META/LNH: Character Usability Thingy Stuff

[Andrew Perron]

Something I've been navel-gazing about for a while...

Long long ago, on a newsgroup right here actually, the Powers That Be
decided to stop listing LNH characters as being "Public Domain".  This was
a Good Idea, as the public domain is a legal concept with a specific
meaning, and these characters did not fit it.

However, the problem was solved by simply moving all the affected
characters to the status of "Not Reserved".  Now, Not Reserved is a very
wide category, and it seems to me like it could use some shading,
deliniating between characters who haven't been specifically reserved and
ones who have been given up to the community at large.

Therefore, I propose a separate "Free For Use" category.  Essentially, a
character in this category would be, well, freely usable.  How would this
be different from Not Reserved, you ask?

Well, that's the other thing.  How character usability works is itself
vague.  I know, I know, it's more custom and courtesy than hard-and-fast
rules.  But I think it'd be useful to set down a few guidelines, simply to
help educate those who don't know how the system works.

What do you think, sirs?

Andrew "NO .SIG MAN" "Juan" Perron, lost his faith immaculate when Cupid
became a villain!