Deadly combat systems

[Thomas Shey]

BRP (Call of Cthulhu) obviously: You get shot up close with a shotgun, you probably die.

I'd just say BRP in general. With a few specialized exceptions (Superworld for example) almost all BRP games and derivatives can be really unforgiving.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Savage Worlds can be very lethal with its exploding dice.

The only mitigating factor there is that Bennies can, in most versions of it, be shoved in the way of death. If you're out of them the exploding damage dice can, indeed, be--dramatic. That's one reason the Super Powers Companion can be very hard to balance because you can have people throwing a lot more damage dice than they'd do in normal SW.