I: I'd say that putting a per-person character cap would be a good idea, but an overall character cap might not be necessary if you lower the per-person cap. I'd love to get more new players in here, and keep an emphasis on openness for new people.

VII: So long as it's optional, then groovy.

My only other comment would be about the pacing, don't worry about it? We've kind of settled into our own natural pacing, whether this game was designed to be fast or slow, the players do a good job of dictating the pace, and keeping people from being left out.