It's not that staff was discouraged from playing in their own game; it's that staff was discouraged from playing a power game:
- 4.2. Storytellers may have a single PC, who are subject to all of the disadvantages of Political play and eligible for none of the advantages. They may not act as a judge in any circumstance in which there is a conflict of interest (CoI). If unsure, the storyteller will divulge the possible CoI and ask all participants in the scene whether there are any objections. If anyone objects a different judge will be found.
Positions of Power, Staff PC's:
Can hold secondary positions such as Primogen, Keeper of Elysium etc.
Can't hold primary positions such as Prince, Prisci, Harpy or Sheriff.
Special: If another PC tries to sieze a position held by a Staff PC, the normal PC will be inevitably succesful.
Territory, Staff PC's:
Can help others take territory and solve crises on their behalf.
Can't hold territory of their own.
Plot, Staff PCs:
Can be asked to help solve crises and other mysteries.
Can't help with plots/crises they are responsible for.
Consent, Staff PC's:
Can be assumed to know the consequences of their actions without warning.
Can fight you for mortal influence.
Can't avoid consequences unless the consequence would change their template or force them to perform an illegal action (For instance you can't dominate a Staff PC and ask them to solve their own plot).
Can't start a potentially lethal conflict by their own initiative.
That doesn't seem to me to be a terribly draconian policy. And I was light-build/wiki staff for the last month and a half or so, and did my best to keep atop jobs, for what that's worth. (And thanks to those other players who helped with the wiki!)
My character was Support, might have gone Political had OSS 3.0 come to fruition, but that never came to pass. Since I didn't see any IC jobs -- just BUILD, WIKI, and TERRA (crisis) buckets, the staff thing wasn't an issue for Xeth's character or mine.