Revisiting Combat as Sport vs Combat as War

[Quertus]

Seems to me you are seeing DM choices as reactive, but the world can also be proactive. If you make a big enough name for yourself too quickly you die because more powerful individuals get involved. That would also be Combat as War, it just doesn't assume that only the characters use their brains. If you foil the Dark Lord's minions you might not get a slow escalation but a hit squad of Wraiths, or an army that uses dogs and Dancing Lights to find you.

Tucker's Kobolds is also CaW, it just runs the opposite direction. Or Goblins that use Lycanthropy to give them an edge, etc.

Not at all! To simplify matters (because it's easier to discuss), I am actually looking at a world that is neither *reactive* nor *proactive*, but entirely static and prescripted ("there are bees here - what do you do?").

So, afaict, such variables are completely irrelevant to the conversation at hand.