Well, I can see why you were turned off ... you went straight for 3 of the most difficult AND bland things in adventure mode.
First, you created a "play now" character instead of choosing a person from a town, which, along with making you naked and skill-less, also gives you no map knowledge or anything whatsoever of the world.
Secondly, you had the misfortune of wandering into an underground tunnel, which is probably the worst part of adventure mode at the moment and is to be AVOIDED at all costs, unless you want to give yourself some sort of XBox live achievement type thing for "I walked a tunnel" or something like that, and, even with that, it requires a bit of preparation.
Thirdly, you entered a dwarf town, which is like entering a maze ... as RAY CHARLES.
If you happen to give it another go, start out as a human in a human town, with equipment and skills, and give it another go.
The human civs are the only ones fleshed out and organized in any way at the moment, and, if you stick to them for your civic needs, quest gathering, economic stuff, and social interactions, while hunting out targeted monsters with, you know, weapons, and, ahem, the ability to use them, you'll find it a lot less bland.
It's missing a lot, definitely. I'd just venture to say that you sadly took a bite out of a delicious pie made mostly of yummy apples and partly of sand. You just happened to bite the sand part. Bad luck, mate. Here's to hoping you get a better nibble for dessert.
Cheers!