Clues take usually significant (or sometimes insignificant) actions and RP by players in the game, sometimes ranging for just one player to a huge amount. Often it costs AP and IC resources, investment of XP on stats/skills and abilities, sometimes OOC coordination and other efforts. I understand that many feel they’ve earned these clues and as they’ve bought them, they are their property, so it becomes yet another asset in an asset rich game.
The flaw with @clues is that it comes yet another asset that draws people in to horde and exclude others (which some clues are based on secrets). Given the GM requirements for each of these to research the theme, look at and review the activity being undertaken by players, write a @clue in keeping with the theme, updating GM notes, etc, this will only increase the demand to GM’s given the player base increasing and is not sustainable. There is a lot of work put into these by staff that could benefit far more people than who initially obtain the @clue.
I’d like to see personally held clues on characters with the risk of being randomly eroded on a monthly cron. You can share it to an @org which could quite potentially keep it safe from erosion, which presents a risk choice to the player of either hoarding and possibly losing it, or sharing and the risks that might have but lets it be kept. If you want the clue again, you can spend your AP to acquire it and use it (or have other players spend AP to acquire it and talk with you about it).
This lets players who are new get access to a lot more new and up to date @clues via the @org system and reinforces that the game is trying to be as inclusive as possible and inviting, offering RP avenues to those that are wanting to seek it out.
