by qwertywraith
So far we have not seen much variety in gameplay, which is not surprising for an introductory video.Beyond the intro video I know:
The fight against each monster will take place on a much larger board when the game ships. Terrain may become a factor, as will movement, especially with monsters that pick up and carry away players.
Equipment will also add more options to game play, as will acquired status effects and insanity. I also suspect different monsters will require different styles of combat to defeat, so a single "best" equipment load-out will not always be possible. Also, loot drops also determine what you can create.
Re: predictability. Monster's reshuffle their AI deck when they run out. However, this only applies to the cards it used (not ones you discarded by doing damage). So you know what the monster will do because it already attacked in that way before. There are also images of equipment that allows you to look at AI cards.
A core element mentioned at one time was there were ways to look through the AI deck and remove particular cards--either through a precise strike, or maybe hunting the monster and getting the jump on it limiting it's options.
I agree about the randomness of attacking being rather high. Perhaps later equipment or skills will allow you to pick a location to attack or draw multiple hit locations and choose one. The fight we saw appeared to include only starting equipment so the weapons were quite weak.
I also suspect more options will open up as you play and develop your settlement. In the fluff behind the game, people just wake up fully formed with no knowledge. Language has to be developed in the game (if you don't have it, you cannot tell your friends about AI cards you may have been able to peek at). So additional possible actions once learned could include: first aid on allies, distracting the monster, luring it, attempting to restrain it attack more or less recklessly, attack specific hit locations etc.