Ok, this is as much a sanity check for myself as anything else. I'm a forever gm and ive had 3 decades to get tired of the "Um, actually" rules lawyers who've ingested and made part of themselves the stats, capabilities and, of course the weaknesses of any published entity in whatever game we're playing. I'm tired of the smartarses who will object to how X wouldn't happen due to this deep lore reason and then base their whole plan around this wrinkle, that there is no way their character could ever know. Or if there isn't enough detail given to an NPC, will decide the NPC isn't important to the story. You know the types, we've all met them.

So, I'm running a Dark Heresy game, I'm a 40 year old geek from the UK, I love me some grim dark. So my players, who named their group The Canaries, if anyone wants the story of the name, I can add, but think canary in the coal mine and you're on the right track.

Now my players are investigating rumours from an agri world bout possible chaos corruption in an area of the world. So in go the Canaries to investigate.

They follow clues and come to a sketchy farm town that was set up by retired imperial Guard vets decades ago. Its got the usual sights, over grown paths, dilapidated buildings and general slovenly appearance. They get chatting to the local sheriff who is a vet and who offers them either an abandoned house, or they can stay in the barn at the sheriff's home.

The argument between the party is the Nobel and arbites want the house but the voidborn administration adept wants to go for the barn as "It's likely the sheriff will be in on it so we'll get easier clues if we stick by them" yeah there was enough meta gaming there already that I was irked. But I was rationalizing it as that character had well established issues with authority figures.

Ok, they get into the investigation and a report comes in of a raid on an outlying farmstead. The combat characters plus the admin adept go out to engage. The nobel had just had a bath drawn by the arbites so, very much in character, declines the excursion.

The report of the raid is an attempt by the cultists, including the sheriff, to draw the strangers off to investigate them. They had claimed they were an administration assessment team checking the area to assess the imperial tax on the planet. But had showed a lack of knowledge on what the current assessment was or how it might vary depending on what they found. So, suspicious to the town's folk who didn't want anyone from the imperium poking around, and Khorne worshippers don't tend to have a wide variety of techniques to deal with problems. So the Noble is captured in a brief, step out of the room one on one with the nobels player.

As the main group is en route back our aam in adept problem player wants to check in via earbud radio with the noble. His given excuse is non existent. He's Just been twitchy since the one on one. But I had alot of dealing with this guy so had already hatched a plan.

During the one on one, I'd told nobles player that if he was contacted by radio he was to just reply in clicks, the number of which I'd signal to him by holding up that number of fingers. I was able to do so without it being obvious to other players. This is the sheriff replying, but I knew if I gave the clicks then nothing would be trusted, but the player giving the click noises there was total trust. And a warm glow in the dark space where my heart should be 😋

I pass nobles player a note, just saying, make a bunch of clicks then stop responding. Nobles player is all for this and the players, deciding their companion is in trouble, decide to storm the house. Which they know has no guards at back after lengthy click conversation earlier. Yup, it was a trap. And the players walked right into it. I'm giving them the demands for surrender while they are pinned in cross fire in the open so I can avoid a TPK. And problem player decides to leg it and escape, right into a pit trap.

This ignominious ending causes said player to have a fit, shouting bout how the town's folk would've known about where and when the pc's would attack which leads me to explain that the noble player was in on it. And what had gone on.

Adapts player gets mad and is unhappy as if the player isn't in charge of his actions then the Gm should respond for him. No reasons given beyond how was he supposed to spot the trap if he didn't know he should be looking for one. Or, translation, how's he supposed to know if he couldn't meta game. He totally blew up and left the session early, we normally have an hour or two post session wrap up so I can see what's working in game and what isn't.

From the level of the reaction I've begun to doubt what I thought was a fun and clever wee trick, which should discourage meta gaming. Adept player has history of trying to out think whoever is running the games by meta knowledge. I think he was just sore that he fell for something hook line and sinker but I'd like to hear others thoughts on this. Is it bad to punish meta gaming?

I've done stuff like give out the correct information on a nat 1 investigation check. Though I normally make hidden rolls for players so they don't weigh the info based on the dice roll, the same problem player insisted he made his dice rolls. Fair enough, but that doesn't guarantee he gets full knowledge if the info is good or not based on the roll. He has previously on a different nat 1 roll on investigation refused to accept the info given, but when it's a success he will stick by the info come hell or high water.

We'll see if he returns but he's currently demanding I retain the fight and allow the pc's a do over of the rescue attempt