head to head
vs
Hearts of Iron IIIvsStronghold
Hearts of Iron III leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Stronghold leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Hearts of Iron IIIStronghold
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 2
Stronghold leans harder on execution: minimal, mostly clicking and management
Reads2 vs 2
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 2
Hearts of Iron III leans harder on variance: Fog of war and event timing add uncertainty
Optimization9 vs 9
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.