Single player strategy games

[Altus_Demens]

Do you like strategy games? Tell us about them, it would be interesting to find out if our community favours them, and if it does, which ones?

Haha, I had a feeling you were an RTS lover too

I probably still am... Just haven't played for real for pretty long time already.

Well, in RTW my favorite faction are the Julii (beat the game several times with them), but all Roman factions become very OP after Gaius Marius reforms, which then takes away the challenge. Apart from the Julii, I love playing as Parthians (cataphracts!), Seleucids (probably the hardest campaign in the game) and Germans (my favorite Barbarian faction). I've recently started Parthian campaign on Hard/Hard, but I kinda fell out of it

Nice!
You are surely right: Roman factions are imbalanced (even before the Reform), but, well, the whole game is about Romans, it kinda tempts you to play as them, representing them shiny and beautiful, building the only storyline around them, introducing SPQR etc... Of course, you would like to complete the campaign at least once being Roman. I liked The Scipii among them the most, because the Neptune Pantheon allowed you to build unique and very mighty ships.

Except when you fight Egypt, those guys are great in late game.

Yeah, especially since they tend to seize the whole Middle East and even Asia Minor. But their biggest power is chariots: with archers, with blades and with archers and blades altogether. However, the best counter against them is light cavalry: archers and (even better) javelinmen.

I love playing as Parthians (cataphracts!), Seleucids (probably the hardest campaign in the game) and Germans (my favorite Barbarian faction). I've recently started Parthian campaign on Hard/Hard, but I kinda fell out of it

Good selection. But what causes difficulties for you?
And if you want to face the real challenge, try beating up the campaign for Numidia. It's something... They don't have any heavy troops (but max tier Numidian legioneers), and you'll need to make a good use mostly of aforementioned javelimen. I did it once, it was a lot of fun. There wasn't more epic battle for me in Rome: Total War rather then a fight against the SPQR army supported by Julii and Scipii. It was my alternative version of Cannae, but Rome wasn't as lucky in my universe.
And if you want to play something totally insane, pick Rebels. The experience you'll have playing for them can't be compared with playing for any other nation.

As for BFME, I freakin' love that game so much. Both Good and Evil campaigns are amazingly entertaining.

I completely share your point of view. It is a true delight for a LOTR fan (even a moderate one such as me). Let me know if you ever want to play it online: I guess last time I played it with someone was in school... o_O

That other LotR game is Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor. It's a very entertaining game, albeit kinda short if you're not the 100% completionist. I definitely recommend it

Thank you! I'll add it to my list of the games I should play someday.
In turn, I want to recommend you to try Third Age: Total War. Yes, it is a mod for Medieval II: Total War made by the fan team, but it's truly amazing, I haven't ever seen a non-commercial modification which would be as good and worked out as carefully and as this one. Also it has a nice book-related campaign (kinda unexpected for global strategy, right? ). Last time I played as Rhun there. I can't say it was too tough, but it was pleasant and interesting. I liked thei team's view and their representation of the aspects which hadn't really been touched neither in the books, nor in the movies.

[Carg]

Tetris!

[SoLoD]

When i saw it for the first time, back in 98, i was like, "wtf am i looking at? No time for this shit, i am going to play quake 3 arena instead". And only few years later i returned to this game.

[Spectre]

Nice!
You are surely right: Roman factions are imbalanced (even before the Reform), but, well, the whole game is about Romans, it kinda tempts you to play as them, representing them shiny and beautiful, building the only storyline around them, introducing SPQR etc... Of course, you would like to complete the campaign at least once being Roman. I liked The Scipii among them the most, because the Neptune Pantheon allowed you to build unique and very mighty ships.

The Scipii have great potential indeed, if they can quickly dispatch Carthage and Numidia, and then continue toward either Egypt or Iberian Peninsula. I play as the Julii almost always because they can expand easier than other Roman factions, the Gaul are rather weak early-to-mid game and thus not a threat. But the thing I love doing the most is preventing the Brutii from expanding and becoming way too powerful by taking Balkan provinces lol xD
Oh yeah, and the Civil War mechanic is so freaking amazing, I remember when the Senate first asked me to assassinate my faction leader or they would declare war upon me hahaha. Oh man, good times...

Good selection. But what causes difficulties for you?

Well, the Seleucids are surrounded by factions that declare war on them pretty much instantly (even Armenia and Pontus, who don't even share borders with Seleucids wtf). So yeah, it can be very nerve-racking and requires great macromanagement, since Seleucids lose money fast in some provinces. But, if you can survive first 10-20 turns and manage to stave off your attackers, then you indeed have the potential to crush every single one of your enemies. So far, I've played as Seleucids only once and had to cheat some money (on Hard difficulty) in order to be able to survive lmao

And if you want to face the real challenge, try beating up the campaign for Numidia. It's something... They don't have any heavy troops (but max tier Numidian legioneers), and you'll need to make a good use mostly of aforementioned javelimen. I did it once, it was a lot of fun.
And if you want to play something totally insane, pick Rebels. The experience you'll have playing for them can't be compared with playing for any other nation.

Never tried as Numidia, will do when I have the time to go back to RTW

Oh man, the Rebels... I hate how they spawn out of nowhere and decrease your income even though public order is perfect lol
Didn't know you could play as Rebels, because I read on some forum a while ago that it makes your game crash, much like if you try to play as SPQR

I completely share your point of view. It is a true delight for a LOTR fan (even a moderate one such as me). Let me know if you ever want to play it online: I guess last time I played it with someone was in school... o_O

Hahah, same for me Sure, if I ever start playing BFME actively, even for a short time, we could play online

In turn, I want to recommend you to try Third Age: Total War. Yes, it is a mod for Medieval II: Total War made by the fan team, but it's truly amazing, I haven't ever seen a non-commercial modification which would be as good and worked out as carefully and as this one. Also it has a nice book-related campaign (kinda unexpected for global strategy, right? ). Last time I played as Rhun there. I can't say it was too tough, but it was pleasant and interesting. I liked thei team's view and their representation of the aspects which hadn't really been touched neither in the books, nor in the movies.

Oh, I remember reading about that mod when I first caught wind of it. I actually wanted to try it out, but never got the chance to do so.
I stopped playing M2TW because some things were just beyond annoying. To name a few: cavalry charges suck so much (just as they are about to hit home, they slow down and lift their spears/lances up rofl), AI is way too passive in siege battles (even when they outnumber you 6:1, happened to me so much with damn Mongols), Papal State and their stupid unkillable assassins, and so on xD

When i saw it for the first time, back in 98, i was like, "wtf am i looking at? No time for this shit, i am going to play quake 3 arena instead". And only few years later i returned to this game.

Oh man, AoE is the second RTS game I've ever played, I think I put over 500 hours into that one when I was a kid lmao

[LPCOLTER]

Try, Town Of Salem on Steam, it's like Mafia only but Multiplayer ....(ik its online)

[M a k a v e l i .]

I'm a huge fan of Ensemble Studios and their games such as AOE and AOM series 

Especially Age of Empires III The Asian Dynasties, when it came out I remember I had to buy the game and I never really stopped playing it 
Even today, that's a must have for me haha

I like those background stories so all of the cinematic cutscenes both from AOE and AOM series were sooo amazing to me!


Well, I prefer medieval strategy games like Stronghold or even Rise of Nations and some other, but afaik there isn't any around today, at least those that I haven't already tried :/

[Spectre]

Especially Age of Empires III The Asian Dynasties, when it came out I remember I had to buy the game and I never really stopped playing it 
Even today, that's a must have for me haha

AoE 3 was amazing, that whole 3-part campaign was a jackpot. Chasing the Fountain of Youth, building railroads in the United States... Ah, awesome times!
And yeah, Asian Dynasties was a great expansion, but I never finished it (can't remember why lol)...

Well, I prefer medieval strategy games like Stronghold or even Rise of Nations

I never played Stronghold, even though I heard that it's a legendary game Came close to buying it on this year's Steam Summer Sale, but I didn't
Rise of Nations is amazing, I remember I used to play as Russians all the time because of that huge national borders bonus + enemy always takes attrition damage in your territory due to "Russian winter" lmao

[Bully]

Submarine Titans and age of empire 1and 2. They were my childhood.