D.M. from hell

[Nukdai]

Greetings Fraternity... well I'm not one to sugarcoat things so here it is: I'm currently involved in a 4th edition campaign set in a world created by the current DM (we rotate in our group) that he claims to have had planned since second edition, currently we are up to about lvl 14 on average and about 2/3 the way thru the campaign. Turns out the DM we shall call him "Bob" wants to turn the exploits of group into a series of novels set in his own little world. well long story short he doesn't award treasure equivical to our lvls when we get any at all, we routinly fight encounters 8 to 10 lvls (not kidding) above our selves. not to mention as a party we truly have no say in what our next move will be. I could go on more but we don't have the space. currently we have a small plan involving a few of the party members (4 out of 7) on how to get TPK and end the misery of just gaming with Bob. problem though he and his family are good friends of ours. did I mention his manners are worse than a three year-olds?

[Nukdai]

Basically what the F$##$% do i do

[alhoon]

After voicing your complains to your DM as a group, telling him you don't enjoy that kind of game, if things don't improve, you stop playing with him.
If he's not paying you to do something you don't like or enjoy, then there's no reason to do that. No need to start a fight, "Stage" a TPK or something. Just stop playing.

[Intrepid]

Really I can sympathize with your plight. I too have played with some bad DM's and there came a point where I just couldn't take it anymore. I think your best course of action would be to talk with your DM without accusing him. Bring up your complaints in a mature way. If he doesn't listen, then simply stop playing. Sometimes that is the only option.

[ScS of the Fraternity]

Creating a TPK only throws more gas on the fire. If your DM is this clueless, than you can bet that your characters are nigh immortal, which is just as well, since even the sweet embrace of oblivion will not set you free.

Take some advice from the book of Joshua (the supercomputer, not the apostle).
The only way to win, is not to play.

[Lovecraftforever]

Greetings Fraternity... well I'm not one to sugarcoat things so here it is: I'm currently involved in a 4th edition campaign set in a world created by the current DM (we rotate in our group) that he claims to have had planned since second edition, currently we are up to about lvl 14 on average and about 2/3 the way thru the campaign. Turns out the DM we shall call him "Bob" wants to turn the exploits of group into a series of novels set in his own little world. well long story short he doesn't award treasure equivical to our lvls when we get any at all, we routinly fight encounters 8 to 10 lvls (not kidding) above our selves. not to mention as a party we truly have no say in what our next move will be. I could go on more but we don't have the space. currently we have a small plan involving a few of the party members (4 out of 7) on how to get TPK and end the misery of just gaming with Bob. problem though he and his family are good friends of ours. did I mention his manners are worse than a three year-olds?

I know that's you Jerry. Just for this I'm going to have your character mauled to death by shrubs!

LOL! Just kidding.

Just tell him you are no longer having fun and rotate to a new DM

[Jester of the FoS]

Greetings Fraternity... well I'm not one to sugarcoat things so here it is: I'm currently involved in a 4th edition campaign set in a world created by the current DM (we rotate in our group) that he claims to have had planned since second edition, currently we are up to about lvl 14 on average and about 2/3 the way thru the campaign.

Hi, I'll see what I can to provide some answers but it seems like there's a few problems here. I'm going to break them up and give advise as best as I can.

Turns out the DM we shall call him "Bob" wants to turn the exploits of group into a series of novels set in his own little world.

Intentions of novels tend to be bad for the game, especially 4e. Story plots & pacing and game plots & pacing tend to be mutually exclusive. And the requirements of the game (divided into memorable game sessions).
It can be done and done well, but requires an extraordinarily good DM.

well long story short he doesn't award treasure equivical to our lvls when we get any at all,

This is bad. 4e is built around consistent and hard math. In earlier editions - such as 2nd - you could be stingy on most treasure and be fine. But at around 14th level the math of 4e says you must have +3 or +4 armour, weapons, and neck-slot items.
All of your solutions to this DM's problems involve talking with him one-on-one and expressing your concerns. Go to a neutral environment (coffee shop and buy him a drink) and let him know the group is not enjoying the game. Let him know you want to finish and are willing to work with him to get his story done, but there needs to be mechanical considerations.

In this case, the lack of treasure is solvable by using the inherent bonus rules found in the DMG2 (or in the Character Builder if you use that).
Without magic items, the PCs' attacks, defenses, and damage lag behind. You can solve this problem by giving the PCs flat bonuses as they advance in level. These bonuses stack.
Attack and Dama8e: All characters gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls at 2nd, 7th, 11th, 17th, and, and 27th level.
Defenses: All PCs gain a +1 bonus to AC, Fortitude, Reflex, and Will at 4th, 9th, 14th, 19th, 24th, and 29th level.

we routinly fight encounters 8 to 10 lvls (not kidding) above our selves.

This is not as bad in 4e, but generally anything above level+5 is asking for a TPK. If it's a single monster that's one thing, but if every monster is that high you're not likely to hit often. Again, the math isn't in your favour. An optimized character is going to miss in a fight roughly 40% of the time against an even-levelled opponent. This increases by 5% for each level the monster is higher than you. Against monsters 8-10 levels higher you should be only hitting on 17-20s and missing 80-90% of the time. That's just hard to play.

This kind of encounter works fine once in a while if you're given alternate conditions for victory (protect NPC-a, destroy crystal-b, etc) or if you're given a McGuffin that will let you win (special weapon that does extra damage). Or if it's the Big Bad you're not supposed to defeat and have to run from.
If an NPC (also known as a DM-PC) has to regularly save you then that's no fun for the party. And if you always have to run away then that's no fun either.

I'd like more information on this. Why so high? Does he just want to use monsters of that level or does he really want to challenge you? Given how he seems to be spectacularly bad, he might just not know he can level-down monsters to your level.

not to mention as a party we truly have no say in what our next move will be.

Railroading is a common PC complaint. It's easier to ignore and roll with. Generally, it's more forgiving if you're given a reason and motivation to go with the flow, and if it makes sense. Even good DMs often bluff an element of choice, knowing their PCs will likely go to danger and the hook rather than just return to the tavern to get drunk.

However, having no choice or even the illusion of choice encourages players to misbehave. If they have no freedom they'll often act out or rebel, grasping what little freedom they have.
Getting Bob the DM to compromise might be a good idea. Ask him to occasionally give you a choice, even if it's just the order you want to tackle his hooks.

I could go on more but we don't have the space. currently we have a small plan involving a few of the party members (4 out of 7) on how to get TPK and end the misery of just gaming with Bob. problem though he and his family are good friends of ours. did I mention his manners are worse than a three year-olds?

I'd recommend an attempt at civility first. Express concern about seeing the story finished (if he's held onto it for 14 years he's committed).
Go with the above first, suggesting the optional rules to make-up for the lack of treasure, adding a small illusion of choice, and maybe toning down the encounters (which probably don't help with the TPK desire). Really, if he's that committed to the plot a TPK will not stop him and you'll just be taken prisoner or saved at the last minute.

I'd also advise him to read the DMG1 and DMG2. Really read them. (Ch 1-3, 6-10 and Ch 1,2, 4-6).
I'd also reccomend you suggest he read the webcomic DM of the Rings. Suggest this before the intervention-style chat. More a "you should read this webcomic. it's funny" recommendation. But the strip and it's blurbs have alot of advice that might hit home.

[Nukdai]

Thanx for the advise all took alot to heart and spoke to the DM about the issues with the game and some that involved out of game issues. My wife kept me from going my normal route. things were alot better last gaming session and hopefully stay that way. thanx again and I knew I could count on the Frat

[Don Fernando]

I know that's you Jerry. Just for this I'm going to have your character mauled to death by shrubs!

LOL! Just kidding.

Just tell him you are no longer having fun and rotate to a new DM

Hahaha I must admit I almost fell for that, I'm still trying to stop laughing... nice one!

Regarding your problem with your fiendish DM I cannot expand more than Jester did. Just talk to him and let him know you all are uncomfortable with the way the game is developing.

[sPtJanly]

Strike!

[BigBadQDaddy]

Burn the Witch!

JK, my group ran afoul of a similar issue a while back in which the GM was canceling sessions post-last minute (we were all literally at the gaming location with character sheets in front of us waiting when we would receive a phone call) and when the GM did show up they didn't have an adventure planned which resulted in all of us killing 6 hours in an antique shop practically screaming for a plot hook.

Ultimately we resorted to mob mentality and hijacked the game from him. I made the call and literally told him that the following week we were switching games and GMs. This resulted in the previous GM taking it relatively badly. Granted he went about things relatively maturely and continued to participate but he would complain and make things difficult for the GM who replaced him. In time he did end up warming up to the game and expressed wanting to give his game a try again, this time with a renewed focus and sense of purpose.

In retrospect, the hijacking of the game could have been handled better, but we as players were at our last straw. And in the end the GM resolved to improve his game. I know it sucks to have to resort to laying the hammer of judgment on a friend. especially for something that is "just a game", but ultimately you need to assess the issue of the quality of the time you spend in each others company, and if you don't that is when groups stop getting together.