I've been PC gaming for about as long as PCs have been around but I've always been a little intimidated by the apparent complexity of strategy games. I'd like to finally give them a good try. They look like they could be a lot of fun once you get to know how to play them. I'd like to try on RTS and one TBS for openers to try both styles of play. I figured I would ask here for suggestions from the GoG catalog as to what would be ideal first forays into this genre for a complete newbie.

So far just looking at reviews and also taking into account games that just appealed to me for various reasons I am thinking about either Alpha Centauri or Heroes of Might and Magic (the first one since if I like it, I'd want to play them all over time) for a TBS and for RTS I am not really sure except I noticed a lot of people really like the classic Total Annihilation but is it overly complex for a new player?

Anyway, I would very much appreciate suggestions from GoG's catalog in both categories for a first strategy gaming experience. Something relatively easy to get into and learn would be nice although I don't mind a game with depth you can grow into over time.

Thanks a lot and happy holidays!

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is quite a casual and easy introduction into TBS.

As for RTS, best bet would probably be to download Command and Conquer: Red Alert, it's free now and a classic of the genre. While not on GoG, it's certainly worth a try and it's quite an easy introduction as opposed to the previous game from the series that is far harder.

I would not really recommend the first Heroes of might & magic. It is a historical curiosity, but the other games in the series are just so much better that it becomes a bit pointless. Don't worry, you are not missing out much in the way of story. I think that Age of Wonders 1 is better than Heroes of might & magic, so you might be interested in checking out that game as well. Alpha Centauri is a complex game, but if you play on the lowest difficulty it will turn off a lot of the things that makes the game hard to get into for beginners. As you increase the difficulty more and more things will be added that makes the game more complex. I wish other 4X games did this, because it makes the game a bit more gentle for beginners. Expect to spend some time with this game before you really get into it, but it is a great game well worth the time you invest.

As for RTS, Total Annihilation might not be the easiest RTS to get into, but it is a very good game, so as long as you spend a bit of time with it, I'm sure you will enjoy it. It is considered one of the best games of its particular type of RTS. Once you are familiar with RTSs I would recommend checking out Dark Reign (this is not a beginners RTS though).

There are many different types of strategy games, even within the genres of RTS & TBS so if you don't like your first game, don't give up on the genre altogether. Dungeon Keeper for an example is very different from Total Annihilation, even though it is an RTS, as is Ground Control. On the TBS side you have games like Jagged Alliance which offers a more tactical experience, with a focus on the individual soldiers, while a game like Master of Orion will let you be the emperor of a galaxy spanning empire, where you don't have to worry about the minor details but rather the bigger picture (unless you try to play Master of Orion 3, which can result in detail overload).

Yeah, first HoMaM is ... Pretty damn hard and not really impressive when compared to later installments. Disagree on Age of Wonders since it gets quite complicated, I would recomment playing it after you learn basics from HoMaM thou. And 4x games are worth playing at low level of experience only if one is patient enough and wills to read manulas. A lot. Oh no, not Total Annihilation! It's awesome, but I think it would be totally overwhelming for a newbie in skirmish and campaign gets quite tough early on.

Thanks very much for the link to the free C&C game. That got quite a good review on Gamespot I noticed too.

I was looking further at strategy games and the Stronghold games look very cool as do the hybrid rpg/rts games Spellforce and D&D Dragonshard. I love RPG games and wonder if I wouldn't really enjoy a blend of RPG and RTS although maybe I'd be better learning RTS in something specifically RTS first before playing a hyrbid game.

I agree with your post except this part. HoMM 1 was my first TBS (of course, it was back in the 90s, but still) and, as you well know, it was so awesome that HoMM 2 and HoMM 3 succeeded mostly by being merely "larger" versions of the original, where by "larger" I mean just bigger maps, more races, more units, more spells, more artifacts, etc. rather than major revamps to the existing game mechanics.

Stronghold Crusader is quite good, and not to complicated.

As far as TBS games go, I like Heroes of Might and Magic 3 , you can get it here, pretty accessible, but quite flexible for long term play.

Let us know how did you like it, I'm quite curious :-)

Also you might try globulation2, I'm not sure if it's still being developed, but it's a very basic RTS, with kind of an odd aesthetic.

The Allied and Soviet discs are downloading now. :-)

I think I am going to grab both Stronghold games. The castle building and defense just looks like it would be a lot of fun to me. I like that setting a lot. Similarly the setting of HoMM appeals to me and once upon a time I really enjoyed playing M&M VI. I am grabbing all the M&M RPGs on sale except the final installment that was such a sad and sorry conclusion to the series. :-(

Maybe I am crazy, especially reading the first HoMM is difficult above but I think I will start there because if I like it I just want to experience them all and enjoy the improvements as they come in later installments if I enjoy the games. With sale prices like GoG has going for the holidays it is pretty hard to go wrong trying things out.

Although it is not a GoG game, I am wondering what people think of Warcraft III, in particular its level of difficulty for a newbie?

Also, no comments so far on the RPG/RTS hybrids but I am wondering what you guys think of the ones I mentioned as first RTS experiences with RPG elements tossed in.

That game is really easy. I got bored of it rather quickly and I am pretty bad at RTSes.
I did play on Normal though, not Hard, and if you played against other people it'll be harder.
Should be fine for a newbie.

Warcraft 3 is not very hard. I did not really like the game though, it never felt like you were controlling an army, just a small group of creatures, due to the very low population cap. The game had some nice ideas, and a surprisingly good story, but the game itself failed to impress.

If you want an RTS/RPG hybrid, then Spellforce is a lot better, though it is a bit harder. It is also a very lengthy game, even without the expansions, so expect to spend a lot of time with it, if you decide to get it.

HoMM 3 will be great for beginning, just make sure you start with the original campaign, these missions are fairly easy and you should catch the gameplay pretty easily (at least I did, it was my first turn based strategy game).

Well a few days ago Empire Earth was avaliable for free (not sure if you got it) but it is a fanatastic RTS that is fairly easy to get into, not to mention a few of the sequels are available for purchase here aswell.

empire earth. ( oooh I see druidshinobi also mentioned at nearly the same time)

The people who say HoMM3 are wrong.


Yup.