Maybe we're approaching this from the wrong angle. Everyone still talks about BM as a game. However, to me it has always been more of a framework for my role-playing. By having set rules in a set universe in which to base my characters, I can focus more on characterization. I don't create events for my characters; the game does that, as do other players (when I don't get my way).
Sure, we can attract new people with new features and an updated layout. But those gamers have maybe 3-15 minutes of queuing actions before they're tapped out. BM has always been about the interaction. We should be appealing to audiences that want to create. Fans of historical fiction. Students of literature and film and politics. Appeal to their narcissism. Appeal to the part in each and every one of us that wants to be noticed. That's why I'm pushing for more interaction on Twitter: that mobile, selfie-taking, Vine-recording, meme-producing, hash-tagging population that says, "I want to create, but I don't know how."
Damn it, we know how. We have the canvas. Get your asses in here and paint. Paint with your words!
Fanfiction.net. Gaiaonline. Blogs of writers. These should be our targets. I only fell in love with BM by spending time with it. You're trying to appeal to people who want everything to be flashy, who want a short tutorial and for the things they highlight to tell them what the hell they are before they click them without digging through a Wiki to find answers. Stop reaching for that shelf and reach for the one with the people who are going to pour their hearts and souls into a character that they come to love.
Other Suggestions:
- A fantasy island where Tolkien races are allowed
- A single character for new players who can be whatever class they want, so they don't get frustrated trying to become something "cool". WoW did something similar by giving new players 1 level 80 character, as it shows them what hard work and dedication will earn them.
- Dragon Hunts. Adventurers should be able to hear rumors of/hunt dragons to their lairs, and armies should be able to tackle these beasts at their own peril. In true medieval tradition dragons should be terrifying and deadly (say, they do a lot of damage to 1 random region on 1 random day each week), and win the knight who strikes the killing blow great honor, prestige and riches (gold and/or unique items). Politics on the islands could get interesting if your army is decimated by an underestimated dragon, or a famous figure dies in combat with the beast, or an enemy realm finds a dragon roosting near their capital.
