I agree with you my dear Friand, the offensive in HWN is not rewarded, the defenses are too strong.
I also agree, almost......what the "problem" is, is that the defender can keep falling back though one defensive position after another while the attacker wears themselves out pushing further and further forward, only to end up surrendering........now the question is -
WHY was that "tactic" not possible in real life ?, and why does it happen in game ?.
My current thought is because the attacker allows the defender to makes these moves, by NOT making a big enough attack in the first instance.