Three Moves Ahead - Episode 29 - Getting Started

[warthurton]

I recently listened to Episode 29. I decided to summarize as I went along. Can anybody think of any new great games to get people started in?

Civilization won

Episode 29 - Getting Started

Strategy games discussed (not just mentioned)

Turn based

• Civilization 4 - Approachable
  
  • Play on lowest level
    
    • Every level introduces a new concept
      

    [*]Espionage is not good

    [*]Game runs a little too long

  [*]Civilization Revolutions - Approachable

  • Game is not too long
    

  [*]Galactic Civilization II - Not approachable

  • Hard to determine cause / effect
    

  [*]Advance Wars - Approachable

  • Many concepts introduced
    
    • Resources
      
    • Rock, paper, sizzors
      
    • Fog of war
      
    • Overwatch
      
    • Combined arms
      
    • Lines of attack
      
    • Feignts
      
    • Scouting
      

    [*]Subject matter is terrible or is it just graphics?

  [*]Galactic Conquest - No decision

  [*]Chess

  [*]Paradox Games - Not approachable

  • Hearts of Iron III - Not approachable
    

  [*]Risk - :| Split Decision

  • 6 Important lessons - Original post
    

  [*]Dwarf fortress - Not a strategy game

  [*]Heroes of Might and Magic -

  • Not the best “game”
    
  • Provides rewards
    
  • Killer stacks to win
    

  [*]Panzer General - Approachable

Real Time Strategy

• Multiwinia - Split decision
  
• Demigod - Approachable
  
• Total War - Approachable
  
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Not approachable
  

[Erkki]

Thanks, listening to it now.

Also, good use of your thumbs!

[RoutineMachine]

I am in the process of introducing my Dad to Civilization V as a first strategy game. To be continued...

[evildoc]

Be careful with that. Handed mine Civ IV when he was recouping from a back injury. Later he slid over to Total War after asking if I thought it was any good. I've come to find out recently he's mumorpagah'ing furiously and racking more gamer hours than me.

And that's the problem with gateways, never quite sure where folks are gonna go after the gate.

[dium]

I'm slowly making my way through the archives, and this was the first episode with some real clash of opinions. Bruce and (to a lesser extent) Troy only seemed interested in getting people like themselves into strategy games, and quick to discount anything that they personally found uninteresting. Julian, on the other hand, seemed to focus single-mindedly on a progression of abstract game concepts over the actual reasons someone probably wants to play strategy games ("life lessons" is what the rest of the cast referred to these abstract concepts, which was weird). Tom flipped back and forth between these two sides (in typical Chick "now in ____'s defense..." fashion) often on Julian's side of the argument until he brought up some game of particular poor taste in which he would flip in order not to seem in support of something like Risk or Advance Wars.

It was also the first episode where I came out of it not particularly agreeing with anyone on anything more than individual points. Still absolutely entertaining, though.