D&D Adventurers League

RPGA – Role Playing Gamers Association

History

The group was originally formed and founded by TSR, Inc., original creators of Dungeons and Dragons, and taken over by Wizards of the Coast when they purchased TSR.

Mission

The RPGA was originally formed to provide tournaments to conventions that would be both fun to play and "fair" to the players in the event. The players were each given a pre-generated character that came with a background, equipment, and some limited information about the other characters at the table, and a great deal of effort was spent trying to create balanced events. A game master and four to eight players would play an adventure that was supplied by the RPGA for approximately four hours. At the end of the adventure, the "winner" of the event was decided based on rules knowledge and role-playing ability. Initially the winner was selected by the person running the event; later on this was changed to give both the game master and the players votes (the game master's vote counted double and was used to break any ties). These events are now referred to as "Classic" events. Players were awarded experience points based on how well they did in competitive events, and over time they could advance to higher levels. The players also rated the game master, and the game masters similarly gained experience points and could achieve levels as judges.

Initially, all events were Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, although events based on several other TSR products were run. By the mid-1980s events based on games from other publishers were approved and distributed by the RPGA; the first such event was a Star Trek Role Playing game at Glathricon in Evansville, Indiana.

The RPGA later decided to to allow gamers all around the country (and world) to play in a single campaign where everyone could create changes in a dynamic world. In essence it was to create the largest single RPG campaign(s). The first such campaign was Raven's Bluff, the Living City.

The game(s) are set up as a series of "modules" (or adventures) where players play in groups of 5-7 people (one of whom is the Dungeon Master) at a time. Modules with story arc hooks have results sent to RPGA Headquarters for compilation - usually a certain percentage (a majority) is required for a specific result to occur. For example, if a world is cursed due to a cursed item and most people in a particular adventure succeed in removing the object, the curse could be lifted or altered for the world in all future story modules. Players who do not succeed still play in the world and gain experience and character growth as if they had succeeded since the "official" storyline dictates as such.

Campaigns

There are many campaigns run by RPGA and its members today, and they are all free to play (with the exception of requiring a book to read to know the rules - some games (See Living Death) have free books.

• Living Greyhawk - Set in the original Dungeons and Dragons world of "Greyhawk". This game has the world of Greyhawk divided among players in the real world so characters have "home regions" and play modules with "local" stories - as well as "Core" (universal) modules that advance the story of the world over all. Modules can be played "out of region" for the character, but take more time - only a certain number of adventures can be done per playing year, to ensure all players have equal chance to grow in levels - as characters are said to be travelling from their homes to the other locales in the world.
• Living Force - Based in a custom sector on the fringes of the galaxy, this RPGA campaign is based on the Star Wars RPG, and is following the current movie story line (See Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones).
• Living Death - Also called "Masque of the Red Death" this game has a free book online and is set in 1890's "gothic" Earth. Characters are in a group called the "Society of the White Rose" and are fighting the evils of the world.
• Mark of Heroes - Built to support the newest Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, the Mark of Heroes game showcases adventures in the pulp-fantasy setting of Eberron. Players portray members of the Diggers' Union, an archeology-and-adventure society, as they become involved in the ongoing story of the postwar turmoil that engulfs Eberron.
• Legacy of the Green Regent - Set in the Forgotten Realms campaign world and centered on the northern city of Loudwater, LotGR was the first RPGA campaign to feature online tracking of characters and adventure outcomes. Players take the role of defenders of Loudwater and supporters of Mielikki's champion, the Green Regent.
• Other games - Several other games exist: Living Spycraft (AEG's Spycraft, pulp spy action); Living Arcanis; Living Jungle; and many more.

External links

RPGA Campaigns List
New Comer's Information

Campaign Name (Links to External URL)	Game Setting
Mark of Heroes	Dungeons and Dragons: Eberron
Legacy of the Green Regent	Dungeons and Dragons: Forgotten Realms
Living Greyhawk	Dungeons and Dragons: Greyhawk
Living Force	Star Wars Galaxy, Cularin System - Concurrent with current film(s).
Living Death	1890's Gothic Earth
Living Arcanis	Paradigm Concept's "Arcanis (Shattered Empires)" Fantasy Setting
Living Spycraft	AEG's "Spycraft" Modern/Sci-Fi Setting
Living Kingdoms of Kalamar	Kenzer Co.'s "Kalamar" Fantasy Setting

Bold Titles are "official" RPGA-run campaigns.
Italicized Titles are "Member Empowered" campaigns that are sanctioned (but not run) by RPGA.

See also

There is a great deal of information on the internet about Dungeons and Dragons and the various games that are spun-off it. Below follow some WIKI links to D&D (and other gaming) topics. Only games and worlds that have something to do with the above RPGA events are listed below, there are several others out there, especially on this Wiki site.

• Wizards of the Coast (External Link) Games and Worlds
  • Dungeons & Dragons
    • Greyhawk Living Greyhawk
    • Forgotten Realms Legend of the Green Regent
    • Eberron Mark of Heroes
  • Star Wars RPG Living Force (Not a lot there yet.)
• Other Publishers
  • Alderac Entertainment Group (External Link) (More widely known as AEG)
    • Spycraft
  • Sword and sorcery (External Link) (Underwritten by White Wolf Inc (External Link) )
    • Ravenloft
      • Masque of the Red Death (A subworld of Ravenloft)
  • Paradigm Concepts (External Link)
    • Living Arcanis

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