Where is the Drama?

Simple post this time around: death rules and how they relate to what people believe about the game.

If you play with instant death at 0 HP ("Save-or-die" effects would fall in this category too), then you believe the drama occurs in two places:

1. Before the fatal blow is struck, and...
2. After the character has died (e.g. What do we do now that party member X is dead? Can we resurrect him? Should we? etc.)

If you play with death or stabilize at 0 HP (or less), then your system splits the drama into 3 categories:

1. Before the potentially fatal blow is struck, and...
2. In the moment a character could stabilize or die, and...
3. After the character is dead

If you play with unconscious at 0 HP with follow-up death or stabilize check, you add a fourth category:

1. Before the potentially fatal blow is struck, and...
2. In the round the allies have to potentially save the character, and...
3. In the moment a character could stabilize or die, and...
4. After the character is dead

If you play with unconscious at 0 HP with 3 follow-up death or stabilize checks, you add a two more categories:

1. Before the potentially fatal blow is struck, and...
2. In the first round the allies have to potentially save the character, and...
3. In the second round the allies have to potentially save the character, and...
4. In the third round the allies have to potentially save the character, and...
5. In the moment a character could stabilize or die, and...
6. After the character is dead

If you play with unconscious at 0 HP with bleeding-out/negative death totals, you add an indeterminate number of categories:

1. Before the potentially fatal blow is struck, and...
2. In the first round the allies have to potentially save the character, and...
3. ...
4. ...
5. ...
6. ...
7. ...
8. After the character is dead

What's the point of extrapolating this?

My theory is that there is only so much drama a narrative/game can contain. A good session builds drama and then dissipates it, ebbs and flows, so to speak. Without clear and concise climaxes, the drama gets spread too thin. Players can only keep their feeling of excitement going for so long. If your character takes five rounds to finally kick the bucket or get back up, it isn't dramatic anymore. It also sucks the drama out of actually hitting 0 HP, because you are still multiple rounds away from a verdict on your character's fate.

The faster the rules allow you to resolve something, the more the drama is pointed and powerful. If the situation calls for a little gray area between an event and its resolution, that can be ruled on ad hoc. Adding all the extra layers between life and death a priori takes away from the immediacy and the danger.

"But I don't want my games to be that deadly!" You say.

Easy. Give your players more healing potions.

Extending the moment between life and death robs it of it's power.