Strategy games for beginners

[hardpixelrain]

As a PC gamer it seems that I am missing strategy games from my gaming diet. I am a bit impatient, so I find it hard to sit down and learn all the rules before I play.

I've dabbled in Civilization, Civ 5 streamlined a lot of things for me, so that helped me get into that, and I've dabbled a bit in Warcraft III and Starcraft 1, despite being rubbish.

So my question is this:
Any good single player strategy games that are easy to get into?

 

[MercurySteam]

StarCraft II is quite noob friendly. Finish the campaign a couple of times and you'll learn how to finish more challenging difficulties with ease.

 

[hardpixelrain]

I may try that at some point. At the moment I'm kind of on the fence about paying full price for a game that I'm most likely only going to play singleplayer.

 

[FredTheUndead]

Xcom Ufo Defense, Supreme Commander 2, Europa Universalis 3

 

[hardpixelrain]

I actually have XCOM. Its kinda a clusterfuck of an interface to me.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Try C&C:RAII, the AI's quite generous, shall we say. Play a few skirmishes against the computer, then ramp up the difficulty, you won't find it that hard.

The resource management is straightforward as well, so I think it's quite a noob friendly strat game even if it is really, and I mean really, old (it's isometric, for crying out loud).

 

[krazykidd]

Sid meier's alpha centauri . Good oldschool strategy game . One of the only strategy games i could ever get into , really fun . I don't know if anyone on this site has played it or liked it but well tis my pick.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

As a PC gamer it seems that I am missing strategy games from my gaming diet. I am a bit impatient, so I find it hard to sit down and learn all the rules before I play.

I've dabbled in Civilization, Civ 5 streamlined a lot of things for me, so that helped me get into that, and I've dabbled a bit in Warcraft III and Starcraft 1, despite being rubbish.

So my question is this:
Any good single player strategy games that are easy to get into?

Starcraft as a single player game is largely a waste of time. It is a multiplayer game first and foremost, and most of its virtues are lost in single player.

I suggest looking into a couple of series...King's Bounty combines light strategy with light RPG in a very friendly, easy to comprehend package that is deceptively addictive. They often turn up for very cheap during Steam sales. And the Total War series is probably the richest strategy experience going...Medieval 2 and Rome are old enough now that many of the most egregious bugs have been worked out and there are plenty of mods available to tune the experience to your liking, and I've heard good things about the new Shogun as well. The series might seem daunting on the face of it, but the tutorials are robust and most of the broader strokes are common sense.

 

[AlternatePFG]

I thoroughly enjoyed Dawn of War II and it's expansions despite me being terrible at RTS's.

I'd argue that maybe the campaigns played more like top down action RPG's (Maybe except for Retribution, but even then that had an emphasis on hero units) so if you're looking for more traditional strategy fare that might not be your cup of tea. (I've yet to play the first Dawn of War, despite owning it and all of expansions as well, I heard it was more like traditional RTS's )

Other than that, I'd recommend Starcraft II and for you to keep playing the Civilization games. (I really liked 4 but can't seem to get Civ 5 to work for some reason.)

Also, Medieval II: Total War is quite good too, though I haven't played a whole lot of it.

 

[MercurySteam]

Red Alert 3 may also be up your alley. Three factions, three campaigns, plenty if awesome.

 

[Antari]

As a PC gamer it seems that I am missing strategy games from my gaming diet. I am a bit impatient, so I find it hard to sit down and learn all the rules before I play.

I've dabbled in Civilization, Civ 5 streamlined a lot of things for me, so that helped me get into that, and I've dabbled a bit in Warcraft III and Starcraft 1, despite being rubbish.

So my question is this:
Any good single player strategy games that are easy to get into?

If your looking for general war games, Men at War (series) and Company of Heros are good. If you want something in the space end of things, Sins of a Solar Empire or Homeworld 2 if you can find a copy. The Total War series is also quite good. A good indie release was Defcon. Those are the fairly easy ones. Then there are games like Pacific Storm Allies and Hearts of Iron which are absolute brain mashers with the database info involved.

 

[hardpixelrain]

I actually do have Defcon. Its kinda hard to get someone to play with me.

I'll probably check out the Dawn of War/Company of Heroes games.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Company of Heroes/Dawn of War II. Both will teach you how to micro like a boss, but they are fairly slow paced and small scale so you can concentrate on just a few things, rather than having to divide your attention all over the place.

 

[Wayneguard]

My favorite TBS of all time is Disciples 2. Heroes of Might and Magic is also a great series. Though I've never played King's Bounty, it looks similar to HOMM. You really can't go wrong with these. Disciples 1 is good as well but 2 is longer and less... old.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Though I've never played King's Bounty, it looks similar to HOMM.

Heh. That's kind of like saying an orange is similar to an orange. The tactical combat is essentially exactly the same. The only difference is King's Bounty swaps out HOMM's strategic map and multiple opponents for some lightweight RP elements.