Mostly ttrpg stuff and a lil art.
Standing at the crossroads of "The rules of death being in the PCs hands lets them finish their character's arc" and "Taking PC Death out of the random chaos of the world feels like it undercuts the feel of the world"
I am then hit by traffic from both directions.
Counterpoint: Both can be achieved at the same time. My preferred method is that gameplay can INCAPACITATE a player character (or kill in VERY extreme circumstances like falling or having a meet and greet with a falling piano), but generally they need to be "finished off" by an enemy or some passive threat. No countdown, no nothing. The GM needs to take the initiative in offing the character most of the time, and players can avoid this (or other consequences like being kidnapped or robbed blind) by helping them.
Yeah, the whole like "Incapacitate instead of kill them" is the most common advice I see, and I generally agree.
I'm just having the fun "Two wolves, one loves the uncaring world where Shit Happens and the other is incredibly pro-player" conundrum. I don't try to kill players or nothing, just mulling over my whole like, "What is my GM Preferences" type stuff.
Traffic patterns aside, I do love the struggle on a players face when you lean forward and describe the situation and then ask them “so what happens to you?” and prompt them to deal with it openly and honestly
It can be delicious
