Please, recommend me turn-based strategies.

[Mister K]

A few years ago I bought Civilization V with Gods & Kings and Brave New World expansions and I enjoyed it. Heck, I am enjoying it even now (Time for Shaka Zulu to conquer the world). And now I saw Angry Joe's video on Galactic Civilizations III and I think it might be a game for me.

What other turn-based strategies are good? Which ones can you recommend? I have only few conditions about them:
1. Must be avaliable on Steam and/or Good Old Games.
2. Must allow for non-military sollutions of conflicts and variants of winning (culture, science, economy, diplomacy, stuff like this)
3. It is preferably set in space and/or sci-fi setting (but I am willing to play games in other settings if they are good).

Oh, almost forgot, I already own Alpha Centauri. I just need to learn how to actually play it (UI is scaaary).

 

[Fallow]

A few years ago I bought Civilization V with Gods & Kings and Brave New World expansions and I enjoyed it. Heck, I am enjoying it even now (Time for Shaka Zulu to conquer the world). And now I saw Angry Joe's video on Galactic Civilizations III and I think it might be a game for me.

What other turn-based strategies are good? Which ones can you recommend? I have only few conditions about them:
1. Must be avaliable on Steam and/or Good Old Games.
2. Must allow for non-military sollutions of conflicts and variants of winning (culture, science, economy, diplomacy, stuff like this)
3. It is preferably set in space and/or sci-fi setting (but I am willing to play games in other settings if they are good).

Oh, almost forgot, I already own Alpha Centauri. I just need to learn how to actually play it (UI is scaaary).

Master of Orion 2 is by many considered the apex of 4x games. It's old, but damn good.
My personal favourite is Master of Magic, one of the very first such games and really awesome (fantasy setting). The spiritual successor of MoM (Fallen Enchantress) might also be a suitable candidate, but I haven't played it yet.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

A few years ago I bought Civilization V with Gods & Kings and Brave New World expansions and I enjoyed it. Heck, I am enjoying it even now (Time for Shaka Zulu to conquer the world). And now I saw Angry Joe's video on Galactic Civilizations III and I think it might be a game for me.

What other turn-based strategies are good? Which ones can you recommend? I have only few conditions about them:
1. Must be avaliable on Steam and/or Good Old Games.
2. Must allow for non-military sollutions of conflicts and variants of winning (culture, science, economy, diplomacy, stuff like this)
3. It is preferably set in space and/or sci-fi setting (but I am willing to play games in other settings if they are good).

Oh, almost forgot, I already own Alpha Centauri. I just need to learn how to actually play it (UI is scaaary).

You might want to give Endless Legend a try. It's a sci-fi/fantasy blend that shares a lot of DNA with Civilization 5, but changes enough to be a significantly different experience. It got a lot of "strategy game of the year" accolades last year.

The kind of game you're describing in #2, by the way, is called "4X". There are a lot of excellent turn based strategy titles that do not fit those parameters. You're specifically looking for 4X games.

 

[sageoftruth]

I just recently got Invisible Inc.
Made by the guys behind Mark of the Ninja, it's a top-down cyberpunk turn-based stealth game. The stealth can take some getting used to, since guards don't move until after you've ended your turn, but unlike Mark of the Ninja, this game places heavy emphasis on avoidance rather than systematically wiping out guards with stealth. You can knock guards out, but they only stay down for 3 turns and then abandon their patrol patterns to wildly hunt for you.
One important thing to consider however is that you're always on something like a time limit. A bar slowly fills up every time you end your turn, and once it's full, the alarm level raises by 1 and the level does something to mess with you, like adding a new guard, activating security cameras, or making things harder to hack. It stops increasing once the alarm level reaches 6, but then it sends in two more elite guards who instantly know your current location, forcing you to leave that area quickly.
Anyway, if turn-based, AP-oriented stealth sounds interesting, give it a try.

 

[ExDeath730]

Another vote for Endless Legend, but i'm gonna also recommend you Endless Space. Both of the Endless games are very fun and have a lot of replayability since the gameplay is so different on a race to race basis, really, there is a race in Endless Legend that can't start a war, while in Endless Space there is a race composed by the same guy, cloned with different sets of skill and genders ad aeternum.

If you want something more, how can i say...Traditional? I can recommend Age of Wonders 3, it's a very interesting game, a mix of Civilizatin and Heroes of Might and Magic, with a very good battle system. Really, the Battle System in that game reminds me a lot of Brigandine, a PS1 game, it's very cool. Fallen Enchantress is another one that is great, it's more or less comparable to AoW3, but it goes more in the RPG path, since a lot of quests have complicated narratives (for a 4X game).

Galactic Civilizations 3, that is out now is a very good game as well, but i would say that it's best to play GalCiv 2 first, to see if you like the game, one of the features of the series, is that aside from the ocasional pirate, the early game is quite peaceful.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

I know I'm the 3rd one to jump on this bandwagon, but I'd again recommend Endless Legend. All the factions are incredibly distinct (they all have their own individual units, not just one or two 'special units'), they are wildly creative and different from one another and play differently (some factions can't engage in diplomacy at all, for example, while some can actually force alliances). It has a very interesting sci-fi/fantasy vibe that is great for those tired of the usual Elves/Orcs/Trolls/Dwarves fantasy worlds, and the game looks excellent.

And yes, you can win in a variety of ways beyond just destroying your opponents.

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

<link=http://www.gog.com/game/space_empires_iv_deluxe>Space Empires IV
Oldie but goodie. Needs some adjustment to get used to the UI for some, but you'll soon be smashing planets to Dyson spheres or manipulating stars into black holes.

<link=http://store.steampowered.com/app/42890/?snr=1_7_7_151_150_1>Sword of the Stars Complete
A game that successfully trimmed down most mechanics but still manages to deliver not only a full but superb game.
3D galaxy for those who can stand it (camera can only rotate around a star) or that single 2D map for the rest.
Some "surprises" seem somewhat harsh and excessive, possibly because of it's suddenness.

<link=http://store.steampowered.com/app/229970/?snr=1_7_7_151_150_1>Armada 2526 Gold
Modern take on Space Empires IV, better graphics but less tech.
Can become a chore keeping your planets maintained and somewhat light on giving you a proper overview.

<link=http://store.steampowered.com/app/261470/?snr=1_7_7_151_150_1>Distant Worlds Universe (Real-Time/Pausable)
I know you said no Real-Time 4X games but Distant Words Universe really deserves at least a look.
Immerse yourselves into a bustling but fledgling Empire exploring the edges of its domains and seeking to expand their horizons through a veritable cornucopia of means.
Do you want to captain a ship and peek at yonder star? Let the computer handle the rest.
Or do you want to control every aspect of your Empire? Go ahead, take the rei(g)ns!

Then there is also Star Ruler 2 (Real-Time), though I haven't played them (yet).
Some reviewers and gamers seem a bit disappointed with them but I can't say for sure how they hold up.

If you haven't satiated your 4X desires yet, you still have more to look forward to.
M.O.R.E. looks like they can become quite the contenders.

 

[Akjosch]

Too bad about the "non-military" part, else I'd recommend Advanced Strategic Command [http://www.asc-hq.org/] - Best "Battle Isle" tribute/remake ever, and it's free.

Aside of that, check out the Paradox game series: Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis and Victoria. Despite what they look like, they are all turn-based (with each turn being a day long).

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Imperialism 2 (GOG) offers a great alternative to the conquer the world Civilization style of gameplay. Resources and production play a big part in trading and getting better military units, instead of just science.