If you’ve passed a judge certification level, you’ve spent some time studying up on rulings. If you’ve passed the Player Management test, you’ve spent some time studying up on policy documents. What comes solely with practice, though, is dealing with the players themselves and knowing how to enforce those rules. Lots of players don’t realize that the little dodges they pull are against tournament policy, and lots of judges don’t realize that they need to both watch out for them, and put a stop to them when they occur. There are also some popular policies that have caught on and become common practice (but aren’t necessarily listed in the policy documents) that you may decide to adopt at your event.

This article is intended to be read alongside the Solid Ground articles from the last couple of weeks, which address these issues from a player’s perspective. For Agents of Judgment, I’ll discuss them from the judging angle. Judges, make sure you make the time to read over the Solid Ground articles as well.

A huge part of your job as a judge is to spot inappropriate behavior, and then educate the players when they cross the line. Education doesn’t just mean explaining the rules—often it involves handing down a penalty. It’s true that some players genuinely don’t know, and that others have been taught incorrect procedure, but until judges start making policies known and then backing them up by enforcing the rules, players often don’t feel that they have much of a reason to know.

Policy documents are posted online, and most players have no excuse for not knowing them. The 10-year-old with no prior TCG experience might be an exception, but players with even a little experience are not. If you are enforcing local policies, announce them at the player meeting, with a reminder or two between the early rounds. Players with a registered Upper Deck Entertainment tournament ID are responsible for familiarizing themselves with all tournament policy and penalty guidelines. If any additional announcements were made at the event, they should have listened, and are responsible for knowing what was said.

Watch for player tricks! You know the general do’s and don’ts of tournament policy, but plenty of players don’t realize that the “mind games” they use to eke out an advantage often veer into unsportsmanlike behavior. Some of them realize they’re probably crossing the line, but they do it anyway because they figure there’s no specific ban on it. I’ve written up a short series for the players, describing some common tricks and informing them of the likely consequences. Look them over, and see if anyone in your area has been getting away with them. Those rascals.

If you’re a floor judge, this is why it’s important to keep yourself out on the floor. You should be walking up and down the aisles, actively monitoring the event at all times. Listen carefully when players call you over to mediate a dispute involving a play error or misbehavior, and when you’re the head judge, monitor your staff and participants. The floor judge will see what’s going on, and he or she needs to be able to assess the situation correctly.

The warnings that you give out are early indicators of potential problems. Make sure you assess and record them correctly. These should be written on the match slips, and follow a consistent formula. Warnings notify the TO and head judge when a problem begins to develop, so they can correct the situation before it gets out of hand. Don’t be afraid to administer a warning, when one is warranted. Let your team lead know when a player is causing a problem.

Head judges, supervise your judge staff and your participants. Check in with the team leads and ask how things are going. Let them know that they should bring problem players to your attention. If you’re stationed by the scorekeeper, look over the warnings and other penalties noted on the slips. Discuss any repeat offenses with the TO or your team leads, and decide if further action is necessary. Make sure your floor team takes policy enforcement seriously, establish the level of enforcement that will be used, clearly define what level of penalty they may hand down, and make sure they understand the importance of communication among judges—floor staff to floor staff, and floor staff to head judge and TO.

The players need to know that you take the established guidelines seriously, or they will have no reason to take them seriously themselves. It’s good to work on building a rapport with the players you work with, but don’t let people get away with things they shouldn’t. You need to enforce the smaller penalties too: warnings and the occasional game loss set a tone that players will adapt to. Trust me, you don’t want to go from a totally casual approach—generating a sense of “we can do whatever we want” among your players—and then start handing out game and match losses to players who have never really viewed you as an authority figure.

When you let players flout the edges of any policy (whether it’s because you’re not comfortable being authoritative or you want to gain their good will), they rarely take the game seriously. They don’t take you seriously, either, and you will not earn the reputation of a dependable judge. You don’t have to be a brute about rules enforcement and player management—you should always take player’s ages and experience into account—but if you’re afraid to assert your authority or treat players in a lax manner just so they’ll like you, then you’re not helping anyone. Your players won’t know how to behave at larger events (and will likely incur penalties there), and you won’t get picked for sponsorship to larger events.

The policy and penalty documents evolve over time, and a lot of needed changes start with input from the judges. If you want to help shape and influence policy, then you need to enforce the listed rules. Many of the categories are deliberately broad to allow you to penalize inappropriate behavior that’s not listed as an example. If you find a growing trend of misbehavior in your area, post it on the judge list so other judges can take a closer look at their own areas. Whatever the situation, we need you to do your best, in whatever role you take at an event, to keep this process moving along.