RPGA: Grognard the Cleric

I've been known to be critical of the RPGA in the past. Having been drawn in some years ago during 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons I played at a few events and conventions before deciding that overall the experience was less rewarding than playing with friends at home in the privacy of my own lounge room. This conclusion was supported at the time by observing members in the organisation that just wanted to "get through the block text" to the next fight and quickly reach the end of the adventure for their experience points and treasure (tangent; a similar environment to Warcraft players who have long since stopped getting any enjoyment from playing the game and just grind through dungeons for the loot <- why spend all that time getting your character geared up for a game you're not enjoying anymore!? Presumably there's a social/status aspect that they still enjoy even if the game itself is no longer satisfying).

My last experience with the RPGA in those days was a session that I convinced a group of my non-member friends to attend whilst at The Big Weekend (local gamer convention and precursor to Gencon Oz) with a view to showing them how good the organisation can be. As it turned out we were allocated a DM at the last minute who grudgingly obliged to descend from his ivory throne to run a low level adventure for us. Clearly he had some celebrity in the circle as a member of many years whose history stretched deeply back to 'the original books', a badge of honour amongst other RPGA'ers perhaps but not quite so impressive for most of our group (who despite falling short of his experience still have clear memories of playing his beloved first edition; yes, we were there too). The result was a session run by someone who had "not bothered to learn third edition because it hasn't really changed that much since first edition" complete with an insistence that the elf and dwarf in the party must argue with each other at all times, that each character match the gender of their player "so that it's not too weird" (followed by ignoring much of what our female player/character contributed to the game) and adjudicating all rules and game effects "in the spirit of first edition". Things went from bad to worse quickly and what began as open-mouthed dismay plummeted to frustration, boredom and a complete absence of fun for everyone other than the DM. Twenty minutes into the game and most of the group had left the table and the room in a huff; and so ended my first tour of duty with the RPGA.

So how is it that I found myself at an RPGA game day yesterday!?

Looking over my Gencon Oz schedule I could see a few big gaps; the most obvious of which was on Day One (otherwise considered Day Zero by some as it's only for those who have purchased a Multi-day Pass). By chance or design the only events on offer were RPGA (4th ed D&D) and Pathfinder (3.x ed D&D) games. Ignoring Pathfinder (I gave up on "3.5" edition a long time ago and do not feel sufficiently nostalgic to return) left me with two options; RPGA or nothing! ...and so it came to pass that the seed was sown afresh in that parched field.

Choosing to play the two-part "mini campaign" on Thursday and Friday I created a fresh RPGA character; a dwarf cleric. Clerics are a fantastic support class in 4th edition and I've always gotten a kick out of playing a dwarf (particularly since developing a bald spot and growing a beard in the real world!). Of course this immediately created a terrible temptation - if I can get three adventures under my belt I'll be able to start the mini campaign at Gencon Oz as a second level cleric! Thus yesterday's journey out to Fastbreak Sports in Nundah to get my hands on the much-coveted experience points and loot that I will need to give me a boost for the convention game... and to dip my toe into the modern pool of RPGA players.

This is the miniature I use but I don't think my character looks like this. It's one of the few dwarf miniatures I own which isn't an over-armoured fighter or a viking-ish lunatic!
(Dwarf Wizard, 4/60 Angelfire - D&D Miniatures)

Of course I found them to be a friendly lot, much to my relief. I obviously had some apprehension given my previous experience with the organisation (which I feel is justified) but this time around they were casual, comfortable and likable. They were genuinely interested in meeting a 'new' player and (most of them) were able to comfortably talk about topics not immediately related to D&D or gaming. The game sessions were enjoyable and the choices I made during fights were not criticised, this was possibly the biggest surprise of all! Although to be honest you can't go too far wrong spamming Astral Seal and dropping the occasional Astral Condemnation on monsters :P

To some extent I think that 4th edition has been a help for the RPGA. It's the most boardgame-like version of D&D to date and given that the RPGA is essentially a gathering of players with varying skill levels it makes sense to use a roleplay system that tends deeply towards gameplay on a tabletop with miniatures, maps with grid squares and power cards to keep things running smoothly. Furthermore RPGA adventures are intended to run for no more than 4hrs so anything that avoids confusion or arguement is to be applauded.

Of course it's not perfect and there's nothing stopping me from having the same experience that I had with them years ago - but for now things are positive, friendly and enjoyable. There's a casual social aspect to the organisation and a feeling that putting levels on your character is an investment in something that will last... oh dear, I'm being pulled back in again!