Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Swede1985 Jul 20, 2014 13:27:29	As most of my time is spent at the table DMing I am always interested, and fascinated, to hear stories about DMs who do some pretty horrible stuff to their players. DMs that flout their power for no other reason than to be a jerk. I am not talking about an arguement about rules or something pety like that - I am talking about when DMs cross the line and ruin the game for everybody. I am interested in hearing some horror stories about truely awful DMs and what happened. Here's one from when I was a player back in 2nd Edition... I was at a new table, hadn't played with the DM or any of the players before, and I decided to play a bard because I had never played one before and I thought it would be fun. Things are going fine - then we run into some low-level mages doing to awful mage-related evil doing - so I open up combat by singing... The DM told me to sing. Like...really. REALLY sing at the table. I told him I didn't want to sing at the table, but rather my Bard was singing to help his companions with their saves and to resist fear in case one of those evil mages cast a spell. The DM said that if I didn't sing at the table then I don't sing in the game. I asked him why the wizards aren't chanting arcana and throwing bits of salt into the air when the cast a spell. He didn't like this and I just didn't have my bard sing at all. You know...cause that's how you utilize a bard.    Didn't stay with that group too long.
#2 Fantasyfilmsman Jul 20, 2014 14:27:53	I had one where my friend and I were invited to a rather large group. We made 10 players. I guess the group had been together for years. I'm a very heavy role playing DM and love to story tell combat like a movie. Maybe it was styles conflict but the DM of this group was heavy handed and every bit a micro manager. It was playing on rails.  My buddy was a Ranger. We ran into the big baddie in a tavern. I guess the DM did not expect my friend to shoot at him. The DM made my friend roll and blam a nat 20. Sure enough he missed but to make matters worse the guy caught the arrow. Then on the way out since I was a thief I decided to pick his pockets. He had kidnapped the groups Cleric. We were out to rescue her. I too rolled a perfect roll. Somehow I was noticed but I had the key. I took off. I had a ring of invisibility. I put it on and yet was found. I then  began to walk away and rolled my stealth. I rolled really good. Yet somehow tripped on a cobblestone and was caught. I was put into jail, which I escaped from. I had to argue over that. Then I tried to create a distraction and this being pirates I insulted them in every fashion. They never ever bit. It was one of the worst nights of gaming for my friend and I. Yet the rest of the people at the table wanted us back. We were colorful. My friend and I tried again and again it was like this. We just felt we weren't part of the story. It became us vs. him. We never returned.
#3 theonlysane1 Jul 20, 2014 17:30:01	I haven't been roleplaying very long, started just last year, so I haven't encountered any serious hell yet.  So far the worst I've had was a horribly bland homebrew.  It starts out with each of use being six year old real-life humans (for some reason) having a dream (for some reason). We wake up as adults of our respective in-game races (for some reason), but with no class (there's a Munchkin joke in there for some reason) and no weapons or gear.  I go into town and find the local pub, and try to ask someone where I'm at.  He pushes me down (for some reason). I get back up. He pushes me down again.  I get back up and punch him.  He punches me in the face, knocks me out, and next thing I know I'm in a slave collar being forced to work on a pirate ship.   The rest of the game consists of the following:   Sail next to a ship.  Jump (acrobatics check) across. Fight 4-5 sailors. Loot the ship.   The next day...   Sail next to a ship.  Jump (acrobatics check) across. Fight 4-5 sailors. Loot the ship.   The next day...   Sail next to a ship.  Jump (acrobatics check) across. Fight 4-5 sailors. Loot the ship.   The next day...   Oh, look, it's the weekend, so you get to go into town (for some reason).  Want to buy some better gear? Too bad! They don't sell weapons to slaves!   The next day...   Sail next to a ship.  Jump (acrobatics check) across. Fight 4-5 sailors. Loot the ship.   After the fifth in-game day or so, it was time to pack up.  Let's say I never played with that guy as a DM again, at least not with one of his homebrews.
#4 Noon Jul 20, 2014 22:09:23	Swede1985 wrote:
#5 Swede1985 Jul 20, 2014 23:25:17	Noon wrote:
#6 pukunui Jul 20, 2014 23:52:39	I'm not so sure I'd go so far as to label this guy a horrible DM, as he is a friend, but he can be pretty harsh. For instance, he insists that everything people say out loud during game time is said "in character". The worst thing is his requirement that all new PCs start at 1st level, no matter what level the other PCs are at (although, to be fair, he enforces this rule for himself as well ~ one time when he joined a game I was running, he insisted that his PC be 1st level even though the other PCs were 3rd or 4th level).
#7 Noon Jul 24, 2014 1:58:26	pukunui wrote:
#8 pukunui Jul 24, 2014 2:14:40	I've never had a problem with that. But then with my group, we're there to share some laughs and have a good time, so I'm happy to let people joke around.
(Reply to #8) AaronOfBarbaria	pukunui wrote:
#10 Noon Jul 24, 2014 21:07:35	In recent groups I tend not to get any preface.   Maybe their just afraid what their doing will break the social contract or something...