RPGA: Is it any good?

[Jeff Wilder]

My RPGA experiences have been inconsistent, though in "Living" games they've been pretty bad.

In one local con, my friend and I (and his 2nd-level paladin and my 2nd-level conjurer) ended up at a Living Greyhawk table with some high-up RPGA officials and their 5th-level characters. Not only did the RPGA officials hog 99.9 percent of the DM's time -- which he was happy to give, of course -- but they played their characters with so much fear and paranoia that they refused to even attempt to accomplish the goal of the adventure.

On the other hand, I've played in some amazing RPGA events, too. Most of those were old WEG Star Wars games, but I've had some good D&D and Shadowrun games at RPGA tables, too.

All in all, you can usually count on at least one other player at an RPGA table willing to have fun with some roleplaying. Even if the DM and the game is otherwise lame, that counts for something. That can't be said for the average game in general, so I keep signing up for RPGA games. I've completely given up on the Living games, however.

 

[smerwin29]

I'm a member of the RPGA but haven't taken part in any of the events. Is it any good or even useful?

When my wife and I started playing D&D again in 2001, we looked for a home game but couldn't find one. With work and family responsibilities, it was difficult to get any consistent schedule. The RPGA was a good fit for us, particularly the Living campaigns, because we could just grab a module and advertise, and there were always players ready and willing to fill a table. Finally we found some nearby RPGA members, and now we can have semi-regular games without being locked into a schedule, and we can go to conventions and know there is a game waiting for us. So I would say "YES!" to the useful part.

"Good" is a very tough word to define. In my opinion, most of the RPGA Living events are above average, but as with anything, some are great and some are just bad. A lot also depends on the judge: a good judge can make a bad mod seem great, but a bad judge can make a great mod seem terrible. People who claim all RPGA events are just an ending string of combat with no roleplaying don't understand the RPGA. Granted, some of your Legacy of the Green Regent and Living Greyhawk mods are combat-intensive. However, I have played some Living Kingdoms of Kalamar mods where you can avoid all combat through roleplaying.

Living campaign themes and tones differ greatly from campaign to campaign, so you can generally find something you enjoy. The modules have to get approved and (supposedly) edited at some point, so generally they at least have had one or two extra sets of eyes looking at them, which, at least in theory, should improve the quality a bit. On the other hand, most of the modules are written by volunteers who do not get paid, so they might not be quite as focused as someone who does it for a living.

Some people are biased against the RPGA and Living campaigns for whatever reason, and some are baised in favor. While a Living campaign isn't as personal as a good home campaign with a DM who is creating the adventures specifically for you, it is certainly better than a few home campaigns that I have (very briefly) been involved in. Your best bet is to play a few mods in a couple of the Living campaigns, maybe read a few of the mods, and see what you think. You may love it, you may hate it, but at least you would be deciding for yourself on whether it is good or not.

Regards,

Shawn

 

[wocky]

Down here in Argentina we're following the "Legacy of the Green Regent" RPGA Campaign in regular gatherings that we hold about every three weeks. Every time we have around 6 tables, for something like 30 players. Most of them have become quite hooked to the campaign and come back every time (in fact, I always DM for the same players, which I've met in the first gathering we held). It gives many people a killer chance to socialize with other gamers, since after every gathering most stick around for pizza.

Module quality varies, but in general they're around average and probably better than the average quality we'd get if we all just gather around to play home made adventures. I'd say that the DMs ability and player involvment is crucial regarding the fun factor... also, as the campaign is getting into higher levels (we're around level 6 right now) the adventure's lethal factor is getting higher, which might ruin the experience for newbies.

I'd say that in the end the RPGA is a good thing... without it we wouldn't be holding gatherings and getting people to play D&D. I guess that is a greater benefit than any problem with organized play, buggy modules, etc.

 

[Emirikol]

I've been with the RPGA a long time. I think I've seen it all and the only thing that matters is that people get to play games and have fun. The RPGA accepts everybody however, and here's where the trouble begins (and ends).

They're the greatest thing on the planet if you don't have a regular group and still like to communicate face to face with other human beings.

They're the worst thing on the planet if you like to be the showcase at every table, if you like to treat other people like dirt, if you like to be allowed to bend the rules at every turn, or if you have trouble getting to know people.

Here's the other deal: DMing is a volunteer affair, just like in home games, but RPGA DM's have a more concrete structure to work under. There are no 'house rules' and most of the broken rules items in D&D eventually get de-sanctioned.

Now, I'll tell you now, that I'm glad the RPGA is around, but there are enough players out there who's job is to ruin it for everybody else, that I periodically get burned out. It seems that at every table there is one player who is a rules lawyer, overbearing-idiot, idiot-savant, or generally otherwise unpleasant a%^hole. There's no concrete way to deal with those people and thus DM turn-over can be fairly high.

Thankfully, a new thing is happening however: PLAYERS ARE POLICING THEIR OWN. I'm talking to more and more DM's who no longer feel it's their job to police idiot/childish players and they stop the game and make the other FIVE players do it (or the game doesn't continue).

LIVING GREYHAWK: I have to comment on this phenomenon. It started out really good and has had surprisingly consistent quality. The problem is however that there has been a steady decrease in the amount of NPC-interaction/PC-personality-building and an increase in the tendency of players to want to hurry through a scenario to get enough gold to purchase the next best thing from the scenario they just played (treasure distribution is very-well defined this way). This isn't the norm, but it's always annoying. Other "Living" games exist, but are more regionally variable.

Other games: I've always enjoyed playing the classic games as well as Call of Cthulhu and I considered them ALL to be first rate. See, games like these tend to scare away most of the superficial, idiot and childish players, leaving players who REALLY WANT TO HAVE A GOOD TIME.

If you can, get to a convention or game day and play some LIVING GREYHAWK and some CLASSIC or Cthulhu scenarios. I think you'll find that the non-necessity of a home gaming group can be refreshing and very healthy for your gaming hobby. TIP: any game is more fun when you play it with a friend or two.

jh




..

 

[Emiricol]

They're the greatest thing on the planet if you don't have a regular group and still like to communicate face to face with other human beings.

They're the worst thing on the planet if you like to be the showcase at every table, if you like to treat other people like dirt, if you like to be allowed to bend the rules at every turn, or if you have trouble getting to know people.

Wow, this is probably the most irritating thing I've ever read you post. I don't ususally think of you making posts like this. I guess I dislike RPGA becayse I'm a treat-people-like-dirt, rule-bending, people-hating gloryhound. Hehehe I was under the misconception that I just had an opinion that differed from yours. So glad you clarified that for me.

:eyeroll:

 

[Henry]

Emiricol, don't get in a fight with yourself.

Emirikol, that was a little hardline of you to say. I don't find any special appeal with the RPGA myself, but I also don't try to dominate a table, either. For me, I had more fun AFTER I let my membership lapse than before it. I played at NO events before 2000 (never went to many cons), and the only thing I had to show for it was a polyhedron magazine whose articles meant NOTHING to me.

in 2000, I played a couple of open events for free, and had a lot of fun with the people I met, having similar experiences to Piratecat after that. Until that open, and these forums, I never MET an RPGA'er who would give me the time of day, so in that respect it's been better for me.

I still can't justify paying the membership fees, due to my lack of Con attendance. However, given that I've recently started going to NC ENworld/Trinocon/GAMER Gamedays, I just may have to invest in a membershio again, because it does have an RPGA presence...

 

[BrooklynKnight]

RPGA is a free lifetime membership....what membership fees?

 

[diaglo]

RPGA is a free lifetime membership....what membership fees?

it use to have an annual cost. only recently has it been free.

 

[Henry]

RPGA is a free lifetime membership....what membership fees?

From an old RPGA FAQ circa 1996:

2.0 How do I join the RPGA?
To join the RPGA, you must send in an application and the membership fee. A current application can be found in Dragon(tm) or Dungeon(tm) magazines, or is often included in TSR products. If finding one this way is not convenient, you can write to:

US
RPGA, 201 Sheridan Springs Road, Lake Geneva, WI 53147
[EUROPEAN address]

[AUSTRALIAN address]

[BRAZILIAN address]

Joining the RPGA costs an annual membership fee (currently $20 in the US), and gets you the monthly newletter, POLYHEDRON, which usually runs about 30 pages or so.

 

[Creamsteak]

I didn't enjoy the game I went to at a previous gencon. Not because of the DM, that was tolerable. Not really because of the module (It was living greyhawk, and it was a crap module. It was a rehash of a 1e adventure that made absolutely no sense.) My problem was with the players. One was cheating at the table, another was a pedophile. The other three were not so bad, but the two at the table were enough for me to walk out.

I wouldn't say anything negative about the RPGA itself, but I do think that the style that the majority of the living greyhawk players that I saw at that con is vastly different from anything I could enjoy. I don't like playing paranoid, backstabbing, item hoarding, and powermongering characters.

But, non-living games (especially those with pre-gens), or regular sit-down games were fun. I had the most fun of all at the convention playing in non-rpga games.