It was not long ago players bitched about the monotony of having to farm obs/explore xp to get the edges they want to compete with people, because if everyone else is farming that then the other players felt they had to as well just to keep up and stay competitive.

So the Imms finally say they will reduce the impact of farming obs/exp xp on edges, and yet, players still bitch, when really this is exactly what they were asking for not long ago. Now those who farm, (and lets be honest, at this point obs exploration xp is nothing but farming for 90% of people who still play CF since they have seen all these areas countless times) get less, so maybe people won't be as obsessed with doing it for the sake of edges. But no, instead of realizing all players will have less edges in general and maybe have to be more selective in which they choose, they rally against that which they clamored for probably less than a year ago.

This is an application across the board. It's not, as I see it, an attempt to annoy players. It's an attempt to eliminate the grind of maxing experience for the sake of those things that so many CFers compulsively seek (edges) in the name of maximizing their character.

Do you still need 10 edges to compete if all your competition now only has half as many as well?

And Pk edge points are unchanged, and they are emphasizing immortal xp. Those are really the two focal points of playing CF, role playing and PK. Shouldn't they be the most heavily rewarded aspects then?

Yes, this system focusing less on things players can do solo (obs/exp/role writing) has obvious potential for imm favoritism. Maybe it's driven to get more people interacting though, instead of going through the motions in the most bare sense between the ever increasingly rare PK attempts. The old system was just as prone to abuse though, Imms could always abuse their place for their favorites. That's not a change at all.

The Role xp cap, countless people bitch about role xp, so the Imms nerf it some, and then, yes, more player bitching because that was their only avenue of Imm xp. Roles shouldn't be Imm xp, because they require zero RP to create. The best laid role is crap if you completely ignore it through your IC actions. (Areas/quests should never require Imm xp though, on that I agree with everyone else)

This system can be for the better of CF as a whole, but only if the Imms make it so for the players.

If the Imms are planning on being far more immersed in CF as interactive gods and not as neutral moderators and administrators, and being far better about rewarding instances of RP in small amounts but far more often (who doesn't love getting an imm xp randomly after a session, it's encouraging even if it is 50 xp or something), I'm all in favor of this. If it's business as usual on their side, then, yes, this is ultimately a bad change because it takes away one avenue with out putting another in place.

I'm hoping they embrace the role they are creating for themselves, that they don't only look for their followers/their cabal/PKers for instances to immerse and interact.

I say, as players, we have to give them the chance. They can always change it later, but honestly, has business as usual been working for CF lately? I'd argue the player counts speak for themselves.