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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SiderisAnon" data-source="post: 4716750" data-attributes="member: 44949">I used to run RPGA games at my FLGS back about 2 years ago.  I was not in charge of the RPGA unit here, just a DM.  Based on my personal experience, I don't know that I would ever run for RPGA again.First, the modules were of questionable quality.  I had about a dozen modules all told.  There were only two I would ever consider running again, and both need some work.  Most were mediocre at best.  Some were downright awful.  (I had one that was so bad in places that I could barely run it.)  The writing was awful and the editing was worse.  I've seen free PDFs on the web that were better.  The plots often made little or no sense.  Some of the NPCs were frankly painful to read and play out (especially some of the boxed text you were supposed to read verbatim).Second, because the modules are completely generic and you have to run them exactly as written, you cannot adapt to the party.  Don't have some particular class?  Sorry, you can't finish the module.  Your party does not scale the way the module writers expect?  TPK.  The DMs are not allowed to modify the module, so you're stuck with what is written.  In three months at the RPGA, I saw two TPKs, once as a player and once as a DM.  Now, I admit that the party in the one TPK I DM'ed did some foolish things, but it was also a situation that clearly favored the monsters and one of those monsters was far too powerful for the PCs.  (In the time as a player, we really had absolutely no chance.  We lost a PC every round in the first fight of the adventure.)  I also ran into one module where the final fight forced the party to flee and not be able to complete the adventure because the final pair of bad guys had more damage reduction than any of the party members could possibly do damage, outside of the occassional critical hit.Third, the RPGA is horribly organized, at least in my experience.  They have all these wonderful statements about how they want things to go, but it simply doesn't work that way.  For example, the person running the local RPGA was not actually reporting any of the events.  No one discovered this until I went to check my points as a DM because I was curious.  The RPGA had been ignoring the fact that while he would setup events and download modules, these events apparently never happened.Finally, I think the method of advancement is poorly set up.  In the local RPGA, we always had far more tables of level one characters because the rate of death was so high for PCs in the modules that few people could survive enough modules to make it to level 2, let alone higher.Additionally, as a personal comment on my local RPGA group, there were several people who were really awful and shouldn't have been allowed at the table.  Unfortunately, we had no choice but to take them.  One player was only removed from the RPGA events because I got him kicked out of the store for his behavior.  (Though to be fair, this was partially the fault of the local coordinator becuase he wouldn't follow through on things and so these players never built up enough penalties with the RPGA organization to be banned from the table.)Now, I think the RPGA is an absolutely awsome idea.  I'd love to see it done right.  It's just not supported well by WoTC, not provided with proper material, and not organized well across the country.  What they really need is a good, solid manager with management experience and who has at least some budget and resources to use to get the job done properly, and possibly even some staff.  As it stands, the RPGA is a great idea with awful implementation.  I think WoTC is missing out on a great opportunity to spread the hobby and drive sales, but I can understand how the RPGA would be a hard sell in corporate culture.I have enjoyed playing at conventions in several states.  So, it's not the core concept, it's the RPGA implementation I have a problem with.</blockquote>

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