No attempt should be made to hold back, either by empathy for characters or guilt on the part of the writer to display scenes off brutality and as an ammoralist I think this is where most 'dark' writers are lacking. In the case of brutality, it shouldn't merely be the 'mean tough guys' dying...
So, I want to keep the dark brutality that is common among fantasy setting such as Warhammer, Conan, etc, but I've found that the typical overpowered warrior scenario is ill fitting for any improvisation. Additionally I think the manner of the settings telling is dependent on what my own...