# Adjudication Procedure

A player character wants to do a thing. Or maybe, a non-player character needs to make a decision. The referee must now determine what actually happens.
## Adjudication Procedure
Does the thing happen? Read the list from top to bottom. When an option works, use it. Do not read further.
- Think about the immediate context. Would it clearly happen? Is it impossible? Judge it. Decide. Ability scores, npc motivations, physics, etc. are relevant.
- can I defer this in a way that improves the game? 
- No immediately relevant factors can determine the answer? Judge what the probability of it happening might be, then roll a dice to determine the outcome.
- Having trouble deciding a probability to use? Is it also unclear whether the ability score will cause the thing to happen? Do an ability check roll.
## Flawed methods
Here are some adjudication options that some referees recommend that decrease the fun of oldschool D&D. I recommend never using them for oldschool games.
- if it's fun, it happens
- if a player wants it, it happens