Direct fire table using a D12 ?

[Blackcloud6]

No making the combat bloodier would change the character of the game more that most players would want.

I fully agree.  PG's fundamental combat basis is "fire superiority."  You have to build up combat power over time to bring down the enemy.  The combat table facilitates this concept.  Originally the game had a D6 table but it was changed to 2D^ to give a better representation of how to build up fire superiority.  The whole movement combat and command subsystems f the game ae built on the fire superiority concept.  Changing it to a "bloodier" system unhinges the entire game and would wreck every scenario.

The current combat system works well and replicates the pace of combat and the resultant casualties of the period very well.