head to head
vs
Hidden & DangerousvsSid Meier's Pirates!
Hidden & Dangerous leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Sid Meier's Pirates! leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Hidden & DangerousSid Meier's Pirates!
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 4
Hidden & Dangerous leans harder on execution: Deadly one-shot gunfights demand careful aim
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 4
Sid Meier's Pirates! leans harder on variance: Treasure locations, wind, and town states roll randomly
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.