How Points Are Gained and Deducted:

The point system is a simple way to track a member’s contribution to the D&D NYC Meetup’s RPGA group in relation to the benefits they received from the group. Here’s how it’s calculated:

1) When you create an account in RPGConnect.org, you start with 5 free points. :)
2) Whenever you play in an RPGA game, 1 point is deducted.
3) Whenever you DM an RPGA game, 5 points are added.

How Points Are Used by the RSVP System:

RPGA tables have a player limit of 4 minimum and 6 maximum. When players sign up for a table in our RPGA events, players with higher RSVP points will get priority seating regardless of who signed up first. So if 7 players are signed up for the same table, the player with the lowest RSVP Point will be dropped when the game begins. However, if the 7th player really wants to get into that table, he/she may ask the other 6 players to give him/her their spot in the comment section! However, the other 6 players should not feel obligated to give up their own preference in any way!!! Their higher RSVP scores empower them to take their own preference into account first.

Further, if there are already 6 players signed up to a table, but you would like to play in it and your RSVP point is higher than the last guy. Feel free to click join!! There is a matter of courtesy that we try to give each other in terms of self-imposed time limit on when you could bump someone out of a table (See “Bumping Courtesy”). However, the system is designed to encourage people to care about their RSVP score. Thus, the system itself has no such limitations.

If you RSVPed to a table and don’t show up, you will automatically lose a point anyways (unless you remove yourself before the starting time). However, the DM has the power to undo that when they edit the attendance of players at they table by removing you from the table afterward.

Bumping Courtesy:

“Bumping” is when a table is full when you joined it, causing someone with lower RSVP Points than you to get pushed out of the list. This is a frequent and expected action during the online signup process!!! This is a free event, and seating is never set in stone until the game starts (and even then, changes can happen).

As a common courtesy, however, players usually avoid bumping each other out of a table at the last minute. For most people, “last minute” is considered to be the 24 hours period before the starting time of the game. However, you are free to determine your own limits (really!).

Please note that this is common courtesy, NOT A RULE, and last-minute changes can and will happen. Thus, if you happen to have the lowest RSVP Point amongst the people signed up to a table, you are encouraged to make some backup plans in case you get bumped!! Also, take it as a cue to schedule a few future games as the DM to get your RSVP points up!!

Getting Help with DMing!!

There are plenty of resources to help new DMs, such as our own RPGA DM Quick Start Guide, but I’ll address a few of the common concerns that our new DMs have:

1) “I don’t know the rules that well!!”
That’s ok. As long as you know how the game flows, you can run a game. Just observe what the DMs of your games do, and ask them questions if you need. It would be best if you buy/borrow a player’s handbook and be familiar enough with it that you can look things up, but it’s ok to ask the players for things that you’re not sure about!! To help you out, you can always mention your unfamiliarity with the rules in the event comments, and ask someone who is more experienced (if you’re not sure, look for anyone with more than 5 RSVP points) to join your game to help make sure things go smoothly. The LFR modules that we receive are usually very well written and lead you through the whole adventure step-by-step. As long as you read the module ahead of time as preparation, DMing in RPGA is actually quite simple.

2) “I don’t know which module to run!?”
Ask people what they want to play in the comments! If no one nominates anything, give them a multiple choice question instead. It helps to check what mods were played in the past few months here so that you don’t run something that people already played recently. Most modules have been reviewed by our members, and you find links to their commentaries here.

3) “I don’t have miniature/battlemat!”
Check out this thread for miniature substitutes if you can’t buy miniatures: http://www.meetup.com...
As for the battlemat, you can buy it from a game store like King’s Games or Compleat Strategist (or online). Alternatively, you can also try out any ideas you can think of, such as printing out maps, making grids on papers, etc. If you really don’t have enough time to go shopping, you can ask someone (who is not DMing that day) ahead of time to bring their DMing supplies for you, but it’s best if you not rely on this method!!

4) “Where do I download the modules?”
To make it easier to start, ask the organizer or generally any other person with 6 or more RSVP points to help you get them. Just remember to also give them the RPGA numbers of you and your players to that so they can report it to the system when you’re done. For the long term though (and prizes!), you should look into becoming an RPGA organizer yourself for the purpose of getting your own module and reporting games. See here for how to do that.

Lastly, know that we're all happy to help you get started with DMing! So feel free to ask for any assistance!

Happy gaming!

P.S. Special Thanks to Jim L for helping with the editing this post.

Quick DM note:

In order to arrive at our preferred maximum of five tables for the Citicenter venue, I'll ask that DMs please check the RPGConnect.org page for a Tuesday game during the preceding weekend (Saturday, if possible). More games would be great in a perfect world but we're trying not to push our luck with venue management by monopolizing their tables. (Self-limiting tables discussion thread)

If there are 5 games with more seated players, please remove your game or move it to the alternative location. This allows ample time for players from a removed game to re-seat themselves before the event.

For example, if on Saturday we have a table layout such as this:

Game A, 6 players
Game B, 5 players
Game C, 2 players
Game D, 0 players
Game E, 6 players
Game F, 4 players
Game G, 4 players

The DMs for games C and D should remove their games from this event (and potentially add the game at the alternative location).

Thank you.

SONY AND CITI RULES

1) Currently Citi center is our main locaiton. The top 5 tables posted for Citi, based on most players seated, stay at Citi.

2) Other games should be moved ASAP to Sony or postpone the game for another time.

3) The deadline for moving tables is the weekend before a Tuesday. Saturday is courteous. Sunday is a hard deadline. If you signed up to run a game then you are expected to be responsible to check on your seating list over the preceding weekend and apply these rules as needed. Don't drift into Monday "just to see who sits" as it only complicates things.

4) DMs are asked to not add a 7th prospective table to either venue in the weeks leading up to an event. Stick with six tables and see what fills. In the event that at least two tables are still empty in the seven days leading up to an event then you can add a 7th offering. Keep in mind that rules 1 and 2 still apply.

5) Level 1-4 tables are encouraged for Sony. It sets us up for easier table shuffling when two level 1-4 tables are being played in the same venue, and most likely lower point total players will be newer players so they are less likely to get bumped if they seat themselves at a Sony table.

6) Sony closes a bit earlier than Citi. Anyone with a work/life schedule that allows them to start a bit earlier (6:15pm vs 6:45pm) is encouraged to play at Sony.


Thanks everyone.