- Introduction
1.1 Research
1.2 Advocacy/Defense - Public Relations “Do”s and “Don’t”s
- Members
3.1 Officers
3.2 Chair
3.3 Regional Directors
3.4 State (Provincial) Coordinators - Additional Audiences to Consider
4.1 Other Gamers
4.2 CAR-PGa - Channels
- Other Points
- The Points System
1. Introduction
As we state in our recruiting material, there are no dues in CAR-PGa, but members are expected to work. There are essentially two types of work meant by this statement: research and advocacy/defense. For more details as to how the CAR-PGa operates, see our by-laws.
1.1 Research
This sounds more intimidating than it really is. The main part of research is just keeping your eyes and ears open to anything involving role-playing games. When you encounter something, then get it in some form of documentation. This may be a photocopy of a newspaper article or a video tape of a TV newscast. It might just be a written account of a strictly verbal incident; it isn’t as good as the sounder documentation, but it’s considerably better than nothing.
This documentation is to be sent with the full citation (including page numbers) to the Chair. There it will be cataloged and filed in the CAR-PGa files and be noted in the New Material section of the Newsletter. This will make it available to any member needing the material.
On occasion, the Chair or another officer will contact you directly for research on something that has occurred in your area. This is the reason for the question on the application form concerning what newspapers you have access to in libraries. Frequently the anti-game forces will “document” their anecdotal cases with references to some obscure newspaper. It may be obscure to CAR-PGa, but it is someone’s hometown paper. If we have members in enough places, these papers can be accessed easily. Much of the time it turns out that the “document” is merely quoting one of the anti-game organization’s people; they are really citing themselves as proof!
1.2 Advocacy/Defense
It does little good simply to accumulate vast quantities of information if nothing is done with it. As a result, much of our work is involved in public relations.
Ideally, this would be done by the Chair (who has access to all that data), but the mass media generally would rather contact someone closer for obvious reasons of cost. As a result, any member may be called upon to fulfill this function some time. What’s even worse, this will most likely occur either in a crisis situation, typically involving either some tragedy in which RPGs have been blamed because it is easier than doing a proper investigation, or when one of the anti-game traveling circuses has come through and upset honest but gullible people.
Such crises can be minimized by sufficient preventive measures but can never be avoided totally. Preventive action includes getting in contact with the local media before there are problems. This is one area in which the member in a small town “in the middle of nowhere” has an advantage over the member in some big city: At least the small town member can not only get to see reporters without having a major story, but can even get to know them personally. This makes later contact a lot easier and gives you the opportunity to know what sort of approach or angle is the most likely to be covered by them. This makes it a lot more likely that what you have to say will be published/broadcast.
Have a press kit on hand at all times. This should include the Literature List for your own reference, the contact information for your State or Provincial Coordinator, your Regional Director, and the Chair should you need to refer a reporter to one of them, and possibly copies of the Evidence sheet as handouts. This will cover most of the general questions they are likely to raise and you can go directly to the specific situation at hand.
The first rule in dealing with the media is to never fake it. The mass media has been brainwashed since 1979 to be anti-game. They are comfortable in this position. It has definite implications that they were wrong if they have to change, and no one ever wants to admit they are wrong.
If you make even one minor error, the media and anti-gamers are likely to pounce on it, whereas the anti-gamers, because they have had so long to indoctrinate without our side being heard, have no such problem. You can be the one who tips this the other way. Document how the anti-gamers are in error. If you don’t know the answer, admit it. However, don’t just let it stay there; offer to get the information or refer the attackers or questioners to CAR-PGa’s nearest State or Provincial Coordinator, the Regional Director for the region, or the Chair.
If there are several members in a given area, one of them should be designated as the speaker for the organization there. When this is done, other members should have no contact with the media except to refer the matter to that representative. This does not, however, preclude them from writing letters to the editor, nor does it prevent more than one member meeting the press at the same time as a panel. This latter method is particularly useful when various members have their own particular expertise in various aspects of the subject. The representative(s) should be knowledgeable, believable, articulate, and available.
2. Public Relations “Do”s and “Don’t”s
See Defending RPGs
3. Members
3.1 Officers
Some have said that we have too many officers in CAR-PGa; that all we really need is a Chair and maybe members. If we had the funds of B.A.D.D. or NCTV, that may be true, but a love of the truth will never raise the kind of money that hatred does.
3.2 Chair
The Chair is the coordinator of the whole thing. The Chair “presides” (in quotes because it is done by mail) over the Board of Directors, coordinates and catalogs the library of documents, and generally (although there is no requirement that this function be done by the Chair) edits the Newsletter.
3.3 Regional Directors
The incorporation laws require that any corporation have a board of directors who establish policy for the organization. It would be easy to have all these in one place where they could meet face-to-face, but it would also unintentionally create a bias toward viewing that one region’s situation as being universal. Therefore, CAR-PGa directors are spread throughout the world to get as wide a range of viewpoints as possible to enable the organization to function better.
Their major duties are those of any corporate director and as coordinator of recruitment and research within their regions; otherwise, their duties are the same as for other members.
3.4 State (Provincial) Coordinators
For some strange reason, the mass media will be willing to go across their state to get a story but not across a state line, even if it is closer. As a result the SC or PC is important as a media contact. Three times, so far, major PR disasters have been defused and avoided by the prompt action of SCs near the situation. Because they are more likely to know gamers from local game conventions, they are in a better position to recruit than the RD might be.
4. Additional Audiences to Consider
We have several audiences for our work and each of them has different needs and so the approach will be different to each. See Defending RPGs for additional audiences.
4.1 Other Gamers
Those already into RPGs are the main source of our membership, although we have some valuable help from those who care nothing about RPGs but merely need some of the material we have and vice-versa. There is no need to go into details about gamers; you know what they are like and they defy description.
The principal rule here is to avoid getting sidelined. Gamers like to talk about gaming as much as play, but it eats up time. All gamers have their favorite games, but this is no time to be lobbying for yours or putting down theirs.
Be careful when bringing up CAR-PGa at game conventions. Some of those who put on these cons are territorial to the point of paranoia and don’t want anyone to do anything on their own initiative. Try to work with them and you might get a seminar on the schedule. Otherwise, work under deep cover and hope the other conventioneers will help convince them that a party-line stance is ultimately hazardous to the future of the con. Never get CAR-PGa involved directly in this action, but leave it for those outside CAR-PGa to carry the ball on this one.
At least with gamers, you can be totally yourself. They know how gamers really are and are not too likely to misinterpret things unless you really foul things up.
4.2 CAR-PGa
This is the easiest audience of all. Let us have some information periodically and work on any project that interests you and the rest will take care of itself. Because we act as our own informal peer-reviewers, we may call you on some things, but likewise you should call us on our statements too. Don’t let this bother you. It is the way the system works, and remember, we are all on the same side.
5. Channels
This does not refer to Channel 13 on TV, but rather the channel through which you reach your intended audience. Like the message, the audience will determine the channel used.
The general public will be most easily reached through the mass media or by public demonstrations (of games, not picket lines and rallies!). Shopping malls may be interested in the latter, especially if there is a game store there to sponsor your demo.
The mass media will sometimes come to you, especially if you have done your homework in establishing media contacts. If not, you can use a press release if anything of note comes up. If you are not given coverage, try a letter to the editor. Even some TV stations have these on a once-per-week or occasional basis as part of or following the nightly newscast.
If there is a major event, such as a con, a press kit giving background information should be provided. These should be kept brief. The full Chamber of Commerce packet is useful only for major cons which generally have their own PR staff anyway.
Other gamers can be contacted by using the existing game media. An article (or at least a letter to the editor) in national publications, a newsletter for a local game club, or the bulletin board at the local game store will get the word out.
CAR-PGa provides a variety of ways for members to communicate with each other. Items sent to the Chair for the files will be noted in the Newsletter and will be requestable from the Chair by others. The Newsletter also publishes articles and letters to the editor. Discussions among the members can happen in the Newsletter or via CAR-PGa’s e-mail discussion list. If there were ever really a problem within the group and the administration tried to prevent discussion, you could always send a letter directly to the other members by looking them up in the Membership List. Additionally, regular posters to the e-mail list are not moderated. However, the present administration will ensure that such drastic measures are not necessary.
6. Other Points
All CAR-PGa material beyond simple housekeeping notices and official CAR-PGa papers (such as most of the materials on the website) are by-lined. In all these dealings with whatever audience, remember that no one, including the Chair, speaks for CAR-PGa. The author is totally responsible for what is said.
We are a network of researchers and advocates, not an organization. You can use your identification with CAR-PGa as credentials to show you do know something about the subject, but the statements are your own and always subject to peer review as with any other research.
7. The Points System
While CAR-PGa charges no monetary dues to its members, there are dues nonetheless: “work for the cause.” While this is good in theory, in that no one is discriminated against because of lack of excess cash and the organization is spared any temptation to go after the money rather that the organization’s purpose, there is still the problem of just what constitutes a “paid-up” member.
The points system provides this objective means of determining who is paid up and who is delinquent. It is a nuisance and reeks of legalism, but at least it is a clear-cut method.
Points are earned by various activities on behalf of the cause. They expire one year after the time the work was originally done. Each member is responsible for reporting points earned with supporting material unless intrinsically obvious; sending in a document is its own reporting and supporting evidence, while conducting a conventions seminar should be supported with the convention program.
Five current points are required for Active status, which includes voting privileges. Current point status is included with the Newsletter, but non-subscribers are responsible for keeping up with their own. Work throughout the year will insure against suddenly dropping below the voting minimum or having all points expire and being dropped from membership.
The points are:
- +1 Point: Membership application, Fandom Directory form, Newsletter subscription, survey response, article clippings (with full citations including page, if possible), letter to the editor of a local publication if printed, term paper copy, article published in the CAR-PGa Newsletter, “cluster items” (BBS postings, convention schedules, peripheral subject material, etc.) in groups of at least five at once, or each contribution of $5.00 (US).
- +2 Points: State [Provincial, etc.] Coordinator, letter to the editor printed in a national publication, local radio/TV appearance, lead seminar at local convention, provide court decision (with citation), or coauthor a CAR-PGa publication.
- +3 Points: Regional Director, author of nationally published article, sole author of a CAR-PGa publication, network radio/TV appearance, or lead seminar at national convention.
- +4 Points: Author a published book on RPG and provide a copy.
- +5 Points: Author a peer-reviewed paper and submit copy with citation.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of things that get points. If you have done something not on the list that you thinks benefits gaming, be sure and let us know and we will determine the number of points it should get.
Not only for the points, but in all activities, be sure and keep the Chair informed. Your work may give others ideas on how they can help too.