First, I agree that D&D totally rules.
So here's my understanding of the example of play and the fiction it gives rise to:
DM: You come to a door. What do you do?
Max: I alertly go into the room. If I see anything, I leave and get to the rest of the group.
DM: OK, the door opens into a large room that's about sixty-five feet long and fifty feet wide, and you don't see anything until you've walked about ten feet into the room. (I don't know why this would be, but maybe there's some intervening feature of the room that screens the goblins from view until then.) When you get ten feet in, you see ten goblins against the opposite wall of the room, and they begin moving towards you. What do you do?
Max: I turn to leave immediately the instant I see the goblins.
DM: Make a Dexterity check to determine your initiative versus the goblins. The goblins got a 15. If you win, you can get to the door first and leave, but if you lose, the goblins will have gotten the drop on you and will get to the door ahead of you to block your escape.
Max: Darn it, I got a 10.
DM: Too bad, the goblins rush past you as you turn to leave, giving you the chance to make an opportunity attack against one of them, and stand in two rows in front of the door, barring your way. What do you do?
And so on...
I honestly don't see how this is an absurd narrative.