Taking the Safety Padding away from D&D4e

A couple of days ago ThadeousC posted a seemingly innocent tweet that
asked the following: “In OD&D running from monsters is often a valid
option over fighting, does it ever happen in your 4e game?”. The
ensuing discussion was spirited and occasionally intense. I wanted to
get involved, but 140 characters was far far too limiting for a topic
such as this. So as part of a blog carnival, here's my own feelings on
the subject.