Using the game master feature
A game master is a table-scoped administrator for one MyTurnYet table. It is not a platform-wide role and it does not occupy a player seat. A table has at most one active game master at a time.
What a game master can and cannot do
Administer without playing
When creating a table, select Be game master to observe and administer it without taking a seat. An active game master cannot claim a seat, submit orders, or become a match participant in that same table. This separation is enforced by the service and database.
Manage the clock
A game master can pause and resume a match. A reason is required before changing the clock so participants understand why play was interrupted or resumed.
Correct exceptional situations
The game-master toolbar can roll a match back to an earlier retained checkpoint, transfer an existing controller seat while the match is paused, and make supported Diplomacy position corrections. These actions use the exact match revision the game master reviewed; stale requests are rejected.
Review before committing
A position correction is prepared as a validated preview before it is committed. The game master works with a closed set of game commands rather than arbitrary state data. Pending orders affected by a rollback or position correction are invalidated, so players can review the new position and resubmit.
Transparency and safeguards
Every intervention records the actor, reason, change summary, revisions, and time in a participant-visible history. The record does not expose sealed orders or private canonical snapshots. Reassigning, replacing, or removing the active game master is an administrator action, and changing an assignment pauses the match for review.
When to use it
Use a game master for an organized event, a teaching game, a moderated variant, or recovery from an agreed exceptional situation. Explain the role to participants before the table begins, give a clear reason for every intervention, and leave the match paused until everyone has had a chance to review a material change.
Create a moderated table
Select the game-master option during table creation if you need a non-playing administrator.