First, to all the judges and potential judges who are reading this, I’d like to say, “Thanks for judging. You rock!” You really do. It’s a hard job without a lot of immediate rewards, but it’s completely necessary for Organized Play. My goal with this column has always been to improve our lot as judges, and in this article (and the next) I’m going to do that by carefully describing the responsibilities of the floor judge. Duties for floor (or assistant) judges are varied—while all judges show up for their first event knowing that they’re supposed to answer rules questions, there are other jobs that they often don’t know about. Let’s take a closer look at what floor judges are expected to do at a Yu-Gi-Oh! event.
As a floor judge, you’re there to help run the event, ensure that the participants play correctly, and keep things fair and professional. It should go without saying that if you are there to judge, that’s all you should do. You may not register to play in the event.
Floor judges should follow all of the responsibilities laid out for the players (you can find a run-down of those in my last Solid Ground article), as well as the following responsibilities.
Maintain an expert level of knowledge of game and tournament rules.
Well, yeah . . . this is a big part of the job! Floor judges should make every effort to keep up with the rules, from new game mechanics to individual card rulings to tournament policies and penalty guidelines. There are some excellent resources available for you. The gameplay and card ruling FAQs on UDE’s Yu-Gi-Oh! site are a solid beginning. Certified judges should sign up for UDE’s Yu-Gi-Oh! judge mailing list. This provides access to UDE-recognized rules authorities that can answer specific questions and also send out updates and corrections as necessary.
If you’re already active online, then you can maintain contact with your fellow judges through the message boards, especially if there aren’t any other judges living in your area. Discussing rules with other judges can help keep you up-to-date and give you a new insight into the game. The players and other staff members will expect you to know your stuff, so make time to study and keep up so that you’ll be prepared.
Arrive at a tournament site 30 minutes before the first round begins.
This is the recommended minimum, since you should always talk to the TO and find out when he or she would like you to be on site. Most large events will have the judge staff in at least an hour early to make sure everything is ready when the event is scheduled to start. Head judges and TOs alike view punctuality as a good trait in a floor judge. If you’re late, you can throw off the start time of the whole tournament while shifting your share of the work onto your fellow judges. This is not a good way to become popular, so make every possible effort to get where you need to be before you need to be there. If you’re running late for some reason—your car broke down, you got bad directions from the Internet, or if you were honest-to-goodness captured by aliens—call immediately and let the TO or head judge know.
Observe the tournament area and players at all times.
Keep an eye on the event! There are plenty of duelists who let out a hearty bellow of “JUDGE!!” and wave their arms like they’ve suddenly caught fire when they need assistance, but others haven’t quite mastered the art of such obtrusiveness. You also need to scan the event to head off other kinds of trouble. Unfortunately, players might engage in inappropriate behavior from time to time, such as intimidating other players or passing signals to their teammates. Things like this are less likely to happen at an event where the judges are actively looking around and patrolling the area.
When you’re judging, you should be on your feet and moving. It’s okay to stop for a short break now and then, but you shouldn’t make a habit of continually plunking down on a table and gazing abstractedly at the event. Judging is physically demanding and if you aren’t habitually active, it can be a tough adjustment—but it’s part of the job.
Be sure you circulate around the room. Don’t sit down and watch an individual match ten minutes into the round, or hover around the back tables when there’s not much going on. Players need to see you walking up and down the tables, because that’s how they’re going to accept your identity as a judge.
Act in a mature, responsible manner at all times.
If you’re there to judge, you’re a representative of both UDE and the TO. Don’t behave in a way that will make either of them regret it! It’s not always easy to be calm, mature, and professional when you’re working at an event full of players who can be disorderly or disrespectful, but it’s vital that you keep your cool.
The more reliable and level-headed you are, the higher the head judge and TO will think of you. This includes before and after the event, as well as in person and online. A judge should not behave inappropriately on a forum or in a chat room, because anything posted there can come back to haunt you. You should always think before you speak, act, or type, so you can make sure that your impression as a judge is a positive one.
Perform deck checks in a fast and accurate manner.
Most events will have a random deck check each round. If you’re selected to perform the check, do it quickly and do it right. Each deck should take only five minutes to check, but it does take some practice, especially if you’ve got a massive fusion deck to look through as well. Learn the list of limited and forbidden cards for the event that you’re judging, so you won’t have to ask another judge or consult a list to see if a card is illegal or not. Separate the deck into monsters, spells, and traps, and check off each card. Do this for the main deck, for the side deck, and for the fusion deck, and count carefully to make sure all three are of legal size.
Speed is important, but so is accuracy. You don’t want to miss an illegal card, or mark a deck that has only 37 cards in it as “checked.” If you find any discrepancies between the deck and the decklist, let the head judge know immediately. When you return the deck to the player, make sure you’ve brought back all the cards (sometimes the side deck can get overlooked in the rush), give him or her a time extension (usually whatever time you took to check the deck, plus a minute or so to give them time to shuffle thoroughly), and remind the player to pay particular attention to shuffling, because the deck has been separated into card types. Make sure the players understand the need to reshuffle thoroughly. Believe me, if you don’t remind them and they start the duel with the decks as they are, they’re going to blame you when they draw a spell card for fourteen turns in a row.
Dress in professional attire that clearly marks him or her as a judge.
For most judges, this is black pants—not jeans, not shorts, and sadly not skirts—black shoes, and a UDE judge shirt. If a UDE shirt is not available, judges might wear a shirt with the TO’s logo, a shirt from a Yu-Gi-Oh! Sneak Preview, or a plain black shirt. Talk to the TO before the event to make sure you know what to wear. Wear the most comfortable pair of good-looking black shoes that you own, because you will be on your feet for a long, long time. It’s much easier to be pleasant if your feet aren’t killing you.
Avoid wearing judge clothing when not judging a tournament.
If you’re working at a large event, like Origins, and you have the good fortune to be released from your judge duties while events are still going on, then by all means, get out there and play! You’ve earned it . . .
. . . just don’t do it in your judge shirt. It’s very confusing for the players, and not only that, it’s against UDE policy. Change into your “player” uniform, stretch out, and relax. Now doesn’t that feel great?
Avoid playing games, trading of cards, or participating in other inappropriate activities that would distract the judge in any way from the tournament or appear unprofessional.
This one can catch newer judges by surprise. If you’re judging, you need to resist the temptation to look through binders for cards to trade or to sit down for a casual game with another player. Don’t set yourself up as a deck doctor, either. You also shouldn’t walk around the floor talking on your cell phone. It takes your mind off of your job.
Even worse, if the head judge comes over to see why one judge is running around frantically answering rules questions in your section of the tables and finds you involved in card trading while sharing a slice of pizza with a competitor, it makes you look really bad. While we’re on the subject of food, know that judging isn’t quite like any other job, because you don’t get a lunch hour. Food breaks are short, and you’ll usually take them while keeping one eye on the floor so you can jump up and attend to something if you’re needed.
Do not check yourself out for a break. Instead, ask the head judge or TO if you can go and eat. Usually the head judge will set up a rotating schedule of breaks so that everyone can get off the floor and get some food, ask about that before the event starts if you’re concerned about it. Usually, everyone will get one or two breaks. You can’t just decide to have an impromptu sit-down and bite to eat if you feel like having a snack or you think that the tournament has hit a lull. When it’s your turn, eat in the judge area. Judges should never eat while walking around on the floor, but drinking from a bottle of water is usually okay. If you have a bona-fide medical condition that requires you to eat often, discuss it with the head judge and TO before the event.
If you are on a break, use it for eating and attending to any important personal matters, like a bathroom break or a necessary phone call. Don’t pull out a video game and start playing it, and don’t put on your headphones and listen to some MP3s. You always need to look accessible and be ready to work.
That’ll do it for this week! A floor judge has many duties and responsibilities, and I want to make sure to give each one precise attention. Next time I’ll cover the rest of them to help you improve your understanding of floor duties even more. Head judges and TOs love floor judges who are prompt, energetic, knowledgeable and self-starting. If you’ve been working towards making a name for yourself in the judge pool, then make sure to catch the next article in the series. See you then!