# Recommend Me Some Good Strategy Games **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2002, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547 "2002-08-06T04:23:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/1 "2002-08-06T04:23:09Z")
Thing is…I’m fairly experienced with strategy games as it is. Two strategy games I enjoy, for example, would be Europa Universalis II, as well as a WWII game entitled “Strategic Command” (although I only currently have the demo). I can’t wait for Hearts of Iron or Crusader Kings, and I’m planning on buying Uncommon Valor soon (and probably Strategic Command). I also play Civ II and II, should you consider those strategy. So, any recommendations? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/2 "2002-08-06T04:33:38Z")
**Age of Wonders II** is pretty good. It’s basically an update of the old **Masters of Magic** game. Standard fantasy setting, strong story-based campaign (twenty plus different missions linked in seven mini-campaigns) Good strategic game, with a turn-based tactical combat engine, which is nice. I miss turn based games. I assume I don’t need to mention **Warcraft III**? **Master of Orion III** comes out next month (assuming they don’t push the release date back again). I’ve already pre-ordered my copy. ---
**Author:** ![Pythagoras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@Pythagoras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythagoras)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/3 "2002-08-06T04:46:50Z")
Id try Age of Wonders I before II if you can dig it up. ---
**Author:** ![Pythagoras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@Pythagoras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythagoras)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/4 "2002-08-06T04:48:59Z")
**Railroad Tycoon II** (the original tycoon’s sequal) is fun, **Startopia** , **Tropico** (mebe) If you liked the Civ series play **Alpha Centauri** ---
**Author:** ![taggert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/96bed5/32.png) [@taggert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taggert)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/5 "2002-08-06T05:03:15Z")
Chess Poker. Five card draw. Anything else is for sissies. Nothing “wild.” (Except maybe lowball, but that is for old men.) Learn the concepts behind these games and you will understand strategy. Oh, and read Sun-Tzu. ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/6 "2002-08-06T05:51:40Z")
From what I read in the Firaxis forums, **Master of Orion III** could be pushed back into Q1 2003, although a winter '02 release is more likely. **Alpha Centauri** as well as **Tropico** I both own and enjoy. I have **Age of Wonders I** and found it enjoyable, although I’d probably want to download a demo of the sequel. I’m completely unfamiliar with **Startopia** , so I’ll look into it. ---
**Author:** ![Osakadave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f07891/32.png) [@Osakadave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osakadave)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/7 "2002-08-06T08:28:45Z")
Go (and it’s variations Wei Chi and Paduk). The oldest (AFAIK) strategy game and (IMNSHO) by far the most the most elegant. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/8 "2002-08-06T10:32:42Z")
I’m currently going through **Commandos 2**. While it’s not the standard RTS formula(no unit building, a persistent cast of characters, lots of sneaking), it’s seriously kicking my rear. Some might even call it a puzzle game, since you don’t win if any of your crew dies. ---
**Author:** ![Phoenix\_Dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Phoenix\_Dragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phoenix_Dragon)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/9 "2002-08-06T10:56:12Z")
**Steel Beasts** is technically a tank sim, but it’s also quite playable as a modern mechanized-combat tactical game, so I guess it can get included. **Alpha Centauri** is a good one, as others have mentioned. And I’ve been spending a lot of time playing **Masters of Orion II** lately (Can’t wait to see what 3 is like!). Let’s see… The **Close Combat** series can be good, I think 2 had the best campaign and 3 had the best action out of the series (5 was close to 3 for action, though it seemed a little easier, and the overall strategic element, while closer to 2 than 3, seemed way too easy). ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/10 "2002-08-06T11:36:28Z")
Turn based- Civ III RTS- Age of Empires 2 (blows away Warcraft 3 and is a history of warfare lesson as well) As far as Commandos 2 -which is sort of a real time tactical game, is good but I liked Commandos 1 better. I must admit this is probably because I got burnt out from trying to avoid all the green line of sight cones in the first version. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/11 "2002-08-06T12:31:48Z")
A warning about Civilzation III - it is a good game, but they did something truly abominably stupid when making it - they used an oversimplified combat model. So now your most cost-effective units are… horsemen with spears (no kidding, either!). It gets wierd sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/12 "2002-08-06T13:30:55Z")
**Moo3** has been pushed back due to a major overhauling of the games’ mechanics. Electronic Boutique claims that it will release in Q1 2003, though the official site still claims Q3, 2002. This site will have more info for you: [http://apolyton.net/moo3/](http://apolyton.net/moo3/) You might want to try **Heroes of Might and Magic 3** - you can buy the “Complete” edition (including the original game and two expansions) for about $25-odd. # 4 is out, but it is full price ($50-ish) and isn’t nowhere near the bargain that 3 is. ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/13 "2002-08-06T14:26:14Z")
I have never played Go, but I **very** highly recommend Pente. As far as computer games go…they’ve all been mentioned, really. ---
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/14 "2002-08-06T19:36:34Z")
I don’t actually recommend this game since I haven’t played it and it got horrible reviews but considering the games you list you might want to check out **SuperPower** which is a grand-strategy game like EU set in the present. I believe that the developers have fixed many problems since the reviews so it might actually be decent now. Check out their site at [www.golemlabs.com](http://www.golemlabs.com) and they have a forum where you might get answers about the current status of the game. ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/15 "2002-08-06T21:00:21Z")
I reccommend Stronghold for castle stuff and Shogun: Total War for conquest. Both are excellent, underappreciated games. ---
**Author:** ![Pythagoras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@Pythagoras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythagoras)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2002, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/16 "2002-08-07T02:38:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Daoloth \* > \*\*From what I read in the Firaxis forums, **Master of Orion III** could be pushed back into Q1 2003, although a winter '02 release is more likely. **Alpha Centauri** as well as **Tropico** I both own and enjoy. I have **Age of Wonders I** and found it enjoyable, although I’d probably want to download a demo of the sequel. I’m completely unfamiliar with **Startopia** , so I’ll look into it. \*\* Though I really wish they were, Quicksilver (I think thats their name), not Firaxis is making MOO III. Moo III has had a really shaky development, so it might not be all that great. Here’s some good sites: > **[Forums - Apolyton Civilization Site](https://apolyton.net/)** > > vBulletin Forums [http://www.civfanatics.com](http://www.civfanatics.com) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2002, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-good-strategy-games/122547/17 "2002-08-10T06:51:25Z")
Startopia is pretty fun. HOMM3 is better, though.