@Adam514:
Actually battles were often decided before they were even fought (numbers, tactics, weapons etc), only the number of casualties could be estimated, and that’s exactly what LL does. The outcome is certain, the number of casualties isn’t.
the idea of calculating your way to conquering russia bothers me…this is inherently a game of strategy AND odds, along with an occasion of extreme luck that CAN decide an outcome, but is not often the sole factor.
examples of unpredictability in war:
1. bad weather
2. assassinations (e.g., if an assassination on hitler succeeded…the war would’ve most likely taken a very different course)
3. untimely death of important figure/president/general
4. betrayals
5. equipment sabotage
6. spies (perhaps getting lucky)
7. code breaking
8. lucky timing (like a bomber group that found its way to the japanese carriers at midway, more by chance than planning)
9. emotional decision making (e.g., hitler’s terrible temper)
10. cowardice (large number of troops, perhaps even outnumbering enemy, but maybe they lose morale or courage and run)
11. politics/religion influencing decisions
12. will to fight (e.g., churchill had that, chamberlain didn’t)
13. ideologies (e.g., barbaric nazi treatment of certain groups of people likely backfired by chasing out intelligent figures and increasing people’s will to resist)
14. foolish mistrust (e.g., stalin’s massive purge of his ranks, that weakened his army)
15. sudden breakthrough in technology (e.g., radar that eliminated the effectiveness of the u boats)
16. sudden change of alliances
17. an ally making a decision that hugely impacts you (e.g., japan DOW on america creating a huge problem for a germany steeped in russian conquest)
18. overconfidence
19. faulty information (germans drafted plans based on incomplete information of the real strength of the soviets)
and on and on…you can plan and plan and prepare and prepare, but there will always be a huge amount of unpredictability in war. that unpredictability can be reflected in the dice.