Losing a character is a pretty big deal in a game where you might play the same character for years at a time. I just think there's a certain amount of wisdom in respecting the players' right to decide either a) when they are finished with them, or b) that they are willing to give up some control over the character's fate by choosing the hero class.
Sure BT is a testing island complete with Invasions, but, you know, have some respect for your players and the immense amount of time and effort that they put into the characters they play. I am glad that Tom is leaving it to a referendum. That should be a reasonably fair way to decide the issue, but if you ask me it should be an opt-in.
