Volunteerism is a keystone of Raleigh Tabletop RPGs. Every event, post, platform, etc. that we have is due to volunteers donating their time and energy. And, as is expected, people’s lives change and some of us volunteer more or less as time goes on. COVID was a big pause for, well, everything. Much of RTR paused as our volunteers turned to other matters, like navigating life in a pandemic. Today, we find ourselves lucky enough to be growing yet again in terms of programs and members!
With that growth follows the need for additional volunteers to maintain and bring life to our many amazing programs. A peek behind the curtain at our current volunteers will show that many hold two or more positions within RTR. To prevent burnout and losing a volunteer to their own need to recover, two positions is generally the maximum. This means most of our current volunteers can’t take on additional roles.
New faces bring new perspectives, which is always welcomed and needed, and returning volunteers are greatly appreciated for their experience and wisdom. So, however long you’ve been with RTR, from joining today or 10 years ago, we encourage all who want to help to reach out.
SOPS
As we wind into Summer, our talented GMs who run our Semi-Organized Play (SOP) program are working on creating fun quarterly events for 2024 and beyond for our community. We have several volunteer positions within SOP teams of experienced GMs. So, if you’ve ever wanted to learn about running a game, a rule set, a setting, or want to work on a collaborative GM experience like an SOP, this is an excellent opportunity. Here are the current openings:
Truetopia
Based on Cypher System’s The Strange, Truetopia is a world of gifted villagers who are trying to rebuild their society after shattering revelations about their former gods, the Elders. This team is looking for two volunteers to join them for their Quarter 1 SOP (January – March). Their team is open to all levels of experience especially if you have a passion for map design (though not a requirement!). Please reach out to Jonn Perry on Discord to learn more.
A Dream, Awakened
A group of humble citizens from a small town slowly realize that in order to protect it, they’ll need to become heroes of the land to do so. This DnD 5th Edition SOP has new locations nearly every season with overlapping storylines. The team is looking for three volunteers at this time with any level of experience for the Quarter 2 SOP (April-June). That said, they would love some folks who are good at organizing info and have familiarity with 5th edition. Please reach out to the ADA team on Discord for more information.
Old Gods of Appalachia
A brand new SOP coming to RTR based on Old Gods of Appalachia’s new TTRPG which builds off the Cypher System’s ruleset. Based on the podcast created by Steve Shell and Cam Collins, it will be set in an alternate Appalachia, a place filled with creatures of the Green, the Inner Dark, and things even more ancient. Byerly is looking for four volunteers that have an appreciation (and respect!) for early 1900s Appalachian culture, eldritch horror, and enjoy stories of sacrifice and triumph, hope and hardship. Please reach out to Byerly on Discord for more information.
Ravencrest Academy
Another new SOP is on the horizon, but is currently in the early planning stages, so up to four volunteers here have an opportunity to shape its final form substantially. Leaning on inspiration from Wednesday, The Magicians, and The Owl House, Showrunner Randy is putting together a tongue-in-cheek mystery-adventure campaign with urban fantasy touchstones focused on a new class of students at an over-the-top spooky university for monstrous young adults — vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and more! This SOP will run in a story-forward system which the GM team will finalize once they come together; Kids on Brooms and Fate are currently the most likely options.
Who Makes a Good Volunteer?
Firstly, be honest with yourself about your own availability and other commitments. This is something we do for fun, so don’t put yourself in a stressful situation to volunteer if the timing just isn’t right for you. Secondly, come to any project with the expectation of collaborating with your team but ready to do your own work. Just like joining any existing team, there will be a period where you might feel overloaded or confused. Be open and talk with the rest of your team; they want you to succeed.
Each of these programs is an amazing opportunity to work with excellent folks experienced as both Game Masters and SOP volunteers. Volunteering in these projects can help build your GMing skills in all aspects – world and story building, running an effective session, managing a campaign. That said, if you want to start with smaller projects to test your comfort levels, please consider running a Try It Out or even your own Community Campaign. It’s these events that let us bring the community together and can themselves often organically grow into something larger. Also, don’t consider your experience as a barrier: RTR needs and thrives on folks with different perspectives and fresh ideas. We also would love to give some of our more familiar faces time to rest or work on spinning up new and exciting projects.
Then What Happens?
So what happens if additional people don’t volunteer? Well, to be frank, nothing. Some of our SOPs are staffed to operate with their current number of volunteers. Others would need to suspend until members volunteer to assist. And, from experience, I can tell you that restarting a SOP that has gone inactive feels harder than starting a brand new SOP. So, without trying to sound like a doomsayer, there is a legitimate possibility that the SOPs above will not return for future seasons (or happen at all) if members don’t volunteer to help.
