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Message: <blockquote data-quote="robertsconley" data-source="post: 9662341" data-attributes="member: 13383">Perhaps this will help in the discussion you are having.In my Living World Sandbox campaigns, referee responsibility is implicit in every carefully prepared procedure and explicitly defined mechanic that I use.My setting is constructed using detailed procedures, including random tables, logical extrapolation from established facts, predefined NPC motivations, and the consistent application of prior decisions. This structured approach is designed to minimize subconscious biases or careless decision-making by providing objective references at every stage. The group can later revisit these decisions for transparency if questions arise.When a situation arises, such as the players returning to a previously visited town, my referee responsibilities are already embedded within these predefined structures. The outcomes naturally follow from established conditions and procedures rather than moment-to-moment subjective referee choices.Moreover, I consistently advocate that referees cultivate strong leadership skills, including coaching, facilitation, and small-group management. Developing these skills further ensures referees maintain awareness of their responsibilities and actively promote careful, thoughtful, and responsible presentation of their game worlds.As for the claim that referees who approach their settings objectively risk ‘self-deception’, that notion is fundamentally misguided. Such inflammatory claims ignore the clear distinction between intentional, method-driven worldbuilding and careless, arbitrary decision-making. A referee who relies on transparent, documented, and procedurally sound methodologies isn't deceiving themselves; they're consciously leveraging structure and logic to deliver impartial adjudication.To summarize clearly for future reference:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Responsibility: Implicitly embedded through clear procedures and consistent logic.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Transparency: Explicitly guaranteed by openly defined rules, objective mechanics, and good leadership practices.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Self-Deception: Effectively prevented by deliberate procedures, documented preparation, and intentional leadership practices, not indulged through careless arbitrariness or arbitrary dramatic convenience.</li> </ul>Claims that structured and objective referee practices reflect ‘self-deception’ misunderstand (or intentionally mischaracterize) the deliberate rigor involved. Referees using explicit, impartial methods combined with strong leadership and thoughtful procedures not only acknowledge their responsibility, they exemplify it.Edit: Also see [USER=1008]@SableWyvern[/USER] post below about Suspension of Disbelief. Good Catch should have remembered that, given the ludicrousness of even bringing up self-deception.</blockquote>

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