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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Barcode" data-source="post: 484625" data-attributes="member: 3165">My experiences with the RPGA:I started going to cons in the late 80's, and was introduced to the concept of competitive roleplaying.  These were mostly cons in upstate NY, where three round elimination tournaments were the norm and RPGA did not have much of a presence.  My first few experiences were very, very fun, and were really what got me back into roleplaying after a long absence.  I loved playing pre-genned characters that were directly integrated into the adventure, and while I am a competitive guy, the biggest benefit was getting to meet the great role-players who advanced into the later rounds.However, I found as time went on that signing up for a game at a con was hit or miss.  Actually it was either insanely great or sucked horribly, with few in the middle ground.In 1990, I went to Council of Five Nations and played in their competitive roleplaying tourneys, which were run by the RPGA.  None of them sucked, a couple of them were great (not insanely great, but great), and most of them were fun, just fun.It is worth noting that at that convention I met Piratecat in the first RPGA feature for both of us and beat him in the final.  I should also note that it was the last time I did that in maybe 30 tries.  Man, if you are going to compete with future legends, do it when they're rookies.Piratecat was just the first of perhaps 20 or so close friends that I met through RPGA.  So for that they have my eternal gratitude.That said, I did go through a snit for about three years in the 90's where I refused to give them any money because I didn't like how things were run.  I still played in the events (you don't need to be a member to play), and they still recorded my points.  Eventually things got better and I came back.Overall I liken the RPGA to a fast food restaurant.  If you are in a strange city and you pick an unfamiliar restaurant at random, you could end up with the best meal you have ever eaten, or you could get food poisoning.  If you eat at Wendy's, it's not great, but it's good and you are pretty sure you won't be sick.Similiarly if you are at a con and you don't know anything about the GM's running at the con, you could pick from the description in the con book and get into the best game you've ever played.  Or, it could be a huge waste of your time.  I find that at the RPGA, it is only occasionally great, but seldom sucks.  It's mostly just middle of the road fun.Of course, knowing who the good judges are always tips the hand in your favor, and another of the advantages of RPGA is you get to know the people after seeing them at con after con.Oh, and man, if my judge was eating scabs off his arm at my table, I'd have asked him to stop, or I would have left.  I feel like tossing my cookies just thinking about it.  Suffice to say this is not a fair representation of a typical RPGA judge.</blockquote>

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