Positive nicknames for free players

I've seen a few postings now where people refer to free players as "Freeks". While it's good for a condescending laugh, that's the real problem - It's a put down as much as it is a humorous nickname.

I wouldn't care except that sometimes these things have a way of catching on when you don't expect it.

I'd like to encourage some other nickname that is less likely to raise the hackles of a free player who eventually hears a subscriber refer to them using the nickname. Other considerations aside, we already have Freaks as a villain group in the game and calling free players "Freeks" is potentially only going to confuse them.

My suggestion - "Freems", which gets the point across and far from being offensive, is likely to amuse the target if you ever have to explain where the word came from. If you don't want to go into the whole "visual sounds" explanation, you just say "It means freemium".

You can then go with "Preems" for the Premium players if you feel the urge.

I wasn't actually planning to use a nickname.

Unless one is especially nice. Then it will be Manny. That is my nickname for all really nice people.

Free Skuls?

I've been suggesting Freem. I can't believe it hasn't caught on yet, it's the most obvious thing.

"Freeps" or "Freems" works fine

I'm going to stick with just players.

Outside of things that make me unable to team with them, I too will stick with players. When I can't team with them, it will be players who haven't bought this part yet.

I am already using freeps.

The term freeloader has a nice ring to it

i'll probably just stick with referring to them as players, but would jokingly suggest chaff or fodder as terms.

I've already been calling them "freeps". Rhymes with "peeps", which is slang for people.

I've always been partial to Anarchy Online's "froobs", a portmanteau of free and noobs. My character still has a froob t-shirt that the devs actually put into one of the first dungeons in the game. AO was one of the first MMORPGs to go free, and they're still one of the best when it comes to being froob-friendly and not totally crippling a free player to try to wring cash out of them. LOTRO has also been fantastic about handling free players, CoX could really learn a lot from how well they transitioned to a subscription-free service.

Freem and Preem are nice... they match...
But that means we are Vreem?

Potential VIP.

Freeb.

It's a freebie.

It's a free-newb.

It's a pleb.

Personally, I like freeks because it is game appropriate. Nothing will dissuade me from this charming terminology (except maybe a looming banhammer).

I'd suggest "free people" but that's being used by that Tolkien knock off.

I'm thinking "Freebies."