@ Composer,
Thank you. I know it probably took you a bit to detail all that out, but you got through to me. I'm so used to DMing that I forget that there are things I do automatically. I don't even think about it. You're absolutely right. Now that you've gone into the details you did, I can remember how much I actually, naturally, did change the DIA encounters and situations to fit my party. And, you're right, in the end, it is a VERY poor example. It only worked BECAUSE I'm an experienced DM and my players are experienced players. If they had been new players who know nothing about D&D, and if I'd just run the encounters as written, they'd probably have thought D&D just sucks.
So... in the end... I admit defeat. lol. OK. Fine. D&D TT doesn't necessarily translate well into a video game in that regard even remotely. A live DM can and usually does tweak the encounters - sometimes unconsciously - to make the game more fun - challenging and exciting, but not so much so that it kills the PCs. Meanwhile, the video game cannot do that.
And thank you for everything else too. Too much to thank you for each individual thing. This is sort of an "AHA!" moment. I've taken a step back about the whole last yearish since I started out here. Gotta say, this has probably been the most constructive feedback I've received to date. Hopefully, it changes the way I respond from now on.
Thanks again!
