head to head
vs
Halo WarsvsThe Lord of the Rings: Tactics
Halo Wars leans Optimization (Mind & Math); The Lord of the Rings: Tactics leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Halo WarsThe Lord of the Rings: Tactics
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 2
Halo Wars leans harder on execution: Controller macro is deliberately light
Reads5 vs 4
Halo Wars leans harder on reads: Versus humans, build choices are mindgames
Variance3 vs 3
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.