How about changing the increments between statuses so that they're all equal except for the first and last 3? Maybe like 0, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000?
That way, the newbies won't have to work TOO hard to get to their first two status marks, and the oldies will still have a challenge to get to the Merriwether, Kerth and Pulitzer while not losing hope that they'll ever get there.
"You take turns, advise and protect one another, even heal or be healed when the going gets too tough. I know! That's not a game--that's friendship!" ~Shelly Mezzanoble,
Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress: A Girl's Guide to the Dungeons & Dragons Game Darcy\'s Place
