I got into the RPGA kinda late in its TSR life and never actually got to attend one actual convention events unfortunately.

Or fortunately as apparently over time the RPGA started to deteriorate.
From a few accounts at some point the GMs started becoming more focused on earning points than running events? I saw this in the one I did attend. Friends mentioned it too. A session would go along well, the end was close, plenty of tiime eft and... stop. DM hands out the RPGA event forms to fill out.

There might have been other problems. But that was the only one I personally saw or was ever directly mentioned by other people.

Years later I cane across a site called I think Pirates of Cthulhu or somesuch which had been a direct reaction to the problem with RPGA. So I am guessing this was not an isolated incident at some point.

More unusual is I bumped into similar incidents with other RPGA-like set ups. DP9 was one memorable one. And of course the hell of Dragonstorms Guild... ugh.

So did anyone else see anything not right with RPGA? What and when? Any non-RPGA groups that had problems? Or was it all smooth sailing for you and all was fine?
Assuming you ever even participated any of course.

Took them bloody forever to get their online tools working. To date, it's still regionally controlled and if you have a meh play group it's not worth anything for you.

I rarely enjoy organized play because of it. Roll20 is more entertaining.

Quote from: Mostlyjoe;710152Took them bloody forever to get their online tools working. To date, it's still regionally controlled and if you have a meh play group it's not worth anything for you.

I rarely enjoy organized play because of it. Roll20 is more entertaining.

I only ever saw the convention side of the RPGA. What was the on-line stuff like? I assume this was some sort of re-launch as didnt RPGA fold around 2001 or so?

If you didn't do the convention scene it was hard to get into RPGA events on a smaller local level. They have RPGA sub-clubs where you can sign up and play. But rather than say Pathfinder Society where you can get your credentials online and just show up and log you plays all via Paizo's site. RPGA's online tools were...limited. You HAD to go to a convention to get anything done, meet with local leaders, etc.

So Pathfinder has its own RPGA-esque thing too now?

I think the existence of RPGA is part of the problem.  I never got into it as, from what I observed and heard from others, it was taking things in the wrong direction.  Attempting consistency has created too many bland adventures that step from one encounter to the next.  I think that RPGA feedback has overly influenced designers and pushed for rules for everything (to have consistent rulings) as far back as the 1e era.

Quote from: Omega;710166So Pathfinder has its own RPGA-esque thing too now?

I played in one of their games at PAXeast 2012. It was competently run, featured plenty of opportunities for lateral thinking, and we finished the scenario in the alloted time. Overall a satisifying experience, and I say that as someone who is somewhat cool on pathfinder as a system.

The only downside was the people. Half of them were semi-functional mutants, and I say THAT as the one who was wearing a Fluttershy shirt.

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;710176The only downside was the people. Half of them were semi-functional mutants, and I say THAT as the one who was wearing a Fluttershy shirt.

I won't lie. I had to google that.  :rotfl:

What are the benefits of playing in this manner? Is it like a "Living Greyhawk" thing where the official setting is altered based on the actions of individual groups?

Quote from: TristramEvans;710183What are the benefits of playing in this manner? Is it like a "Living Greyhawk" thing where the official setting is altered based on the actions of individual groups?

If I understood it correctly, at the end of our session we had rescued someone who would then serve as a contact for us in a particular city for every future game we might play in the official Pathfinder whateverthefuck league. What this translated to was a +2 on Gather Information checks in that city. There were other such small roleplaying rewards possible depending on what else we accomplished. In think they also said something about taking the average results of everyone who played that scenario and using it to make small to medium-sized world alterations.

I think that was it anyway; it was just a one-shot to me.

For this thread to become a meaningful exchange we must define which RPGA we are talking about or focusing on.

There are at least three different eras of the RPGA Network, with different events and organization styles:

• The founding years with competition modules (some of which were published and became classics)
• The Second Edition years which were more into story and a rating system that didn't evaluate which goals in a module were reached but the subjective performance of players, and in which "Living City" metaplot play ruled supreme
• The WotC years that first tried to perfect the "Living" campaign, and paved the way for "Dungeon Delve" balanced encounters and weekly store events

Quote from: Dirk Remmecke;710209For this thread to become a meaningful exchange we must define which RPGA we are talking about or focusing on.

There are at least three different eras of the RPGA Network, with different events and organization styles:

• The founding years with competition modules (some of which were published and became classics)
• The Second Edition years which were more into story and a rating system that didn't evaluate which goals in a module were reached but the subjective performance of players, and in which "Living City" metaplot play ruled supreme
• The WotC years that first tried to perfect the "Living" campaign, and paved the way for "Dungeon Delve" balanced encounters and weekly store events

Did not know of the first era as being the tournament modules.

So what I and others ran into would have been 2nd era RPGA. Point system for players and GMs and apparently it was the DM point system that was the eventual problem. since they were so important to DMs, I will take a guess that they could be cashed in for some sort of perks?

Whats the 3rd era RPGA been like? Good? Bad? So-so?

Dear god, they're all horrible. They are beholden to a separate game entirely, a tournament-like structure and the social organization of judges, coordinators, GMs, etc. It was only natural that it became a playable fiddle than the actual game itself. Tournaments always do, regardless.

So, the first part? They gave us shit modules that were not intended for home use, essentially. Basically it was sight-reading tests you get at music tournament: run this cold without foreknowledge and see how far you get and how skillfully you got there.

The second part was more thespian, and saw the rise of the dreaded 90's metaplot. Very much like One World by Night and the like at the time. It was a lot of posturing, bleed of in-game politics and out-game social maneuvering (it's all about connections), and being the metaplot's bitch.

The third basically calcified Living Campaigns into big convention draws: metaplot plus run cold without foreknowledge (psha! as if). If you do well you may end up at the final tables or invitationals to actually change the metaplot. Often this ends up cashing in your character (retirement in the metaplot higher heavens) for boons later.

Further third stage vomited forth Dungeon Delves which were the RPG equivalent of Magic the Gathering or Contract Bridge puzzles. They were lovingly crafted nut-punch Descent scenarios to be, again, ran cold without foreknowledge (no peeking at the solutions now!). People still gamed the tourney system as they do any tournament, so it devolved into a chargen v. precious encounters arms race.

PFS, or Pathfinder Society, is their version. Almost all big RPGs have their representation in these things, like Legend of the Five Rings, etc. Outside of futzing around to kill time and meet new people -- and this is a highly indiscriminate way to "meet new people," as it attracts high levels of dysfunction  -- there really is nothing I would recommend about these organizations.

But then I'm a mean old RPG elitist.

Very interesting thread, I've often wondered about the RPGA and this has been informative.

Stepping back a bit though, as more and more of this hobby-driftwood washes up, one must bury one's face in one's hands and ask,

what the actual fuck is wrong with these people.

Dragon Storm's Stormrider Guild is my personal poster child for a RPGA like set up getting totally out of control to the point they were dictating the rules to the publisher rather than the other way around.

And ever more restrictions, sanctions, bannings, more sanctions, more restrictions, more bannings etc ad nausium to the point people just up and quit. I had players just give me their whole collections because they'd totally had it with the Guild.