Why is it so hard to get information from the RPGA? And what happened to the RPGA in San Diego CA?
What's With Them?
- Thread starter mythusmage
- Start date
Glyfair
Explorer
mythusmage said:
The RPGA has been understaffed and overworked for quite a while. Then a month or two before GenCon one of the two people on the RPGA staff quit (I heard two rumors - "Asked for a raise, was denied, quit" and "Found a better paying job"). They've just announced his replacements in the last week.
Needless to say, they are going to take quite a while to get out from under the backlog (in fact, I peg the time they'll catch up as "never").
smerwin29
Reluctant Time Traveler
mythusmage said:
What Glyfair said, plus this. If you have questions about things with the RPGA, you are much better served by contacting the people directly in charge of the particular campaign you are interested in or dealing with. GenCon SoCal is happening in a couple weeks, and it is also possible to get your questions answered in person, especially since the new RPGA hire is going to be there.
Not everybody in Southern California can afford to go to GenCon SoCal this year. And contact information for local RPGA people is hidden real well.
the Jester
Legend
Hmmm... isn't rpga membership free these days?
That would go a long way towards explaining it- no real staff, no real money. Makes me wonder if it might be worth charging for it again.
That would go a long way towards explaining it- no real staff, no real money. Makes me wonder if it might be worth charging for it again.
Emirikol
Adventurer
I've been an RPGA member since 1986 and it's never meant anything other than "being able to play RPGA games at conventions." There's no "fellowship" in the RPGA. There's no "comradry". The term "association" is used loosely. Membership is free now and even when it was paid, they certainly weren't selective about membership (as ANYONE who's ever played a game can tell you).
In this day and age, it still exists solely to provide games for people to play.
I love the RPGA, but it's simply not really an 'association' of any sense of the word. It's just a hoop to be able to play in RPGA games at con's (or ordered for home games).
Other thoughts? Other recent experiences?
jh
In this day and age, it still exists solely to provide games for people to play.
I love the RPGA, but it's simply not really an 'association' of any sense of the word. It's just a hoop to be able to play in RPGA games at con's (or ordered for home games).
Other thoughts? Other recent experiences?
jh
Monkey King
Explorer
Glyfair said:
Since it's founding, I'd say. It's always been a shoestring operation, though they work their hearts out.
smerwin29
Reluctant Time Traveler
Monkey King said:
At the Worldwide D&D Gameday, after the very "interesting" game that came with the support materials, they asked me to talk to the 20+ players who were there about the RPGA. I didn't quite have time to prepare anything too eloquent, so I went with something like this:
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Right now, the RPGA is a mixed marketing/organized play branch of Wizards of the Coast. They provide free material and run campaigns in an attempt to get people to buy more books. The good parts of the RPGA are that you can get free adventures to run, and if you don't have a regular game that appeals to you, or if you are looking for more gaming, it is relatively easy to find a game. I live in the middle of nowhere, and within a 45-minute drive of me I can find about 3 different groups that run RPGA campaigns. Online play is also available in many of the campaigns. (I also mentioned that if you want to run events for the RPGA at GenCon or some other shows, you can get free room and entry badge for running 7 RPGA events: that's a lot of money saved.)
The negative side of the RPGA is that it takes some time and energy to work through some of the paperwork issues: both in the campaigns and in just being/becoming a member. The paperwork for the campaigns is a necessary evil: if you have a campaign that you can play in anywhere around the world, the paperwork is necessary to make sure characters are valid. The other issues, like becoming a member, passing the Herald-level test to be able to order adventures, etc. are just something that you have to live with. No one is happy about some of the problems, but they are not going to be solved anytime soon, so you should know about it going into the process, and if it becomes too much of a hurdle, then walk away.
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My experiences with the RPGA have been bolstered or tainted by my involvement on the administrative side of things. I have met a ton of great people through the RPGA in the last 6 years, and they have become close friends. I have met a few not-so-great people, and now I know to avoid them. I have gotten the chance to watch ballrooms full of people playing adventures I have written and campaigns I have helped create, to mostly positive response. Without resorting to hyperbole, I have to say that not much compares to a feeling like that.
On the other hand, as someone who comes from a background of working in the business world, including marketing, it is rough to see the problems with the RPGA and not be able to do anything about them. In my "real" job, I manage projects for other companies, some similar to what the RPGA does. In those projects, I tell people what to do, and they do it. I am not in that position with the RPGA. The RPGA does not get the support that it needs to perform the job expected of it. Given that, there are always going to be issues. Although I now work for the RPGA on a campaign they run, I will never be an apologist if there are issues.
So I would strongly suggest to people to give the RPGA a try at least a couple of times. Each of the campaigns has a person or people who administer the campaign apart from RPGA HQ, and they are usually willing and able to help you out with the paperwork and other issues. If you post here or send me a private message, I can give you the contact information for those people.
If the RPGA is not for you, that's all good. It certainly isn't for everyone. But it is good for some people. And for the people who can't stand the RPGA for what it used to be, none of that holds true anymore. When I was in high school I joined the RPGA and went to a small game day. No one would give me the time of day. They all had their Living City thing going, and they didn't have time for a new kid. You may still find this in some places, but for every group that is like this, there are 20 groups out there who are more than willing to bring in a new member. And now there are enough campaigns, and different types of campaigns, to accomodate most people.
Just one schmoe's experience,
Shawn
Crimson Codex Factionmaster
Xen'drik Expeditions D&D Campaign
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Shadowdancer
First Post
Emirikol said:
I have to disagree with this. My experience with the RPGA in Austin has been very positive. I've meet some really great people who I enjoy gaming with, and just talking to and hanging out with when we're not gaming.
Yes, there are some people I've met who I would prefer to avoid now that I have met them, but that's standard for any organization/association. Not everyone is going to like or get along with everyone else.
Among the RPGA players in Austin, there is a smaller group who play the Eberron campaigns. Some of these people also play LG, some don't. Our Eberron game days are a lot of fun; we often play at one of the member's apartment, eat dinner together, and make it a social event as well as a time for people to play games.
Even among the LG players, there are groups -- I hate to use the term 'cliques,' as that makes them sound insular and stand-off-ish -- of friends who like to play mods together, but also do things outside of gaming. They met through the RPGA. These groups are welcoming to RPGA newcomers, too.
I know everyone's experiences with RPGA are different. But mine have been, for the most part, positive. I know without RPGA, I would have played a lot less D&D in the past two years. I don't make it to very many conventions, but I do make it to a lot of RPGA-organized game days, and these are gaming opportunities I would not have without the RPGA.
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