No, actually, more to the contrary. According to everything I´ve read, it leads not to random, but unexpected results, if you just compare the stats of two units.

I agree on the part with the campaign map. On that note, I also find the more abstract map of MTW far more immersive than the campaign map of RTW or M2TW. The latter just don´t manage to convey the feeling of actually sitting at a royal council, deciding the grand strategy for the next year.