head to head
vs
Empire: Total WarvsThe Lord of the Rings: Tactics
Empire: Total War leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Lord of the Rings: Tactics leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Empire: Total WarThe Lord of the Rings: Tactics
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 2
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads3 vs 4
The Lord of the Rings: Tactics leans harder on reads: Simultaneous-turn multiplayer rewards anticipating human moves
Variance3 vs 3
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization8 vs 7
Empire: Total War leans harder on optimization: Campaign economy and line-infantry tactics are mappable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.