There is tendency for there to exist between the players and the DM an antagonism, as if the DM were supposed to try to defeat the players using the guidelines of the game against them.
That is very bad for the game itself I believe. Players have different ideas of what they want. For me, character development is most important, for others, the story told, others more classically want to "beat the game," and others just want to roleplay and let everything else land where it will.
I've worked under the philosophy that there should generally be a risk of death, not because the DM should want to see the players die, but because he or she wants to see the players triumph. Characters have a chance to become more so real and full when the world around them offers consequences, both good and bad.
