About the RPGA

[Edena_of_Neith]

Edena_of_Neith here.

Have you ever gone to a gaming convention, and found that all the games were booked, and you were out of luck?
Heh. If you are lucky, they will say: We are sorry, but we are full up. Try that group; they might have an opening.
Or perhaps they will not talk to you at all, except to be very annoyed you interrupted their game.

Well, the RPGA always has openings for gamers.
You can arrive at a convention without knowing what's going on, without ever having looked at the registration sheet, and get into games from start to finish at the convention, if the RPGA is there.
You are ... always ... welcome in the RPGA.

The question you might ask is: how do they do it?
The answer to that is: they work their butts off.

The typical RPGA Judge pulls a 12 hour shift at conventions, for each and every day the convention is running.
Some of them, pull 16 hour shifts.
RPGA Judges, of course, have the right to refuse to DM just like anyone else ... these volunteers choose to work that hard, and people benefit from their work.

Imagine for a second that you are a DM, and about one hundred people are standing there, waiting to get into your game, and somehow you must admit all of them.
Well, the RPGA must deal with that situation every 6 hours at a convention!
The Event Coordinator works with the Judges to get everyone into a game, this process being arduous and sometimes taking a half hour to accomplish, but they do it.
They do it, and they do it every time.
When the Coordinator runs out of Judges, volunteers come in to help, giving their time so that people with generic tickets have a chance to play.

In all my years of gaming and of attending conventions, I have never seen anyone work harder than RPGA event coordinators and RPGA judges to perform, to give players the chance to have a game and enjoy the game, to work their butts off to please the gaming audience.

I think they deserve some respect, and wish to say so here.

- - -

Now, if you are one of those people who have heard bad things about the RPGA, I suggest you go to an RPGA Gather, and see for yourself.
These people TRY VERY HARD, and they work very hard. You will see this, in spades, at each and every Gather. You will probably be very glad you are not the Event Coordinator, who has about 10 people talking to him at once, and is somehow talking back to said 10 people, for 30 minutes straight.
And THEN he must rush off and run a game himself.

Cheers to the Coordinators and Judges of the RPGA!

Edena_of_Neith

 

[Bagpuss]

Oh I totally agree with you about the ground level staff and volunteers at RPGA conventions, but its the organisation as a whole that has in the past told outright lies to its members, such as "sure UK members will be getting a subscription to Dungeon/Polyhedron, to make up for the cancelling of the single magazine", taken my membership money and given nothing in return. Cancelled useful events like the school competition, etc, etc.

The individuals are great the organisation leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Well, that's not 100% accurate. Some RPGA conventions do sell out, and can not accommodate "walk-ins." They do try to accommodate everyone, but there are only so many judges and if there's not enough, only the "pre-regs" get to play.

 

[Serpenteye]

Edena_of_Neith here.
]

Hi God, er Edena

These people TRY VERY HARD, and they work very hard. You will see this, in spades, at each and every Gather. You will probably be very glad you are not the Event Coordinator, who has about 10 people talking to him at once, and is somehow talking back to said 10 people, for 30 minutes straight. Edena_of_Neith

Kinda like you in the 3rd IR, except you kept it up for months with 20 people.

Cheers to you Edena!

[/Sucking up]

If there's ever a 4th IR consider me very interested in playing.

 

[Aaron2]

I joined the RPGA in order to be a DM at conventions (via the free DM "test") and got my fancy card. However, I still have no freakin' idea what I'm supposed to do. What conventions are there? How do get the adventure to read? What are the rules used? How do I join the Living Greyhawk thing?

I was hoping there would be some info with my card. Even a web address would have been helpful.


Aaron

 

[Quickbeam]

That's quite a ringing endorsement...good enough to counteract some of the negatives I've heard. Maybe I'll give the RPGA and their Gathers a chance in the future. Thanks for the post Edena.

 

[King_Stannis]

Well, the RPGA always has openings for gamers.
You can arrive at a convention without knowing what's going on, without ever having looked at the registration sheet, and get into games from start to finish at the convention, if the RPGA is there.
You are ... always ... welcome in the RPGA.

"Young man, there's no need to feel down,
I said young man, pick your core books off the ground,
I said young man 'cause you can't find a chair,
There's no need to pull out all of your hair

Young man there's a place you can roll
I said young man when the tables are full
You can play there and I'm sure you will find
Games in-volv-ing creatures flaying your mind

It's fun to play with the R.P.G.A.
It's fun to play with the R.P.G.A.
They have orcs you can mash, into a pulp
You can e-ven hang out with Kevin Kulp.....

 

[Airwolf]

Re: Re: About the RPGA

"Young man, there's no need to feel down,
I said young man, pick your core books off the ground,
I said young man 'cause you can't find a chair,
There's no need to pull out all of your hair

Young man there's a place you can roll
I said young man when the tables are full
You can play there and I'm sure you will find
Games in-volv-ing creatures flaying your mind

It's fun to play with the R.P.G.A.
It's fun to play with the R.P.G.A.
They have orcs you can mash, into a pulp
You can e-ven hang out with Kevin Kulp.....

Shouldn't that be 'King Bard Stannis'?

 

[Katerek]

Since I suspect that this thread was started due to my RPGA Bribe thread I would like to comment.

This is for anyone who cares.

I personally have never had a good experience with the RPGA.

With that said let me say that I suspect that this has only been my experience and I am certain others will not have the same poor run of luck that I have. I also think it has something to do with the 'management' of the local triad (or whatever it may be called now) in my region.

I know that RPGA volunteers work their proverbial butts off, and for that I suppose I am thankful, although it has little to no impact on me.

I know that I paid for two separate memberships in 96 and 97, neither of which ever received a single thing, not so much as a card.

I know that I spent the better half of 4 - 6 months worth of correspondance with various members of the RPGA to no avail.

I know that in my local region if you were not friends with the triad members none of your suggestions were taken seriously and that all attempts to volunteer were largely denied.

I know that when I ran two separate game stores every attempt to host RPGA events met with silent ears.

I know that the only time I EVER heard from local RPGA representatives was when they wanted a discount.

Now with all that said, I will be quiet on the subject. I am not interested in debates or flame wars because this is no longer an issue. I made my decision to not be a part of the RPGA years ago, I was just curious on that other thread why I suddenly was receiving mail from them.

If you are a member of the RPGA and you take insult by this, grow thicker skin. If you are NOT a member, I ENCOURAGE you to become one so that you may form your own opinion. If you are a member and you have had nothing but a pleasent experience, EXCELLENT, I am very happy for you. That wasn't the case with me.

It happens.

(moving on now)

 

[Crothian]

I was part of the RPGA once and I played in a few games. I never got a DM who was worth anything. They were terrible, didn't know the rules, were not consistant, and had no idea how to handle PCs who thought for themselves. Perhaps it was bad luck, or just this area but it left a lasting impression.