Positives on the RPGA

[Crothian]

I am not a fan of the RPGA. But some friends are part of it and they want to run some RPGA adventures and I'm more then happy to play in some one shots but even preparing a character for this is just frustrating. All I see are things that are not allowed and limits placed everywhere. I come up with a character idea and then learn the book is not allowed or I need a card to use it. I'm really not sure how it all works, so I may be wrong but it just seems to really hinder creativity. And the only reason I can think it does is because they need to hinder people who would break the system, so they have to place restraints on everyone becasue they can't trust anyone.

So, I imagine I am being overly negative about this. The RPGA has been around for years and nothing stays around that long with out good fgans and support. They must be doing something right that I am not seeing. So, someone please tell me how wrong I am and what things I am just not seeing about the RPGA.

 

[haiiro]

Back in Michigan, I had a good friend who was heavily involved in the RPGA. He's in the navy, so he moves every couple of years -- and uses the RPGA as his primary means of finding a new group. He'll meet a bunch of people through the organization, and then narrow the pool down to the folks he wants to play with, and he's always been happy with that approach.

Plus the rewards you get for earning points through RPGA events can be pretty cool -- like the jumbo d20 Fist of Emirikol, which has custom runes on each face and came with a card describing it in d20 terms.

 

[der_kluge]

You'll find no love here. Piratecat is the official spokesperson for the RPGA 'round these parts. Personally, I despise it. For many of the same reasons you indicate, but there are others. Granted, some of my opinions may not hold true anymore, but my hatred goes back many, many years.

And it does seem odd to me that they would have to change the game so much to get it to "work" for what they want to do. What does that say about the system? Kind of strange, if you ask me.

 

[Bront]

Part of the changing of the system, is that with 20,000+ characters in a world, they need to constrain how they are created to a point to make it standard and fairl. It's the compromise you take with a living world.

That being said, I was not a fan of theirs much either. NASCRAG used to run their event under the RPGA untill the year (2 years ago) they demanded that any module run under the RPGA they gained full publishing rights to. So they told the RPGA where they could stick it (Probably much nicer than that) and ran their event by themselves. Apparently it ran much better that way, and now they wonder why they ever did it any other way.

 

[SamhainIA]

So, I imagine I am being overly negative about this. The RPGA has been around for years and nothing stays around that long with out good fgans and support. They must be doing something right that I am not seeing. So, someone please tell me how wrong I am and what things I am just not seeing about the RPGA.

As a huge fan of the RPGA, I admit that it is not for everyone's play style. A few of the modules that they produce are little more than a tactical based minatures game that has a sole purpose of making people buy WOTC product, and thuis have very little roleplaying content.
The biggest thing i see the rpga has going for it is some of the amazing talent of a few of the writers, and the ability to produce a huge volume of stuff that you can play without having to spend the prep-time that you would as a DM to run something similar. There is no waya that ALL DMs can be as good as (insert your favortite DM here), but with the RPGA there is a quality of module that you dont have to spend (as a DM) a huge investure of time to be able to run.

As an aside this is really hard to explain, yes a Real Dungeon Master, with a prepared module is superior to any given RPGA module

As a writer of a few RPGA modules, and as a DM of a home Campaign (tho not curently) I can tell you the times my rpga module was ordered 88 times, and i would hazard a guess that it was ran on average 2 or 3 times for each of those orders, and average play time of 3.5 hours (maximum "alloted time" is supposed to be 4 hours, but that is highly variable)
is around 600 hours of playtime. it takes around 20 hours of work ( that is my guess, i am sure someone can correct me) on the part of the mod writer, a similiar amount of time from the folks that review and edit a module (2 or 3 usually) to produce a mod.

on the other hand (please dont burn me if i dont describe your gm style forgive me in advance) a DM for a home game usually lasts between 4 and 8 hours, and takes a few hours of prep work, and runs a higher quality game.

I dont know if that makes what RPGA has going as "good" but it works, I have met some amazing people, and mades some really good friends at RPGA conventions and games, that certainly I would not have met otherwise. And there are some games that are so above Par that I have played that have kept me coming back.

on that note I feel that I have bent your ear enough, but will leave you with a mission
find some one that has a copy of "Three Coins in a Well" make up some 2e characters around 9th or 10th level and see one of the best mods rpga has put out (at least i think and most of the players at the time also thought)

--Samhain

 

[Saeviomagy]

I'm going to try to put in what I think is good about the RPGA first.

Around my way, there's a couple of regular con games. They're played at each con, characters are ongoing and each time you start from where you left off. Each session, you may well be mix and matched with some new players.

Some of them are RPGA. Some are not. I'll talk about the ones that are not first.

Characters with ludicrous stats. Characters with unlikely combinations of gear which make them dominate the game. Characters who are 11th level being played alongside those who are 1st.

It doesn't always happen. Sometimes when it happens the DM can avert it - it really depends on how good a DM he is.

The RPGA games tend NOT to rely on this. I mean in RPGA you still get the same sort of jerks, but with the RPGA rules, there's not really that much they can do. And when an RPGA module is written for all levels, it really means that everyone will have something to do, rather than being a dungeon bash where the high-levels vapourise everything before you get a whiff of it.

That's the good - RPGA does do a fairly good job of levelling the playing field and making sure people can have fun. The DM can still screw everything up. Some of the modules are really bad. These are problems with non RPGA games too, so you can't blame the RPGA for it.

The bad? RPGA's stupid card system. Frankly - I don't need to be told that I'm not experienced enough with D&D to play a kalashtar or psion. I don't need to be told that I have to play and register 5 more sessions before I get a card that MAY let me be the character that I want, or alternately may just do absolutely nothing for me. I don't want to play D&D the CCG.

I also don't like the "you have to buy magic items that you found in the adventure out of your alotted character wealth". I appreciate why the rule exists, but when you're playing a low-level character, you simply cannot have any of the treasure that you find in modules, and that sucks. The fact that it's combined with the "you cannot buy magic items that you haven't found in modules" rule means that the system is relying on honesty anyway...

As to playing an RPGA home game? Can't really see why you'd bother, unless you're just doing it so you can fake results to report in and get free cards and minis.

 

[francisca]

I had some second hand experience with the RPGA that wasn't good. Some good friends of mine, who are also top notch gamers, level-headed, and open minded, had several bad experiences with a couple of groups. So, I stayed away.

Last fall, I was invited by an RPGA DM to take join his group. I played with them 3 or 4 times, and generally had a good time. The only bad experience I had was with a guys who I just not see eye to eye, which could have happened with any group of complete strangers you choose to play with. So, overall, my experience was positive. So much so, I went ahead and took the herald level test so I could potentially setup my own RPGA gameday.

As far as options, I personally don't even feel limited at all. hell, just the PHB is enough for me to run with. YMMV.

Also, at least in these circles, munchkinism is rampant. Depending on your POV, that can be a bad thing. It's not my preferred gaming mode, but I can certainly have fun with it once in a while, and it is certainly a legit way to play the game, despite my general dislike for it.

 

[Crothian]

As to playing an RPGA home game? Can't really see why you'd bother, unless you're just doing it so you can fake results to report in and get free cards and minis.

If we wanted to fake results, we'd just fill out forms and not even botrhger playing. The RPGA has a way to play at home and do something for whatever. I don't know what it is or how it works. My friends want to do this, so I am just following the highlty restrictive RPGA rules so I can jion in and have fun.

 

[IronWolf]

As to playing an RPGA home game? Can't really see why you'd bother, unless you're just doing it so you can fake results to report in and get free cards and minis.

Some of the RPGA series (Legacy of the Green Regent) have their modules debuted at large conventions (GenCon Indy and SoCal, Origins, Winter Fantasy). If you cannot make a convention you can try to catch a game day at a local store to play it in, or you can play it at home for a limited time. In my case I am open to playing the ones I miss at home just to keep up with the semblance of the storyline.

As for the campaign cards, free minis, etc, etc. I really care very little for any of the "points" or freebies. Home games are just a way to play a module I may have missed because I couldn't attend a particular convention to play the module.

 

[pogre]

Well I ran four RPGA games at GenCon a couple of years ago and had a blast. I got a t-shirt and a bunch of these player reward cards. Now, the reward for me was meeting some really fun and cool people, but there was another upside:

I got GenCon paid for - it took a while, but they finally did.

I sold the reward cards on ebay for $259 - I am not making that up!