first joined might collapse. Rest assured all, I will try and do what I can to satisfy as many as possible without hurting anyone.