One point I think that’s worth adding – gauging difficulty of fights is problematic when you begin, especially when it comes to enemies such as werewolves and orcs. They may be weak, but their weak is strong. Very often way too strong for a starting party. Maybe even for an experienced and well equipped band of brothers (you can win, but losses will most likely make it not worth it. More so when you don’t have a huge quest reward or some gold stored “just in case”). I think “strength meter” could use some rethinking.
