I respond to Gus L.'s comment on overloaded dice:
A lot of people dislike the Overloaded die … but often this seems to come down precisely to what you mention - they want greater predictability and ways to mitigate the risks of exploration. Of course players want an easier time.
Like all mechanics they can be overused…however, one doesn’t use them for a more “realistic” or complex game … one uses them to:
speed up play,
focus distracted players on the specific Turn (because individual turns always matter)
remove logistics and turnkeeping/supply tracking duties from the referee who has plenty of other things to think about.
If one happens to have 6 hours to play, attentive players and is great at tracking a lot of things in one’s head while running games then Overloaded die mechanics aren’t for you.
I also mention my just published blogpost on simplifying light tracking.