I feel like the current direction is great. RW captured my interest as a unique game that focuses on storytelling. I never have approached the game from a min-max, perfect-run standpoint, because I have always enjoyed how RW forces players to adapt to consequences, whether they be RNG based or not. For this matter, I rarely savescum.
The beauty of RW that I think some people overlook is that it intends to be a self-balancing game. The nature of the adaptation/ramp-up system allows for bad stuff, but it also gives breathing room when things go south. Sure, I may lose a great pawn due to some reason or another, but I believe this fits in line with the atmosphere RW is trying to convey. And when I do lose that pawn, I know that the storytelling system will balance the gameplay around that.
The beauty of RW that I think some people overlook is that it intends to be a self-balancing game. The nature of the adaptation/ramp-up system allows for bad stuff, but it also gives breathing room when things go south. Sure, I may lose a great pawn due to some reason or another, but I believe this fits in line with the atmosphere RW is trying to convey. And when I do lose that pawn, I know that the storytelling system will balance the gameplay around that.