Yeah, feeling not-in-control is definitely intended. It should be a somewhat stressful and hopeless experience. I believe that playing “good” makes the game less fun actually - it’s a bit of a conundrum for which I did not find a good solution in time.
Storywise this game has quite a lot metaphorical depth of course, but I got to be honest here and say that most of it developed during the process of making the game and is therefore not as clear-cut or clean as it could have been (which doesn’t always have to be a bad thing, but in this case it’s a bit confusing).
I actually personally went away from the idea of “fate” and more in the direction of random chance. Being hit by a drunk driver was a tragedy, but it always was random chance. It wasn’t fate. Though, gameplay-wise you are trying to change fate during your dicerolls and when you are talking about chance, there should be multiple outcomes to the game. That’s a result of the timelimit I had making this and also the process of creating. I didn’t start with a metaphor, rather I started with a scenario and went from there.
Thinking about it, I think your interpretation fits better, but it’s a mix of the two which makes it a little unsatisfying. If I’d ever follow up on the game, I’ll take this into account.
Sorry for the unsatisfying answer, but thank you a lot for playing the game, the kind words and the deep thoughts!