So what are the thoughts on the RPGA?

[wayne62682]

I did a little research on the RPGA back in 3.x and I read mostly bad things, mainly about the lack of roleplaying and the prevailing powergamer mentality where only fully optimized characters need apply.

Now, I'm looking to get in some extra gaming, or maybe find a group of gamers better suited to my tastes since the group I'm currently in is very casual, "beer-and-pretzels" style gamers (one player is only there because her brother is the DM, and the Eberron campaign I was going to run got cancelled because a few of the other players basically said that they doesn't really care for D&D - it's just something to do, and they don't want a second campaign) while I'm more towards the "serious" gamer mentality.

There doesn't seem to be many groups in my area at all, and the few I've talked to normally had reams of house rules to "fix" perceived problems, or were part of the "4e ruined D&D" crowd, or just didn't mesh well with my style of play (too "old school" for my tastes, and I mean that without trying to cause offense to any of the old guard). Therefore, it seems like RPGA might be my only option to find regular games, if I can even find any stores nearby.

What's the opinion of the RPGA now? I'm an optimizer but not a full-on powergamer, and I still like to have at least some flavor to my characters; I won't write a 10-page backstory, but I will flesh out details and I do enjoy getting to express my character via roleplaying, at least a little bit.

 

[ExploderWizard]

The RPGA is simply a network that supports organized play. The quality of the game and the attitudes of the players are still dependent on individuals. Being part of the RPGA neither enhances nor detracts from, the quality of the game.

 

[avin]

I've runned a few RPGA adventures and find out that they don't fit my style. No much focus on roleplaying.

 

[darjr]

The RPGA is simply a network that supports organized play. The quality of the game and the attitudes of the players are still dependent on individuals. Being part of the RPGA neither enhances nor detracts from, the quality of the game.

I'm a huge RPGA fan. And I agree with this. I'd suggest going to the RPGA events and see the different DM's. The style of game may vary quite a bit.

If the group has several members then I'd be willing to bet that there are others that lean towards what you want.

I think you might like how I run RPGA games.

 

[Wombat]

For a long time RPGA was considered something of a joke (just FYI, I am giving a long overview here -- I started gaming in the mid-70s); it was organized to bring a lot of gamers together, but was often seen as limited in vision, highly hierarchical, overly-persnickety on the rules, and too demanding in regards to "This is the only way to play D&D". And, quite realistically, for years it was seen as actively hostile towards non-D&D games, which sometimes backfired.

Now under 3e, RPGA was in a slipping position, but under 4e, things have rapidly reversed. Indeed, since RPGA was brought in on the playtesting of 4e it has had a strong role in shaping a vision of this version of D&D; the notion that "everything is core" is important for such a large group, the notion that all the current rules and, by extension, all future rules would be balanced, thus there would be no question about what is a "legal character" for an RPGA session (often a major issue in the past). RPGA and 4e are intermeshed, thus are able support each other quite actively and easily ... and this gives a growing organization that helps to support 4e to the broader rpg community. This is a has utterly revitalized RPGA -- from a near-joke in the wilderness, it has become the standard-bearer of D&D.

 

[kitsune9]

I did a little research on the RPGA back in 3.x and I read mostly bad things, mainly about the lack of roleplaying and the prevailing powergamer mentality where only fully optimized characters need apply.

Guilty as charged. I created powergamer characters only because I felt that they had best chance for surivival. I ran into a few authors for RPGA mods who bragged about having TPKs under their belt and some of the mods I played showed that attitude. I stated in other posts that I considered suriviving a better goal than completing a RPGA mod.

My overall experience with the RPGA would be considered average--there were a lot of positives and a lot of negatives.

However, I would definitely recommend the RPGA to anyone who is considering it though.

 

[EricNoah]

Ok, time to reveal an embarassing fact ... I sorta get what organized play is all about, but I really don't fully understand what it is, how it works, why people do it, all of the detail stuff. The few things I think I know (playing with strangers at a game store, keeping "score", creating "legal" characters) don't sound all that appealing to me and maybe I have some of that stuff wrong. Can anyone kind of walk me through what it's like when you're actually doing it?

 

[Thanlis]

I'm a huge RPGA fan. And I agree with this. I'd suggest going to the RPGA events and see the different DM's. The style of game may vary quite a bit.

If the group has several members then I'd be willing to bet that there are others that lean towards what you want.

What he said. I started playing in the RPGA about a year ago, somewhat skeptically, and I wound up enjoying it enough so that I started a new group when I moved to Maryland. (Ren Games represent, yo.) I like it for the community; you wind up gaming with people you'd never have met otherwise and that's sometimes bad but often good.

Roleplay is where you find it. I've never been yelled at as a DM for playing up the RP in any given module, and I've never been yelled at as a player for RPing. I've also found there's no guarantee of roleplay from others.

The modules are limited. For balance reasons, they're written to avoid extended rests and they've got a pretty rigid number of encounters and skill challenges. On the other hand, I've learned a lot about writing plots that'll fit in one four hour session.

Oh, and don't worry about optimizing. LFR adventures can be run at high tier or low tier; high tier amps up the challenge. An optimized level 1PC group can destroy the high tier version of level 1-4 adventures. LFR is not tuned for optimization, at least at the earlier levels. I frequently bump into PCs with 16 in their primary stats, and they do just fine.

 

[TheNovaLord]

when you play its the same as the majority of other D&D games

there is a plot/adventure that needs solving and can be done so with a 4 hour time frame for the most part

not much freedom to wander off plan, PCs cant do evil acts and with xp and treasure limits, you often need to ensure you 'do' the whole module.

 

[DarkMasterBR]

I played a few times and intend on playing on a weekly basis from now on. I don't think it replaces the "traditional" D&D, but my group gets together once a month, so I see it as a quick fix until my campaign moves forward.

In the groups I've played, there was little roleplaying and the investigation bits of the adventures are superficial, at best. But then again, it's intended for a 4 hour game, and there are at least 3 combat encounters in each module. But it's still damn fun.