It just feels to soon in to the game to lay completely off all action.
I really agree with this comment in particular. Prior to reaching the city we have a very simple/basic crab battle. Beyond that is the opportunity to fight the two guards at the bridge, but most characters adopting a reasonable stance will just opt for a friendly escort to Cyseal since they're heading there to see the wizard anyway. The second fight is the orc battle, which is the first really interesting action that happens.
And then that's it. The next few hours are dialogue and the equivalent of fetch quests. And while I don't mind that, it's too soon and too long. I just feel a fight somewhere in the middle of the time initially spent in Cyseal would break up the monotony nicely.
What I meant was that Gyson said it wasn't his playstyle to fight random people in quests where there were other ways to play it. But wanted battles in the town that couldn't be avoided (at least in my view that was the case. If they had a non-violent method then fine). He wanted things added to enhance his playstyle, which could impede someone else's if done in an unavoidable way. Again add combat in a different area of Cyseal (digging in the grave yard and finding a dungeon, under a well, or statue.)
So, I suggested an unavoidable fight because there are optional fights in Cyseal, but you're only going to run into them if you fail to solve the ghost's tests (I don't), or getting caught stealing and picking fights with guards (I don't), or making the extreme choice of attacking the elder elf (I don't, and he also hits for 1 hit point of damage, so I can hardly call this a battle).
There is a pattern emerging here: optional combat for the incompetent and/or overly aggressive. For everyone else there isn't, and what I don't want is more optional battles added along the same theme. I say "mandatory" battles because a mandatory battle means good/lawful characters can't miss them. However, they can certainly be optional if (for a change) the option was presented in a way where taking the good/lawful route resulted in combat instead of (yet again) more non-combat. Just because I'm trying to play a good/lawful character doesn't mean I'm not interested in turn-based tactical combat.
Sure, I could leave Cyseal and chase down the quests given to me by Aureus, but (as mentioned before) for a long time in Cyseal our characters are only level 2 (and not even a full party). What we need are one or two level 2 or 3 encounters that don't require players to exit Cyseal's gates.
