Quote Originally Posted by Omanes Alexandrapolites the Idiot
That's one of those nasty issues with R:TW - it was, from what I have seen, designed with a younger audience in mind compared to M:TW. Younger audiences don't often want to test their steal or resolve and prefer to "go steamroller" across the map - the "rebel" faction's easy destruction is clear proof of that problem.
You've hit the nail right on the head there Omanes. From RTW onwards, CA have re-oriented themselves towards a younger, more thrill-seeking market more interested in graphics and uber-units than in serious stategy and historical veracity.

One can't really blame them for this; they are a commercial enterprise and their success with their later games shows that, from a business perspective, that was a sound policy.

Nevertheless we can mourn the death of the high-quality strategy in STW and MTW, and be grateful that the series continues to be relatively highly moddable.