[licker]

Keep in mind AoW has 45 different units that are really different pictures on one of 3 basic units that are for the most part identical. A human swordsman = an orc swordsmen and a orc cavalry = a human cavalry.

I'm not convinced this is a good way to argue that Dom is superior to AoW, most Dom nations have very similar units as well. The difference of a point or two here or there is virtually identical to the differences between the AoW units. The magic system in dom is however significantly different, and more interesting than the system in AoW, as is the variety in creating magic items.

The main difference to me between AoW and Dom is the pace of the battles. In AoW you typically have battles every turn, often multiple battles. In Dom it seems that especailly the crucial battles have alot of positioning and build up prior to their launch, this is something that is mostly lacking in AoW due to the mechanics of the game. In AoW the map is completely discrete, and stacks can move most anywhere they desire. In Dom you are limited to provinces, its a more abstracted game element that leads by design to more concentrated armies, and more strategic thinking in as far as when to launch an attack, and how to defend your borders. In AoW you essentially cannot defend your borders, though the borders themselves are less important than they are in Dom. This is a significant difference in how one would approach playing either game, and if someone is beholden to one style they will probably have trouble liking or getting used to the other (as there were massive debates on surrender in AoW).

Anyway the differences between AoW and Dom have little to do with units and spells and the like, and much more to do with the fundamental design of the game, and the excecution of that design, that's why its very possible to like both games while feeling that they offer very different things. Unlike most (I said most) RTSs where its just different gfx, but nearly identical gameplay from one game to the next. That is either you like RTS games in general (the preference here is more about weather you like fantasy or WWII or futuristic crap) or you don't like any of them as the gameplay is so much of the same thing over and over.