The rewards are just a small bit of my problem... it isn't just the actual "filthy lucre" you get, it is that the results are the same. If I really ticked the captain off to the point she wants to kill me... then perhaps there SHOULD be a battle... maybe I need to now find a different boat to ride on? I chose the docks over the fort, so now to get to the city (entrance really close to the fort) I have to fight a somewhat epic fight of guys who just conquered the fort and now have the strong position to attack ME... Or, maybe if you choose the fort, the commander who was at the docks dies, which makes a further quest down the road more difficult possibly...
All sorts of REAL consequences for actions. In Skyrim, simple decision: support imperials, or support stormcloaks. Make the decision, the rest of the game is actually altered. Not asking for anything that massive, but man, shouldn't there be SOME sort of change that affects the path you are walking down? Instead, what we have is a fork in the road that just has a little change of scenery then rejoins the same road again, almost as if you never left it. There aren't any more vines, a leaf-covered pit, or anything on either of the paths, so it really doesn't matter which one you pick, you get some cool scenery, then are right back on the main road again.