AlanSmithee said:
Now, the GM is, in many ways, an excellent GM, by far the best I've played with (which isn't too many, but still). I'm not doing this to b*tch behind his back. He is very imaginative and original with his plots, an accomplished actor for the NPCs and has a lot of experience. But he is a killer GM, and I've spoken to him before about it. He feels that it is important for things to be difficult, so when we manage to complete one of his campaigns it is a real acheivement. I feel the story is more important and it is very unsatisfying to, as has happened in the past, die in a random encounter and never resolve the storylines.
Sorry, but I have to disagree. I would not call this GM an excellent GM. Simply because of the fact that he is more concerned about "his campaigns being tough and challenging" than he is about "his players having fun".
That is what it boils down to.
As to what he did to your character? Totally wrong, and if it had been me, I would have raised all sorts of a fuss over it. Yes, it is only a game, but I have a temporal and emotional investment in my characters, and I do not think that some GM "mis-interpreting" what I said in order to show off his trap(s).
As for the window trap itself, I have major problems with that as well. How did sticking your head in the window set it off? If the trap was designed to chop off the hand of whomever grabbed the bag of goodies sitting there (how are you supposed to know what is in the bag?), then that means that the trigger for the trap is likely to be a string/line/wire attached to the bag itself, where pulling on the bag releases the catch holding the blade up.
Thus, I again ask how did just sticking your head into the window was supposed to set the trap off. Did you bump the bag of goodies? If there were a wire across the center of the window, you should have seen it.
From what you are describing, this is a GM who is more infatuated with his own "cleverness" than anything else.
AlanSmithee said:
I said "I approach the door, checking for traps"
To me, this means that you check for traps as you get closer to the door. It, however, does not say that you check the door itself for traps.
As for how the GM can handle things better, without giving anything away, that is plain simple....
When I GM, I have several habits that I try to cultivate. One of them is randomly rolling dice. Sometimes this has a purpose, sometimes it doesn't. The idea is to mask my real rolls with the fake ones.
I will also ask for clarification on actions that I do not think are clear. It does not matter if there is a trap there are not, or whether the clarification is clear or not. By asking for clarification, even when it is not important, it sets a precendent that will not arouse suspicion during those times when it is important.
And to solve your immediate issue I normally do the following: The GM can quite easily, take what you told the him and paraphrase it back at you, giving you the chance to correct his interpretation without calling undue attention.
For example, the initial exchange could have played out like this:
GM: As you get closer to the cabin, approaching from the rear, you see it has an open window with a bag of gems in it.
Me, the rogue: <gestures the other PC's to halt> I carefully move closer and look through the window.
GM: You approach the window and begin to put your head through it.
Me, the rogue: Wait! That is not what I said. I said I "look through" the window, not put my head through it and look.
GM: Oh, ok, you look through the window, and see a small table right inside , one the table is the open bag of gems you spotted earlier. Further in is much harder to see as most of the cabin interior is in shadow.
Me, the rogue: Okay, I stick my head through the window to get a better look.
GM: Ok, you lean on the sill and stick your head through the window,the sill rocking slightly as you put your weight upon it. [[Pause for a beat or two]] Okay, as you poke your head through the window, you hear a faint twang as if a taut wire snapped loose, now make a Reflex saving throw.
Me, with a 4 Reflex save: Failed.
GM, to the other PCs: You see Dusty's headless corpse fall back out of the window as something shoots down across the window inside the cabin.
Others: Eeeek!!
See the difference here? In my version, the GM gives you ample opportunity to correct his interpretation of your actions without giving away the presence of the trap.
This would allow him to retain his challenging campaigns without unfairly hurting your character OR giving anything away needlessly. It is a win-win suggestion.
If your GM is as good as you think he is, then suggest this to him, the paraphrasing of your actions, especially since he possibly mis-interpreted them twice now. It can only improve his GMing skills.
In any case, you NEED to talk to him. Once might be an accident, but twice looks awfully suspicious and you need to clear the air between you and him. To let him know that while you do not mind tough campaigns, you do mind your character dying for him thinking you meant one thing while you most difinitely did not mean what "he thought" you did.
As I said above, the paraphrasing suggestion allows him to say what he thinks you said you are doing, giving you the chance to correct that interpretation if need be without giving anything away about the campaign. At least as long as he is consistent about it....
If he doesn't want to use the suggestion, then chances are that his "misinterpretations" are on purpose, not accidental. At that point, you might want to consider your options and whether or not you want to continue under this GM because I can ensure you that it WILL happen again.
