The "I can't possibly find a bracer!" argument gets impressively weak when you consider area rotations over the last couple years. A new area that comes in typically has 50-75 distinct objects, maybe 2/3 of which have some "use" (can be taken, worn for some benefit, etc.). Some have more (~120 in a very recent example).

How many objects are in the areas that are being pulled? Often less than 10. Name all the objects from Moria, or In The Air. There's probably 2 between them that anyone used. Azuremain and Ruins of Delar-Tol, which came in around when those were pulled, have dozens of useful objects, some of which are already becoming quite popular among our less lazy explorers.

Also, while the number of areas is remaining constant or slightly declining (one of my management goals with respect to letting you find people), it's often because I'm merging small roads and such into larger areas, then adding whole new places written by our talented batch o' authors. The number of areas remains the same, but the number of people, places, and things goes way up.

Then, on top of that, we're dumping new stuff into old areas. I routinely sneak batches of ten objects into older, neglected areas. I've also been pushing for small area expansions (Goblin Village, Lumberyard, Udgaard Plains, etc.) aimed at low-level adventurers, and designed to help fill "gear gaps". Zulghinlour, Sevarecan, myself, and others did big batches of items for shops over the last year, and the amount of useful gear you can buy or barter for has skyrocketed.

Claiming that you "need" one specific item for a character to be viable is not just wrong, it's embarrassing.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com