DM dependent im guessing but im seeing common experiences to my own appearing here. I will say my GM at the time was a classic skill play type GM. Players need to treat the game as severe survival mode. Every glass of water is poisoned, every bed has poisonous insects and snakes, every old lady is an agent to kill you. Its exhausting how little the game is allowed to breath. Even worse, the GM never provided clues and made the players discover everything. Allowing them to waste hours and sessions on pointless red herrings and wild goose chases. For example, when Gumshoe system was invented the GM claimed it to be a crime against humanity because its the players job to figure things out and survive...
Same. I see a published adventure as a toolkit first and foremost..
Yeah my GM at the time made a big deal about my character having a pistol at the London border. Something to effect of how dumb I was for not knowing this of 1920's London. First of all, why is it an assumption an America player would know the laws of England in the 1920's? Second, why did the steam-liner allow passengers to bring weapons with them? Third, my character was English and
I wouldn't know this but surely
they would!
I think its more of a meta mindset. You the player knows you will be facing all kinds of nastiness, so you prepare by loading up on firepower and having chunky PCs that can take a hit and mentally fortified characters to weather the storm. Some GMs just expect wanton violence as part of the experience. I know a friend that GMs a lot of different genres and game types. Killing everyone in the room is the answer 99% of the time regardless.
I dont recall a single roll taking out a party. It usually takes a few bad encounters to really get things going pear shaped. Even with my killer GM.