head to head
vs
NorthgardvsRise and Fall: Civilizations at War
Northgard leans Optimization (Mind & Math); Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
NorthgardRise and Fall: Civilizations at War
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 5
Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War leans harder on execution: Direct hero control adds real-time dexterity to the RTS
Reads5 vs 5
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 2
Northgard leans harder on variance: winters, wandering events
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.