Strategy gaming experts examine the challenge of introducing newcomers to the genre, exploring whether modern games have become too complex for new players and identifying the most accessible entry points across different strategy subgenres from classic RTS titles to mobile games and everything in between.
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This episode tackles the fundamental question of how to welcome new players into strategy gaming, examining whether the genre has become increasingly intimidating for newcomers or if accessibility improvements have made entry easier than ever. The hosts debate the merits of classic titles like Red Alert versus modern options like Civilization VI, while exploring how mobile games and simplified experiences might serve as gateway drugs to more complex strategic experiences. The conversation covers tutorial design, gatekeeping problems within gaming communities, and the balance between depth and accessibility that defines successful introductory strategy games.
Episode Title: Easy to Learn, Hard to Master: The Best Intro Strategy Games
Hosts: Al, Joe, Nuno
Episode Length: ~47 minutes
Episode Summary
The fifteenth episode of Critical Moves addresses one of the most important questions facing the strategy gaming community: how to effectively introduce newcomers to the genre without overwhelming them with complexity. The hosts examine their own assumptions about game difficulty, revealing how veteran players often underestimate the learning curve that new players face when approaching strategy titles for the first time. The discussion ranges from classic RTS recommendations like Red Alert and Age of Empires II to modern turn-based options like XCOM and Battle Sector, while also considering unconventional entry points like mobile games and arcade-style strategy titles that might better serve today’s gaming audience.
The Complexity Conundrum: Are Modern Games Too Intimidating?
Veterans’ Blindness to Difficulty
The hosts confront their own perspective bias when discussing game accessibility, acknowledging that their decades of strategy gaming experience makes them poor judges of what constitutes “simple” gameplay. Al points out that calling Civilization V simple represents a fundamental misunderstanding of new player experiences, since the game’s apparent simplicity only exists for those already familiar with strategy gaming conventions and terminology.
This veteran blindness extends beyond individual game mechanics to encompass entire interface paradigms, control schemes, and strategic thinking patterns that experienced players take for granted. The gap between expert intuition and novice confusion represents one of the greatest challenges in recommending appropriate entry-level strategy games.
The Evolution of Gaming Expectations
The discussion reveals how gaming audience expectations have evolved since the 1990s, with modern players accustomed to immediate feedback, intuitive controls, and streamlined experiences that minimize friction between intention and execution. Classic strategy games often assumed players would invest significant time learning complex systems before experiencing enjoyment, while contemporary audiences expect immediate engagement.
This shift doesn’t necessarily indicate shorter attention spans but rather reflects improved understanding of user experience design and the competitive landscape for entertainment options. Strategy games must now compete with polished experiences across all gaming genres rather than existing within a smaller, more patient gaming ecosystem.
Classic RTS as Gateway Drugs
Red Alert Remastered Collection
Al advocates strongly for the Red Alert Remastered Collection as the ideal entry point for new RTS players, citing its combination of historical simplicity with modern quality-of-life improvements. The remastered versions preserve the streamlined mechanics that made the original games accessible while updating graphics, controls, and interface elements to meet contemporary standards.
The collection’s value proposition extends beyond individual game quality to encompass comprehensive content packages that provide extensive gameplay hours at budget prices. This economic accessibility removes financial barriers that might prevent curious players from experimenting with strategy gaming.
Age of Empires II Definitive Edition
Nuno champions Age of Empires II as the ultimate beginner-friendly strategy game, sharing his personal experience of successfully playing the original at age seven without speaking English. This anecdotal evidence suggests the game’s visual communication and intuitive mechanics transcend language barriers and cultural differences that might impede other strategy titles.
The Definitive Edition’s active multiplayer community provides long-term engagement opportunities for players who discover they enjoy competitive strategy gaming, while the single-player campaigns offer structured learning experiences that gradually introduce advanced concepts without overwhelming new players with information density.
Turn-Based Strategy Accessibility
XCOM’s Tutorial Excellence
The hosts praise XCOM Enemy Unknown’s tutorial design as exemplary for introducing turn-based strategy concepts to newcomers. The game’s gradual introduction of mechanics through carefully paced missions prevents information overload while providing immediate tactical satisfaction through visually impressive combat sequences and clear cause-and-effect relationships.
XCOM’s success stems partly from its modern production values and cinematic presentation, which help bridge the gap between strategy gaming and more mainstream entertainment experiences. The game’s science fiction setting also provides familiar reference points for players accustomed to action games and blockbuster movies.
Battle Academy and Accessibility
Nuno recommends Battle Academy as an ideal introduction to wargaming specifically, highlighting its elimination of traditional hex grids and complex menu systems in favour of intuitive square-based movement and streamlined combat resolution. The game’s visual clarity and straightforward mechanics make historical tactical concepts accessible without requiring extensive manual reading or system mastery.
The title’s focus on individual battles rather than grand strategic campaigns allows new players to experience tactical satisfaction without the overwhelming responsibility of managing entire war efforts across extended time periods.
Alternative Entry Points: Mobile and Casual
Challenging Traditional Assumptions
Al suggests that mobile strategy games like Boom Beach or Battle of Polytopia might represent more effective entry points than traditional PC titles, since mobile games prioritize intuitive interfaces and immediate engagement over complex system mastery. This recommendation challenges conventional wisdom within the strategy gaming community about what constitutes “real” strategy gaming.
Mobile platforms’ touch interfaces eliminate the learning curve associated with keyboard shortcuts and complex control schemes that can intimidate newcomers to PC gaming. The shorter session lengths typical of mobile games also accommodate modern lifestyle patterns better than hour-long RTS matches or extensive Civilization campaigns.
Unconventional Strategy Games
The discussion of Worms as a strategy game highlights how genre boundaries often exclude potentially excellent introductory experiences. Worms combines strategic thinking with accessible presentation and immediate feedback, providing tactical satisfaction without the complexity overhead associated with traditional strategy titles.
Similarly, card games like Balatro offer strategic decision-making within familiar frameworks that don’t require learning entirely new interface conventions or game concepts. These alternative approaches might serve new players better than attempting to simplify traditional strategy game formats.
The Tutorial Problem in Strategy Gaming
Paradox’s Community Reliance
Joe criticizes Paradox Interactive’s approach of assuming players will learn complex games through community resources like Let’s Play videos rather than providing comprehensive in-game tutorials. This strategy shifts educational responsibility from developers to content creators, creating barriers for players who prefer self-directed learning or lack access to external resources.
The reliance on community education also creates inconsistent learning experiences where new players may encounter outdated information, personal biases, or incomplete explanations that impede their understanding of game systems.
Dwarf Fortress Success Story
The transformation of Dwarf Fortress from an impenetrably complex experience to an accessible game through improved tutorial design demonstrates the potential for even the most challenging strategy games to welcome new players when developers prioritize education. This success story suggests that complexity itself isn’t the primary barrier to accessibility—poor onboarding design is the real culprit.
Industry Trends and Monetization Concerns
Microtransaction Threats
The hosts express concern about strategy gaming’s potential adoption of predatory monetization schemes designed to attract younger players accustomed to spending money on cosmetic items or gameplay advantages. This trend could fundamentally alter the strategic gaming experience by introducing pay-to-win mechanics that undermine the skill-based competition that defines the genre.
However, they acknowledge that cosmetic microtransactions for server funding or visual customization might provide sustainable business models without compromising gameplay integrity, suggesting that monetization strategy implementation matters more than its mere presence.
Publisher Success Stories
The discussion of successful strategy gaming publishers like Hooded Horse, Slitherine, and Microprose suggests that the genre remains commercially viable when properly targeted and supported. These publishers’ success with niche strategy titles indicates that accessibility improvements and proper marketing can expand audience reach without abandoning core strategic gameplay elements.
Wargaming Accessibility Challenges
Historical Period Selection
Nuno emphasizes that successful wargaming introduction requires matching historical periods with player interests, since engagement with complex rule systems depends heavily on thematic investment. Players passionate about World War II will tolerate learning curves that would frustrate those with no historical interest in the subject matter.
This insight suggests that accessibility in wargaming might require diverse thematic offerings rather than simplified mechanics, allowing different historical enthusiasms to serve as motivation for system mastery.
Field of Glory Medieval
The recommendation of Field of Glory Medieval as an accessible wargaming entry point highlights how visual presentation and streamlined interfaces can make complex historical concepts approachable. The game’s elimination of traditional wargaming elements like hex grids and extensive rule charts reduces barriers to entry while maintaining tactical depth.
Gatekeeping and Community Toxicity
Definition Wars and Elitism
The hosts criticize the strategy gaming community’s tendency toward gatekeeping through rigid genre definitions and condescending attitudes toward newcomers. This defensive behaviour actively undermines efforts to expand the player base while protecting the perceived value of veterans’ time investments in complex systems.
The phenomenon appears particularly problematic in wargaming communities, where enthusiasts simultaneously complain about lack of new players while creating hostile environments for those attempting to join the hobby.
Inclusive Terminology
Nuno’s adoption of “historical strategy” rather than “wargaming” when discussing games with non-enthusiasts demonstrates how terminology choices can significantly impact audience reception. The word “wargaming” carries connotations that may discourage potential players, while more neutral language opens conversations that might otherwise close immediately.
The Fun Factor: Quality Over Complexity
Warhammer 40K Battle Sector
Al’s recommendation of Battle Sector emphasizes how strong thematic presentation and satisfying gameplay mechanics can overcome complexity concerns when properly implemented. The game’s 40K setting provides immediate visual appeal and narrative context that helps new players engage with tactical concepts through familiar science fiction frameworks.
The turn-based format eliminates timing pressure that might overwhelm newcomers while maintaining the tactical satisfaction that defines quality strategy gaming experiences.
Fire Emblem’s RPG Bridge
Nuno’s suggestion of Fire Emblem Awakening reveals how RPG elements can provide familiar progression systems that ease players into strategic thinking. The combination of character development, story progression, and tactical combat creates multiple engagement layers that maintain interest even when pure strategic elements prove challenging initially.
Modern Control Expectations
Quality of Life Evolution
The discussion of control scheme evolution highlights how seemingly minor interface improvements can dramatically impact game accessibility. Modern players expect standard control conventions like WASD camera movement, and games lacking these features immediately feel dated and difficult regardless of their strategic depth.
This evolution suggests that remastered versions of classic games often provide better new player experiences than original releases, since updated interfaces remove unnecessary friction that interferes with learning core strategic concepts.
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Episode Verdict
This episode provides valuable insights into the ongoing challenge of strategy gaming accessibility while revealing how veteran perspectives can both help and hinder new player outreach efforts. The hosts’ honest examination of their own biases creates space for reconsidering traditional assumptions about appropriate entry-level experiences, while their diverse recommendations across multiple subgenres provide practical options for different player preferences and circumstances. The discussion of community toxicity and gatekeeping addresses systemic problems that extend beyond individual game design to encompass cultural issues within strategy gaming communities. Most importantly, the conversation emphasizes that accessibility doesn’t require abandoning strategic depth—it requires thoughtful design, effective tutorials, and welcoming community attitudes that prioritize shared enjoyment over exclusionary expertise demonstrations. The upcoming Beyond All Reason match between Al and Joe promises to demonstrate these principles in action while providing entertaining content for future episodes.
Next Episode: Why Did AAA Studios Abandon RTS Games?
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