head to head
vs
Total War: Shogun 2vsWarhammer: Dark Omen
Total War: Shogun 2 leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Warhammer: Dark Omen leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Total War: Shogun 2Warhammer: Dark Omen
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 7
Warhammer: Dark Omen leans harder on execution: Unit facing and charge timing are mechanically decisive
Reads3 vs 4
Warhammer: Dark Omen leans harder on reads: Campaign is scripted; limited adaptive opponent in multiplayer
Variance4 vs 4
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
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.