@drq I might add that the player characters seem to be only ones who are able to flee the battle.

And while I agree with you on the forcefulness of encounters, there are many cases that handles the conflict from the angle other than "kill or be killed".

In Elder Scrolls games, guards offer you to pay the fine/do the time in response to your transgressions. The "public execution" option is invoked by the your choice.

In HoMM III, if your army is strong enough, map mobs will resort to escape (unless you really want to fight them).