I like the idea as stated, because it suits my taste and my style of play. I like long single player sessions, and the more I have to think in game, the better it is for me, and the longer the appeal Lasts.
My point of view stems from the following: What I see now is a lot of pretty much very similar units: when you add the large random dice bonus to the stats, all the units perform pretty much the same. Apart from them looking a bit different, it doesn't matter all that much which ones I build when compared to the impact of how many of them I have. The idea proposed would add to strategic variety of units, and importance to each respective unit would increase, depending on the situation. I don't see how this would increase micromanagement, since you'll again build them and stack them the same way. What it will add is that you'll have to put more thought on composition of your armies. Which is a strategic element, and has nothing to do with micromanagement or interface. And I don't think I'll face only a single type of oponent, since they'll have the same diversity in weaponry and armour included as well. Moreover, you can still just simply compose your armies of a single type units, or add a little of each type, if you don't want to exact a very precise control over it. But it will be different if my flail-armed infantryman hits someone with leather armour or an undead unit this turn, although they might have the same defense/protection stats, his effectivness will be different. This will also add to the uncertainty of a victory a bit, as sheer numbers might not mean anything if you face good counters. I am not too fond of rock/paper/scissors setup actually, such as one found in AoE e.g. or any other similar game, as I find it oversimplified. I enjoy the shades of gray when I play, but distinctive shades, not just uniform blur.
Lastly, we can argue as much as we want and still never reconcile our views, but it's up to devs what they want to implement or not. Hence, no need to take this discussion to heart, I hope.
[ October 07, 2003, 21:42: Message edited by: HJ ]