Certainly, it is overly critical. People who say this tend to be the ones who don’t really like the rules for whatever reason. Usually, it is because of the simplicity of the rules. They seem to prefer micromanagement of units and be allowed to move every unit on the table in whatever way they choose.
That isn’t the point to the system in Black Powder. These rules try to put you in the role of the Commander in Chief. You make the decisions and issue orders to the units that form the army under your command. As in real life, those orders sometimes go astray or are misunderstood (The Charge of the Light Brigade is possibly the most famous example). This is represented by the Command Roll or Order Test, dictating how successful your order is in getting through.
As the C in C, you couldn’t give a damn how a unit completes the orders, just that they are carried out. So it doesn’t matter tha a unit wheels this way and that to get from point A to point B – that’s for the sergeants to sort out, not you. But some don’t like not being able to do all that nonsense, so they say things like you have read.
As to the question about scenarios, definitely not! You can make up your own using actual battles, or you can google Tabletop Teasers, where you will find hundreds of scenarios. Some may need a little adaptation as they may be written as for another period. Some of the Wargame magazines have scenarios in them as do the supplements for these rules and those for others, like General de Brigade, which work perfectly well for Black Powder, too. There are lots of scenarios available.
I’ll Turn your question around – If you’re going to use points, aren’t you just going to play the same game over and over again with your pointed forces? I am sure your answer will basically echo what I have just said about scenario play.
2) There was a point system described in the appendix of BP1, but that has been removed from BP2. However, as mentioned, some of the supplements have e lists with points.
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