I am helping with data entry for a large con. It is an unbelievably long, tedious, and technically flawed process.
Here are some tips on what you can do to help:
1. Go to the RPGA site and log in (using your 9 digit number... you may need to add a 1 and perhaps 0s in front of your number... other posts discuss this).
Reason: If you find your login does not work, contact DCI (at) wizards (dot) com. If your login does not work you may have an invalid number, and you should fix it and contact any people who have run games for you to give them a new number (if DCI gives you a new one).
2. Click on the My Characters link and the LFR link, then Add an entry for each PC you have.
Reason: If you don't make entries and play at a con with multiple PCs, the database does not let us enter a PC number. Instead, all the info goes to the "New Character" until everything is submitted. Those doing the data entry can't help this and you will end up having to contact DCI to fix this via the Appeal Form link in your RPGA account.
3. On RPGA Tracking Sheets that track the result of each mod, enter your name as it appears in the database. Otherwise, we spend a lot of time trying to match your records. Print your full name. Writing "Steve" is a good way to have us spend tons of time needlessly.
4. Print legibly. DMs need to do this too... it is unbelievable how hard some forms are to read.
5. DMs: Do not mark down choices like Potion or "P" in the Bundle column, only valid bundle letters.
6. DMs: Clearly track the result for certificates and mod answers. We want everyone to get properly rewarded, not spend time figuring out what certificates the players should have earned.
This may sound like whining, but it isn't meant that way. The RPGA entry system is currently deeply flawed. Entering a single table for a large con can take 20 minutes. Some of the above issues result in problems and in some cases lead to unreported play. We are working hard on the convention with which I am assisting, but your help would go a long way!
Thanks for listening!
Teos
Reason: If you don't make entries and play at a con with multiple PCs, the database does not let us enter a PC number. Instead, all the info goes to the "New Character" until everything is submitted. Those doing the data entry can't help this and you will end up having to contact DCI to fix this via the Appeal Form link in your RPGA account.
I support all of Teos' advice, but the above quote was a very big issue at Weekend in the Realms for lots of people at my venue. Only four out of twenty players had "entered" all of their characters into their DCI Character Tracker.
Another tip that is really easy to forget is for Slot 0 judges. Often these tables are full of people we know well, so we can tend to treat the tracking form in a familiar way - listing just first names, sloppy data entry, etc. This is fine for a single game (which what you are running), but it sits in a pile for several weeks or longer and a whole different person then has to read it.
To make the issue funnier, my slot 0 form left room for improvement, as I had not been clear with the PC#s. I left them blank in stead of filling out 1s (I recall them all being 1, but someone else would not know that).
Teos
I know I have seen a lot of threads about 9 digit RPGA numbers and adding 0 or 1 to the beginning, but I log in just fine with 8 digits and all my character tracking is there.
When I organize events, I usually walk past tables at the start of the event, checking whether the score sheets are filled in and are readable. Even with LFR I prefer that they at least write down names and numbers since at that time it is a LOT easier to deal with missing cards/numbers, unreadable parts and the like then when everybody is rushing home or to the next slot. Granted, it might not work very well with big conventions, but it has saved me some headaches.
I finally finished PAX reporting (helping out a friend), and I was very sad to have to not credit three players because their numbers were invalid. In addition, I am sure a ton of players will end up with many new default PCs simply because they did not log into the RPGA site and maintain their PCs. Any case where a player had PC 1 in one form and PC 2 in another form becomes "0 - New Character" in the reporting and will be a mess the player will have to figure out. It also takes a lot of time and energy on the reporting end.
Please, please, please log into the RPGA site and maintain each and every PC you play with!
Teos
I finally finished PAX reporting (helping out a friend), and I was very sad to have to not credit three players because their numbers were invalid. In addition, I am sure a ton of players will end up with many new default PCs simply because they did not log into the RPGA site and maintain their PCs. Any case where a player had PC 1 in one form and PC 2 in another form becomes "0 - New Character" in the reporting and will be a mess the player will have to figure out. It also takes a lot of time and energy on the reporting end.
Please, please, please log into the RPGA site and maintain each and every PC you play with!
Teos
Even with fully maintained characters and properly reported character number use, I've had strange things happen to my GenCon results. Special1-1 was okay but the rest have so far been reported for 'Default Character'. I will probably have to Appeal 7 sessions.
So, while your advice is good, it still does not prevent problems from occuring.
Even with fully maintained characters and properly reported character number use, I've had strange things happen to my GenCon results. Special1-1 was okay but the rest have so far been reported for 'Default Character'. I will probably have to Appeal 7 sessions.
So, while your advice is good, it still does not prevent problems from occuring.
You are right. The current system makes it easy to report an error. This is because when you add a player it starts as a new Default Character. The person reporting must check each player's field carefully, seeing if there happen to be any stored PCs. In any case where this is not done, or where the player did not maintain the PCs, the game is reported for a new default.
So, yes, even if you maintain your data a reporter could select (or not) an incorrect setting. But, this is much less likely to happen when the majority of players have maintained their data. For the convention I helped with, the vast majority of players had not maintained anything, even months after the convention! I actually went through and double-checked every single player's PC entry before reporting the event... I'm not sure the hired help working on Gen Con will be so thorough. Also, things change over time. They might work on one table one month, but not submit the event until the next month... and a lot can change in that time. Again, for PAX we updated this at the very last minute just to give a few players some better reporting.
Hopefully WotC will fix the reporting mechanism, but players really can help greatly.
Teos