This was the point.
Anaris, you're effectively railing against the blob vs. blob nature of BM combat, and yet you don't recognize that the fact that nearly exact CS numbers being available to both sides just encourages this type of behavior, not to mention enables risk aversion. As a General I assess the CS of the enemy force, take into account the (comparatively minor) considerations of unit type distribution and total number of men, and then I know if I can win or not. This guides almost all my decisions.
Removing CS numbers would not in any way reduce the value of scouts. After all, you still need to know where the enemy is and what he's doing, as much or more than needing to know his combat capabilities down to a T. My suggestion wouldn't change that. What it would do is make battles more unpredictable, but that's a good thing. As it is right now, people just avoid fighting at a CS disadvantage unless they feel they have no choice. It is something that enables risk aversion.
I don't like the idea of completely removing any kind of way of knowing the quality of the enemy army when scouting although I see your point on people waiting until they know they have a CS advantage.
