Arbitrary rulings is one of the most common false criticisms of the “Rulings, not rules” mindset.

I’ve played some of my favorite games with referees who made bad rulings on a whim. It sucked.

That wasn’t a problem of the rules or the game. The problem was not “old school” games. The problem was random, arbitrary, capricious rulings made while running an “old school” game.

All role-playing games require rulings. No role-playing game can eliminate rulings. No rule set can cover every situation. Unless your rule set strictly forbids doing anything that is not spelled out by the rules then the referee will have to make a ruling sooner or later.

I’ve seen plenty of bad rulings while playing in games using a variety of systems. New. Old. Rules Light. Rules Heavy. Fiction First. Hard core simulations. “Cinematic” games. It didn’t matter what category of RPG we were playing. All of them require a ruling. A referee making a bad call is just…bad.

Classic adventure games happen to require more rulings than other types of games. Because very few game books teach you how to make rulings, a lot of game masters really suck at it.

In this essay, I’m going to clear up why good rulings are not arbitrary and offer you some suggestions about how to make a good ruling.

What makes for a good ruling is context dependent but there are basic principles you can keep in mind.

Good referees do not make arbitrary rulings.

Sometimes you have to go with your gut and make a call on a feeling. Feeling is a poor default mode.

Having a process that you run through in your mind produces better results.

Skilled referees make rulings based on one or more of the following elements. These are not in any particular order. One criteria will be more important in one game, less so in another.

• Genre conventions of the game’s literary inspirations
• Extant rules, procedures, and dice mechanisms
• Custom and culture of the game group
• Knowledge about the game setting
• General knowledge about our world
• Common sense.

Genre Conventions

Every role-playing game I’ve ever played has had some sort of literary genre preceding it. There were fantasy stories before D&D. Cyberpunk 2020 was based on the stories of William Gibson and Phillip K Dick. Call of Cthulu, is based on the horror of HP Lovecraft and his contemporaries. These stories have genre defining conventions that you can use to make rulings.

If I’m running a horror game based on slasher movies, the car the player character is trying to use for escape will have a dead battery. A double bitted axe or a chainsaw that starts with a single pull will be in the trunk of that car. Those rulings fit the genre conventions.

To improve the quality of rulings based on genre, familiarize yourself with that genre. Simple.

Beware if you are running a game where different genres overlap. If you are running a spy game set in the Cold War, be clear to the players if you are doing a James Bond kind of game or if you doing something approximating real spies. Those are different. James Bond genre conventions are not the same as those in Bourne Identity.

Extant rules, procedures, and dice mechanisms

The first section after the introduction in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide by Gary Gygax is about using dice. Gary was well aware that rulings were a necessary part of being a good Dungeon Master. The tool kit of the DM includes rules and dice. Knowing how dice probability works is a useful tool when there is no rule for the thing the player wants to do.

You make an educated scientific wild ass guess about how likely it is for a character to accomplish the thing they are attempting and select an appropriate die mechanism. Fairly straight forward.

Learning basic dice probability, maybe printing out tables and sticking them in a reference binder would be a start. Reading other game systems and how they work is also helpful. Nobody cares if you use a dice mechanic from another game if the outcome is satisfactory.

Custom and culture of the game group

Like any social group, your game group will develop a culture over time. You’ll make a ruling and that becomes a house rule. In a similar situation you apply the same or similar ruling. If you play multiple games, customs around how you discuss rule or ruling questions will develop. Your group might not resolve the same issue like another group.

Personalities, preferences, and dynamics of the relationships all effect the culture of a group.

Knowledge about the game setting

This can be important and it can be relatively insignificant depending on the game and setting you play.

Games like Amber Diceless Roleplay require a relatively high level of knowledge about the setting. You cannot run or play that game without knowing Zelazney’s Amber books.

If you are playing a game based on blood feuds in 10th century Iceland, you need to know about Vikings, the Althing, and the major sagas.

If you are creating your own setting then you can make it up as you go along and get away with it.

General knowledge about our world

As a general idea, it is wise to be a life long learner. Read and watch educational material across broad domains. It helps to develop your understanding of yourself, what’s going on around you and, how to navigate the confusing and uncertain world. This applies to making rulings.

A game master’s improvisation, worldbuilding, and adventure building is benefited by a practice of reading. You will build a library of analogies in your mind. You can use them when an unusual situation comes up in your games.

Follow your curiosity. No need to make self learning a tedious and miserable experience. Read whatever interests you. Read essays, poems, novels. It doesn’t matter. The important part is that you read.

Carry a book, a electronic reading tablet, or install a e-reader app on your phone. Instead of scrolling social media read a poem.

Common Sense

Make rulings based on life experience. If you know there is no way the skinny wizard is going to make that jump, say so.

A series of good questions

A ruling is built on a series of questions. Game rules and mechanism are tools used to answer a question. Will the purple worm eat the foolhardy paladin whole? Can the thief cut the merchant’s purse without being noticed?

When you are making a ruling, start with the question being asked. When you aren’t sure how to find out the answer, start ticking down the list of criteria for a good ruling.

What would Amon Thoth do?

Does the search for secret doors roll apply to a cave entrance hidden by overgrown vines?

What seems like a reasonable percent chance that the monster will slip on the banana peal?

How do we normally resolve this sort of situation?

Who do the goblins hate more in my campaign world? Orcs or adventurers?

Collaborate with the players

There are other people at the table who can contribute to your ruling. Good ideas can come from anyone. Everyone knows something you don’t know.

I frequently ask my players what they think would be a fair way to resolve the outcome. They may have a good idea. If the outcome is negative, the character meeting his doom will be met with greater acceptance.

Merely asking can engender future trust and collaboration in the group.

Review and Conclusion

Games that leave a lot of room for the referee to make rulings are not inherently flawed. A “Rulings, not rules” approach is one of many possible ways a game can be designed to resolve the dramatic questions of a game. Games like that put a lot of trust and responsibility onto the shoulders of the referee.

High quality rulings are not a random whim.

Good rulings are reasoned, considered, and not 100% right every time.

You will make mistakes. No one is perfect. That’s OK. If you are honest and candid about your screw ups, your friends will forgive and forget.

You will get better with practice. Making good rulings is a skill and the more you do it, you will improve. Observe, and learn from your mistakes. I hope these guidelines help.