Looking for a good turn-based strategy game.

[Zhukov]

As the thread title suggests, I find myself seized by a sudden urge to play a TBS game.

Sadly, tragically, I don't have one on hand.

So... does the great and wise internet have any suggestions?

Parameters:
- Has to be on PC
- Has to be focussed on warfare and diplomacy, not on building or resource management.
- Needs to have a good GUI.
- No real-time elements.
- Preferably not with a historical theme.
- Preferably something that allows for long matches.

 

[ChupathingyX]

Hmmm, I was going to suggest Dynasty Tactics 2 but it doesn't really feature that much diplomacy other than spies and recruitment (which is really fun...well, I find it really fun) and is set in a historical time (though a heavily romanticised version).

There's also the issue of finding a copy as it's only available on PS2 and I personally found mine on the floor of an EB Games behind a pile of old pre-owned games worth about $5...in other words; it's very obscure.

However, if you have someone else to play with I would definitely recommend it as pretty much every battle I've played with friends have gone well over an hour (one went for two hours and thirty minutes).

EDIT: Only on PC? Awwww....

 

[krazykidd]

How about advanced wars on the Nintendo DS . It's a pretty fun game and quite addictive . There is a ton of missions and bonus mission , it could keep you occupied for days on end .

 

[Smooth Operator]

Civilization series?
It has pretty much all of the requirements, as far as I remember anyway, consequently all those things kept me away from them.

 

[Weaver]

Can you just go back and play X-Com?

 

[Fat Hippo]

Galactic Civilizations II by Stardock is pretty kick-ass. As the title might lead you to think, its a little like Civilization... but in space. You've got loads of possibilities when designing your ships, which leads to interesting possibilities in war. And the AI is scary good. Plus, it has no DRM. You should give it a look.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

As the thread title suggests, I find myself seized by a sudden urge to play a TBS game.

Sadly, tragically, I don't have one on hand.

So... does the great and wise internet have any suggestions?

Parameters:
- Has to be on PC
- Has to be focussed on warfare and diplomacy, not on building or resource management.
- Needs to have a good GUI.
- No real-time elements.
- Preferably not with a historical theme.
- Preferably something that allows for long matches.

Hard to find something that meets all these criteria.

Crusader Kings 2 covers points 1, 2, is questionable on 3 and 4 (some might consider it a RTS, it's more of a weird hybrid), falls down hard on 5, but nails 6.

I know you well enough to figure you're already familiar with genre classics like X-Com, JA2, HOMM and Civilization.

Warlock: Master of the Arcane and Dead State and the X-Com remake are all months away still, as is the Civ 5 expansion.

King's Bounty? Elven Legacy? Warlords?

Galactic Civilizations II by Stardock is pretty kick-ass. As the title might lead you to think, its a little like Civilization... but in space. You've got loads of possibilities when designing your ships, which leads to interesting possibilities in war. And the AI is scary good. Plus, it has no DRM. You should give it a look.

GalCiv or one of the MOO's are good picks as well, although again...it's likely you've tried them already.

 

[Bostur]

I would recommend Hearts of Iron 3, but it's not technically turn-based. It's real-time pausable. Most strategy games have moved to that mechanic. It does have some economics and research but the main focus is on strategy. It is quite complex and some experience with strategy games is recommended.
http://www.heartsofirongame.com

The Panzer General series was an accessible yet deep turn based strategy game. PG2 is available on gog.com. I prefered PG3 but that may be hard to find. It has a sibling called Fantasy General that is also very good. There is no diplomacy though.
http://www.gog.com/gamecard/panzer_general_2

Battle for Wesnoth is an open source Warlords clone. I haven't checked it out lately, it may be lacking in the AI aspect, but since it's free the risk is limited.
http://www.wesnoth.org/

Battle Isle series. Old abstract turn based strategy games. The AI is a bit shit, but not everyone notice.
http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/battle_isle_platinum


Your criteria does exclude a lot of games. Strict turn-based, non-historical, no economy leaves very few games left. And unfortunately no one makes that kind of game anymore.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Your criteria does exclude a lot of games. Strict turn-based, non-historical, no economy leaves very few games left. And unfortunately no one makes that kind of game anymore.

I dunno. Is it me, or does this year seem like it's bringing a resurgence of TBS games? The Civ 5 expansion, the X-Com reboot, that Warlock one, that other one those other guys are doing, the name of which I forget, some fantasy thing. And then you've got the indie ones, your Dead State and your Xenonauts. I can't remember the last time this many TBS games hit all at once. Given I'm still playing JA2 and X-Com 15-20 years later, if even ONE of those games hits big it's going to be like Christmas.

 

[Bostur]

Your criteria does exclude a lot of games. Strict turn-based, non-historical, no economy leaves very few games left. And unfortunately no one makes that kind of game anymore.

I dunno. Is it me, or does this year seem like it's bringing a resurgence of TBS games? The Civ 5 expansion, the X-Com reboot, that Warlock one, that other one those other guys are doing, the name of which I forget, some fantasy thing. And then you've got the indie ones, your Dead State and your Xenonauts. I can't remember the last time this many TBS games hit all at once. Given I'm still playing JA2 and X-Com 15-20 years later, if even ONE of those games hits big it's going to be like Christmas.

It's true there is some new stuff coming. I'm especially looking forward to the Warlock one because it reminds me of my long time favorite Master of Magic. And hopefully one of the X-Coms will be really awesome.

Crusader Kings 2 is another game that I will probably play for years, but like Zhukov I do miss some turn-basedeness sometimes.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Crusader Kings 2 is another game that I will probably play for years, but like Zhukov I do miss some turn-basedeness sometimes.

I don't know why I keep thinking of it as a TBS, because it's technically not. It really does play and feel like one, though.

 

[Rheinmetall]

Civilization III. You don't need to think about it. Simple, addictive, timeless. Open a new window go to eBay and order one copy. You can thank me later. In the mean time, assuming that it might take for the package a week or more to arrive, you can play the other escapists' suggestions.

 

[franconbean]

You could wait till X-Com: Enemy Unknown comes out later this year. Will be surprised if that is anything less than amazing.
Failing that, you could go for the original game, on steam now for pennies.
Fallout Tactics is a decent idea. There are very few building/resource management requirements in it. It has options for both real time and turn based strategy and is overall a VERY entertaining game.

Or You could just play a total war game and auto-resolve all the battles.

 

[Zhukov]

Thanks for the recommendations folks. Looks like I'll be trying GalCiv II and Crusader Kings.

...

I know you well enough to figure you're already familiar with genre classics like X-Com, JA2, HOMM and Civilization.

As it happens, I've only played one X-Com game and that was well over a decade ago. (Good God, I feel old.) Would you recommend a particular title in the series? Steam has UFO Defence, Terror from the Deep and Apocalypse available.

(Also, thanks for reminding me of JA2. Been meaning to snap that up for a while now. GOG, here comes my credit card.)

 

[BloatedGuppy]

As it happens, I've only played one X-Com game and that was well over a decade ago. (Good God, I feel old.) Would you recommend a particular title in the series? Steam has UFO Defence, Terror from the Deep and Apocalypse available.

(Also, thanks for reminding me of JA2. Been meaning to snap that up for a while now. GOG, here comes my credit card.)

UFO Defense is the genre defining classic. Be forewarned that it's an aging game that doesn't always play nice with modern systems, but I feel comfortable declaring it the best strategy game ever made. Of course, the reboot is coming out later this year, you may want to just wait for that.

If you've not tried JA2, by all means, do so. It's a little more friendly and intuitive than X-Com, being less aged, but shares some of the same game play fundamentals. And unlike X-Com, the reboot was NOT true to the original, changing out the TBS for some phased real time nonsense that by all accounts went over like a wet balloon.

I recommend getting it off GOG, not Steam, as the Steam version has some issues. And I recommend immediate installation of the 1.13 mod, although you'll want to turn off the "Drassen Counterattack" unless ball crushing difficulty is something you eagerly anticipate in a brand new and unfamiliar game.

I recently got through replaying JA2, and I can say without reservation that it's aged like fine wine. Yeah, I'd like better resolutions and a cleaner UI, but they really just DO NOT make em like this anymore, so it feels refreshing and innovative and fun despite being over a decade old.

As for CK, the game you want is CK2, and it's still fairly new/expensive, so by all means try the demo first to make sure it scratches your itch.

 

[Bostur]

As it happens, I've only played one X-Com game and that was well over a decade ago. (Good God, I feel old.) Would you recommend a particular title in the series? Steam has UFO Defence, Terror from the Deep and Apocalypse available.

UFO Defense is the original and a good starting point. It's also arguably the best.

Terror from the Deep is a sequel that use the original engine. At first glance it looks like a cheap reskin, but it is more than that. The new maps are more challenging and gives 'deeper' tactical gameplay. They adjusted the tech tree a bit for a slightly different flow. It's also harder. The downside is that the setting feels contrieved compared to the first one. Also a few of the maps are designed in an almost sadistic player griefing way.

Apocalypse used a new engine, it had some upsides and downsides. Instead of a planet view the player is in charge of a city. The maps are varied and interesting. The player can choose between traditional turn-based gameplay, or real-time pausable. There are several new innovations. The main downside is that the poor AI is almost game breaking. You can almost be certain that enemies will start charging you, making tactics a simple matter of setting up your squaddies in a line and waiting for the enemy.
The contents of the box was great, with a huge manual and a pretty map.

If you played X-Com over a decade ago, it was probably one of those 3.

Edit: I'll also back the recommendation of JA2. I played it last year for the first time, and it certainly felt like one of the most fulfilling tactical games I have tried. No rose tinted glasses there. It looks old of course, but the interface is great and the style of the graphics still looks ok. It looks better and feels more fluid than X-Com, even though I prefer the meta campaign of X-Com.

 

[NightHawk21]

Civ meets all your requirments I think (specifically civ 4 and 5). If free to play is more your think I suggest Chess lol

 

[Bullnose71]

You must check out WarMage Battlegrounds, at http://www.playwarmage.com IMO WarMage Battlegrounds is the best online multiplayer turn-based tactical battle game. It's brand new...runs in a browser without any download and there is no subscription.

You wont find any slow-paced city, empire, or army building in WarMage Battlegrounds...it's all about creating and configuring your own unique combat forces for intense turn-based battles with or against your friends. They offer a wide variety of multiplayer and solo PvE/PvP game modes. Replayable PvE game modes can be run on a variety of difficulty settings...the game throws at you different enemies and environments each time you play which is really cool.

There's no scammy financial model in WarMage and it's absolutely NOT one of those pay-to-win games. Superior knowledge, battle tactics, teamwork, and pre-battle planning always wins . You get a free starter set of units, spells, scrolls etc.. and then if you want to play with other units, spells, artifacts, scrolls you just buy them in the store with gold you earn or coins you can purchase. The game is very well balanced with a unique battle point system.

Here's a link to a "preview" on xmmorpg.com: http://xmmorpg.com/articles/warmage-battlegrounds-preview/

Destructoid's Twitch.tv/mash tactics has been having the devs on for tournament and gameplay walk-throughs. The game's community is small but growing. The core users are incredibly cool people always willing to help new players.

You must check it out - www.playwarmage.com

Let me know you thoughts!
Bullnose71