head to head
vs
Sunless SeavsTharsis
Sunless Sea leans Variance (Systems & Chaos); Tharsis leans Variance (Systems & Chaos).
Sunless SeaTharsis
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 0
Sunless Sea leans harder on execution: Slow boat combat barely tests the hands
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance7 vs 8
Tharsis leans harder on variance: Dice rolls and event draws brutally dominate each turn
Optimization6 vs 7
Tharsis leans harder on optimization: Crew allocation and risk math are the counterplay
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.