head to head
vs
FortsvsThe Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
Forts leans Optimization (Mind & Math); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
FortsThe Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 5
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads6 vs 5
Forts leans harder on reads: Human opponents adapt designs and target your weak points
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 7
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.