Judge Guidelines

This guide contains advice and optional rules for whoever takes on the role of the Judge. These rules are not secret, but players may wish to spend more time reading the Player Guidelines.

As the Judge, you will invent and control the villains and supporting characters in the story. Your first job is to provide an exciting story for the heroes. Your second job is to judge the players' performance when they act out their Scripts. This is a position that requires responsibility, but not necessarily experience. It doesn't have to be hard to be in charge!

In addition, you may find that players look to you for guidance about the game in other respects: checking the rules, organizing game night, dealing with a rude player, etc. Those are not strictly your job, and it is okay to ask a player to do them.

Phase 1 Guide

Scripts and Accessibility

When the team is writing scripts initially, be aware of your players, and whether they may struggle with certain Requirements - very young players, shy players, or players with disabilities may require special attention, and asking (sometimes discreetly) if they are okay with certain Requirements can help. In some cases, it is appropriate to give one or more players a free point or two for each of their powers so that they don’t have so much memorization on their plate. Be cool about it.

Power Levels

It will be up to you to decide whether the effect that the players want from their moves fit within the power point allotment of their proposed scripts. You can ask them to make small revisions, to either decrease the effect of the power, or add/remove Requirements. You might give players extra points for writing something bigger into their script (perhaps a normal Gesture becomes a whole dance, worth 2 points).

Villain Scripts

As an optional rule, you may write scripts for the villains to use. Villains do not need to perform scripts, but you may write the scripts and act them out just for fun. As an optional rule, a special kind of script can be used in ‘continuing adventures’ with multiple game sessions - an Archvillain Monologue. The Judge, speaking for an Archvillain, may deliver a monologue once at the beginning or end of a session. The players then get to judge adherence to the Script, granting the villains an extra Villain Point in this session, or the next. An Archvillain Monologue might look like this:

CRYMORPHA'S PROMISE (W)(G)(P)(A)
    Wicked Queen Crymorpha: *Clutches Staff of Despair*   "So, you defeated me again, Mystic Warriors. But next time, [reference to Mystic Warrior's downfall wrapped in bad pun about current session]."

Phase 2 Guide

Contests

As the Judge, you decide when a Contest begins. It should be when either the hero or the villain is acting against the other, and when the outcome of that action or pursuit is uncertain (where the actor has a chance of success or failure). You are encouraged to allow Contests when the players ask for one, but should deny the request when one side has no reasonable chance of success (perhaps if the other side has a much higher Transformation Level). Contests can represent any conflict: an investigation, a chase, a wager, or a battle, and sometimes may occur even when one party is absent from the scene, if it makes sense that their prior efforts are being tested. A long investigation or battle may take up several Contests.

Each Contest is a chance for the players or the villain to earn points. Pay attention to how many Victory Points the players have, because once they have 5 or more, it is going to be the finale soon. When the players have nearly enough Victory Points to end the game, start moving the story toward a climactic finish if possible. When the heroes win a Contest, narrate the outcome with details that make it rewarding for the players when they get to use their Final Attack.

As an optional rule, you may adjust the number of Victory Points required to end the game. Reducing the number required might be done to shorten the game if players have to leave soon in real life. You can also increase the number required, which will make the game last longer, and will give your villain more chances to give the heroes a major setback or two. You might do this with patient players, with multi-part stories, or when everyone has time on their hands.

Playing the Bad Guys

Your most important job is to make a great villain for the heroes to defeat in a fun way. Make your villains tricky and clever, but not unbeatable. The villain starts with the Upper Hand and at a higher Transformation Level than the heroes. Make the villain threaten something, and play up its threat and its powers. Normally, the villain should start with a Transformation Level equal to one of the players' lower transformation levels.

When playing a villain, don't try to permanently crush the heroes (even if your villains would want to), but instead focus on winning Contests to earn Villain Points. Then, use those points to power up or cause problems. This makes a more exciting story. Eventually, the heroes will defeat the villain. There is no way for the villain to finish off the heroes for good, and setbacks are only temporary.

When you spend Villain Points to cause a setback, choose based on what makes the story interesting. If you choose to power up, it gives the players a chance to use another Transformation as well. You normally power up the villain to a Transformation Level that matches the players' higher (or highest) Transformation Level available in their moves. This calls on the players to act out more of their Transformation moves, if that is most exciting.

Choosing to make the heroes retreat doesn't encourage more Move usage directly, but it does mean players will have to regain the Upper Hand. You may also require the players to de-transform when they retreat, if appropriate. You can choose to make the players re-think their strategies, which is an opportunity for player creativity.

The last option is to have the players retreat and return to a mentor character (who the Judge controls) to grant them a new power. As an optional rule, you may allow the players to write a new Move - perhaps a powerful Final Attack. Teamwork moves are recommended in these situations. Let the players write the Move, but afterwards you may act out the mentor character teaching it to them.

Judging Script Adherence

There is a lot of wiggle room in judging when and whether a player’s effort is enough to satisfy the script’s Requirements, and activate their powers. With some players, the game will be more fun if you give them some slack. On the other hand, with some groups that have a history of perfect deliveries, you may be more stringent - let’s say, a real stickler - or you may insist that more details be included during script-writing.

Words - Judge based on reciting the words exactly. There should be no missing words, or words out of order. A real stickler would listen to hear punctuation!

Gestures - Judge based on whether written or pictorial instructions were followed. If, during the writing segment of the game, you see a player act out gestures, base your judgment on how well their performance in Phase 2 matches their rehearsal in Phase 1. A real stickler would see if their movements align with their words, prop use, or musical cues.

Props - Judge based on whether the prop is held/worn, and used or donned as described. A real stickler will look to see that the prop is used in conjunction with any gestures or music.

Ad-Libs - Judge to see if the ad-lib delivered matches the description of the ad-lib on the script. A real stickler would note whether the ad-lib fits a character’s personality or fits the situation well. Here are some examples of appropriate lines for different descriptions, if the players were fighting a clown-themed villain.
   [Bold assertion] : “We’re gonna kick this clown’s butt!”
   [Bad wordplay] : “I didn’t want to fight, but beggars can’t big-shoes-ers!”
   [Ironic quip] : “This time the joke is on you, joker!”
   [Insult to villain] : “Talk about a bad hair day!”
   [Supportive words] : “Don’t let that clown get you down!”
   [Boring statement] : “I’m ready, too!”
   [Orders to teammates] : “Now, focus your attacks on his trick flower!”

Music - Judge based on whether the player hits the right button to start their musical cue at the right time. This music should be picked out and button set up ahead of the scriptwriting phase of play. Make sure the player has access to their button when they need it, but it is up to them to remember that they have a musical cue in their script. A real stickler would penalize even when equipment fails (perhaps noting their superhero equipment failed, too). However, if setting up music with action buttons is too difficult, your group can decide music will not be used as a script requirement. Even then, it can be fun to put on some music while playing.

If you must give a player a Thumbs Down for their performance on a Move, try to be gracious about it. It's a good idea to usually pick the consequence that is the least punishing for that player. Be as clear as possible about what they need to change next time. If absolutely necessary, you can allow them to read over their script again before the next scene, or you might decide to be nice to your friend and just give them a Thumbs Up next time. You be the Judge.

Continuing Adventures

MAGIC WORDS is designed for one-shot games played all in one sitting. However, as an optional rule, you can play again with the same heroes and characters. Phase 1 should be shorter, as past Moves are already written. Players may write new Moves, though the Judge may limit the number of new moves added in one session, and every player should still have the same number of total Moves. In Phase 2, the Judge will introduce a new or returning villain who must be defeated as normal.

Archvillains - In a continuing adventure, the Judge may introduce a mysterious Archvillain who is behind the appearance of the ordinary villains. Optionally, Archvillains may use special scripts to grant lesser villains extra Villain Points (see above).