# Good small / quick computer strategy games **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 1, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-small-quick-computer-strategy-games/626864 "2012-07-01T00:24:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-small-quick-computer-strategy-games/626864/1 "2012-07-01T00:24:53Z")
Does anybody have recommendations for games in this genre. I could use a new one. I prefer games with fully understood rules, that take \< 30 mins, as opposed to more grand strategy games like civilization. My favorites are: Spectromancer Quadradius Slay (O’Conners windows games) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-small-quick-computer-strategy-games/626864/2 "2012-07-01T16:41:23Z")
I’ve always enjoyed KDice, if you are looking for a quick multiplayer strategy game. kdice.com ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-small-quick-computer-strategy-games/626864/3 "2012-07-01T18:40:39Z")
Thank you. This is a perfect recommendation, as I have enjoyed that game a lot. I am not playing it much anymore, though. I find that people mostly flag to other players too much and too early, which means that the games mostly become settled very fast, and that sort of ruins it for me. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-small-quick-computer-strategy-games/626864/4 "2012-07-01T19:07:49Z")
There’s [Dicewars](http://www.gamedesign.jp/flash/dice/dice.html), which is basically a one-player version of KDice - you play against the computer. ---
**Author:** ![Scholar\_Beardpig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@Scholar\_Beardpig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scholar_Beardpig)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-small-quick-computer-strategy-games/626864/5 "2012-07-01T19:10:24Z")
Hidden Agenda! It can run on a computer from the 80s. Might be a bit hard to find, though… ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-small-quick-computer-strategy-games/626864/6 "2012-07-01T19:12:49Z")
Magic the gathering maybe? ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-small-quick-computer-strategy-games/626864/7 "2012-07-02T21:46:57Z")
I have played both Dicewars and Magic: The Gathering. Dicewars so much that I pretty much autowon by the end, and Magic: The Gathering is a great game, that doesn’t work so well for pc. Thanks for the suggestions, though. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-small-quick-computer-strategy-games/626864/8 "2012-07-02T22:35:36Z")
I’d suggest [Race For The Galaxy](http://keldon.net/rftg/). Originally it was (well, still is) a non-collectible strategy card game, but somebody went ahead and coded a computer version along with an AI for it that’s quite decent. Even though the cards have all been scanned, the game’s publisher has graciously allowed the guy who coded it to distribute his software as long as there no money involved ; so it’s all above board if that’s a concern. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-small-quick-computer-strategy-games/626864/9 "2012-07-03T13:33:37Z")
> [@mr.jp](#): > > I have played both Dicewars and Magic: The Gathering. Dicewars so much that I pretty much autowon by the end, and Magic: The Gathering is a great game, that doesn’t work so well for pc. Thanks for the suggestions, though. Why doesn’t it work so well on PC? I’ve been playing the latest version and it runs great and it’s a lot of fun. Beats the actual card game by a mile, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-small-quick-computer-strategy-games/626864/10 "2012-07-03T17:14:18Z")
If you have an iPad, [Le Havre](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/35677/le-havre) is now available. The computer version of [Kingsburg](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/27162/kingsburg) is pretty decent as well. Brian ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-small-quick-computer-strategy-games/626864/11 "2012-07-05T09:11:10Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Why doesn’t it work so well on PC? I’ve been playing the latest version and it runs great and it’s a lot of fun. Beats the actual card game by a mile, IMHO. I prefer draft games, so that I always play with new decks. I’m quite sure that’s available online, but it’s expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-small-quick-computer-strategy-games/626864/12 "2012-07-06T15:17:49Z")
_[Colossus](http://colossus.sourceforge.net/)_, a Java version of Avalon Hill’s _Titan_. I haven’t played it in a few years, but it was pretty good. Certainly played much faster than the board version did. _[Oasis](http://www.oasisgame.com/)_, where you search to build a city so you can fend off barbarians. I didn’t actually like it very much, others did and it fits the criteria. There’s lots of tower defence games at [Strategy & Defense games on Kongregate](http://www.kongregate.com/strategy-defense-games) but there’s also Rebuild and Rebuild II, which are similar to strategy board games. The first one was harder. On the off chance that you haven’t played Settlers of Catan, it’s a good board game and I’ve played a couple different PC versions.