Gotta wonder though... It is often said that it is the limitations that drive creativity. Thus I wonder, would being able to exceed the current 290 characters be a good thing? I mean after all with this limitation you are forced to be a little more creative to fit the description you desire in. Now why is that considered a bad thing?
I'm not here to be forced to do anything for one, and with your rationalization we could as well have no description at all to force the RP even more. Now some of us have descriptions where the most significant appearances of our characters can be described within the set limit, but others like me have need to put in much more. Even the most significant, or what I deem significant, just doesn't fit within this limit. If I could put the full description in there, would I stop describing my character's hand as ruddy/scaly/taloned when he uses it? No, because if I do that, it detracts from the experience I wish others to have of him. Pointing out the significant unusualities in RP also reminds people of the description if they want a better overview, but again...
And honestly, if someone wants to put a long description, why does anyone care? No one is obligated to read it.
And nor would they need to, to keep RPing along. Descriptions are a spice, and quite tasty at that.
