I have to agree that
tracking makes the most sense... but then again, I learned on the ultimate tracking "console"... 36
dimmer autotransformer
(3 people to run... some cues were run by one person moving the master handle up or down, with the other two unlocking individual dimers from the master at various points along the way.)
Though for a recent small show I did (in a church hall, with a total of 12 dimmers) with only a couple dozen cues, the que-only board (which we got for free) was perfectly OK.
(Then there's the "tracking" automated fly system I sometimes use... but that belongs in a different forum...)