General What are the personal qualities/skills of a good referee?

[sabredog]

In addition to the criteria involving knowing the rules, players, setting well and helping to involve everyone in the shared game, I actually think a critically important "skill" is the ability to give up control of the game somewhat.

A lot of argument comes from "railroad" or "sandbox" but personally have never met any ref who ran a purely sandbox game. It always has some railroading in it, even if only narrow gauge. It has to - the players don't know everything about the universe they are in even if they own and have memorized every sourcebook out there. Because the ref is running his ideal of that setting the players will wander off track into the areas with the dungeon under construction signs and not really know what to do. Or they'll get involved in some important NPC's affairs and then what; there won't be some adventure ready for that?

So if sandboxing is the way you run a game do you really? Because to do that you have to give up control to the players, and all you are then is a neutral die-roller and rules interpreter as opposed to active participant and guide. But if you hybridize the two modes of reffing a campaing then you can sometimes let the players run themselves, basically, while always having an overall arc to nudge them back on course with. But you have to be willing to let them go off the reservation sometimes and do it all themselves.

For example, players might decide they want to explore some corner of the subsector rather than continue with all the exciting things you have ready on the world they are sitting on at the moment. Do you let them go or force them to play? If you let them go they are now running the game and it's your job to keep it exciting and try to stay ahead of them. An off the cuff thing writ large.

Eventually I've found the players will get themselves so far out there (metaphorically and literally) that they are more than happy to get back to working on the railroad since it provides direction and purpose within a known quantity.

I often run off the cuff once a campaign gets rolling since a well developed one with a comprehensive background pretty much runs itself after awhile; self-generating adventures and side quests, etc.. And it's a nice break from the detail intensive written adventure to let the players run amok for a while.

 

[Tiikeri]

Qualities of a good ref.

Love for his creative vision of the setting he is trying to portray, so that he enjoys prepping adventures, people and places for his players.

Patience, so he doesn't feel compelled to show his players things he has just made, and instead keeps them in reserve for when they can be integrated into the ongoing story naturally.

Forgiveness / peacefulness for when his players empty their bowels all over it then kick their waste about like persnickety llamas, all while laughing like the evil deer head on the wall in Evil Dead 2.

Curiosity and acceptance for what his players want to do and experience, perceiving the stories they want for their characters, and the willingness to roll with it and devote his creativity to develop their visions too.

Be dependable.

Calm and polite, but firm when necessary to keep the table from getting too loud, chaotic, distracted, or focused on a few talkers.

Fair, with rules, inclusion and treating people the same as long as they're acting in good faith.

Be able to run open ended long term stories. Players expect to be spoon fed experiences , first because they're used to it, and second because they don't know or care enough to think of their own directions. Listen for intent. If they're supposed to be just a band of ragged free traders, and they talk about going to a colony world to sell sought after imports, generate something on the fly. If they don't know how, say ok on this planet there's a street of export import brokerages, your character's would know to go talk to them. Generate some ideas from that, like drama, like transporting convict labor, or techs who are also political radicals. Use jump time to let the pcs know these characters. Then leave it alone for a few sessions, until there's a flurry of contracts to bring humanitarian relief and mercs. The players get thete, and then they can get an opportunity to play a role in the revolution for some spoils and a safe harbor in the future. If the radicals win, that is. There is a human story in the most mundane things, like getting a docking berth, or getting repairs done on their ship instead of another.

What you don't do is take your free traders and force them onto a galaxy spanning quest to save the imperium itself. Good thing you made sure they were free traders with a ship during character creation, eh? Eh?

I guess a good ref understands the vibe of the group and runs adventures that will be satisfying and meaningful. Meaning usually comes from the drama in the story, from the emotion, like they care, because they like the npcs they're meeting, or they hate the enemy mastermind, and they want to finally take him down.

Significance comes from the pcs having something to lose, like overcoming some serious danger by good play and some lucky rolls.

For players who don't care and who just want tactical scenarios, give it that to them. Again, listen for intent.
If they want a barfight before their space battle, just provide one. Use some basic narrative to introduce them to the mission, then let them do their thing and cackle like deer heads on the wall.

 

[ManOfGrey]

A couple of suggestions...

As the title indicates, the question for this thread is what personal qualities and skills make for a good referee?

Here are a few suggestions I have tried to take to heart over the years as a Referee.

First, don't look at your session as merely a "game" or an "adventure." Look at it as trying to tell a story. A story with the characters as the heroes. And make decisions that enhance that story. If the rules don't allow for something that would propel the story in an entertaining or exciting direction...that's fine, bend them. Obviously the story revolves around your characters. Make it interesting and challenging, but in the end it's always enjoyable when the characters overcome adversity and emerge triumphant.

Second, a trick that has really come in handy over the years...learn to draw your players into your story. Don't just drop them on a planet with a sign that says "adventure this way." Bait them. And not just with money/credits. Learn to trick them into thinking it was their idea to explore that derelict spaceship. Play your NPCs so the characters want to help the beautiful damsel with the sob story, who, in the end, will betray them and stab them in the back. Make your aliens so compelling the players want to interact with them, and learn more about them.

Third, as had been mentioned above...get ready to be flexible. My players, at least, have the uncanny ability to throw a monkey wrench into my most well developed plots. And that's OK. Players should have the ability to determine the outcome of their story, even if it's not what we Referees thought or planned for it to be. Instead of rescuing her, I've had players shoot dead my beautiful damsel in distress at the very beginning of my story because she was being publicly tortured and they wanted to put her out of her misery. o: Holy crap! Now what? Talk about having to think fast on my feet! But in the end, it turned out to be one of the best stories we ever told. And, what's most important, it was the players who determined the outcome. It was they who wrote the ending, despite the fact it went in a totally different direction than I ever imagined.

And (next to) lastly, some advice that has served me well over the years...if things start to bog down, if the players begin to get bored...start a fight! Come up with a reason for it later. Nothing gets everyone engaged faster than a good fight scene.

Finally...of course...have fun! And that includes you. I hope you enjoy your role as a storyteller, and have a chance to make some lasting memories.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

As the title indicates, the question for this thread is what personal qualities and skills make for a good referee?

Don't force a story onto the players. Just give your NPCs their own goals, and role-play them as if they're in a sandbox that you'll be adding the PCs into. Everything else is character-driven after that. As a Referee, you decide when and what types of task checks will be needed to roll for. The "stories" will reveal themselves at the end of each session.

 

[mike wightman]

It's not the referee that tells the story - it is the actions of the players through their characters that tells the story.

The referee's job is to set the scene, adjudicate the rules, and run the NPCs.

I have seen too many games fall apart over the years because the referee had this cool story to tell that the players would be part of - except the players kept doing stuff off script which spoils the referee's story.

A good ref has adapts to what the players do, he/she doesn't try to have a script that the players must follow.

 

[sabredog]

It's not the referee that tells the story - it is the actions of the players through their characters that tells the story.

The referee's job is to set the scene, adjudicate the rules, and run the NPCs.

I have seen too many games fall apart over the years because the referee had this cool story to tell that the players would be part of - except the players kept doing stuff off script which spoils the referee's story.

A good ref has adapts to what the players do, he/she doesn't try to have a script that the players must follow.

Very true!

I will write a story arc for a campaign that records everything with a timeline that doesn't include the PC's. That gives me a baseline to keep myself (and the players more or less) on track for the "big events" and activations of some of the major NPC's.

Then the players get involved in-game and the whole plot (which to me is the most fun part) goes up, down, every which way as the PC's interact with the NPC's and main plot how they want to. Sometimes they go off the rails for months at a time, but at least having it all mapped out for myself I can nudge them back if needs be, as well as have plenty of events generating rumors and news. I keep good notes as we go to keep track of the players' changes to the whole storyline, if any, and also keep notes on ideas the players come up with about what is going on that may not even be correct but will generate side events and more rumors and stuff.

in fact, sometimes the players come up with more interesting and fun ideas about what is going on (depending on the genre this can be suspects, events, cultist activities, bad guy goals and schemes...) than I had originally come up with myself. In those cases I either let them develop the leads to chase down that are true, or even if they are false. And if true - I just toss what I had originally and go with their ideas; rewriting the campaign as I go.

I've had that happen a lot sometimes and it resulted in a lot of off-the-cuff refereeing while I kept a close ear and eye on what the players were doing so I could keep the session going until a good time to. I have a deeply developed ATU so that isn't hard to do that in my Traveller games, but sometimes the actual consequences of their new actions and unexpected directions in the overall story don't show up for a long time in the campaign - so good notes are a must. And even if not useful at the time, this sort of unplanned input from the players can be inserted later as a side adventure for them.

But mainly, what I recommend a lot is at least having the whole story plotted out as if the players weren't going to be in - then let them develop how their actions affect the details and plot as they go along. The unexpected always brings glorious results and you'll be surprised how often it is more fun that way.

 

[Condottiere]

Don't subvert your players' expectations, unless you're pretty sure it will entertain them and really advance the campaign.

 

[Enoki]

First and foremost, a good ref is a great storyteller. If you can't create a setting and weave a story for your players, it becomes a slow slog you want to end. You also have to be able to change the story to fit what the players might do. By redirecting them back to the original premise, you let them go far afield only to return to the purpose of the scenario you originally set.

Next, regardless of how anal or pedantic a player may be, and this does happen, you don't play God to get even. The know-it-all, or the rules lawyer, you deal with them gracefully and without malice. Being fair and even handed is important because players will quit if they think they're being singled out or unfairly treated.

Involve the players. It's their game. Make them want to participate. Give them a chance to create and even make the game go in directions you didn't expect. For that, you need to be alert and able to work on the fly as the players do things.

Make sure the players know how the rules will work with you. I tell them there are times when things won't be random simply because they have to work to fit the scenario. That isn't "unfair" or "cheating," but rather ensuring things move towards the outcome, for better or worse.

Keep the scenario you are doing within the player's capabilities as characters as well as players, and don't drag it on forever.

If the players do go off into the proverbial left field, then sometimes it's better to just admit defeat, so-to-speak, and tell them, "I really didn't expect you guys to do that. How about we call it a night? That'll give me a chance to work up something decent for what you've decided to do, rather than me trying to improvise."

 

[khadaji2002]

Enoki, these are all great points. And are the main reason I decided earlier this year to hang up my ref's hat and settle in as a player.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

First and foremost, a good ref is a great storyteller. If you can't create a setting and weave a story for your players, it becomes a slow slog you want to end. You also have to be able to change the story to fit what the players might do. By redirecting them back to the original premise, you let them go far afield only to return to the purpose of the scenario you originally set.

Don't force a story onto the players. Just give your NPCs their own goals, and role-play them as if they're in a sandbox that you'll be adding the PCs into. Everything else is character-driven after that. As a Referee, you decide when and what types of task checks will be needed to roll for. The "stories" will reveal themselves at the end of each session.

 

[Leitz]

If the players do go off into the proverbial left field, then sometimes it's better to just admit defeat, so-to-speak, and tell them, "I really didn't expect you guys to do that. How about we call it a night? That'll give me a chance to work up something decent for what you've decided to do, rather than me trying to improvise."

This is one reason I prefer Play by Post. I can look at the characters, what I know of the players, and craft the story around them.

Addendum: Which doesn't mean I'm a good DM though. :rofl:

 

[JimMarn]

If the players do go off into the proverbial left field, then sometimes it's better to just admit defeat, so-to-speak, and tell them, "I really didn't expect you guys to do that. How about we call it a night? That'll give me a chance to work up something decent for what you've decided to do, rather than me trying to improvise."

What I have done is simply as you did, tell them I wasn't prepared for them to go there.

I have even told them there is a wooden barracade, with small oil lamps on it to show the sign in several languages.

"Area under construction."
"Turn around or be cast into nothingness !"
"The Construction Company."

 

[ManOfGrey]

I'm a little slow sometimes...

Don't force a story onto the players. Just give your NPCs their own goals, and role-play them as if they're in a sandbox that you'll be adding the PCs into. Everything else is character-driven after that. As a Referee, you decide when and what types of task checks will be needed to roll for. The "stories" will reveal themselves at the end of each session.

Granted, I had to read this a couple of times to understand what I think ShawnDriscoll is trying to say. And, frankly, for the most part, I agree with him. But I think his point can be better illustrated with an example.

Let's take the movie Star Wars to use as our example. (I heard it did fairly well at the box office.)

Our player character, Luke Skywalker, is down on the moisture farm, just getting by, when these two robots fall into his life. While making repairs, he happens to stumble upon a incomplete, but cryptic, message from a beautiful damsel in distress. The robot carrying the message tricks Luke into taking off its restraining bolt, escapes during the night, and our hero is forced to go after it. After bit of an adventure, he finds the old hermit the message is intended for, sees it in its entirety, whereby the beautiful damsel in distress pleads with the old hermit to deliver the secret plans she has stolen for a doomsday machine to the good guys, in order to save the universe.

That is a plot!

And you are now at the hook. I agree with ShawnDriscoll at this point. It is the NPCs, (in this case, the robots, and the damsel in distress,) that is moving your players along the path you have plotted out. And I agree, the players characters, Ben and Luke, can make a choice. They can go with the flow, and play out the next part. Or they can just say "Screw this chick! I'm not getting involved!"

It is up to you, as a Storyteller, to guide them down the path you want them to take. You shouldn't force them. And you should be ready for them to take a path you least expect. However, it is your ability to role-play these NPCs in such a compelling manner the players choose to go down the path of your story-line. And that is definitely the mark of a good Referee.

Where I disagree with ShawnDriscoll is what happens next. In the movie, Ben and Luke decide to get involved, but they're not planning to rescue the princess. Quite the opposite. All they want to do is deliver the plans, and then they're out. What happens next, isn't just the "sandbox." You, the Referee, don't necessarily just allow the story to play out the way the players see it. You take control of the direction of the story at this point. Master storytellers like George Lucas can do this almost seamlessly.

Our heroes get to the rendezvous point, but there's no one here to rendezvous with. The doomsday machine has already arrived and blown up the planet! That's not the "sandbox." That's you, the Storyteller, taking the initiative and throwing a twist into the plot, whether you planned it in advance, or made it up on the fly.

And, even then, be ready for your players to get off track.

"The Princess! She's here? The droids belong to her. She's the one in the message! We've got to help her!"

"I'm not going anywhere."

"But they're going to kill her!"

"Better her than me!"

I agree the players should not be forced to do anything. They should have the freedom to make their own choices -- to have the ability to make their mark on the story, to make it their own. But the other trait of a good Referee is to direct the story, not by forcing the players to goose-step to his drum-beat, but to influence the players quietly and subtly.

"She's rich...!"

 

[sabredog]

A good ref can subtly influence the directions players go in by making sure they see/understand the possible consequences of their deviating too far off the acceptable option at that time.

One way is the advance use of some NPC being made an example of for doing the 'wrong thing' well before the players have that option. Think of it as adding some background color.. A good example if the use of a Redshirt on Star Trek showing how the monster works before Kirk and Co. come near. It is tried and true, and I believe that use of a (very) minor NPC to provide some dramatic foreshadowing to avoid possibly unnecessary wear and tear on PC's is mentioned in a JTAS article. Lord knows it's been in every rule book and magazine ever printed in some form or another.

Potential treason against the Princess by informing or something? Have a security briefing:

"We have had some sources in Imperial Forces leak to us a plot to capture the Princess by offering huge rewards to whoever rats her out. Be advised that you wouldn't survive the Imperial offer any longer than telling them where she is hiding since the Empire are known jackboots who think your life is as valuable as Wampa crap anyway. And as for what we would do to any traitors, well come observe the pathetic whining of this traitor before we blow him out the airlock. It took 6 weeks to find him but we never give up on that sort of thing."

Then, later, if tempted by more money than even they can imagine you can remind them of the screams of the traitor rat. Then let them decide.

A warning shot goes a long way towards informing the players of all there options. You can also just not give them a choice while making it look like they have one.

In sales (and a lot of other areas) it is important to never let the customer have choices other than the one ones you want them to have. Players wanna rat out the Princess? How do they do that and survive the experience? There are stormtroopers wiping out everyone who tries to surrender, women and children and pets! The ship is on fire and going down .....and the Princess turns to the players and gives them the spiel about how the destiny of the Rebellion now rests with them, will they please help?

Season that with some time sensitivity by a few too-close-for-comfort blaster shots hitting the bulkhead next to their heads and any survival -oriented PC will (at least temporarily) run for cover and help the Princess. From there on they are also now painted with the same brush as her and a few wanted posters will enforce the fact that their fortunes are now inextricably intertwined with her survival. A few small rewards in their pockets here and there will cement it.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Our player character, Luke Skywalker, is down on the moisture farm, just getting by, when these two robots fall into his life.

Ugh. Sounds a bit forced by the Referee. The Luke Traveller can decide what to do in the desert sandbox. He may not even encounter the junk robot dealers the day they came through.

While making repairs, he happens to stumble upon a incomplete, but cryptic, message from a beautiful damsel in distress.

Depends on what the player was role-playing at the time with his Luke Traveller. There may be a chance that he plays the entire message, or it is forever lost.

The robot carrying the message tricks Luke into taking off its restraining bolt, escapes during the night, and our hero is forced to go after it.

Forced? Hand-of-God stuff from Referees is generally in bad form. Besides, the Luke Traveller may have other things to do that are more important/interesting.

After bit of an adventure, he finds the old hermit the message is intended for, sees it in its entirety, whereby the beautiful damsel in distress pleads with the old hermit to deliver the secret plans she has stolen for a doomsday machine to the good guys, in order to save the universe.

That is a plot!

It's just a hook, if anything.

And you are now at the hook. I agree with ShawnDriscoll at this point. It is the NPCs, (in this case, the robots, and the damsel in distress,) that is moving your players along the path you have plotted out.

Moving players is bad form. See railroading. And a plot is not needed in a sandbox.

And I agree, the players characters, Ben and Luke, can make a choice. They can go with the flow, and play out the next part. Or they can just say "Screw this chick! I'm not getting involved!"

Going with the flow is just riding on a Disney themepark ride. Players are not involved, but rather just sitting at the table to be told a story about how wonderful and heroic their characters are. That's a whole other game style. Not character-driven for sure.

It is up to you, as a Storyteller, to guide them down the path you want them to take. You shouldn't force them. And you should be ready for them to take a path you least expect. However, it is your ability to role-play these NPCs in such a compelling manner the players choose to go down the path of your story-line. And that is definitely the mark of a good Referee.

Interesting. No mention at all of task checks and when/why they are used ever.

Where I disagree with ShawnDriscoll is what happens next. In the movie, Ben and Luke decide to get involved, but they're not planning to rescue the princess. Quite the opposite. All they want to do is deliver the plans, and then they're out. What happens next, isn't just the "sandbox." You, the Referee, don't necessarily just allow the story to play out the way the players see it. You take control of the direction of the story at this point. Master storytellers like George Lucas can do this almost seamlessly.

That's what movies and books are for. Not character-driven role-play sessions.

Our heroes get to the rendezvous point, but there's no one here to rendezvous with. The doomsday machine has already arrived and blown up the planet! That's not the "sandbox." That's you, the Storyteller, taking the initiative and throwing a twist into the plot, whether you planned it in advance, or made it up on the fly.

The game setting has characters in it. Each with their own goals. There are events happening and some that have not happened yet. A tree will fall and no one will be around to hear it. A planet will blow up and no one will know about it until much later. It depends on what the players are doing. I won't force players to do things to get them to go somewhere so that I can do what? I'm just the Referee. I only ask for task checks, and narrate about things happening nearby.

And, even then, be ready for your players to get off track.

They are making their own tracks. See story revealed at end of game session.

 

[Leitz]

The best games come from a shared story building effort between the DM and the players. As a player I'm very willing to allow the DM to set up a scene or event arc. My expectation is that my character will deepen or grow "in-character". A lot of joy comes from emotional transference between the character and the gamer/reader. No transference generally kills the story pretty quickly. Lack of shared story building tends to kill the game quickly.

"Game balance" plays no significant part in a good shared story. Engagement and cooperation play a huge role. Respecting character concept and following the main story theme are crucial. Adding variety via dice rolls adds, well, variety. Absent intelligent design, though, games seem to die quickly. If they ever actually have "life".

 

[atpollard]

It's not the referee that tells the story - it is the actions of the players through their characters that tells the story.

The referee's job is to set the scene, adjudicate the rules, and run the NPCs.

I have seen too many games fall apart over the years because the referee had this cool story to tell that the players would be part of - except the players kept doing stuff off script which spoils the referee's story.

A good ref has adapts to what the players do, he/she doesn't try to have a script that the players must follow.

Yup, This.

The Ref is responsible for creating a setting and stopping where the Players have an opportunity to either do something or interact with someone. If the players are just standing around wondering what they CAN do, the Ref has not done a good job.

 

[Whipsnade]

That's what movies and books are for. Not character-driven role-play sessions.

QUOTED FOR TRUTH.

I can't even begin to count the number of times I've had players turn to me during a Try Traveller one-off at a FLGS and ask out of character "What should I do now?"

Yet, despite showing no ability to "self start", the same people will scream about railroading if the referee as much as nudges them in one direction or another.

Too many people subconsciously act as if RPGs are movies or books, no matter they want to claim otherwise.

Sandboxes are great...

... if the players can use them.

 

[atpollard]

QUOTED FOR TRUTH.

I can't even begin to count the number of times I've had players turn to me during a Try Traveller one-off at a FLGS and ask out of character "What should I do now?"

Yet, despite showing no ability to "self start", the same people will scream about railroading if the referee as much as nudges them in one direction or another.

Too many people subconsciously act as if RPGs are movies or books, no matter they want to claim otherwise.

Sandboxes are great...

... if the players can use them.

Are you familiar with something called "the 5 by 5 method"?

Start your players off with options. For the sake of "tradition" let's begin in a Bar just outside the Spaceport. All players know each other and two of the players arrived already possessing one "RUMOR" that leads them to an adventure if they choose to follow up on it. In addition, there is a bulletin board with two Job Offers that catch their attention (also links to two more adventures). Finally, there is a man who knows somebody trying to sell some cargo real cheep, if they are interested (yet another link to an adventure).

Using the 5x5 method, you have 5 different starting adventures to choose from and the Ref can explain to the players that they are free to pursue any of the choices that they wish. Each starting point should have a next logical step (person or location) for the group to pursue.

In the 5x5 method, the matrix of 5 steps to each adventure thread have been selected to deliberately seek to overlap either people or locations between different adventure threads. This creates a greater sense that all of the adventures are tied together and allows the group the option to pursue one or more adventure and switch between adventures.

The players are never overwhelmed by having infinite choices and no idea where to start and neither are they railroaded into only one adventure.

It has been a great help for me and I find that in a campaign, random encounters and the player reaction to them often generate new adventure threads that the Referee can plot out into the future as old threads not taken are dropped.

 

[Whipsnade]

Are you familiar with something called "the 5 by 5 method"?

Yes I am. I've used it, variations of it, and other "tricks" too. The players sitting in that one-off session can't even be bothered to chose between 2 choices let alone five.

Part of it is because the session is a casual one. It's a one-off, it's meant as an introduction, and no one is invested in either the outcome or PCs. I get that. What I don't understand is the passivity of the players, their inability to choose, their inability to even want to choose. It isn't as if it's a tricky puzzle either. I usually run one of the ATV Doubles specifically because the players must make choices; i.e. Which direction will you drive in? And they still can't or won't make a choice without constant input from me.

It's not all players, but it is a generational thing. People today want to be amused rather than amuse themselves. They're passive voyeurs rather than active participants but they'll scream out loud if they feel you're railroading them.