Re: [HIST??] Culture shock

From: Control Robot <cqin@ee.ualberta.ca>

> inflexible idiot.  And frankly, if you go by historical precedent,
John A's
> "stereotypes" would be mostly right on that account.	...

<snip>

>  If any officer is dumb enough to think the
> "stereotyped" description is a 100% accurate portrayal of the enemy
all the
> time, and always follows the guide to the letter, I suspect John A.
would
> kick him out of his army. :)

It's very easy to think "I know that X doctrine is thus" and find out
to your chagrin that this particular opponent isn't doing what he's
supposed to.  You can assume he's doing what he's supposed, but you
risk falling into a trap.  Or you can be cautious and creep along,
preserving your unit--but you lose the opportunity to destroy the
enemy, or you fail to relieve one of your other units in time.
Not to mention the fact that your subordinates have minds of their
own.  You may be screaming at him get his butt in gear, or you may be
wondering what kind of idiot would stick his neck out like that.
It's easy to say "_I_ would never make a mistake like that" and I've
heard a number of gamers claim "my troops would never get out of
control."   Baloney.  You've got a God's-Eye view, no outside
pressure, and little lead soldiers to move around.  In the real world,
even the greatest commanders have found their subordinates doing
something unexpected and undesirable; and they're forced to take risks
because of political or strategic concerns that don't show up on the