head to head
vs
PentimentvsTabletop Simulator
Pentiment leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); Tabletop Simulator leans Reads (Bluff & Deduction).
PentimentTabletop Simulator
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 1
Tabletop Simulator leans harder on execution: Fiddly physics manipulation, never a skill ceiling
Reads1 vs 4
Tabletop Simulator leans harder on reads: Depends entirely on the tabletop game played with humans
Variance3 vs 4
Tabletop Simulator leans harder on variance: Dice and shuffled decks supply whatever randomness the game has
Optimization4 vs 3
Pentiment leans harder on optimization: Dialogue and time budgeting reward planning.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.