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Combat Referee

101 statements
18 feature instances
20 referencing feature instances

Combat Referee	type	FeatureClass
Combat Referee	label	Combat Referee
Combat Referee	page	CombatReferee
Combat Referee	comment	When some authority or power dictates what counts as "fighting fair" and actively enforces these rules on the battlefield. Almost always a neutral party in regards to the fighting itself, they exist solely to make sure the rules of battle are followed and punish those who break them. Their presence is often justified — if the fighting in question is a Tournament or Blood Sport, for example — but they'll just as easily show up in real battle-to-the-death combat, in which case their presence may cause large amounts of Fridge Logic. Liberal application of the MST3K Mantra is recommended. Expect an evil or ruthless character to attack the Combat Referee at some point; this may result in the heroes being forced into a no-rules grudge match, or it may prompt the referee to deal with his attackers himself via overwhelming force.
Combat Referee	fetched	2023-05-16T02:44:29Z
Combat Referee	parsed	2023-05-16T02:44:29Z
Combat Referee	processingComment	Dropped link to InevitableTournament: Not an Item - FEATURE
Combat Referee	processingComment	Dropped link to RandomNumberGod: Not an Item - FEATURE
Combat Referee	processingComment	Dropped link to RuleZero: Not an Item - FEATURE
Combat Referee	processingComment	Dropped link to TournamentArc: Not an Item - FEATURE
Combat Referee	isPartOf	DBTropes
Combat Referee / int_135f4195	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_135f4195	comment	In Dune, the Sardaukar are primarily used like this, as a way to maintain the balance of power. Because of this, The Emperor has to go to great lengths to hide their intervention in the Atreides-Harkonnen conflict, since it exceeded his authority.
Combat Referee / int_135f4195	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_135f4195	featureConfidence	1.0
Dune	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_135f4195
Combat Referee / int_18ce5aab	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_18ce5aab	comment	The first Samurai Shodown had a kendo judge who was in the background for each stage and would wave a flag to indicate a hit and call the round once one character was defeated. The character disappeared from most stages after a while, though he still shows up in the dojo stage of most games. In the second game, he is a secret playable character who uses his flags as weapons.
Combat Referee / int_18ce5aab	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_18ce5aab	featureConfidence	1.0
Samurai Shodown (Video Game)	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_18ce5aab
Combat Referee / int_193f6428	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_193f6428	comment	The old arena mech combat game, Battledrome, had a referee that looked like a Frisbee. It handed out fines and disqualifications for firing banned weapons, shooting at the ref, or leaving the arena.
Combat Referee / int_193f6428	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_193f6428	featureConfidence	1.0
Starsiege (Video Game)	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_193f6428
Combat Referee / int_2f90633c	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_2f90633c	comment	In Manehattan's Lone Guardian, Shining Armor serves this role for the duel between Leviathan and Gray Ghost, explaining the match's rules, providing Gray with a shield to make things between the combatants even, and periodically chiming in to let them know how much time is left.
Combat Referee / int_2f90633c	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_2f90633c	featureConfidence	1.0
Manehattan's Lone Guardian (Fanfic)	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_2f90633c
Combat Referee / int_3565350a	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_3565350a	comment	Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and its sequel Final Fantasy Tactics A2 have Judges, which enforce arbitrary Laws during combat in order to force restrictions on the player. The presence of the Judges is justified in both games: In the first game, the Judges exist due to the nature of Mewt's subconscious desire to keep the world of Ivalice in existence. With Judges making combat as difficult as possible, the protagonists will have a harder time accomplishing their goals. As for Final Fantasy Tactics A2, Judges were created in ages past in order to prevent the meaningless deaths of clan members. Clans voluntarily adjudge themselves in order to gain the protection of the judge; adjudged clan's members cannot die in battle. The cost of this protection is following relatively simple rules of combat.
Combat Referee / int_3565350a	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_3565350a	featureConfidence	1.0
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (Video Game)	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_3565350a
Combat Referee / int_3da16a83	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_3da16a83	comment	Robot Jox: The Giant Mecha duels that have taken the place of international warfare are presided over by referees wearing black-and-white striped uniforms. It's never established where their authority derives from or how their neutrality is assured.
Combat Referee / int_3da16a83	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_3da16a83	featureConfidence	1.0
Robot Jox	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_3da16a83
Combat Referee / int_7a55e957	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_7a55e957	comment	Blood Bowl, being on the borderline of Blood Sport and all-out warfare with rugby rules tacked on, naturally have this. The two main rules Blood Bowl referees enforce are fouling (that is, Kick Them While They Are Down; Unnecessary Roughness is a-ok) and unsanctioned foreign objects (anything with the 'secret weapon' rule, which includes chainsaws, bandoliers of bombs and driving a steamroller onto the pitch). Unfortunately, being outnumbered 22-to-1 on the pitch (with another order of magnitude added when the fans are added to the mix) means most of them become an Easily-Distracted Referee as a matter of survival, and that's before the rampant and systemic bribery is added to the mix (the referees labour union has a minimum rate for an acceptable bribe, with only goblins being allowed to bid lower). 5th edition put a twist on the trope by adding literal 'combat' to the referee's power. While normal referees work the same way as usual, there exist Famous Referees who will enforce their rulings through violence on the pitch if the teams decide to play rough. One of them brings a chainsaw to the field himself.
Combat Referee / int_7a55e957	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_7a55e957	featureConfidence	1.0
Blood Bowl (Tabletop Game)	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_7a55e957
Combat Referee / int_82643b4b	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_82643b4b	comment	Zoids: New Century has its Judge robots, which enforce the rules of the mecha Blood Sport that the series revolves around. They take this role extremely seriously, up to and including enforcing the rules with orbital bombardments from a fleet of Kill Sats. The Backdraft Group also has their own judge robots, which deliberately ignore the rules to help their team win.
Combat Referee / int_82643b4b	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_82643b4b	featureConfidence	1.0
Zoids: New Century	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_82643b4b
Combat Referee / int_8966a34	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_8966a34	comment	Mr. Referee from Medabots plays this role, and can enforce his decisions with a Kill Sat!
Combat Referee / int_8966a34	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_8966a34	featureConfidence	1.0
Medabots (Video Game)	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_8966a34
Combat Referee / int_8e114ae6	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_8e114ae6	comment	In Popcorn Avatar, Jagannath plays this role for the dispute between the Devas and Asuras. Though technically he's only shows up when someone breaks the agreed-upon rules between the two parties, or when a special-case exemption has to be made.
Combat Referee / int_8e114ae6	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_8e114ae6	featureConfidence	1.0
Popcorn Avatar (Manga)	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_8e114ae6
Combat Referee / int_93a07966	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_93a07966	comment	Fate/Apocrypha is unusual in the Fate series by having fourteen Servants summoned in two opposing factions instead of the usual seven in a free-for-all. This causes the appearance of yet another Servant, the Ruler, to maintain order in the conflict. Of course, with so many legendary figures and competing interests it's only a matter of time until things go completely off the rails and Ruler has to get directly involved.
Combat Referee / int_93a07966	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_93a07966	featureConfidence	1.0
Fate/Apocrypha	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_93a07966
Combat Referee / int_959dd815	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_959dd815	comment	Professional Wrestling referees are this in Kayfabe, though of course not in real life.
Combat Referee / int_959dd815	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_959dd815	featureConfidence	1.0
Professional Wrestling	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_959dd815
Combat Referee / int_a2c7e6ce	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_a2c7e6ce	comment	Referees also exist in robot combat, such as Robot Wars and BattleBots. Their most common purpose is to initiate countdowns, boxing-style, if one or more of the robots is unable to move, though they also do other tasks like making sure all bots and operators follow the rules, and in rare cases, stopping a match in case both robots get tangled up on each other or if dangerous substances have been spilled onto the arena (such as battery acid or, in one case, one bot's abrasive armor that created clouds of fine particulates any time it was hit).
Combat Referee / int_a2c7e6ce	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_a2c7e6ce	featureConfidence	1.0
Robot Wars	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_a2c7e6ce
Combat Referee / int_bd310eaa	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_bd310eaa	comment	In El Goonish Shive all the immortals collectively act as referees for all the other immortals. If any immortal breaks their rules against noninterference except through guiding and empowering, the rest of them immediately know and will force a reset. As we see with Pandora, after she ends a battle in a terrifyingly brutal and effective manner.
Combat Referee / int_bd310eaa	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_bd310eaa	featureConfidence	1.0
El Goonish Shive (Webcomic)	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_bd310eaa
Combat Referee / int_e5c5bc22	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_e5c5bc22	comment	Both the Classic and GURPS version of Traveller. Book 4 Mercenaries said that the Imperium reserved the right to intervene in military actions within its borders to prevent them from getting out of hand. One action that almost always provoked intervention was the use of WMDs, such as nuclear weapons. In the GURPS version the Imperium is more flexible about using nukes in space. Fewer people live there and there is a lot of, well, space, in space.
Combat Referee / int_e5c5bc22	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_e5c5bc22	featureConfidence	1.0
GURPS (Tabletop Game)	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_e5c5bc22
Combat Referee / int_eab90aec	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_eab90aec	comment	In the Yakuza / The Rising of the Shield Hero Crossover fanfic The Shield's Dragon, the events of the race between Naofumi and Motoyatsu (for the lordship of Lute Village) from canon is now mediated by the Gauntlet Hero - Kazuma Kiryu, who helps to enforce fair play by beating the crap out of Princess Malty's knights who were attempting to rig the race to the Spear Hero's favor. There will be no cheating under his watch.
Combat Referee / int_eab90aec	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_eab90aec	featureConfidence	1.0
Yakuza (Video Game)	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_eab90aec
Combat Referee / int_ec9965ca	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_ec9965ca	comment	The original The Culture novel, Consider Phlebas, has a form of this. On a planet set up as a museum/memorial to a dead species by one of The Sublimed, the characters have to take care not to piss it off by causing too much collateral damage.
Combat Referee / int_ec9965ca	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_ec9965ca	featureConfidence	1.0
The Culture	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_ec9965ca
Combat Referee / int_f1fbeee0	type	Combat Referee
Combat Referee / int_f1fbeee0	comment	Destroy the Godmodder: It is canonical that the game masters are actual characters who shape the narrative of the game through an Update Terminal, and act as this to make sure things don't get too out of hand. This of course is something they don't always succeed at. In Destroy the Godmodder 2 its GM, TwinBuilder, was physically summoned to the Battlefield as an entity, and continued to play this role while existing on the front lines of the war.
Combat Referee / int_f1fbeee0	featureApplicability	1.0
Combat Referee / int_f1fbeee0	featureConfidence	1.0
Destroy the Godmodder (Roleplay)	hasFeature	Combat Referee / int_f1fbeee0

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

Combat Referee	processingCategory2	Characters as Device
Combat Referee	processingCategory2	Combat Tropes
Zoids: New Century / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
Fate of the Clans (Fanfic) / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
The Shield's Dragon (Fanfic) / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
Quintet / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
Winnetou / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
Emniyet	seeAlso	Combat Referee
Popcorn Avatar (Manga) / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
Destroy the Godmodder (Roleplay) / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
Blood Bowl (Tabletop Game) / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (Video Game) / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
Medabots (Video Game) / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
Medabots: Metabee and Rokusho (Video Game) / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel) / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
Princess Waltz (Visual Novel) / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
Battle Kreaturez (Webcomic) / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
Gene LeBell (Wrestling) / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
SUWA (Wrestling) / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee
Girls und Panzer / int_65a4a1c7	type	Combat Referee

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