head to head
vs
Total War: Shogun 2vsToy Soldiers: War Chest
Total War: Shogun 2 leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Toy Soldiers: War Chest leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Total War: Shogun 2Toy Soldiers: War Chest
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 6
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads3 vs 3
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 3
Total War: Shogun 2 leans harder on variance: Metsuke agent skill rolls and random farm yields add moderate unknowns
Optimization8 vs 7
Total War: Shogun 2 leans harder on optimization: Clan-specific mastery paths and trade port chains are the core solvable layer
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.