I think what made our game close was that I don't play defensively, ever. What I should have done I suppose was to simply camp atop the larger hill mass and let Jim's Russians come to me. Not much fun IMO.
I think if both players want to come to grips with one another it can be a fun scenario. If as it seems the only trick is to camp the Panthers on top of a hill and blast what comes into view, then it's not fun at all.