Hey all i just got back from wizard world chicago and i witnessed judges yelling at players for makeing mistakes, they were incredibly rude and just sat around like they diden't care what happened in the game. Their were a few judges that were nice but most of them were ####s. I don't think ude judges should be asking for cigarettes ether, i'm discouraged to play ude tournements anymore just because the judges treat the games like their a job not a source of fun and enjoyment. And no i'm not a 10 year old that enjoys bagging on people.

Sometimes the players act like its their job in the first place.

I am sorry to hear that so many had problems with the Judges and that quite a few came off with a bad impresion of UDE Judges in general.

Do know that many judges around the world are nice, kind, helpful, and do not degrade (when we can help it).

So I ask not to judge the many by the actions of a few.

Two things of suggestion though.

You could talk to those who were good judges, or those who hosted the event to see if something can be done.

You could also become a Judge yourself, to make sure someone is doing it right.

Many of us, as UDE Judges, work hard to make sure everyone is having a good time, the rulings are correct, and that all goes as well as can be.
As the system gets better, as time goes on, this is how it should be for all judges.

Eat, drink, and be merry for I hope you can enjoy future UDE Tournaments with good UDE Judges.

This makes me a sad panda.:cry:

I would not let one bad experience keep you from enjoying an excellent game. Since I do not know the details of the specific situation you are referring to, I would not be able to comment much.

When I was mostly playing at events, I personally do not recall having any bad judges and now that I judge, I do my best to behave in a professional manor at all times.

Please remember in most cases the judges were their setting up 2 or 3 hours before you got there and in the case of a convention, it is a strong chance they were there very late the night before. What you saw as not caring may have just been fatigue.

I'm sure I have appeared that way a few times because I have done some pretty crazy things to judge the game I love. For example, I judged 8AM to 1AM at tournament in Nashville, TN then drove to Charlotte, NC and judged from 12:00 pm to 9pm the very next day. I assure you I was feeling tired and my fatigued look could have been mistaken for apathy.

Did he judge ask you for a cigarette? If so and you did not know the judge, then I would agree with you. But if you just saw a judge asking another player for a cigarette, then you should not really be making that comment. You do not know the relationship they might have. They may just know each other in passing, or they could even be friends.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by that, but I see taken your role seriously as a good thing. While I do enjoy judging, as I judge I can't just get buddy buddy with all the players. That can lead to inadvertent or just apparent favoritism which is not good for the game at all.

Judges have guidelines and specific responsibilities they have to follow and it is a job. One that most do not get paid for. In short, unless you know all the details, try not be so quick to find fault in the judges. Also keep in mind that UDE judging program is still very new and many are still going though the learning curve of judging.

As a judge at Wizard World Chicago who was there all three days and present for all of the events I can say with certainty that no judge raised there voice in manner even approaching yelling at a player. I know that the head judge would have been on top of any situation like that in a second and been sure that the ruling wasn't tainted by the high emotions of an intense game.

Since your dropping your post on Sunday I'll assume that your experience is only from the events today? I'll just tell you that its hard to be enthusiastic about judging when its you've been on your feet for at least eight hours on sunday and having judged the previous day for at least 14 hours(and 16 hours on friday). Also consider that it is in fact a job in which we are compensated for our time and are asked to be as professional and to show professionalism in all our interatctions with players and observers. In hindsight I would say that we did a really excellent job!

Also its not our job to watch every game that is going on and to insure that every play of every game is legal. We are there to keep an eye on the general proceedings and answer specific questions and deal with the more complex gaming situations that arrise. Only in the finals of an event or after time is called will you see a judge actually moniter the events of a match in some level of minuta.

As for that cigarette thing.... I mean come on when your jones'in for a cig and you can't leave the hall for any extended period of time you got to start asking! I know I would if I were a smoker.

For players: Pretend like your judge can at any moment reach across a table and rip yer heart out and act with the appropriate respect.

For judges: Remember that you can reach across a table and rip out a players heart at will and never do so.

In nearly 10 years, only 1 person has ever deigned to test my limits as a judge. I let him off easy (after he cursed me out loudly and repeatedly) by banning him from all further tournaments, but man, my heart-ripping fingers were ALL itchy.

There is never a reason to yell because you can always say "you... are... ejected" and end the conversation

In my experience, the UDE reps are far nicer than most judges. Several judges are very unprofessional and do not treat judging as a job. If any of my co-workers acted like some of the judges, they would have been let go. The UDE reps that I have spoken to are very professional and are there to work and promote the product. They are usually well organized and conduct themselves as someone that is working should.

I can list several examples of the lack of professionalism but I would rather just give a suggestion. Judges should remove themselves if they have friends or relatives in the tournament they are judging and a judges decision should be able to be esculated to a higher authority since I am sure several people have examples of judge errors.

Hello,

I was the Head judge for the $10k event at Wizard World Chicago. I was the large, tall bald guy in the UDE Judge shirt! I believe the event went pretty smoothly overall. We had a few tough calls, but the rounds were turned around in a timely manner. I felt our judges did a good job with the event.

Unfortunately, I am unable to see and hear every conversation or ruling made by our judges unless it is appealed to me. This being a newer game with both veteran card game players and new players, also will have judges that are new to both the game and the overall tournament scene. I know I am interested in hearing feedback from players about the event. If there was a problem with a specific judge or incident, I would like to hear detailed info about it. We need feedback to help us to run high quality events. If anyone wished to e-mail me about this please do so. My e-mail is [email protected]. Feedback can also be sent to the Tournament Organizer, Alan Hochman at [email protected]. Please e-mail Alan if the feedback involves me specifically. Thanks again for a good event and I look forward to you feedback!

Scott Lelivelt

Don't take this guy to heart guys.

The event was smooth, and well run.

I never heard a judge raising his voice at any point in any of the events so it could not have been that loud.

The judes did a good job with the intent vs. letter of the law balance and acted in a proper manner at all points that I witnessed them.

The only bad point a could call on is that a judge had to leave to make a ruling call and converse with his fellows. Thy got the rule correct and this is to be commended as well. I agree this is very minute, just used as a point to prove how well this event went.

Good job guys.

Why would i lie? And i diden't play in the 10k i played mostly drafts on all 3 days. And yes i and my freind were asked for ciggaretts and i did not know the guy. I'm not trying to stir beef up with anyone i'm just trying to get the point across that people should not have to have crude judges. And srlo1970 you were one of the better guys, i realize you guys have long days.

thanks
-john

This is absolutely the wrong mode of thinking.

Following your logic, I should not be allowed to judge _any_ tournaments, since at any given 10K tournament or a Pro Circuit I will know someone.

I consider myself very fair and I have assigned penalties to people that I consider my friends (with whom I may have been pleasantly chatting in between rounds).

Knowing someone in a tournament doesn't mean that you should avoid contact with that player as a judge. For example, if your friend calls a judge, it's okay to go and make a ruling at his table. It does mean that you should limit personal contact with your friends that are playing in the tournament to in between rounds.

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and a judges decision should be able to be esculated to a higher authority since I am sure several people have examples of judge errors.

While everyone makes mistakes, there are a number of mechanisms available to player to protect them against those mistakes.

As a player you can always appeal to the Head Judge if you think that a judge made an incorrect ruling.

If you think a judge is acting unprofessionally, you can always talk to the Head Judge. If you think the Head Judge is acting unprofessionally, you can always talk to the Tournament Organizer.

There will always be examples of judge errors. More importantly there will always be baseless accusations that "UDE Judges suck." Please think before you post. I am sure most players would take offense if I posted that "players are clueless and do not know how the chain works." And yes I have specific examples of this.

Take care,

Mr. Charsky

I am not saying that you should not judge in any tournament that you know people, you just should remove yourself from judging any matches that involve friends or relatives. Since even smaller tournaments have more than 1 judge for the entire event, let them adjudicate those matches.

As for the thread title "UDE Judges Suck", I agree that that is an inappropriate statement. Not all judges are bad, but unfortunately, a few can ruin the reputation of the many. Word of mouth travels quickly and a player may tell 1 friend about a good judge but they will tell anyone that will listen about a bad judge.

I was there and I thought the judging was fine.