I think the biggest concern for a new player is that once he finally learns how to play and gets that powerful character with the uber kit and feels virtually unkillable, then over the course of time, he is going to someday want to be a weekend warrior. I have played muds where years later, players logon to hang out, chat with their friends, participate in guildwars (cabal wars for CF), participate in group quests, and once in a while go on a mob killing spree. It's really just a cultural difference, and I would agree that three years of playtime on a character is a very long time. A player is far more likely to get bored of his character before age death, and it will be a welcome release/reward when it happens. I'd be more concerned about CON dying if my goal is to create that uber character and explore every last facet of the mud, but I guess that's why you can just create a new guy and do it again, except differently.