Oxbox says:
I agree. I don't like purposely gimping myself, but chance can make things more interesting and challenge you.
Some people just like the thrill of chance, even when it's just some dice in a game. I can appreciate that.
However, there will be plenty of chance throughout our gameplay without letting the dice create 'challenges' to overcome via a soft character (and, all else the same, a higher hp character is just more versatile, less one dimensional, and consequently more interesting). We will roll a shit ton of dice before it's all said and done, and my interest in overcoming my character being soft is zero (as is my interest in being relegated to a 'skirmisher', or some role/play style that doesn't appeal to me).
To each their own fellas, but you gotta ask yourself: if you like the idea of playing a challenging character, who has an inherent weakness, maybe your DM's and GM's haven't properly challenged you? I find, for the most part, that the majority of players' gaming experience is the softer kind where the DM coddles them, and spares them, etc. In the simplest terms, in the games I GM, you won't find players looking to challenge themselves with unnecessary weaknesses, because the game will be hard enough as it is. I'm never out to 'get' my players, but if they do something stupid, or the dice don't go their way, they pay the price. It makes for a much better game.
I've never gamed with DMJ before, but I know he's a fan of realism in his games, so I've got to wonder if he's comfortable pulling the trigger and killing a character. Based on what I know, I'm inclined to think he is.