I was looking through the gaming forum and was sort of surprised not to see a thread about this! If there already is one, I apologize for my blindness.

 

Does anyone else play any grand strategy games, particularly ones by Paradox?

 

My all-time favorite from them is definitely Victoria II, but now that EUIV just came out, I may have to dedicate a large chunk of time to it as well (as soon as I can get back on a nice computer that can run it!).

I've long thought of giving these games a try, but haven't gotten around to them yet...

I would say there are a fair few of us playing GS games

 

Be it EU, Vic, HoI, CK, etc

 

What do you think about the latest update to Vic2?

I've long thought of giving these games a try, but haven't gotten around to them yet...

 

They usually take a chunk of time to learn, since they can get pretty intricate. I started off on Victoria II, which has the steepest learning curve (apparently; I haven't played Hearts of Iron 3), but I hear it's probably best to start on EUIII to get a feel for the genre. Of course, each game has a totally different focus, and the recommendation to start off on EUIII is moot now that EUIV is out (and I have no idea how it compares!). If you like court intrigue and the history of the 11th-15th centuries, I'd go for Crusader Kings II. If you like a balance between micro and macro-history, EU is best. If you like mostly economic control, the birth of modern political movements, the industrial revolution, and the 19th century, I'd go Victoria II. If you primarily like battling/invading as well as WWII, HOI3 is best. (Can you tell that I'm obsessed with these?)

 

 

 

I would say there are a fair few of us playing GS games

 

Be it EU, Vic, HoI, CK, etc

 

What do you think about the latest update to Vic2?

 

Excellent! I'm glad that I'm not alone.

 

I haven't gotten a chance to get HOD for Vic2 yet, but I think the colonial point system is an interesting way to balance the whole scramble mess (at least from a hypothetical standpoint). What's your experience been with that mechanic?

 

I've long thought of giving these games a try, but haven't gotten around to them yet...

 

They usually take a chunk of time to learn, since they can get pretty intricate. I started off on Victoria II, which has the steepest learning curve (apparently; I haven't played Hearts of Iron 3), but I hear it's probably best to start on EUIII to get a feel for the genre. Of course, each game has a totally different focus, and the recommendation to start off on EUIII is moot now that EUIV is out (and I have no idea how it compares!). If you like court intrigue and the history of the 11th-15th centuries, I'd go for Crusader Kings II. If you like a balance between micro and macro-history, EU is best. If you like mostly economic control, the birth of modern political movements, the industrial revolution, and the 19th century, I'd go Victoria II. If you primarily like battling/invading as well as WWII, HOI3 is best. (Can you tell that I'm obsessed with these?)

 

 

 

I would say there are a fair few of us playing GS games

 

Be it EU, Vic, HoI, CK, etc

 

What do you think about the latest update to Vic2?

 

Excellent! I'm glad that I'm not alone.

 

I haven't gotten a chance to get HOD for Vic2 yet, but I think the colonial point system is an interesting way to balance the whole scramble mess (at least from a hypothetical standpoint). What's your experience been with that mechanic?

 

 

Well I do like the fact that you are "penalised" for having colonies in the form of upkeep that takes away from your colonisation points (required to compete for colonies) and that your harbours are limited to one per maritime province. The conflict bit is neat too, especially if something happens to say France or Prussia >:3

 

Not a fan of the newspaper though, pretty much useless in my opinion.

I've played HoI 3 and enjoyed it. Victoria is something I've been meaning to play for awhile. I know it has a steep learning curve so I'm finishing a couple other games before I get started on it.

 

Maybe not so grand of a scale, but I really like Sins of a Solar Empire. Having a massive map + tons of planets makes for a long lasting game.

Sins of a Solar Empire you say?

 

*me shakes fist at Rand0m Her0*

 

RH got me hooked on that game, it's still every bit as good as it was the first day I played it.

Hearts of Iron 2 Doomsday Armageddon (the game is up to it's name )

My favorite is definitely CKII.  I've played several hundred hours of it, and I still haven't gotten enough.

Got into the genre with Europa Universalis 2 and then moved to Hearts of Iron 2 + expansions.

 

Currently I play Victoria 2 - a Heart of Darkness and the sadly quite unknown Distant Worlds.

 

@SoaSE talk: maybe we could host a game sometime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well I do like the fact that you are "penalised" for having colonies in the form of upkeep that takes away from your colonisation points (required to compete for colonies) and that your harbours are limited to one per maritime province. The conflict bit is neat too, especially if something happens to say France or Prussia >:3

 

Not a fan of the newspaper though, pretty much useless in my opinion.

 

 

I finally got a chance to play Heart of Darkness, and I have to say I agree with you on all of those points. The colonization system, though a little confusing at first (I was playing as Britain and those damn colonia--uh, Americans completed their colonization of BC before me), is a neat balancing tactic. Maybe now we won't see such monstrously overgrown renditions of Françafrique, Ottoman Empirafrique, or...Greeçafrique.

 

 

I've played HoI 3 and enjoyed it. Victoria is something I've been meaning to play for awhile. I know it has a steep learning curve so I'm finishing a couple other games before I get started on it.

 

Maybe not so grand of a scale, but I really like Sins of a Solar Empire. Having a massive map + tons of planets makes for a long lasting game.

 

Sins of a Solar Empire sounds cool. I'll have to check it out.

 

Hearts of Iron 2 Doomsday Armageddon (the game is up to it's name   )

 

Is it more or less complex than HoI 3? I'll be honest, HoI3 is a little intimidating.

 

My favorite is definitely CKII.  I've played several hundred hours of it, and I still haven't gotten enough.

 

Yeah, if we could total all my Steam and *cough* non-Steam hours, I would easily be in the hundreds as well.

 

Got into the genre with Europa Universalis 2 and then moved to Hearts of Iron 2 + expansions.

 

Currently I play Victoria 2 - a Heart of Darkness and the sadly quite unknown Distant Worlds.

 

@SoaSE talk: maybe we could host a game sometime.

 

 

I'll have to check out Distant Worlds as well, it seems. If a fellow Vic/EU/CK player mentions another game, I know I'm bound to get some enjoyment out of it

Only strat games i play are the Starcraft series and AoE

Watching the world finals too?

Watching the world finals too?

No sadly not. I live out on a farm during the summer months(10gb bandwith a month).