The description policy on CF hasn't changed in a very long time and neither have the motives behind it.

Descriptions contribute to the immersion of our fantasy environment just like quality areas do. They're equally if not more important of PCs than they are of NPCs. As a MUD that puts a lot of emphasis (perhaps not enough) on RP, we're going to continue to require people to do them.

I will reiterate what's been said before in the past by saying that if writing a few quality lines of description of your character is too much to ask of you then CF might not be the game for you. In my opinion we've done too much over the years to indulge the kinds of player who scoff at descriptions and not enough to attract and retain the types who appreciate them.

I would also point out that we don't 'punish' people for having poor descriptions or for using templates of their own making that they tweak (make unique) for each character. If someone's description needs work then we pull them aside to a safe room where we can provide guidance and let them work. If a description is obviously plagiarized or recycled verbatim then we do sweeten the deal with a mechanically mild punishment to deter them from doing it again.

I hope that clears things up for folks.