I actually don't disagree with that. I get the comparison you make between PnP and a linear storyline, but I would add that I'm talking about replayability here, for the most part. If you finish Campaign 1 with your DM and start Campaign 2...you wouldn't have it to be exactly the same as your first run through. Now, I know it's different because this is a game and there are obvious limitations...but if there was even just a little RNG, like random mobs, random instances that are always different, etc., that would be enough to get something new with each run through. There are a lot of game companies that use a form of AI for their instance building, so you'll never run through the same instance twice. Now, I also get that Larian is telling a story and they need to create their story a certain way and have things laid out a certain way to get it. I accept that. But you can add in non-story driven content just for variety. They should be able to add in caves, structures, and random mobs that don't affect their story but are built with AI so they are different each play through.
For example, take the goblin fortress we saw in some of the new gameplay footage. It's probably story driven so it can't change. But they could add a small section to the map that had something like that, that would be randomly generated when the game is started. So playthrough #1, it might be another goblin fortress. Next play-through you might get a kobold cave instead, or an ogre lair, or bandit hideout, etc. With each of those, the layout would be different; a cave, a fortress, a castle, ruins, etc. That would be such an exciting place to go on each subsequent playthough because it would be different and new. Once you playthrough once...you will never get 'new', besides maybe dialogue options/outcomes.
And it doesn't necessarily need to be a huge open world, either. If they incorporated random enemy spawns of some sort after the original enemies in that area died, that would be enough for people that love one 'zone' and don't want to leave quite yet. This would be difficult since they are voice acting everything and they can't really RNG dialogue with RNG monster spawns...but there are always work-arounds. Like only using RNG monsters that can't dialogue so they don't have to worry about it.
Idk, maybe once I actually start playing I won't notice any of that. That's a very real possibility. I might not really care for any of that, since there is still so much not known yet. But from what we've seen, these are my concerns/thoughts.
