Co-refereeing?

A thread of 3 messages, 12 March 1990 to 28 March 1990, in the order they were sent.

#1116 Co-refereeing?

Hi folks.

Does anyone have any experience with a co-refereed campaign?  By this I mean
one campaign being actively run by two referees.  For the purposes of this
question, let's exclude hand-me-down campaigns and campaigns that switch off
between two referees.  I'm looking for a situation where two people run a
campaign together: co-delevopment, etc.

If you have any related non-Traveller experience (like another game system),
I'm still interested.

The reason I ask, is that I have a very stable (but not quite stagnent) group
of players, and over the years I have switched off being "the supreme being"
with one of the other players.  We have switched back and forth several times
over the years, with good results.  (Of course, I'm better, right Kevin?)

I wonder if the two of us might not be able to merge our styles/ideas/etc., and
produce one very intense campaign.  There would be very little idle time for
the remaining three players, non-player characterizations would probably
improve (less distractions for the ref), and NPC's would certainly become more
unpredictable from the players standpoint.

I think it might add a real kick, and allow us (as referees) to have a lot of
fun with each others ideas.

Any thoughts, caveats, etc?

- -BobMah

#1121 Re: Co-refereeing

>Date: Mon, 12 Mar 90 16:03 EST
>From: Bob Mahoney [email removed]
>Subject: (1116) Co-refereeing?
>
>Hi folks.

>Does anyone have any experience with a co-refereed campaign?  By this I mean
>one campaign being actively run by two referees.  For the purposes of this

No I have never done that but...

>If you have any related non-Traveller experience (like another game system),
>I'm still interested.

I have something that is similar, at least I think that it is :-) ...
I have for some years directed plays at a local amateur theater group, this
is similar to running a game, except the game is much more wide open. Anyway
when I direct musicals, I have my wife Music Direct, that can be a problem,
because... 1. I am as qualified as my wife to music direct, being a music
major in College, my wife was also a music major. And 2. I am married to
her so that I have to "live" with my suggestions for how the music should
be done.

What we have found is that the best way to handle this situation is this:

1. We define our roles. If we are co-music directing, which we have done.
then I handle the chorus numbers and she handles the solos. If there are
numbers that one does not feel comfortable directing then we decide before
we begin how the duties will be split.

2. We never argue in front of the cast. In your case the players. If we
have differences we discuss them on the way home in the car, that way we can
yell all we want, and this does not make the other folks uncomfortable.

3. Never change what the other person did, without discussing the change with
the person, and better let them change it. This way the people that you
are leading are not confused as to who they should listen to.

4. Be open to suggestions. If you both have the same goal, in my case a
good show then you have to be willing to listen to suggestions.

I have had 6 very successful shows because of the help of my wife, and
we have never had a major fight in the last 6 years about the plays.

Also, something that I think some of lose sight of from time to time.
remember that this is a game, and it should be fun.

>I wonder if the two of us might not be able to merge our styles/ideas/etc., and
>produce one very intense campaign.  There would be very little idle time for
>the remaining three players, non-player characterizations would probably
>improve (less distractions for the ref), and NPC's would certainly become more
>unpredictable from the players standpoint.

It is possible, but remember understand your goals and each of your
responsibilities and it should be just fine.

Greg

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#1159 Re: Co-refereeing?

Several references.  I hope at least one is helpful.

(1) Our very-deviant traveller game is split into two region of space.
The founding GM shows up here occaisionally, Cap'n Paul GAZIS.  The original
campaign has the higher tech level of the two, but is still several levels
below normal Imperial games.  And is currently having a minor war fought over
a planet near the "border" (Zoo region) of the Scarp, the backwater in which
the TL 9-11 game is set.  This is very low interaction co-development.

(2) the grand old MIT game Eastern Isles has not only had multiple GMs for
the main game, as the refs graduated, but has split into parallel regions,
with a Ref per island.  (Not traveller, and not D&D; a unique FRPG rulset,
which is classified -- only the Ref's have been formally briefed as to what
the rules are.)  They've also had a sub-GM for character generation.

(3) My wife and I are coGMing a GURPS Fantasy campaign.  I handle mechanics,
she handles characterization, we share plotting.  This works failry well.
Advice about not arguing in front of the players previously given is very
good.  Conspiring in advance about likely plot occurences is wise!
   We synergize well because my wife is a storyteller, and the world we
game in is her invention, but she has no experience in GMing and no desire
to learn any rulessystem well enough to have it intrude in her relationship
with the fantasy.  Her training is comparative mythology and anthropology,
mine in math/analytical skills.  So I figure out how to make climatolgically
sound continents and a sound local economy, and figure out how to make her
ideas of magic fit into a playable game.   She invents characers and plots
with which to tantalize the players.

(5) Lee & Barry Gold (publishers of Alurums & Excursions, an RPG APAzine)
coGM everything they play, almost.  When Lee GMs, she has Barry play key
NPCs; she briefs him in advance or slips him notes etc as necc.  When Barry
ran a Chivalry and Sorcery game (ghods, I'm dating them!), Lee would spin
off a dozen or more possible plot twists that she could conceive of as
extensions of the last play session before the other players showed up.
He would pick one or embroider between on his own as GM, while she played
as a normal player, happily mystified as to which he was using.
    (This is paraphrased from a recent note of Lee's in either A&E, her mag,
or The Wild Hunt, the east coast (amiable) "competition", whose address
has been given here before.)  Lee's address available on request to
anyone who wants to send her a few bucks for a sample issue...

(5) A couple we know, Dan & Nancy, (who also play in the deviant traveller),
(not so) recently ran an INteractive Literature weekend game together.  I'm
not sure how they divided the work; but I gather IL games usuaully require
multiple referees, since a dozen or more players are interacting in knots
throughout the hotel.

(6) Can someone at Princeton get a Princecon GM to report on how they
have multiple GMs of their Fantasy RPG system running threads or sub-quests
of one plot?  (Princecon is a weekend long RPG con with all games inter-
related.  Foolcon was similar while it lasted, but smaller.  Both are
like IL or Mystery Weekend games, but of the sit-around-the-table RPG
variety, rather than the wander-around-the-hotel-dressed-funny (IL/MW)
variety.




- ---
bill ricker
[email removed] a/k/a [email removed]
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