head to head
vs
Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic QuestvsPillars of Eternity
Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Pillars of Eternity leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic QuestPillars of Eternity
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 2
Pillars of Eternity leans harder on execution: Real-time-with-pause removes all twitch pressure from the player
Reads2 vs 1
Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest leans harder on reads: human opponents can be out-maneuvered strategically
Variance4 vs 4
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
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.