Referee

The referee of a role-playing game is a player with a special job. Rather than playing a single character, he plays all the non-player characters in the game as well as presenting the current scenario or adventure to the players.

Alternate Titles

Games frequently have their own title for the referee. Below is a list of examples and the games from which they derive.

• Administrator -- Top Secret
• Animator -- Toon
• Chronicler -- Witchcraft, Armageddon
• Director -- Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dungeoneer, Wushu
• Dungeon Master -- Dungeons & Dragons
• Editor -- Pandemonium! Adventures in Tabloid World
• Eminence Grise -- Agone
• Fate -- World of Synnibarr
• Gamejudge -- Phantasia
• Game Master -- GURPS, Shadowrun, Jovian Chronicles, 7th Sea, Torg, MasterBook, many others
• Holmeister -- HOL
• Hollyhock God -- Nobilis
• Host -- Castle Falkenstein, IronClaw, JadeClaw
• Judge -- Marvel Super Heroes
• Keeper of Arcane Lore (or simply Keeper) -- Call of Cthulhu
• Krom (the angry God of the Orks) -- Ork! The Roleplaying Game
• Kennel Master -- Woof Meow
• Loremaster -- The One Ring
• Man, The -- Starchildren
• Marshal -- Deadlands
• Mission Control -- Spycraft
• Mission Director -- RECON and RECON Modern Combat
• Moderator -- Blue Planet
• Narrator -- Star Trek
• Producer -- Primetime Adventures
• Referee -- Traveller, Teenagers From Outer Space, Mekton, Cyberpunk, Space: 1889, Star Frontiers
• SchoolMaster -- Alma Mater
• Storyguide -- Ars Magica
• Storyteller -- White Wolf's various games
• TWERPSMaster -- TWERPS, of course.
• Wulin Sage -- Weapons of the Gods
• Zombie Master -- All Flesh Must Be Eaten