Scars of War - Is Death Necessary?

In his latest Scars of War Blog, Gareth discusses whether or not Death is really necessary in an RPG. Here's a little from his introduction:

Could a game where the challenge of death was removed actually be fun? Seriously? And if so, how would you make it fun and challenging for the player?

To answer the first question, I think that yes, you can make a game without death fun and challenging. Allow me to elaborate.

Firstly, we need to analyze it from a game design point of view. Is it actually death the player is afraid of in RPGs?

No.

It can’t be death. The player can’t permanently die. A quick whack on reload and WHOOSH, back to life and fighting fit. No one would actually play a game with a real threat of death, anymore than anyone would ride a roller coaster that had a good chance of actually hurling you into the ground at high velocity. So what are players afraid of?

You'll have to check it out to discover the answer.