If you know exactly, in advance, with certainty, how a battle between two units is going to end up, that means your strategy is much shallower. You are much les

If you know exactly, in advance, with certainty, how a battle between two units is going to end up, that means your strategy is much shallower. You are much less likely to need backup plans for anything. But it's even more than that. Some units cause the same amount of _mean_ damage, but one may do so in fewer shots. And on the defense side, two units may take the same mean damage on a hex, but one unit has a higher dodge percentage, while the other has damage resistance. That makes for a much richer variety of units: Reliable hitters vs opportunistic shot-takers; tanks which will are sure to survive an attack, and pestering nuisances which, once swatted, will go away for good. You can't have that without the randomness.