[Snake]

I guess that removes a lot of things out of the way, then.

Maybe you should've put some of those safety net arguments at the OP, given how volatile we are nowadays that everyone can freely voice their opinions without direct consequences, but thanks for the clarification over things that were starting to fester fast. Now without jokes or irony, since you had the courtesy...

The hell do we 'need' for any good, future GMs, gang? I had my line before full of pessimism, because I don't see anyone lately or currently who could even match these standards. I don't trust anyone I know to be one, and I don't wanna lose friendships over it. Our "lovely" community's members would probably need a long ass year of 'trial' to even prove reliable or trustworthy enough to fall in the graces of someone 'good enough for the job', for a problem that seems much more contemporary.

That's why I believe Mark's solution is very much the cleanest. Easing the load on the current amount of GMs (given all four, regardless of availability, hold credibility for doing their jobs alright for so long) and having them become "mini-Devs" towards the volunteer workers, while the "Boss Dev" whips them from the heavens to make sure everything's within his blueprint makes a fine chain of command by default.

And this was my optimist insight.