head to head
vs
Rise of Nations: Extended EditionvsWarhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
Rise of Nations: Extended Edition leans Optimization (Grand Arena); Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War leans Reads (Grand Arena).
Rise of Nations: Extended EditionWarhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 6
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads6 vs 7
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War leans harder on reads: Opponent chapter choice and rush timing must be predicted
Variance3 vs 3
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization8 vs 7
Rise of Nations: Extended Edition leans harder on optimization: Age timing, economy ratios and counters are deeply solvable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.