Edges are great for people at the top of their game. They get them for good RP (imm exp), roles, observance, PKing, etc.

What about people newer to the game that get killed shamelessly, haven't figured out how to look at everything, have decent (but not stellar) roles, etc.?

What would you think about making newbie-friendly edges for these people that most people wouldn't pick, but might help? If they're endlessly losing PKs in fair fights (maybe above 85% losses), allow them to choose an edge that helps them get out of combat easier. Or, something...

It seems like the top people of the game get the most out of edges, but the people who are new and learning don't have a lot available to them.

What do you think?

While it might be neat if there were edges that became available for particular poor performance, such as a 85% pk loss rate, I don't think edges should just be handed out if they were not earned. That is earned in the normal fashion of earning edge points, Imm exp, commerce exp, observation exp, etc. Edges to my understanding were designed as small rewards for producing good characters not something every character should expect if they are not doing the necessary steps to earn them. And to this end I think you are right that the top end of the game recieves the lion share of edges/edge points as they are the ones earning them.

New characters do have one advantage in that they most likely need to look at more things as they are exploring areas for the first time and still learning the layout of the land. For myself it is hard to earn observation exp from a place such as Akan/Castle Akan that I've been through upteen times but someone new should earn a good amount just walking through and looking around the first time.

I'd like to see free edge points given just for reaching specific level tiers (21, 31, 41, and 51). Even if it was just enough points to choose a minor edge like cover eyes or strong back, it still feels good to have a mild hand-out reward that won't influence pk combat too much.

I believe everybody already gets some free edge points at certain levels. I've noticed getting extra points at 25, 35, and 51 on my recent characters, even though I hadn't done anything else other than rank at those times.