When I was a new player, I was often times lost, as to where to find something I was looking for. Since the fog of war hides village names, and there are no sign posts and you cannot ask people for direction, maybe something could be added here.
I’m supposing that back then signposts were not a thing and most ppl didn’t travel more than a half days walk from their village. Sticking with as much realism as possible for the game.
Explore! clear the “fogof war”!
Well, if you want realism, you must be pretty disappointed, as in the the real world, you would just walk up to somebody and ask for directions. Also, there were signposts, sign stones and markers in the medieval ages to guide travelers along important routes.
how many important place in our little stretch of Bohemia? The 3 big town I could see. I just look at this game mechanic as learning my way around and have fun doing. I always explore as one of the 1st things I do in a game.
I don’t, unless it fits the plot, or lies along the travel route. If I am ordered to go to X by my lord, that is what I will do. Living in that stretch of land for 18years also would probably give me some basic sense of where to go. And my Lord or his minions would probably also explain to me what route to take. There are some quests that actually do it, and they are really cool if you dont use the map. “Go to the cross roads, then take the left. Walk till you see X etc etc”. Loved that part.
Here is were the oft repeated line in posts come around again “KCD is different. I will not hold your hand and lead you around”
Not trying to snarky . It just sounds like your a MQ once and done player. Not what this game was made for.
Absolutely not. I am 37y old pen & paper roleplay veteran that has played many different systems and worlds, as player and as dungeon master. I don’t say I do not explore. I explore when it fits. But if broken little Henry is taken under the wings of his lordship, he better gets done what is asked of him to not disappoint. Especially if their is a threat lurking about. There will be later times, where Henry can stray of the road to see what lies behind the forest. But when the lord calls to action, that is not the day.
which by game mechanic is just after getting the Ginger in a pickle quest. There isn’t a penalty for this.
You can go off MQ and get gear, money & experience& level
You could also go off MQ after waking up in rattay mill and do the above., BEFORE you report in.
Whenever really. It is up the to player and his fantasy. You cant really point at roleplay and freedom of choice while at the same time suggesting knowledge of the game at a level that you can structure your experience in the best possible way. That is more like OCD than “having a free-form roleplay first experience”. 
In my case, I was being the frustrated and miserable Henry that drowned the death of his parents in booze while doing jobs for pekesch. Pekesch then sends you to other places (the other millers) and you have no way to find them without either looking it up on the net, or exploring like mad, uncovering a lot of stuff you maybe not want to see yet and save for later. It takes the “freshness” out of the stuff when you are actually wanting to explore that area for real. There are many examples like that.