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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jester David" data-source="post: 6155422" data-attributes="member: 37579">For combat encounters yes. But this assumes combat encounters as a baseline and not just "encounters". If you throw a kill-your-ass powerful threat against the play it quickly becomes a non-combat encounter. They might sneak past. They might negotiate. They might try trickery. They might try non-standard combat such as an ambush or using the terrain. They might try to use the monster, luring it into combat with other monsters. Suddenly, the encounter becomes something else. But if it's just killable, it's less working to just walk up and punch it directly in the throat. I was speaking in broad generalities. Yes, there are many ways to motivate players. But players quickly latch onto those. The idea of the amnesiac orphan wander PC has become a trope for a reason: because players know lazy GMs will often use friends and family against them. And the thing is, those options still exist with death. They don't go away. You can have a high mortality game while still motivating PCs with other options. Regardless, when you take death off the table you lose an option, you lose a choice. Your game is still over and you still have to sit out the rest of the game. That's reason enough to try and stay alive.</blockquote>