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Depending on the setup and whether the players had any sort of ability to affect the outcome, they could be "gotchas," yes.

Then it's just not really a possibility until DM says so, which again raises the question why bother rolling (and then obfuscating)? Just decide for yourself.

The players' and their characters' reasons need not be equal.

"You're poisoned and there was nothing you could do to avoid that fate" is a "gotcha." It doesn't matter if you're doing it as hard scene-framing.

Turning a crit into not-a-crit and obscuring that fact from the players is by definition fudging. The question still remains for me - why are you rolling the dice and playing with critical hits as a rule, and character death for that matter, if you don't want that outcome to be a possibility...

While it's not practical for players to call out every minute decision their character makes, I would think that deciding for them the one thing they could have done to avoid being poisoned would be perceived by the players as a "gotcha." I think that is a much graver sin than a player deciding...

Did the host ask you to wash your neck before dinner?

I prefer to give the guidelines under which a rest is possible, then let the players decide whether, when, and how often they rest. This makes it a meaningful decision for them. This will always involve a timer of some kind and limitations on how long you can adventure in a given day. For...

Killed loads at 5th level and above, too. Not that I'm bragging. (Though maybe I am.) It's how my D&D works and, not surprisingly, the game itself seems to perform better under that approach. When we set up these hard lines like "it's impossible to have any sort of versimilitude" or most fights...

I don't find it difficult to challenge players. I'm up to 8 dead in a current dungeon delve I'm running, mostly 3rd-level PCs dying to kobolds. What those and characters from others games I play in or DM don't have are a gang of magic items, unlimited resting, and a 10 minute workday.

By the numbers, Deadly, but still very doable even without all the crazy loot you've given them.

This encounter is really just a bit above Deadly for a party of seven 6th-level characters. It's just 3 CR 8's. You can ignore the XP of the bandits per DMG, page 82: "When making this calculation, don't count any monsters whose challenge rating is significantly below the average challenge...

As well, I'm a fighter with a good Con and Inspiration in my back ocket. Do your worst, DM - I got this!

Yep, like poisoning fruit-based desserts like lemon bars or banana pudding.

Think of all the Inspiration though. I'm playing the long game here.

Our host and his servants ended up being cannibals, too. There was no way to foresee this going badly.

Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time Brick had a fruit that wasn't poisoned! 🤔

At this point I should probably let you all know that this NPC, as it turns out, was not on the up-and-up and subsequently attacked us!

My fellow characters and I are exploring a lost city buried beneath the sands of a vast desert. Shortly into our first foray, we come across a well-appointed dining chamber and its occupant, a friendly and immaculately dressed fellow who invites us to partake of refreshment. He is joined by...

Online - the days of smelling other people's farts are over! (Now it's just my own.)