Strategy Games for Beginners

If the idea of complex resource gathering, micro-management, base planning, and all the other common ingredients of traditional features of real-time strategy games seem too tedious to you, we're here to help bridge the gap between you and this genre of gaming. To do this, we've made a list of some of the best off-beat RTS games out there, that do away with the potentially boring stuff in RTS' and give you the best of the genre in ample doses. Just pick any one of them, and discover the joy of strategy games...

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

Relic Entertainment's masterpiece - Dawn of War II - did away with base building and resource management altogether, and threw you straight into the action with powerful units and a crapload of ammo. The mantra of this game was - a little less boring RTS, a lot more action. The entire game, be it the lengthy (and awesome!) single player campaign or the wholesome multiplayer, required you to dive in and capture power, resource or victory nodes in order to gain the upper hand. This ended up in an insane amount of small skirmishes rather than large scale wars, keeping you on your toes constantly! I recommended this one to RPG fans out there, since the single player campaign plays out pretty much like an RPG, and the great gear and level up systems are comparable to some of the best sci-fi RPGs out there.

Company of Heroes

Company of Heroes was another amazing RTS by Relic, which managed to breathe new life into the age old World War II setting. Everything from the Omaha beach invasion to the Battle of Okinawa was captured with more intensity than most shooters could dream of. The game's strong point was its squad-based unit structure and cover system, that required you to focus more on positioning your troops than building fortifications or accumulating resources. The game followed the formula of a few powerful, well-placed units, over the traditional rush of units you'd see in most RTS games, and it worked incredibly well for this one. The squad system ensured that managing units was as easy as rich, wholesome, RTS-pie, making this game ideal for those who've found the squad system of action games enamoring, but lacking.

Defense of the Ancients

What started off as a community made map for Warcraft III became so popular, that it spawned not only one of the biggest gaming communities, but it grew into one of the most widely played online competitive games out there. The premise is simple - this RPG/RTS hybrid requires you to pick one of two sides, Sentinel or Scourge, each of which can have up to 5 players. Each player picks a "hero" out of 80+ choices, each with a unique play style, and locks themselves in battle against the opposite team. There's no resource management, no base building, no micro-management. All you have to manage is one hero, help him level up, and work with your team to take down the enemy's base. The game's so accessible that almost anyone can pick it up; all you need is the competitive spirit, a copy of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, and a working net connection!

Demigod

If you find even DotA's too complicated, or the dated visuals are a little inadequate for the graphic-whore within, this one might be right up your alley. Demigod is a complete retail game inspired from DotA, with amazing RTS/RPG features that work together to please both audiences. Just like DotA, you have two sides with unique heroes to pick from, only here there are various maps, and detailed skill-trees to deal with, much like a complete RPG. There's a lot more eye candy here and the game's a lot simpler to pick-up than DotA, or most other RTS games out there.

Overlord

If you can't get the hang of DotA or Demigod, chances are you're either strategically challenged or not inclined to playing RTS' at all. You might be a lost cause, but I'm not ready to give up on you yet - hang in there, little budding strategy gamer! Our last attempt to introduce to you the goodness of RTS games is, ironically, a game that's more action than strategy - Overlord. In Overlord, you play the role of an evil Overlord that, with the servitude of a bunch of the most devious and brainless minions, is bent on wreaking havoc. It has none of the potentially annoying elements you might hate in RTS games, the only thing left here is a bit of strategy involving how you control your minions. As you progress in the game, you can access different types of minions that each have their own special ability. You can use this to your advantage and build a unique army of your own. This is the most dumbed down of strategy gaming, with all the edges chipped to fit into the action gamers' brain. If it still doesn't appeal to you, I give up.