Many TTRPG fans would sayWizards of the Coast’sDungeons & Dragonsisn’t just a roleplaying game. Rather, it’s also an intense strategy game in its own right. After all, players need to decide what their characters have to do in different situations. Moreover, Player Characters have moral alignments that usually give insights toward their perspectives in life or even in battle. As such, it makes sense forD&Dcombat encounters to become extremely intense even without the stellar graphics of modern games.
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However, players might be interested in learning that their moral alignment inD&Dmay, in fact, lead them to strategy games that might intrigue them. After all, what better audience to play a strategy game than TTRPG players?
9Lawful Good: Civilization 6
When it comes to strategy games,Civilizationprobably remains as one of the most memorable in the bunch. After all, it’s this series that popularized the 4X genre, and it’s staying strong to this day. Thanks toCivilization 6, gamers can relive making a civilization from scratch and see it thrive with better graphics and gameplay. Moreover, the wide variety ofworld leadersto choose from can make for a ton of fun historical scenarios.
However, perhaps most interesting inCiv 6is that it can make 4X simple to understand. Thanks to its cartoonish animations and easy-to-grasp interface, anyone new to the genre can easily become a 4X fan in no time.
8Neutral Good: StarCraft 2
If there’s anythingBlizzard’sStarCraft 2can teach gamers, it’s: there can never be enough pylons. Anyone who loves RTS game will likely remember theStarCraftsequel for reinvigorating the gaming community’s love for intense tactical gameplay. Thanks to this gem of an RTS, players who want a fast-paced RTS can rely on the hardiness of the Terran, the unique abilities of the Protoss, and the sheer numbers of the Zerg to entertain them.
StarCraft 2continues the story of the Terran, Zerg, and Protoss after the events ofBrood War. In the game’s three parts, players see the Terrans struggle against an autocratic Dominion, the Zerg redefine its Swarm, and the Protoss secure its legacy.
7Chaotic Good: Red Alert
Aside from the mainCommand and Conquerseries, it’s perhapsRed Alertthat amped up the gaming community’s love for RTS to 11. Unlike the rather sci-fi approach ofC&C,Red Alertfocuses more on its alternate historytake of Tesla-powered Soviet Union against the hardened military might of the Allied Forces.
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Moreover, its inclusion of wacky B-Film cutscenes makesRed Alertall the more entertaining experience. As such, gamers looking for an alternate setting for an RTS that’s still relatable,Red Alertmight do the job for them.
6Lawful Neutral: Endless Legend
Players of grand strategy games might have heard ofEndless Legend.Moreover, it’s perhaps one of the most interesting fantasy-science fiction 4X titles to have graced the PC. In this game, players end up as one of the many remnants of races in a changing Auriga. The game features 14 playable factions, with five others in expansions.
Each of these factions has its own theme, storyline, and motivations. They also haveunique buildings and gameplay options. In fact, one might say all of them have a proper “claim” to the planet. However, it’s up to players to help them secure it.
5True Neutral: XCOM Series
Strategy fans who want to stray away from the intense army-versus-army nature of other titles can go to turn-based tactics for the same tactical"thrill." And in the case of tactical RPGs, theXCOMseries definitely takes the cake. In this series where alienconspiracies are realand the world has built its own anti-alien force, players become Earth’s last line of defense against the extraterrestrial.
Across the series, players need to use their wits and maximize their roster of characters. After all, at the end of the day, the goal is to bring the fight back to alien colonizers. The squad-based nature of the game means players can upgrade individual units, equip special abilities, and use even the environment against their opponents.
4Chaotic Neutral: Crusader Kings
Whereas other 4X games let players see their sprawling empire across city to city,Crusader Kingsgives players a more strategic and “realistic” approach. In this grand strategy game, players relive 1066 to 1452 in their own image. Historically, these mark the day after William the Conqueror’s coronation and the fall of Constantinople. Unlike other fantasy games that prominentlyfeature knights and sorcerers,Crusader Kingstries to be as realistic as possible.
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Moreover, the game mostly prioritizes earning piety points and prestige to “proceed” across the timeline. As such, players determine what “success” means to them. The game features a unique education and genetics system, which makes marriage also a strategic element in the franchise.
3Lawful Evil: Stellaris
Players ofStellarisaren’t “Evil,” but only brave souls would dare venture into the vastness ofStellarisand its 4X experience. Similar to other strategy games,Stellarisplayers controltheir own colony, this time in space. Additionally, alongside this premise are the usual things found in 4X games. These include resource gathering and tech trees, diplomacy and warfare, and even dealing with various wacky scenarios.
Unlike other 4X games, however,Stellarisplunges players deep into space colonization. Aside from having three options of interstellar travel, players can create different species. Each of these species has their own take on the known universe and solutions to weird scenarios. These scenarios include robotic uprisings, mutant rebellion, and other space mysteries that await.
2Neutral Evil: Total War: Warhammer 2
Keeping the spirit of theTotal Warfranchise,Total War: Warhammer 2brings the same level of real-time tactics and turn-based strategy with the gritty world ofWarhammerFantasy. In this dark world, Humans and races such as the Skaven, Dark Elves, High Elves, and Lizardmen interact and deal with the Forces of Chaos.
Unlike other 4X games without a linear story, and unlike other strategy games that constrain players into a specific storyline,Total War: Warhammer 2has a bit of both. In this hybrid title, players can opt to play through theEye of the Vortexcampaign. This narrative mode tells a unique story befitting theWarhammer Fantasyfranchise. However, players can also play under a traditional 4X setup. With this setting, factions try to conquer the world map with diplomacy, subterfuge, and warfare.
1Chaotic Evil: Dawn Of War Series
Unlike other fictional universes, theWarhammer 40Kuniverse isn’t exactly somewhere anyone would want to be in. In this setting, the universe remains an empty but harsh space that separates the material world from the Warp, which serves as the home to vile creatures and demons. Moreover, races inWH40Kreached scientific heights that made them more paranoid and prepared to face alien threats.
InDawn of War, gamers get a “converted"WH40tabletop for the PC. Thanks to this game, players can experience the thrill of squad-based combat with units they cancustomize with unique weapons, abilities, and even appearances.
