Post/Author/DateTime	Post
firebeetle 02-03-07, 01:12 AM	OK, I've got serious issues with ordering mods for this campaign. I've just tried to order some and I can't find a single campaign mod. I'm a teacher. I'm a teacher doing 6 hours of grad work for his Ed specialist each semester. I'm a teacher driving 1/2 an hour each way to classes. I'm a teacher tutoring kids 4 hours a week after school I'm a teacher tutoring homebound students 8 hours a week as well. That means I put in a 15 hour day as a rule. It also means that I don't have the time to track down and find out what the H. E. double hockey sticks is going on with Xen'drik. I love this campaign, I'd just like to be able to ORDER it. I tried for a full month to order Well of Woe for January, following a very specific and arcane set of directions, and I only got it as an apparent act of God. Right now, I'm trying to set up an exclusive gameday for Xen'drik and I can't find any current available mods. I don't want to hear "it's just not available for X,Y,Z right now." I want to order a couple of mods and that's not too much to ask. I can't tell you which mods, because they are not easily listed ANYWHERE. I apparently have to stumble across every bit of information for this campaign, despite the pretty website y'all have. February 24th, gameday at a retail outfit, will I be running Xen'drik? I hope I don't have to give up on Xen'drik altogether, but I really DON'T have the time to figure out what is going on. I'm mad that I've convinced people to join this campaign, and I've got nothing to give them. I need: 1.) Up to date communication on the actual website. 2.) Actual descriptions of the mods on the actual website. 3.) A decent window of time to play these mods. 4.) Some mod available at all times, so anytime I want to schedule a Xen'drik game I can actually do that.
JJeff 02-03-07, 03:59 AM	Calm down. Unfortunately there are no modules available at this time. This is to allow all characters to be 'level-bumped' to Level 4 after DDXP without anyone messing around with the database (entering new results and thus adjusting xp/gold for characters). In previous campaigns with level bumps, they did not have a period without adventures and it resulted in people submitting game reports while the RPGA people was updating the database and some resulst came in befoe the level bump and the players did not get gold and xp as the bump brought them above it. Others had the results submitted after the bump itself and the gold and xp increase added to the post-bump xp and gold. This ended up as not a fair system. So the RPGA decided to have a period of rest and a result submission deadline before the bump to make it fair for all. As for whether you can run a game on the 24th, from what I know, the modules will be available the day after DDXP ends, which should be the 21st? This would mean that you should be able to get a game running, just that you may need to list the game event as occuring on a later date.. I'll let the Faction masters chime in now.
smerwin29 02-03-07, 07:59 AM	I'll answer as completely and candidly as I can. Right now, I'm trying to set up an exclusive gameday for Xen'drik and I can't find any current available mods. Since the campaign has a level bump, there needs to be a blackout period where no mods can be reported. For this instance, the blackout period was from Feb. 1 through the start of the D&D Experience on Feb. 15th. I am personally not happy about this. Like you and just about everyone else who plays the campaign, I want the blackout period to be 14 minutes rather than 14 days. I want to order a couple of mods and that's not too much to ask. I can't tell you which mods, because they are not easily listed ANYWHERE. I apparently have to stumble across every bit of information for this campaign, despite the pretty website y'all have. Agreed. The Factionmasters have no direct access to the web page. We can control the content on this forum, however, which is why we use it to distribute information. Of course it is not optimal, and it is annoying for people with a busy schedule as you do, but it is all we have right now. February 24th, gameday at a retail outfit, will I be running Xen'drik? I hope I don't have to give up on Xen'drik altogether, but I really DON'T have the time to figure out what is going on. I'm mad that I've convinced people to join this campaign, and I've got nothing to give them. Here's the situation, as clear as I know it. The new XECS and fastplay characters will be released prior to Feb. 14th. With this information, you can create 4th-level characters to play in the new campaign adventures. Those adventures premiere at the D&D Experience from Feb. 15th-18th. This will include one new Faction adventure for each Faction, plus a one-round Expedition adventure. EXP-3 Cairn of Stone Hearts The third Expedition adventure. BWC-4 The Trouble with Pirates The fourth faction adventure for the Blackwheel Company. CSH-4 Fire in the Heart of Madness The fourth faction adventure for the Cabal of Shadows. CVN-4 Brave Soldiers The fourth faction adventure for the Covenant of Light. CDX-4 Tomb of Tomes The fourth faction adventure for the Crimson Codex. Now when will these adventures be available for play to people not at DDXP? I just don't know. I know the plan is to have them available as soon as possible, along with corresponding DM's Marks. Will they be in the system for ordering by the 24th? I just don't know. I would go forward assuming not. I know that some people, during the blackout period, have been playing the old adventures but not reporting them. I need: 1.) Up to date communication on the actual website. 2.) Actual descriptions of the mods on the actual website. 3.) A decent window of time to play these mods. 4.) Some mod available at all times, so anytime I want to schedule a Xen'drik game I can actually do that. 1. I want that as much as you do. The Factionmasters will be meeting with the web dwarf in two weeks to talk about getting content up faster and more completely. 2. Agreed. This will also be discussed at the meeting. 3. Yep. Because of the format of the campaign, play windows are by their nature shorter: they retire with the level bump, and bumps come every six months. But we are going to make a schedule that will hopefully ensure more time to play mods, within those immovable restrictions. 4. Like I said above, the shorter the blackout period, the better. How short that is falls directly under the purview of the people in charge of the database at WotC. The Factionmasters, like everyone out there, are pushing for this blackout period to be as short as possible. Thanks for your patience. Please feel free to contact me via PM if you like. I know this is frustrating. It is frustrating for me as well. I know most people are aware the Factionmasters are stuck in the middle of this. We want many of the same things the players want, and I do everything in my power to get those things, as do the other Factionmasters. Posting your concerns here is all well and good, and you'll get a response from the Factionmasters, and we'll take legitimate concerns to RPGA HQ. But that's all we can do. If you want RPGA HQ to hear your concerns directly, I suggest you go through other channels. Contacting WotC customer support, contacting the RPGA staff directly, or speaking to the staff at conventions they attend might serve you better. Regards, Shawn Crimson Codex Guy
pedr 02-03-07, 08:16 AM	The general rule for the RPGA is this: Unless and until the module is in the database which you can access at https://events.wizards.com/RPGAWeb/external/scenarios.asp you cannot have any certainty that a module will be available. Don't plan an event to run RPGA modules unless and until you see the module in the database. There will be the very very occasional event where even doing that doesn't get you the module on time, but that's rare. In general, once you've looked there you'll be fine - though note the play windows are different for conventions/retail/game days/home games. This is not actually an XE specific issue. Living Greyhawk suffered from it a great deal in the past. The simplest way to imagine things is to act as if nothing that isn't in the database is available, even if you think it should be, even if the campaign staff have said it should be. The campaign staff, as Shawn has said, have no control over what happens in the database - and often are probably not even told about problems by the RPGA until it's too late to work around them - and it is the database guys that actually control what is available and when as they're the only ones who can upload modules and set the reporting dates in the system.
firebeetle 02-05-07, 12:38 AM	Thank you for your patient explanations, all of which belongs on your website. Your answers boil down to: A.) Yes, we should have that but we don't. B.) Reason X, which is explained here but is not posted on our website (see A above), but we are working on it and/or trying to minimize it. Take this to your meeting, I need BASIC information to run this campaign. Until such time as I get BASIC information smack dab on your website I'm not running it. I need to know what is going on, a good gameday takes at least a month of planning. When I can't even get the names of your mods on the site, there's a serious issue there and I sure can't tell what is coming up. If I don't know when a mod is or is not available (or what it is for that matter), how can I possibly plan ahead? Internet = centralized information. Take advantage of it please. If a policy stands in your way, change it. If there is a communication red tape, cut it. I'm at the end of my rope with ordering Xen'drik.
Harliquinn 02-05-07, 09:08 AM	Not to belittle anyone's frustration, but I really don't see what the problem is with finding out when things are available. The RPGA website isn't setup perfectly by any stretch, but it is quite easy to see when things are available and how to download them. (There have been a few issues with database and downloading the actual module but that is a different issue). If I don't know when a mod is or is not available (or what it is for that matter), how can I possibly plan ahead? . If you want to run Xen'drik for an event, this is a good process to follow: Step 1) Go to www.rpga.com Step 2) Click "Adventures" button on the left Step 3) Scroll down the "Type" listbox and select the adventure type you are looking for (For Xen'drik, this is Xen'drik Crimson Codex, Covenant of Light, Blackwheel Company, Cabal of Shadows, or Xen'drik Expeditions) Note: If it doesn't appear in this listbox, you can't order it. Step 4) Click "Display" button Step 5) Review the list of scenarios for your chosen type and Click one Step 6) Determine what type of event you want to run (Choices are: Convention, Retail, Game Day, Home) Step 7) Check the "Available Date" and "Retirement Date". If your event is scheduled between those dates for the type of event it is, then you can order it. If your event is not scheduled between those dates for the type of even it is, then you cannot order it. If you haven't scheduled your event, then you will want to pick a date between those dates. Step 8) Once you have confirmed that an adventure is available, return to your RPGA login and order it using those instructions. Again this is not to make light of anything but perhaps explain how best to go about checking on the availability of adventures for events. It's not enough to just schedule a day you want to run Xen'drik and just expect that what you want will be available on that day. Debating the merits of the system, the delays in home games from conventions, extended premieres, etc. are all valid but is something out of the hands of most of the people who read these boards. Harliquinn
firebeetle 02-06-07, 12:36 PM	Not to belittle anyone's frustration, but I really don't see what the problem is with finding out when things are available. The RPGA website isn't setup perfectly by any stretch, but it is quite easy to see when things are available and how to download them. [snip] Again this is not to make light of anything but perhaps explain how best to go about checking on the availability of adventures for events. It's not enough to just schedule a day you want to run Xen'drik and just expect that what you want will be available on that day. Debating the merits of the system, the delays in home games from conventions, extended premieres, etc. are all valid but is something out of the hands of most of the people who read these boards. Harliquinn What a very nice set of directions. I have a particular set of directions for you too but I'll keep that to myself. I'm very well aware of how the system works, thank you. Here's the set of instructions I'd like to see. 1. Go to www.wizards.com/rpga Click on Xen'drik Expeditions Find the codes, names, and relevant dates of all mods, maybe even a blurb! Now I can plan without having to set up a gameday (BEFORE I have info : P), get the information piecemeal, and I find out if there is a problem/black out period/etc. It's right there. Amazing! That's much easier and more timely. A single page of HTML that has this information IN ONE PLACE. Is that too much to ask? This is a completely reasonable expectation.
Harliquinn 02-06-07, 12:40 PM	What a very nice set of directions. I have a particular set of directions for you too but I'll keep that to myself. I'm very well aware of how the system works, thank you. Here's the set of instructions I'd like to see. Well if you're aware of how the system works, I suggest you learn to work within it instead of complaining so rudely. I would imagine a Teacher would know how to do this. # Click on Xen'drik Expeditions # Find the codes, names, and relevant dates of all mods, maybe even a blurb! # Now I can plan without having to set up a gameday (BEFORE I have info : P), get the information piecemeal, and I find out if there is a problem/black out period/etc. It's right there. Amazing! You can already find the information without setting up a Gameday. It's under "Adventures" (Did you read the instructions). Blackout periods would be anytime the adventures aren't available. Pretty simple really. Amazing! While the system isn't perfect, thousands of others have somehow managed to figure it out. Harliquinn
heirodule 02-06-07, 02:44 PM	It is nice how LG has a page with core mods that are coming down the pike. Of course, the specific availability dates aren't there, but you have to look at the list on events.wizards.com to see the dates. XE has a shorter timeframe for mod development and release though, which I suppose makes it a bit more challenging to know in advance what's going to happen.
firebeetle 02-06-07, 04:47 PM	It is nice how LG has a page with core mods that are coming down the pike. Of course, the specific availability dates aren't there, but you have to look at the list on events.wizards.com to see the dates. XE has a shorter timeframe for mod development and release though, which I suppose makes it a bit more challenging to know in advance what's going to happen. All my regional mods, posted on a volunteer based website, have all that information listed on them. All I have to do is click on which year mods I want to see. Why is it that the not-so-pretty volunteer website far more useful that the uber-pretty corporate website? This is my point. There's a "noob" in another thread, he's completely confused about the whole thing. It's not just me folks, it's terrible communication.
firebeetle 02-06-07, 05:02 PM	Well if you're aware of how the system works, I suggest you learn to work within it instead of complaining so rudely. I would imagine a Teacher would know how to do this. Blaming me, telling me I'm "not doing it right", and being patronizing is rude. This system is ridiculous. Frustrating system = frustrated people. You can already find the information without setting up a Gameday. It's under "Adventures" (Did you read the instructions). Blackout periods would be anytime the adventures aren't available. Pretty simple really. Amazing! It doesn't list anything that isn't on the system and, once again, it's piecemeal. Everything should be spelled out nice and clear, that's what a webpage is for. You really are missing the point, so I'll make this crystal clear. IT IS STUPID THAT A GIANT CORPORATION CAN'T MANAGE TO LIST THE MODS IN ONE PLACE THAT IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE WITH RELEVANT DATES AND INFORMATION AND THAT IS NOT MY FAULT. Savvy? While the system isn't perfect, thousands of others have somehow managed to figure it out. Harliquinn Mere hundreds by my count, looking at the listings over the last six months. How many have walked away due to lack of information and support? Do you have those numbers? Have the last word, I'm done defending the obvious.
heirodule 02-06-07, 05:10 PM	IT IS STUPID THAT A GIANT CORPORATION CAN'T MANAGE TO LIST THE MODS IN ONE PLACE THAT IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE WITH RELEVANT DATES AND INFORMATION AND THAT IS NOT MY FAULT. I suppose. Hasbor is giant, but there's about 3 people who deal with keeping the RPGA website current. One of them left in August, and was only recently replaced. The RPGA exists to assist marketing efforts by WOTC. It isn't perfect, but it's gotten better. The level of rudeness directed at you seems to be exceeded by your own.
Bob_the_Theurge 02-06-07, 05:19 PM	Mere hundreds by my count, looking at the listings over the last six months. How many have walked away due to lack of information and support? Do you have those numbers? Congratulations, folks. 6-10 weeks blackout for convention/home play respectively? Gotta love that. Players walking away? I can do you one better: conventions at which Xen'drik isn't even being mentioned and where potential new players aren't even being exposed to the possibility of playing it. And the blame for that can be laid plainly where it should be: WotC and the RPGA/campaign heads.
Skerrit 02-06-07, 05:42 PM	I agree there are plenty of improvements to be made, and the FMs have made a list of things to discuss when we meet with the HQ folks at our yearly meeting at DDXP. Many of those things are subjects brought up on this forum. Some of those subjects will lead to change. That said, you should realize that the FMs (who are basically volunteers as well) don't actually have any control over things like the website or the blackout periods and while we might want to change something, it requires time for us to convince the powers that be that your ideas really are the best and we should do things the way you suggest. We can't make these changes overnight, as we have no access to the website or the database and are beholded to HQ, and beyond them, whatever WOTC might want. As for seeing some progress, the 4th-level fastplays just went up and you will see v2.0 of the XECS in the next day or so. It was sent to HQ today. It incorporates many, many suggestions brought forth by people on this forum. I expect that you will also see a Dispel Confusion article on the website after DDXP once we see anything that might have been missed and people have had a chance to play with the new rules. In the end, this is a game. No one should get upset over it.
brucehardy 02-06-07, 06:18 PM	Yes, I think that we are seeing the problems associated with a level bump. The biggest fallback that I see is that from my understanding the new modules will not be available for public play until the D&D XP and all the extended premieres are completed. If this is the same as Gen con, that means we will have a blackout period of 3 months. So for a 2 year campaign, we get 3 months on, 3 months off, then it is repeated, so we really only get 1 years worth of play out of the supposed 2 years. Also there are supposed to be 2 campaigns going on. Mark of Heroes is completing its time and it is 6 months short. Also I see no plans or hear of any rumours of its replacement. If RPGA is going to have any success with these short campaigns that are not LIVING campaigns like Living Greyhawk, and what Living Force and Living Death were like, they cannot have 3 month blackout periods. At the minimum, they need to one of the campaigns available for ordering. When one campaign completes with its finale, the next campaign should be available for its premiere. It is apparent that 2 years is not nearly enough time. They need to last 4 to 5 years and the modules need to be created without level bumps. It means the authors will need to tier the modules and players will advance based on play and not getting caught up. Similar to what Living Greyhawk and Living Death does right now. If they keep up these blackout periods where you cannot order any modules for any of the non-Living campaigns, then these campaigns are doomed to failure.
Skerrit 02-06-07, 06:27 PM	Well, I can tell you that the faction mods aren't part of the extended premier program, so you won't have to wait for all the extended premier conventions to be over to play them. (Come to Conflagration in Wisoconsin to play the extended premiers!) The FMs had expected that the faction mods would in fact be available much quicker than the database currently suggests (a matter of days, not weeks, after DDXP). As has been suggested, it is possible that things were just entered the way they are to prevent people from ordering and reading the mods prior to the premier, but the ordering dates will be changed after DDXP so they are more available. I can't say, since I'm not sure why those dates are there.
smerwin29 02-06-07, 07:07 PM	If they keep up these blackout periods where you cannot order any modules for any of the non-Living campaigns, then these campaigns are doomed to failure. I completely agree. I don't want any blackout period in the campaign. I want to always have something for players to play, even on the day before DDXP and GenCon and the level bump. We'll see if we can make it happen for GenCon Indy. I can only promise that I will try to make something positive happen. On a side note, I seriously want to thank all the people who, even when they are disappointed and upset, are able to communicate their views and opinions in a positive manner. Some of you would be absolutely stunned at the downright venomous personal attacks we receive, especially privately via email or PM, from some people, even people we are attempting to help. I know that some individuals feel that the anonimity of a message board excuses any sort of asinine behavior and that it shouldn't surprise me, which makes me appreciate more that so many people can disagree and express their views without resorting to a brand of negativity that, in a kharmic way, adds stress to the world at large. Please feel free to continue discussing with the Factionmasters issues that you see hurting the campaign. If the problems are too much and cause you to walk away from the campaign, I completely understand. The play numbers should show when that is the case. Hopefully, as time passes and this and later campaigns evolve, we can get it right. Thanks! Shawn
Skerrit 02-06-07, 11:26 PM	The FMs spoke with HQ about the long wait after DDXP to play the new mods, and the dates should be changing if they haven't already. Expect them to be available immediately after DDXP (for any kind of play including homeplay).
kiddoc 02-06-07, 11:35 PM	The FMs spoke with HQ about the long wait after DDXP to play the new mods, and the dates should be changing if they haven't already. Expect them to be available immediately after DDXP (for any kind of play including homeplay). We fought the gaping void and we won. Fear the combined might of the factions! :behold:
Harliquinn 02-07-07, 07:48 AM	Awesome news! Thanks for all your hard work guys! John
Harliquinn 02-07-07, 07:54 AM	Blaming me, telling me I'm "not doing it right", and being patronizing is rude. This system is ridiculous. Frustrating system = frustrated people. Well, you've been nothing but rude and cantakerous to those trying to explain the situation or even offer some help without patronizing. You've chosen to ignore that and continue ranting. Doesn't sound like you want a solution; you just want to rant. I'll leave you to that and no longer attempt to help you, I'm sorry it didn't work out better. Harliquinn
brucehardy 02-07-07, 05:47 PM	It is sad to hear that the faction masters are getting this much hate mail (forum udpates). I guess that many of the players out there do not know the faction masters do not have that much power. You guys are volunteers that create games for us to play and have fun. Unfortunately, you do not run the database, or control the dates. Having talked to Keith Baker about Eberron and the ideas behind Xen'drik expeditions, even he does not have any power to do anything here. They can only create and hope the people out there have fun. We can only hope that the powers that be read these forums or at least listen to the faction masters and try to fix the problems that pop up. The worst thing would be to ignore the pleas for help. I see that the individual faction games are available for retail days starting March 1, and home days on April 1. The generic module has not been posted, so it appears it will not be available until the extended premieres are over. You guys (faction masters) seem to be handling the situation and are getting some things taken care of. I at least and my fellow GMs and players do thank you very much for hard work. I hope the cranky people will see what is happening and apologize for their udpates.
Hellcast 02-07-07, 09:10 PM	Just checked the database, it says that all faction mods are available for all types of games on 16th of this month. If this is right, hurray for the FMs and their combined might!
kiddoc 02-07-07, 10:51 PM	Just checked the database, it says that all faction mods are available for all types of games on 16th of this month. If this is right, hurray for the FMs and their combined might! *FLEX* *STRUT*... :bravo: Anyhow, I do hope that at some point folks realize that as factionmasters, we work our *****3$ off, giving blood, sweat, tears, and time away from our other jobs and family just to make this work. When we dedicate that much time to writing something, you can bet your longsword that we want it to be playable for as long as possible. We're not just fighting for what you want, but what we want also. The only way we're going to be satisfied is if we're delivering you a quality product that you have access to for a quality amount of time. Our success and sense of pride is predicated upon your enjoyment and enthusiasm, so we're highly motivated to see our players content and challenged at a reasonable level of expectation. :)
Herrbard 02-08-07, 08:14 AM	And the FMs, as usual, come through. :w00t: Now I'll be running games F2F and online through February and most of March; I'm content.:cloud9: (and into April if I can keep finding new players.) And as I personally feel that the adventures for Xen'drik have been some of the best written and most fun role-playing I've ever seen, my players get challenged. :evillaugh But Brian, I'm not betting my longsword on anything! :fight!: See you all at D&D XP next week.
firebeetle 02-08-07, 09:29 AM	It is sad to hear that the faction masters are getting this much hate mail (forum udpates). I guess that many of the players out there do not know the faction masters do not have that much power. [snip] I'm real sorry if I made anyone cry.:weep: My message wasn't directed at the factionmasters but at the organization in general. I have no idea who is who, but that the factionmasters don't have the simple power over the website has been made clear. I understand and thank the factionmasters for their hard work. Instead of "being patient" and "not rocking the boat" I'd much rather have the e-mail of whomever DOES have the power to change things. In particular, easily available information on this campaign smack dab on the website. Let me loose on those people. Who are they?
pedr 02-08-07, 09:49 AM	'They' are the RPGA - about three people on what is probably an ever shrinking budget pulled between the corporate realities of being a very very small bit of the marketing budget (i.e. a small bit) of the D&D division (i.e. a small-ish bit) of Wizards of the Coast, a small bit of the games division of Hasbro. Which isn't to give excuses for when RPGA HQ's performance doesn't match expectations, but to make clear the environment in which they operate. Contacting them isn't easy - essentially three people don't have the time or resources to respond directly to all the RPGA members around the world. The most reliable method is to use the customer help system at http://wizards.custhelp.com. Whether your comments will be passed on or not I don't know. The only other avenue would be to contact Wizards itself and make your concerns known to them. You certainly aren't the first person to discover that the way the RPGA operates is very far from ideal - but I'm not trying to discourage you from expressing your dissatisfaction! Living Greyhawk went through similar (well analogous) issues and I think it must have taken a lot of raising of issues with various people at various times to get some of those resolved. Even now, though, we're waiting on someone at RPGA HQ to upload a campaign document we quite desperately need to be able to fully understand the implications of some proposed changes to the campaign rules. And it's quite possible that the person who had that job to do didn't have time left over after formatting and uploading all yesterday's other documents to get to this final one, and so we have to wait until 'today' Pacific Time for it to get done. It's frustrating :) So we do know how you feel, and wish things worked the way you'd like them to work too!
Harliquinn 02-08-07, 10:03 AM	*FLEX* *STRUT*... :bravo: Anyhow, I do hope that at some point folks realize that as factionmasters, we work our *****3$ off, giving blood, sweat, tears, and time away from our other jobs and family just to make this work. Well I would just like to join the others and thank you *very* much for all the hard work you put into it. The Xen'drik Expeditions campaign is the first one I've had a vested interest in and it's mainly due to the accessibility of the factionmasters and their responsiveness. Also, the great modules and faction themes are a big part of it as well. Thanks! John
smerwin29 02-08-07, 10:16 AM	I'm real sorry if I made anyone cry.:weep: My message wasn't directed at the factionmasters but at the organization in general. I have no idea who is who, but that the factionmasters don't have the simple power over the website has been made clear. I understand and thank the factionmasters for their hard work. Instead of "being patient" and "not rocking the boat" I'd much rather have the e-mail of whomever DOES have the power to change things. In particular, easily available information on this campaign smack dab on the website. Let me loose on those people. Who are they? No worries. What you want is completely reasonable. It is not too much to expect for information to be in a central location and easy to find. And there is certainly nothing wrong with "rocking the boat" to make your opinion known. What you need to understand, as other people have mentioned, is that the RPGA is just a small department in a large organization. I can only imagine what sort of hoops they have to jump through to get things done within WotC, especially in terms of corporate resources like Web pages or networks. The issue with the RPGA is sometimes the person at WotC who does have the power to change things may not even have the RPGA on his or her radar. I think you said you are a teacher, and if you teach in a public school, I assume you know what it's like to want to do something or want to change something, but be unable to because of policies that are probably beyond your control. And I think you have a good enough imagination to correlate what you might go through if a student's parents get angry at you for something you have no control over. Of course the analogy isn't perfect, because no analogy is, but I think you get the idea. Let me assure you of this: all of the concerns you have expressed are concerns that I have as well. Next week the Factionmasters will be meeting with the RPGA staff face to face. Players coming to the D&D Experience will also have the chance to speak to the RPGA staffers directly. The Factionmasters will even have a special meeting with the person in charge of web content. I have a long list of issues to bring up, and every point you have made is on that list. Anyone who has worked with me knows that I have no aversion to boat-rocking in my own right, and the frustration you feel will be part of the discussion. Shawn
Madfox11 02-08-07, 11:11 AM	Customer Services does bump requests to RPGA HQ. I know since I recently got one from RPGA HQ that should not even have been asked to Customer Service. I have no idea whether this was just due to an overeager desk worker or whether it was standard. Fact is that if you know the proper channel is through somebody else than CS, please do so. It is certainly slower than directly asking the question (in this case from the Circle, but I am sure the same goes for the Faction Masters). Pieter Sleijpen RPGA Living Greyhawk Circle Member The Splintered Suns
Butterface 02-08-07, 12:02 PM	Great job on getting the blackout dates cut down guys - now I can surprise Ghost Tiger Platoon with "The Trouble with Pirates" a little earlier!
clem 02-12-07, 08:52 PM	'They' are the RPGA - about three people on what is probably an ever shrinking budget pulled between the corporate realities of being a very very small bit of the marketing budget (i.e. a small bit) of the D&D division (i.e. a small-ish bit) of Wizards of the Coast, a small bit of the games division of Hasbro. Which isn't to give excuses for when RPGA HQ's performance doesn't match expectations, but to make clear the environment in which they operate. Which brings up the question of whether the RPGA is any better off now that it's owned by a corporate entity. I was not a member of the organization prior to its acquisition by WotC -- can anyone compare and contrast the RPGA as it was back then with what it is today? My main problem with the situation today is that, because it's primarily a marketing arm of Hasbro, an overly controlling attitude pervades its every act. What's worse, they don't even have the resources to pull off being control freaks with projects of this magnitude. It's like watching a failing socialist state. That's right: that D&D Campaigns module you just downloaded? It's Communism. So, if I were to point fingers it wouldn't be at the Factionmasters, who have been stoic in their efforts to keep this campaign rolling. Nor would I point fingers at the RPGA itself, which are too few trying to do too much. Where the blame would go is at that collection of marketing middle managers who want something for nothing. They want a community of gamers who buy book after book, but they want that community on the company's terms. That means: 1) no money or manpower to the RPGA and 2) no distribution of community written Eberron or Forgotten Realms modules. I would love to see what a volunteer effort could create with the Eberron source materials -- a Living Sharn or Living Khorvaire created on the same terms as Living Greyhawk. Unfortunately, that's never going to happen as long as the points above remain true.
brucehardy 02-14-07, 02:57 PM	As a member of the RPGA prior to the Hasbro take over (even prior to the WoTC takeover), I can tell you that things have changed a lot. It used to be that you paid a $20 fee every year. This gave you the polyhedron magazine subscription as well as access to the RPGA modules. If you ordered the modules for play it cost a $5 fee for each module. This pretty much kept only diehard role players involved in the RPGA play. There were two types of play. Classic (as it was later called) and campaign. The campaign play was living city. It was the first attempt at characters that could be played again and again brought up levels. The classic play was a module written where you played a character that was already created and once the module was over, you probably never had any more to do with that character. However, it led to some very fun and exciting role playing. Some were created for more then session. In order to get to the next section you would have to be voted in the top 3 to advance. This was a competion feature that has since been scrapped. You used to rate each player and judge to rules knowledge, tactics and role playing, with a high emphasis on role playing. A lot of us old classic players sure wish there were some classic type games to play again. Also, if you wrote adventures then the RPGA paid you for them. They would usually be listed for 1 or 2 years before retired. I see the big differences with TSR and WoTC/hasbro as TSR was around for the players and put out books and such when needed. However, this led to their demise because they couldn't make enough money to stay alive. On the other hand, hasbro is putting out 1 or 2 books every month and it is probably way too much for anyone in the hobby to get them all. So you pick what you can. There should be a happy medium in order to get a company that caters to the players, but also makes a profit to stay in business. One thing I have always thought was funny about the RPGA is that when they have a campaign, when a new book comes out, they require a special card or something in order to use it. If they really wanted to sell books, then the only criteria should be that they have a copy of the book available, not some card. It seems silly to prevent someone from using a spell, feat, prestige class, race, etc just because you don't have a card or use a slot. If you have the book, use it. This would sell more books.
Herrbard 02-19-07, 10:30 AM	There were two types of play. Classic (as it was later called) and campaign. The classic play was a module written where you played a character that was already created and once the module was over, you probably never had any more to do with that character. However, it led to some very fun and exciting role playing.A lot of us old classic players sure wish there were some classic type games to play again. Paraphrased from Ian Richards at the RPGA members meeting at D&D Experience on 2/17/07: (Insert British accent when you read this) "We like classics. I have written many rounds of Classics. But the play numbers for classics do not justify the work and expense to get them out there. If someone can come up with a way to get play numbers and participation in classics up, please let us know, as we would be open to offering them again if we had a reason." (end British accent.) So while there are not any classic adventures out, the door is not completely closed on them. But they need a good reason to start writing them again.
firebeetle 03-08-07, 11:59 AM	Contrary to prior posts, I was not able to order in February despite multiple attempts. This is not the first time I have had such a problem. I have run one Xen'drik day, planned another, and would like to commit to a third. However. . . I would like to point out that the four faction adventures are all available, but there is no sign of the Expeditions adventure. I would like to schedule my March Eberron and have no adventure to play. I would like to be able to look on the website and instantly know if there is some delay, when the adventure will be available, and what options there will be for the summer. Again, I am left with nothing. If I complain here, I am apparently being unfair to the factionmasters who are hard working volunteers. If I write to wizards, I may get no response at all. I am instructed by my fellows to "be patient" because some "policy" disallows effective use of the internet as communication. If I complain about the obvious stupidity of this I am being "rude". I've run one Xend'rik and I've planned another. I don't know why I am bothering if I can't get less than 10K of text on a website to tell me what is available when.
smerwin29 03-08-07, 12:29 PM	Right now only the four Faction adventures that ran at DDXP are available for ordering. The Expedition adventure that ran at DDXP is not available to the general public, as it is part of the Expanded Premiere program that goes out to various conventions around the world. It will be at least another month or so before it will be available (as I'm not sure when the last of those conventions runs). The last I knew, problems with the database at WotC have made it impossible for them to upload our DM's Marks that accompany the new Faction adventures. They are all there, waiting to be uploaded. As for the issue of scheduling and posting the dates of future XE releases, I can say that we finally have a schedule, despite the weather making it for two of us to get to DDXP. I am going to write it up and submit it in a nice pretty format to HQ. What they do with it, and what they can do with it, is their call. I want to reiterate that I understand your frustration. What others have tried to get you to understand is that you are expecting the RPGA to be something that it just plain isn't. I understand that people might get confused about this and say, "Hasbro is a large corporation and should have everything worked out to a tee." Several factors, whether you accept them or agree with them, go into leading the RPGA to operating less smoothly than you might expect. Complaining about it is certainly your prerogative, and I don't begrudge you your right to express your frustration and displeasure. I know that 3 years ago I was doing the same thing: as an administrator in a business myself who has had to deal with small companies, government agencies, and the largest of multinationals, I was dumbfounded at the problems I saw and the simple solutions that could fix them. But the unique nature of the RPGA within WotC sometimes defies simple solutions. You can dismiss the explanations as excuses, and you can take an "I don't care about the reasons, I just want results" attitude, but that doesn't negate the reasons. Many RPGA members have accepted or resigned themselves to the understanding that it is an imperfect situation. Some have quit in frustration, while many others have learned to live with the situation. Which is why the advice you get most is "be patient"--because those without patience are not here anymore. So what you have to understand is this: you may not get 10k of text on a website to tell you what is available when. I wish we could, and I hope we still can, but it may not happen. And the question that remains is this: is it still worth your bothering? No one can answer that but you. As a person who writes content for the campaign, all I can do is push things from my end and hope that the content of the campaign DOES make it worth the bother. But I don't hold it against people if it doesn't to them. Life is too short to deal with unnecessary bother. Thanks, Shawn
firebeetle 03-08-07, 04:04 PM	You know, I've actually written more about the obvious need to do this than to just do it myself. Ergo: http://www.xendrikinfo.pbwiki.com/Xen%27drik%20Information This is a wiki, feel free factionmasters, DMs, and players alike to edit and add. In fact, I'll need you to do exactly that. Again, I'm not made out of time, so any additions would be appreciated.