Subject: Cheating and Magic: The hazards of Spectators (LONG) Date: Fri, 1 May 1998 21:52:06 -0500 From: Rick Poehling Newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy Greetings! With all of the recent posts on cheating, the only thing that anyone can agree on is that something must be done, and soon. It is hurting the game, to an almost irreparable level. The main thing I want to discuss in the following is that one unknown variable that exists in all competitive Magic: The Spectator. (Cue the ominous music) Where is the line drawn at spectator interference, and what should the rules say on this matter? Even when I started playing Magic, there were people who used to watch the game. You would see a particularily long duel, between two great players, and the natural tendency was to watch. They were creating something great with a game that you played too. Let's face a few facts up front here, folks: Magic is boring to watch if you aren't a player of this mad game. In that respect, it reminds me of my chess days, when people who watched games were almost exclusively players; it was the only way to appreciate the game. It was boring, except when you knew where to look for combos, and piece position. That is Magic for a lot of people; we use the people's cards in hand to imagine what will come next. It is fascinating, to be sure. But when it comes to cheating, that is where the similarities end. In chess, all the game is layed out for you to see. The rules are strict, and I dare to say that in tournament chess, it is next to impossible to cheat at all. That obviously is not the same for tourney Magic. So, where is the line in the sand? When do the spectators become helpful, and when are they just interfering? It's to easy to say that it should be at the discretion of the director; we need some sort of concrete rules for spectators. The answer is not to just ban them; they can provide a valuable service to the game, and most are quiet and respectful. What we need to do is say what offenses are worthy of the spectator going to get a judge for. Here is my take on the situation. (1)A spectator should not be able to call a judge, or make aware either player of a situation where the rules are being broken unintentionally. This is probably my most controversial topic, so here goes. The prime example was just brought up in a tourney report, in which a Seeker of Skybreak was used to untap an attacker, and both players felt that it did no damage. My point is that each player must not be told of this situation until the match in progress actually ends. This should be enforced, remember, by the spectators. If either player challenges the action, that is a new set of circumstances. But, no player should have an outside player showing someone the 'right' way to play Magic. Tourneys are, for now, still a one-on-one affair. The spectators should not be able to get a judge to halt this 'wrong' ruling until one of the players in the match notices it. Part of playing the game in competitive tourneys are having some extensive knowledge of the rules, and that knowledge should be considered part of competition. NOT for the other player to take advantage of. That must be clear. This rule would apply to only those situations where the supposed violation is without intent. This rule would be virtually unneccessary for the Pro Tour, as that level player demands knowledge of the rules to make it that far. (2)The spectator should refrain from getting a judge when the reality of the game clashes with his reality, as he thought the game should be. Imagine, for a moment. A spectator is watching the feature match tables at the Pro Tour. In between all of that action of the PT, he makes a simple mistake, and he gets a judge, telling him that one of the players on the tables is cheating by switching his life totals. In reality, of course, he either missed the change in life totals, or mixed up one table with another. Games are stopped, and maybe the unscrupulous player who will benefit from the spectator's interference tries to convince the judge he is right. Multiple warnings are given, and time to finish some of the matches is lost. Admittedly, a worse-case scenario. The point is that any player who plays this game should be keeping an eye on all facets of both his game, and the game of the opponent. That is a player responsibility, and should be only the player's responsibility. (3)A player who does go to the judge should wait one FULL turn before proceeding in his action. This is really the only way to weed out some cheaters. You have watched a game. The opponent has a long and complicated upkeep process, and he forgets his Forsaken Waste life loss. The spectator should wait until the next turn, to see if the player simply made an honest mistake, or if the infraction was justified. How does this jive with the above rule? The spectator in question must have been watching only this game: no others. He must have no ties to either player, and must report to the judge honestly and fairly. (4)If a spectator is witness to an incident that another player calls a judge over for, that spectator is obligated to then divluge his view on the situation. The spectator must have been watching the game for a significant amount of time, and have absolutely NO ties to either player. In other words, you have to be totally impartial. Period. If there is a conflict, and a judge knows you are a team member of that person, they must disregard your opinion on the matter as somewhat tainted. This brings me to my next point...... (5)All team members of a player's match in progress are not to watch the rest of that team's matches to conclusion. They must be a designated distance away from the playing area. To eliminate team cheating and collusion. If your team member is playing, he'll tell you about it later. You have to stay the fuck away. Stay out of the playing area, and go play ante, or something. (6)Above all, the player must be believed if it is solely his word against the spectator. This means that, all things considered, the player must be given the benefit of the doubt, when there is no other evidence besides merely your word against theirs, so to speak. The above is meant to spur discussion about this. I'm sure that there are flaws, and I say you should all point them out, and tell me what you think about this topic, and what the best way to fix it is. Yours in the Force, Rick Poehling _________________________________________________________________ |This message is the opinion ofRick Poehling:"A young Jedi......| |a pupil of mine, till he turned to evil."- Obi-wan Kenobi | | ***** | |"The worker does not necessarily gain when the capitalist gains, | |but he necessarily loses with him." - Karl Marx | | ***** | |"Objection, your Honor! This case is being tried on the temporal | |plane!" - Ben Stone | -----------------------------------------------------------------