head to head
vs
Emperor: Battle for DunevsTotal War: Rome II
Emperor: Battle for Dune leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Total War: Rome II leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Emperor: Battle for DuneTotal War: Rome II
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 5
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads3 vs 3
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 4
Total War: Rome II leans harder on variance: Random political events and dynastic loyalty shifts add campaign variance
Optimization7 vs 8
Total War: Rome II leans harder on optimization: Senate favor management and province chains form a solvable campaign system
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.