Reynard said:
I have been considering joining up as a DM for a little while now, since I don't have a regular group and I love running games. Can someone give me an overview of what the RPGA DM experience is like?
What modules can you run? For who? How often? When? For how long? What is the difference between runninga Living campaign and any other RPGA event? Etc...
The best way to approach this is to play the modules first. What the RPGA turns into is a form of judging pyramid scheme. One judge runs the mod for 4-6 players and then those players can run it for others without having to "eat" the mod. Part of the RPGA Player Rewards is special cards that can be used in play in both the Living Greyhawk and Legacy of the Green Regent campaigns. You get the most points for playing. Once you run a mod you can no longer play it, so playing it first is important. You can just eat every mod if you want to if you're dedicated to just judging. I'm sure that there are a number of players who would love to find a judge like that.
The judging experience varies. At conventions, you are one of a number of volunteers and will usually be recruited to run up to 7 or 8 sessions which are usually around 4 hours each. At game days at stores, it's usually a similar thing on a smaller scale. Home games are much more relaxed and the 4 hour time limit can be stretched as needed. And players do vary in style and skill. Some can be quite good, others can be annoying or even a downright pain in the ass. You'll find some roleplayers, a majority of min/max-er types and a variety of other styles. Sometimes it's great to be a judge, other times you will wonder why you do it. Again, I'd say the good majority of my experiences are positive ones.
You can run as often as you like at a con. For gamedays you can order a specific number of mods (up to 5 I think) which have to be scheduled at least two weeks in advance. For home play you can order singly or run it as another gameday.
You would be running for registered RPGA members and reporting the results (attendance actually) to the RPGA. At a con or gameday, this is usually done by the event coordinator, at home games it would probably be you.
Mods are anywhere from 20-70 pages and pretty well detailed and somewhat linear. There are narrative sections to be read, detailed checks to be made and roleplaying/investigative segments are pretty well spelled out as well. Most mods are written to fit in a 4 hour time slot to fit comfortably into a convention setting. Some mods are two rounds long and are usually scheduled for 8 hours but usually run shorter. You are expected to properly prep the mod and follow it as best you can. Improv opportunites are rare and usually discouraged. But if a group gets way off track, you can be creative and guide them back on course.
In a living campaign, the players have continuing characters that are awarded XP and GP at the end of the mod based on their success. Usually it's max just out of tradition if the PCs didn't screw up majorly. The PCs characters will level up with time and playing different series of mods. There is a fair amount of paperwork that goes with this for the players, but not so much for the judges.
Classic scenarios are one shots that use pregenerated characters and there is no rewards to the PCs at the end of the session.
My best advice to you is to check the RPGA website at WotC and to take the Herald level DM test. This will get you an RPGA number (you don't need to enter one to take the test) and will allow you to judge. As Living Greyhawk is a regional game, you might want to look up what region your in and the find out if there is a Yahoo group for your area. You can post there to advertise your willingness to judge. Also check out
www.living-greyhawk.com to learn more about your region and the others available. There is also a site called
www.warhorn.net that coordinates judges and players for conventions.
My take on the RPGA is that it is a good supplement to home play and a good way to meet other players. The campagins vary in quality as do the players. On a scale of one to ten, I rate the experience a seven. It's not amazing, it's not ground breaking, but I think you get out of it what you put into it.
