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Hi Paul,

You bring up a good point, in that there isn't a centralized database of actual members. At this point, we have several means of being a part of CAR-PGA. Below are summaries of each membership along with a link: 

* Google Group (56 members): https://groups.google.com/forum/?utm_source=digest&utm_medium=email#!aboutgroup/car-pga

* LinkedIn (46 members): https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4439688/members/

* Facebook (30 likes): https://www.facebook.com/pg/carpga/community/?mt_nav=0&msite_tab_async=0

* The newsletter: David Millians has this list.

One thing of note is that times have changed and we are no longer able to ask questions about criminal background, etc. due to the Global Data Privacy Regulations that went into effect in 2016. I changed some of the original questions to just be more generic and make it easier to sign up.

If you're all amenable, I would be happy to send a link to this form (I created a new sign-up form: http://www.car-pga.org/join-us/) out to our existing "fans" in other social media to invite them to full membership, and then we can create a database of members based on that feedback. It's worth noting that we probably can't publish it publicly to protect them from spam, but could provide the full list on request. 

Let me know what you think!

Mike

On Friday, April 5, 2019 at 8:06:02 PM UTC-4, Paul Cardwell wrote:

First off, how does one sign up to get CAR-PGa discussions in the regular e-mail?  I have been a CAR-PGa member for about a quarter century, was Chair for 20 years, and except for the Newsletter, I don't know what is happening.  No idea who else is a member, or even if I am still considered one despite providing the convention schedule for the Newsletter.  We can hardly advance role-playing games if we don't know who the individual member are and update them on what is happening.

Paul Cardwell, plcar...@gmail.com

On Wednesday, April 4, 2018 at 11:32:59 AM UTC-5, Mike "Talien" Tresca wrote:

Hi All,

What does this group stand for?  I'm curious as to our mission statement.  I went looking for it, but it looks like the existing web site is down: http://www.car-pga.org

Here's why I ask:  My understanding is the CAR-PGA was dedicated to positively engaging with non-gamers about gaming.  Back when it was formed (before my time), I believe the primary issue was the Satanic Panic and overall ignorance about RPGs. 

I wish I could say those days are over, but there is now a line of thinking that is aggressively divisive and reacts with unbridled hostility to anyone questioning the status quo.  It started with Gamer Gate, but let there be no doubt that it affects every aspect of gaming, including tabletop RPGs. D&D's surging popularity means our biggest problem is no longer ignorance about the game, it's the gaming population's own prejudices and biases. 

I think a group like the CAR-PGA should be dedicated to making role-playing as welcoming as possible for everyone -- and yes, that includes diverse voices and diverse topics.  Are we all older white guys?  Has there been any effort to reach out to more diverse gaming voices? How do we recruit new members?

And relatedly, what are we doing to advance RPGs as a group?  After seeing Black Panther, I've been thinking about otherism, and that led me to write two other articles about stereotypes that early D&D reflected -- phrases like "orientalism," or lumping all African nations into one fantasy region, or even whether or not we should be still classifying sentient humanoids as "races" in D&D. The first two threads were shut down, the most recent is still going: 

• Do We Still Need "Race" in D&D? http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?5099-Do-We-Still-Need-Race-in-D-D 
  
• Do We Still Need "Oriental Adventures"? http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?5036-Do-We-Still-Need-Oriental-Adventures 
  
• When Fantasy Meets Africa: http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?5018-When-Fantasy-Meets-Africa

I'm not sharing these threads to show my work, but rather a data points about the state of the RPG audience (at least, online) today as reflected in the comments.  I encourage you to read as much as you can tolerate.  You will see some amazingly thought out, really interesting points...and you may also despair for the future of our hobby.  

It seems to me that this group should be the champion of this kind of dialogue, even if you don't necessarily agree that things should change -- we should at least be asking the questions. I have no doubt you are all doing excellent work in personally advancing RPGs.  But as an organization, I'm concerned about this group's future.  

I welcome answers from prospective board members to the above questions.