I can’t imagine anything worse than taking RNG out of the game. Sometimes the dumb kobold manages to plant an arrow right between your eye. It is the uncertainty of each encounter that breeds replayability. I don’t think you are going to find many people that want to do away with that aspect of the game.
It is also worth noting that many of the brutal encounters are hard because we are level capped at 4. There is a huge increase in power at level 5 and that will completely change the nature of these harder battles. I don’t expect Larian’s core design philosophy to change. I would prefer a closer to TT experience because I think it will make the game less arcade-y, but I do enjoy the opportunity to resolve fights in different ways. Should shove be an action? Probably. Should I be able to eat a pigs head during combat? Probably not. It breaks immersion, and for me, that is why I play RPGs.
Unlike many here, I suspect that Larian is listening carefully to the feedback from its early access consumers. Many things will not be implemented because of cost or time constraints, but the final iteration of these game will likely make the DND and BG 1/2 traditionalists happy. I am not stressing it.
