It's not XML. Work's on Markdown which is basically not that much different from raw text tbh.
It absolutely can become technical is you want it to.
- Database queries on your notes. You can create tables in your notes that are made up of your existing notes and the metadata from your notes.
- Ability to use formulas across your notes. I have travel distance auto-calculating on 'place' notes and it uses the parties method of travel and exhaustion levels in the calculation.
- Rather advanced scripting. I have random table scripts that will generate random tables where it pulls results from existing notes in specified folders! This is insane tbh.
- Even got AI Text working
can literally just highlight some text, press a hotkey and it writes the next chunk of text for me lol.
I will say this. Yes, there is Syntax that you come across. But you just put them in a Template and that simplifies the whole thing.
The difference between the two tools though... Realm Works was difficult to get data into. Obsidian is insanely and stupidly easy to get data into. In 1 year I have set myself up far more than I ever did in 4 years of using RW. I'm actually spending time prepping my sessions instead of putting data into the tool because I have all the data already done. I even re-did all the data I put in originally from RW because I can do it better now and it only takes a few minutes.