In the case of a game like RTW I can't quite see how accuracy and gameplay are mutually exclusive. If the basic strategic gameplay is nailed who needs fantasy units? Just as the real history is often far more interesting than Hollywood inventions.

On the flipside, there are always going to be abstractions. Armies were massively larger in real life, battle plans couldn't be changed the way they can be in the TW series, and there were many minute details which were important to events. Until these can be accurately modelled no matter how many period units are faithfully recreated gams will always be inaccuracies.

Anyway, I went for number 2.