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Hey everyone. I play quite a few rpg games and am an accomplished GM myself. However I am currently playing a game in which a GM is having several outstanding issues. Allow me to elaborate and apologize if I drone on.

For reference, this is a Dark Heresy game.

We have all the necessary party components. We have smart players. However, we are bored. When I look at the players and see two talking about another tabletop game, even sometimes assembling models, I know they are bored.

If the boredom was the only thing, believe me I wouldn't be here asking. We are breaking the games rules, and the GM knew and allowed it because he thought it didn't make sense otherwise. We are duplicating half actions. We can single half action shoot twice. We were led to believe the major heal in the game, seal wounds, required a toughness test like it's similar weaker power, of which the GM stated "It would break the game to be able to heal all you wanted"

We are under armed. Sure, we managed to get a few sets of carapace armor while everyone else is in guard flak. However we are rank 6, close to 7. Our best weapons are: One plasma gun, A dalaku-hellgun, a hellpistol, a telekinetic psycher with firestorm, and we had a chainsword but the character (and player) literally left until things got better. We have fought a sniping las cannon for the past two games. We also have never, ever been awarded fate points.

We even had two characters die when they shouldn't have, one due to rules, one due to the GM's own inability to state what was in the next room "nothing" was the first response. Soon after it was "4 aircraft, a barricade with gun holding guys, and a dude with a bolter on top of one aircraft" *shoots one player, kills him dead, like -14 wounds* He then says he could burn a fate point to avoid dying. In the room were minutes ago he had said there was nothing and one game round hadn't even passed since then. Keep in mind we have been cheating, having far more attacks than normally allowed (hey swift attack? Yea that's a half action for us) and YET we have STILL lost 13 player characters. Dead. Gone. Fate points burned.

I have tried talking to him, asking why we are not following the rules in the book. He gives the reason "I think it should be that way" basically. This is also this GM's first time GMing. I have said I would help him. I have tried. But we have been playing for a year and a half. Still not even rank 7. We have been undercut experience, money and more.

Whats more, he spends, at most, time in the shower thinking about the game. He said this to my face. We get no maps, no handouts, no records. Furthermore the player doesn't spend the time to read the 40k lore, so that gets fun fast.


TLDR: We have issues and I have talked to him, but we are getting nowhere. I have talked to everyone, but still no one seems to want to man up and say they are not enjoying the game to the guys face. These are good friends, but the GM just isn't getting it. He has been aware of these issues for at least 8 months and has done nothing about it.

It's all going downhill like a slide made from the bones of servoskulls.

Any suggestions, within reason, will be greatly appreciated.

8... Months!! . Sorry to say but your Gm sounds extremely ignorant/clueless. Try and get the group together to talk to him. Because if you don't this will only keep perpetuating itself. Make a new group where he isn't GM maybe? It's meant to be about the group having fun. And he certainly isn't delivering from what you say.

Oftentimes the best thing in a situation like this where it's a group of friends is to suggest that you take a crack at a new game, and have someone else offer to GM. It doesn't point fingers at the old one being a bad GM, and oftentimes a long time GM will be excited to have a chance to play instead of run the game.

Good plan.

Lots of GMs like to play too.

Maybe everyone could get killed in some huge fight and that would be a natural break point to start a different game.

Well we are at a point were we could easily put the game on indefinite hold, as we are about to finally finish our "mission" on the world of malfi. Would be very easy to do.

My problem is I don't want to say that I would like to GM a game and have it taken wrong, though honestly it seems the best bet for making substantiation changes.

As said, he knows of some of the issues, just takes no proactive measures to fix them. A good guy, don't get me wrong, but just not cut out for GMing atm.

Thanks for your input guys.

Sorry to be harsh, but you can't put up with it if you are bored. Playing for the sake of decent manners are not a good way to play. You are throwing away hours you could be doing something else with (play a fun game comes to mind).

Just tell him you don't like how he GMs and get going to something else, tell him what he did wrong and he'll be able to better himself until the next time he wants to try GMing.

Well as I said, this is the current state. It was pretty decent at first, however it's been slowly going downhill. We are bored now but hardly anyone is bored in combat, it's combat after all.

The main issue, that I should have added was we really have one place to play, my place. I can't just say I'm out because then the game is over completely. I might just need to, and would, but these are good friends. It's not like it's a pickup group.

I am going to say that this game needs to wrap up asap and that I will take over a campaign, if everyone is ok with that. If everyone is honest, they will agree.

Best of luck to you man, it's all about the fun, want you to have it.

Did you ever state how illogical and physically impossible it is to fit 4 aircraft, a barricade with gun holding guys and a dude with a bolter standing on top of an aircraft, in a single room?

Remind him that there is such a thing as common sense, even in a Si Fi - Fantasy setting.

Juraigamer :
Judging from what you are saying, I think it may very well be time for someone else to GM, and for you guys to play something other than DH.
Have a complete break from the game, play something esle for a month or so, and then bite the bullet and try running a game of DH yourself.

Remember, the players get stuck with just the one character, but you get to play everyone else in the Universe - go for it! Give them voices, accents, lisps, etc. I do and I have a bloody good time doing it too.
I have even (finally) got my players to start using 'voices' for their characters too - SUCCESS! The best part so far was a Skaven with the voice of Smeagol - excellent!

It is a game! ... and games are meant to be fun! If no-one is having fun it is time to rethink the game plan.

(Don't worry, I have been rpg'ing since 1981 [My God! I'm old!], and most of that has been GM'ing, i might just know what I'm talking about [that is not meant to sound like I'm 'blowing my own trumpet', but it did - sorry about that!].)
Anyway, Have Fun!

The most aggravating thing about this whole situation is no one really wants to own up that they aren't having fun. I'll bring up the fact that the GM needs some help, or to work on the game and he gets all pissy.

In terms of changing things up, I have already talked to a few of the players, whom had their own mini campaign ideas ( 4 or so sessions ) The idea is to load this game into the recycle bin and cart it off somewhere to get sorted out, or forgotten.

Then one guy runs a small, fast game, and someone else does the same, allowing everyone to play at least two different classes if they so desired.

Following this, my game would get rolling. Oddly enough, I have to thank our horrible GM for all his mistakes so that I can be damn sure to avoid problems we have run into in his game. Sucks to be the guinea pig.


Everyones comments are appreciated, thank you.

juraigamer wrote:
Following this, my game would get rolling. Oddly enough, I have to thank our horrible GM for all his mistakes so that I can be damn sure to avoid problems we have run into in his game. Sucks to be the guinea pig.


Everyones comments are appreciated, thank you.

You have learned what not to do. Now take the ball and run with it.