Phalzyr: ~I agree with Kiya, and since it even lists how many posts you made right under the pic it is even less usefull but for creating a post fest to get rank. I'd say have "Member" for us normal people, "Larian *" for larian people and such. When I ran a UBB I got sick of the lets post 100 useless crap posts so I can become the top rank (though I never got rid of the titles).~
And I agree with you both. The prospect for a higher rank shouldn't encourage useless posting if possible. The ranks should rather be neutral indicators of a person's overall status. I would make a few basic differentiations:
1) Regular ranks
1a) 0-9 posts: The uninitiated. All newbies that have just made their first unsure steps in a strange, new world.
1c) 10-99 posts: The initiated. Have learned how to get around in the forum. Can assist newbies with their gained knowledge.
1d) 100-xx posts: Full members. By know they should consider the forum their second home, that they visit either regularly, or at least repeatedly over a long period of time.
2) Special ranks
2a) Special members. The so-called helpers, i.e. people that have earned a good reputation through helpful posts could get a special rank. These should only be assigned by Forum Moderators, maybe after a public vote or request.
2b) Larian Studios Members. So we know who to praise or curse.
2c) Forum Moderators and Admins.
As for specific rankings, here's what I imagine:
Sorcery theme: Apprentice, Adept, Mage
Swords theme: Page, Squire, Knight
Divine theme: Novice, Acolyte, Priest
Helpers: Angel (or Sage)
Larians: Master
Moderators: Grandmaster
Admins: Divinity
The "Divine" theme could be used as a default or general theme, supposed that the forum isn't hacked to support different paths. The relatively low threshold of the ranks should make sure that the the system is not abused.
Well, I think that's all..
Meow...
Arhu