RPGA: Is it any good?

[atra2]

Uh, Diaglo, do you realize RPGA membership has been free since Living Greyhawk launched? Free and Lifetime, in fact.

However, if you desire the minimalist rules of 1974 oD&D, then RPGA will never be for you, since it's a marketing arm of WotC to promote their "latest and greatest."

That said, it does depend on what players are in one's area. It would not be hard for you to find out about a local RPGA gameday (RPGA calendar on the WotC site, sortable by state) and observe RPGA gamers in action for 15 minutes. If it's at a gamestore, you can combine the trip with picking up more D&D minis, which are oD&D compatible

My non-gaming responsibilities are such that I appreciate having 3.5D&D opportunities to play that do not require me to "subscribe" to a regular campaign. (I have one of those already) Thus, I can game a lot one month, and simply play 2 6-hour sessions the next, and change from month to month as I please.

My favorite feature of the RPGA is being able to play a character anywhere in the USA, and even outside the USA, with my "right to have a character of level X with equipment value Y" recognized wherever I go.

My favorite feature of a homegame is the group being able to agree with the DM on things without submitting it through an intense bureacracy (One big example is that by 3.5 D&D, multiple characters may work on a single item. This is disallowed in Living Greyhawk, and even trading items between characters is not allowed.)

My 2nd favorite feature of a homegame is not needing to design an overpowered cheeseweasel just to survive! ;-) That's an exaggeration, but in Living Greyhawk, I would never spend a precious feat on Skill Focus (+3 to the d20 roll for one skill) if a Prestige Class didn't require it. My homegame dwarven dungeon delver has TWO
such skill-based feats, and the PrC only required one of them

 

[diaglo]

Uh, Diaglo, do you realize RPGA membership has been free since Living Greyhawk launched? Free and Lifetime, in fact.

yes i know it is free. read some of my other posts on this thread. ;-)

iirc, it was actually not lifetime when Living GH was first released. you got a 30day free membership. and could upgrade to 1 year for $20 if you liked it.

 

[Coreyartus]

you are preaching to the choir. i tuffed it out for a few years. overall, it was more trouble than it was worth. a lot of bad apples teaching those who wanted in the same bad habits.

the RPGA of the mid 80's was more broken than the 2000ed bard.

add on top the cost to be a member. and the fact that the quality of the product was drastically slipping.

I here ya. A lot of people reach burnout really quickly because those bad apples can be so draining... I saw some good people become so frustrated they just stopped... That's sad. Sounds like the altruism ran thin after a while for you, and that happens to a lot of people. Nothing bad about that. At least it sounds like you had the maturity to recognize it and move on before becoming a bull in a china shop.

The nature of some of the campaigns indvertantly encourages the development of those bad habits, so working the system easily becomes second-nature. Most players don't realize they've succumbed to "second-class" playing--they think it's the nature of the structure of the situation with their particular campaign, and RPGA in general. That ruins the good times for a lot of people. And sadly there are too many examples of that in RPGA, both at Game Days and especially at Conventions.

I was never in RPGA in the 80's. I left the hobby in 84, missing the downfall of TSR and 2nd Edition all together. I don't have any method of comparison between the two eras, but I can say that today each campaign has different methods of quality control and they each cater to a different kind of player-style.

Also, the biggest difference between RPGA then and RPGA now is that it's not an independent organization anymore--it's part of the Marketing department at WotC. It's a tool to generate sales. That casts a long, dark shadow over much of the activities of RPGA (knowing the rug can be pulled almost instantly from underneath the dedicated coordinators' feet). It's also part of the reason behind that "elitist" feel--dedicated long-time players inadvertantly try to curtail the blatant corporatization of their fun by segregating themselves away from the mass-consumerism of the organization. Like any home campaign, they might not want to play with people who are simply dabbling...

Coreyartus

 

[Longbow]

For every crappy module there is a decent one. Or maybe even a great one. I recommend everybody to play Witchcraft, that is one creepy and good LG adventure.

What I don´t like is when new people show up and never come again (and there was no real reason for that, for example no 8 year olds spreading chaos, no bad module, etc.). It´s especially frustrating if you helped them design a character for LG because that takes time ("...what skills do you like, what class, what feat..."). No problem though in LOTGR.

Well, RPGA for me = opportunity to play = fun

OK, back to design a very old Halfling Evoker ray specialist with bad eyesight for Saturdays LOTGR game.

 

[Krail Stromquism]

Bad experiences with the RPGA usually involve selfish players, and there's nothing RPGA can do about that. Each campaign has taken a different approach to ensuring the quality of their play experiences--some make more rules, others are more laissez-faire. In the end, it's up to the players to make their own quality experiences, and that's why RPGA seems elitist. If one gives it a bit of time, and has the advantage of a playing with a regional group of players on a sem-regular basis, a newbie will quickly develop a sense of who he/she likes to play with. I think that's okay.

WTF?

So wait, I had a crappy time cause Im selfish? Somehow I made the Dm suck and somehow I made them publish and play a terrible module?

Or are you saying if your going to eat a crap sandwich, keep eating it will eventually taste good?

I double dog dare you to come to Tucson and play! I dare you! Ill show up and point out the DM you have to play with and woe unto you sir. Then we'll see what your take is once you gamed with the worst Dm in the universe!

Ive gamed with all manner of folks from University groups with nutzoid rules to the 3 man babies that literally lived in there mommys basement, and they were lightyears a head of the RPGA.

rant over,

Shaolin Soccer is AWESOME to look on the brighter side of things.

 

[Caliban]

Bad experiences with the RPGA usually involve selfish players, and there's nothing RPGA can do about that. Each campaign has taken a different approach to ensuring the quality of their play experiences--some make more rules, others are more laissez-faire. In the end, it's up to the players to make their own quality experiences, and that's why RPGA seems elitist. If one gives it a bit of time, and has the advantage of a playing with a regional group of players on a sem-regular basis, a newbie will quickly develop a sense of who he/she likes to play with. I think that's okay.

WTF?

So wait, I had a crappy time cause Im selfish? Somehow I made the Dm suck and somehow I made them publish and play a terrible module?

Or are you saying if your going to eat a crap sandwich, keep eating it will eventually taste good?

I double dog dare you to come to Tucson and play! I dare you! Ill show up and point out the DM you have to play with and woe unto you sir. Then we'll see what your take is once you gamed with the worst Dm in the universe!

Ive gamed with all manner of folks from University groups with nutzoid rules to the 3 man babies that literally lived in there mommys basement, and they were lightyears a head of the RPGA.

rant over,

Shaolin Soccer is AWESOME to look on the brighter side of things.

He said "usually" not "always". And I don't believe he ever said it was your fault either. You said that.

 

[Caliban]

Another strike against them.

Do you ever say anything useful? All I see you post are verbal attacks and complaints that have little or no factual basis.

 

[Caliban]

but we know you don't have any cents. otherwise you would've bought him a bowl to place his cheese in.



i've not been a fan of the RPGA since the early to mid 80's. that was the last time i was a member and also thot Poly was any good too btw.


part of it was the insular nature of the RPGA members. they had an elitist chip on their shoulders. they didn't want to help newbies. and they wanted to grab all the good stuff for themselves and ignore the normal rules... plus the crap they churned out to me was very subpar.

it may have changed since then.. but i'm not up for going thru the process of checking.

i can find games and people to play with... without having to resort to it.

life is too short to play crappy RPGs.

Well if it sucked 20 years ago, it must suck now, right? Otherwise they wouldn't keep it around.


I respect your opinion, but I honestly don't think it's relevent to the original posters question. Your opinion is based on events 20 years old. It's not the same people, it's not the same company, and it's barely the same game system.


The RPGA is not for everyone, and it does have it's problems (as all large organizations do), but I've had a lot of fun over the years I've been a member. I've made a lot of friends that I wouldn't otherwise have, and met several very cool people. I've also met several people (players and judges) that I can do without, but I simply choose not to play with them. I've played modules that have bored me, annoyed me, or just plain pissed me off. I've also played modules that make me feel like a hero, or offered a good tactical challenge, or that just made it a fun time to hange out with my friends.


The organization itself costs nothing to join, the modules cost nothing to order and download, and most game days don't charge anything to play (some clubs charge a nominal fee to cover printing costs).

If you don't have a regular group, you can't keep a regular gaming schedule, or your group keeps restarting the campaign every few months, the RPGA is a chance to play the same character consistently and see them advance and develop over several levels. This is a big draw for many people, who simply don't have stable home games. The RPGA offers you many play opportunities on a regular basis. For a lot of people, that's a huge draw. Others like it because they can "test out" character concepts in the RPGA that they don't have time for in their home games, or that their DM wouldn't allow them to try.

There are many reasons to like the RPGA, and there are many reasons why it may not be for you. I think it is unfair and inaccurate to condemn the entire organization because of a few bad experiences. The "feel" of the RPGA can vary from city to city, and even Convention to Convention.

 

[Coreyartus]

rant over,

Whew! Thank goodness!

Thank-you for demonstrating my point so aptly. I couldn't have said it better myself.

To the original poster: take note. Ya never know what you might get when you go to an RPGA game... Exercising patience and engaging with your fellow players beyond the game and off the table is going to be your best way of having a good time. Respect for everyone's contribution to the gaming experience is paramount.

And given the heated reactions this thread has caused, it's obvious we players still have a lot to learn...

Coreyartus

 

[diaglo]

Well if it sucked 20 years ago, it must suck now, right? Otherwise they wouldn't keep it around.

i'll direct you to go back and read a couple of the other posts i've made on this thread. i've been around games more recently than 20 years ago.

it is like any experience you have with something similar.

you play little league baseball and the kid pitcher hits you with the ball your first time at bat. you climb back into the batter's box your next time up. same pitcher hits you again. so the next time up... you duck when he pitches near you.

somewhere along the line you have to learn that this kid is a wild pitcher.

I respect your opinion, but I honestly don't think it's relevent to the original posters question. Your opinion is based on events 20 years old. It's not the same people, it's not the same company, and it's barely the same game system.

it is not the same company, system, and time.

but fundamently deep down the gamers haven't changed. just reflect back on yours visits to game stores 30 years ago. and visit them today.

or look at message boards today with almost word for word the exact same sentiments being rehashed that you saw 30 years ago.

the more things change in this industry the more they stay the same.

there are a lot of players in the RPGA. and you may have good, bad, and ugly stories to tell.

i can only speak for my experience. overall it was not worthwhile.