head to head
vs
Empire EarthvsWarhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
Empire Earth leans Optimization (Mind & Math); Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War leans Reads (Grand Arena).
Empire EarthWarhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 6
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War leans harder on execution: Squad retreat timing and builder unit micro require practiced hands
Reads7 vs 7
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 3
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization8 vs 7
Empire Earth leans harder on optimization: Epoch advancement timing and citizen allocation are near-optimally solvable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.