head to head

Cossacks: European Wars cover artvsStronghold: Crusader cover art

Cossacks: European WarsvsStronghold: Crusader

Cossacks: European Wars leans Optimization (Mind & Math); Stronghold: Crusader leans Optimization (Mind & Math).

EXECUTION5 /10READS6 /10VARIANCE3 /10OPTIMIZATION8 /10
Cossacks: European WarsStronghold: Crusader

Axis by axis

Execution5 vs 5

Even - both lean on execution about the same.

Reads6 vs 6

Even - both lean on reads about the same.

Variance3 vs 4

Stronghold: Crusader leans harder on variance: Goods market prices and siege equipment availability fluctuate

Optimization8 vs 8

Even - both lean on optimization about the same.

Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

full breakdown

Cossacks: European Wars

full breakdown

Stronghold: Crusader