I think that having such a steep learning curve discourages new players. I think that it would be perfectly reasonable to seek guidance in game but this does not always pan out. Most importantly, as I understand it, BattleMaster is intended to be a game in which the guy who spends 20 minutes a day playing is not extremely disadvantaged when competing against a guy who spends 8 hours a day logged in, pouring over the wkik, searching through archived mailing lists, lurking in IRC and so on. It is meant to be a light game that one can succeed at with just a few minutes a turn.
Asking a new player to wait three years before he has finally amassed the knowledge necessary to do something cool is not motivating. Asking a new player to depend upon the support other players with selfish motives to learn stuff their in game character should already know is demotivating. Especially since all of these long standing players are usually pretty busy maneuvering their five characters and spare little time communicating the nuances of the game to a new player who may never stick around.
While I love the depth and layers provided in BattleMaster it can be a huge turn off for new players. When a new player looks through family records and sees that it took years before most players finally managed to secure that one position the new player really wanted, it would make anyone wonder if they really wanted to put around that long. Anything that makes the game more engaging for new players is a great thing in my opinion.
These guides are awesome. Keep them coming!
