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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MNblockhead" data-source="post: 7758642" data-attributes="member: 6796661">One reason that I prefer the term "judge" over "referee" is that that I think the role of the judge (at least in the Anglo-American common law) is more analogous to the role of DM than a referee. A referee closely monitors a game for rules violations and arbitrates on matters arising from play. But a referee is not a player in the game. A judge is a far more active participant. A judge runs the show, can ask questions, give instructions. Yes, a judge makes rulings on the law, but it is the lawyers who make the arguments. Lawyers have the primary burden of researching the law and arguing how to apply it to the facts of the case. They inform the judge, allowing the judge to make rulings. "Rule lawyers" is a bad word for many gamers. But I think what people object to is someone who argues a rule, refusing to accept a GMs ruling, and disrupts the game with disagreements over minutia. That's not lawyering. Such behavior would get you sanctioned or even removed from court. In my games, I am not only fine with players arguing rules, I expect them to. I will often lean on them when I come across an uncommon situation. Many of my players play much more than I do and have a firmer grasp of some of the rules, especially how spells work. If the RAW is unclear, I'll ask, how do you want to do this? They can disagree with my ruling and if they can quickly cite the rule, I'll be happy to change. But the important thing is that that we all agree that once I make a ruling we roll with it. We have a more detailed discussion after the game and may change things in future sessions, but it is my role to make a ruling and move on with running the game. Too many players expect DMs to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the rules. In my opinion, these players are shirking their responsibilities as players and are not showing courtesy to the DM or other players. I expect players to have a working knowledge of the basic rules of play and a thorough understanding of their character's abilities and spells. I expect that players will have whatever published material they need to run their character, but I also have physical copies of all published rulebooks for 5e at the table and I have a DnD Beyond account, so all my players have access to all the rule books in a searchable format on their smartphones or tablets. Everyone at my table shares the responsibility for understanding and interpreting the rules of the game we are enjoying together.</blockquote>

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