roawrwn the computer foxwife on Nostr: yup! i'm familiar with these types of mechanics -- death is cheap is fairly common in ...

yup! i'm familiar with these types of mechanics -- death is cheap is fairly common in modern indie video games too.

that said, needing to lean into dark humor still leans into the gritty, dark nature that would undercut a lot of other types of themes and settings one may want to exist in. i find the need to engage in perpetual life or death scenarios as the only way to bring intrigue to something tiresome. players can be motivated by *many* things outside of self-preservation but it's not as easily packaged into a module to sell by the book. i completely understand why combat/risk of death are as common as they are (and why such environments necessitate a constant existential threat), but i think the medium is overdue for expanding its horizons (at least as far as D&D-adjacent settings go).

i also, on-the-whole, disagree that the DM is the primary driving force behind the story. DMs should be surveying their players interests and motivations before anything