Railroading

[Barbarian Horde]

DM basicly states his enemies will be able to one shot us. I claim I'll just Plane Shift away if I see that. Tells me i'll prob fall in lava. I say I run away he says I'll prob fall into a hole somewhere. Frustrating.. How do I deal with this? I told him "do not to railroad my choices so hard."

[OldTrees1]

"Player agency is necessary for me to enjoy this game. Will there be player agency?"

Then follow the following 2 rules:
1) Don't waste time playing a game you don't enjoy.
2) Assist people that are trying to improve your enjoyment.
If the response to the question is an attempt to make the game enjoyable for you, then use rule 2. If the response is to ignore your lack of enjoyment, then use rule 1

[Barbarian Horde]

Not that I'm aware of.

[OldTrees1]

Not that I'm aware of. lol

That was meant to be a question you ask the DM. The future tense and the information about it being necessary for your enjoyment are meant to provoke the DM into better behavior.

[Barbarian Horde]

Its like one of those guys who try to One Up everything you do. "You flew an airplane? Oh well I flew an airplane through a combat zone and an award for it."

[Renen]

So... you are saying you know the DM wont listen to anything you say on the topic?

[Barbarian Horde]

Not to a degree that it hurts to play. But I feel like I'm playing Calvin Ball sometimes.

[atemu1234]

Not to a degree that it hurts to play. But I feel like I'm playing Calvin Ball sometimes.

Once you feel like that, you probably are.

[RoboEmperor]

DM only has as much power as the players allow. I usually ignore the first offense but give a very stern warning. After the 2nd, I walk.

Some solutions to not resort to walking
1. Talk to the DM and state your complaints, and that you don't want to play a game with 0 player agency
2. Get all the players on your side and press the DM.

There are a lot of tyrant DMs, and against those I really just walk. **** you, I'm not gonna play so only you have fun.

[(Un)Inspired]

Wait, your DM says that if you try to cast plane shift you will just fall into lava?

What? How? What?

What if you plane shift somewhere that doesn't have lava and there is no falling like the plane of air?

[Barbarian Horde]

Honestly I don't want to ask. I'll find out that that the only planes that exist are inferno, celestial, and shadow. >.>

[(Un)Inspired]

Honestly I don't want to ask. I'll find out that that the only planes that exist are inferno, celestial, and shadow. >.>

Ugh, what a bleak planeverise.

Is there a reason the DM is so desperate to have people sit at his table and listen to his story with no input of their own?

[OldTrees1]

Honestly I don't want to ask. I'll find out that that the only planes that exist are inferno, celestial, and shadow. >.>

Have you talked to the DM and have they discovered that you don't like Railroading and why you don't like it? (3 separate questions)

[Slayer Lord]

Why would your DM put you in a position where death is the only option in the first place? Does he dislike his players having fun? If he puts you in a no win situation and then insists you can't win (or even escape) no matter what you do, that's the time to tell your DM that the game is no longer fun and you are considering leaving the game. If he continues to ignore you, then make good on your threat. There is too little time in the day to waste it running around for the amusement of some wanna-be tyrant.

[Auron3991]

First ask the other players if they noticed this.

If they have: the DM needs to shape up or people will walk. Get the group to talk to him about this. If he responds positively, then give him a few sessions to improve (remember, things won't change overnight). If he doesn't, then request a DM switch. If he responds negatively, it's time to walk.

If they haven't, and they can't articulate a good reason for his actions: You're on your own. You need to decide if the game is worth the frustration. If not, you could try talking to him privately after the next session about it. If he responds positively, give him a few sessions to improve. Otherwise, walk.

If they haven't, and they can articulate a good reason for his actions: it's time for you to take a step back a breathe a couple times. Remind yourself that your DM is trying to make the game best for everyone at the table, and sometimes that is going to be telling you no. Keep in mind that humans tend to notice more when someone says no then when they say yes. And if you seem to be constantly running into that wall, then it may be time to ask the others if you're the one disrupting the game and you just didn't see it.

[Tohsaka Rin]

Just ask your DM what his intentions are.

Literally. Ask him what he wants out of the game. What's the aim? To tell a story? For everyone to have fun?

Does he see the game as a shared storytelling experience? A chance to practice his improv? To tell a story? Does he see the game as DM vs players?

Some of these answers should set off warning alarms.

In any event, you'll never figure out what's going on, if you don't talk to your DM!

Do it outside of the game. Like a normal conversation. Don't just ambush them at the table.

Communication is the first step in solving problems, they don't go away on their own.

Best of luck.