DnD comparison ...

[Targan]

I stopped playing D&D once I reached my 20s. Some of the campaign settings were excellent (Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance were my favourites) but once I was exposed to more sophisticated rules sets like Runequest and T2K v1, the end was nigh for my time with D&D. And I continued to gravitate towards more "crunchy" rules systems from there.

The threat of imminent and irreversible death due to a realistic combat rules set in no way diminishes the role playing experience, I have found it enhances it, in part because it forces players to consider non-combat options. I had Harnmaster campaigns and Gunmaster T2K campaigns that spanned more than a decade each of real time and they were some of the best games I've ever been involved in. And among my playing group, the retelling of campaign stories was made all the richer by the realistic nature of the scenarios and events, and the genuine risk of character death every step of the way.