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<blockquote data-quote="robertsconley" data-source="post: 9653137" data-attributes="member: 13383">So Lord Acton’s famous dictum: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” is a powerful quote but it's being misapplied in the context of tabletop RPGs and the role of the referee.Authority can be abused. But we are discussing a form of small group interactions, the authority of a referee isn’t absolute, it’s contingent, provisional, and held in trust. It isn’t about power but about responsibility.There are better frameworks than assuming suspicion as the default:From J.R.R. Tolkien (a man who knew a thing or two about power and myth) wrote:Tolkien understood that leadership is dangerous but necessary. The point isn’t to strip the referee of structure but to expect them to approach it with humility.Elinor Ostrom, Nobel laureate for her work on self-governing systems, reminds us:RPG tables are not monarchies. They’re peer-driven communities. Authority is earned through behavior, not fiat.And finally, Hannah Arendt put it plainly:It’s easy to rail against authority until you’re the one responsible for the adjudication, maintaining consistency, and steering the game. Good referees know this isn’t power to wield, but a role to fill and held in trust.Authority isn’t the enemy. Abuse of authority is. The answer isn’t to reject the referee’s role; it’s to foster accountability, humility, and group cohesion. What needed is cooperation, structure, and people who act in good faith.Referees are not tyrants-in-waiting. They are folks getting together with their friends to have fun in the time they have for a hobby.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="robertsconley, post: 9653137, member: 13383"] So Lord Acton’s famous dictum: [I]“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”[/I] is a powerful quote but it's being misapplied in the context of tabletop RPGs and the role of the referee. Authority can be abused. But we are discussing a form of small group interactions, the authority of a referee isn’t absolute, it’s contingent, provisional, and held in trust. It isn’t about power but about responsibility. There are better frameworks than assuming suspicion as the default: From J.R.R. Tolkien (a man who knew a thing or two about power and myth) wrote: Tolkien understood that leadership is dangerous but necessary. The point isn’t to strip the referee of structure but to expect them to approach it with humility. Elinor Ostrom, Nobel laureate for her work on self-governing systems, reminds us: RPG tables are not monarchies. They’re peer-driven communities. Authority is earned through behavior, not fiat. And finally, Hannah Arendt put it plainly: It’s easy to rail against authority until you’re the one responsible for the adjudication, maintaining consistency, and steering the game. Good referees know this isn’t power to wield, but a role to fill and held in trust. Authority isn’t the enemy. Abuse of authority is. The answer isn’t to reject the referee’s role; it’s to foster accountability, humility, and group cohesion. What needed is cooperation, structure, and people who act in good faith. Referees are not tyrants-in-waiting. They are folks getting together with their friends to have fun in the time they have for a hobby. [/QUOTE]

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