TBS Okay what's the best fantasy TBS?

[Galdred]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/232050/Eador_Masters_of_the_Broken_World/ Eador probably best option that no one ever played, myself included.

Eador is great, but not the cashgrab sequels. Eador Genesis + NH mod is what you are looking for!

Cahsgrab attempts, given that they led the developer to banrkupcy (but who thought that redoing the same game, with better gfx, but more bugs was a good idea?).

 

[deama]

I no longer like HoMM because of infinite unit stacking, no unit maintenance, and no fog of war (only visible vs unexplored). Those things feel really dumb to come back to after playing the other games.

Eador - Good, but ultimately the hero grinding is not to my taste.

MoM is great, but no MP, so I don't play it.

AoW I play a lot at the GoG forum, and I even make maps for it. It has the best scouting/killing enemy scouts dynamic, ie vision game, of the games in this post. And it has a few little things like fire immune units walking on lava, ethereal units killing any number of troops if they have only mundane weapons, flying ranged attackers killing any number of walking melee troops, walled cities being uncaptureable unless you brought something that can break walls or climb/fly over them, and so on. You can make a three-layer map (two cave levels) with one-way teleporters and crazy stuff like that. Or if an enemy army is crossing a river of frozen ice and you fire a Fire Storm onto it, they drown. I didn't get bored of this game when I got into Dominions 5.

Dominions - totally btfos all the other games, even MoM, on mechanics. MP is good, lore is good. Relatively weak on aesthetic (mind blast sfx reeeeeeeee) but I still like its sprites and music anyway.

So for me it's a toss-up between Dominions and AoW.

You tried disciples series or etherlords?

 

[Kalin]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/232050/Eador_Masters_of_the_Broken_World/ Eador probably best option that no one ever played, myself included.

Eador is great, but not the cashgrab sequels. Eador Genesis + NH mod is what you are looking for!

Cahsgrab attempts, given that they led the developer to banrkupcy (but who thought that redoing the same game, with better gfx, but more bugs was a good idea?).

 

[Galdred]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/232050/Eador_Masters_of_the_Broken_World/ Eador probably best option that no one ever played, myself included.

Eador is great, but not the cashgrab sequels. Eador Genesis + NH mod is what you are looking for!

Cahsgrab attempts, given that they led the developer to banrkupcy (but who thought that redoing the same game, with better gfx, but more bugs was a good idea?).

Spoiler

But it is 3D!

 

[BING XI LAO]

You tried disciples series or etherlords?

Didn't like disciples - recruiting units into these very restricted bands was annoying compared to having 7 slots and a battle grid in HoMM. Plus then you have to grind them for xp. Rest of that game looked good though.
Haven't played etherlords, looks a bit ugly, probably good if Codexer is mentioning it, but I already have so much with AoW and Dom5.

 

[Chaosdwarft]

I'm probably gonna get crucified here, but I never managed to truly enjoy the HoMM series or King's Bounty.

If I had to give a contemporary game recommendation I would say Age of Wonders 3 (modded), because I really like how it combines good bells and whistles with deep gameplay.
In second position I would recommend Dominions 5, it's even deeper, the sprites and animations are decent enough they are able to feed my imagination. Sure it takes quite a while to understand not only what is going on, but mostly how to combine all the tools they give you and counter your opponents strategy.

 

[Galdred]

I'm probably gonna get crucified here, but I never managed to truly enjoy the HoMM series or King's Bounty.

Wait no, that's not how it works.
Both are pretty puzzly games, that would fall into guilty pleasures more than harbingers of incline.
Wait, you did that on purpose, didn't you?

 

[Chaosdwarft]

Wait no, that's not how it works.
Both are pretty puzzly games, that would fall into guilty pleasures more than harbingers of incline.
Wait, you did that on purpose, didn't you?

Well I keep reading on this forum how HOMM3 (not the remastered edition) is like some GOD SEND GAME. Maybe I misunderstood...

To better understand (as I mainly read the AARs in this forum), could you explain what makes a typical example of a "HARBINGER OF INCLINE" game?

Cheers!

 

[Valky]

I used to be in the Heroes 3 camp, but I found enlightenment and realized that Eador Genesis is the best fantasy TBS.

 

[Galdred]

Wait no, that's not how it works.
Both are pretty puzzly games, that would fall into guilty pleasures more than harbingers of incline.
Wait, you did that on purpose, didn't you?

Well I keep reading on this forum how HOMM3 (not the remastered edition) is like some GOD SEND GAME. Maybe I misunderstood...

To better understand (as I mainly read the AARs in this forum), could you explain what makes a typical example of a "HARBINGER OF INCLINE" game?

Cheers!

There are a lot of exemples in this very thread!

Fantasy General / Fantasy Wars / Elven Legacy

no strategy in continuous tactics battles

and endless legend is not in list, as well as series from stardock ... played like 150+ hours in sorcerer kings

The Stardock titles were deeply flawed, but oozing with potential.
It is a real shame their series started so badly.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

It is a real shame their series started so badly

Didn't end so well either. Only thing Fallen overEnchantress has over the rest is that you can customize your leader without taking a single point in any poncy magic skills.

 

[gunman]

I don't know how it escaped my radar, but I have never played a Dominions game. I saw 4 and 5 looks very similar, any reason 4 is better than 5? What about earlier games (1-3) ?

Also, which one has the best campaign?
From a single player campaign perspective, I'd replace HoMM 3 with HoMM 2 in the poll.

 

[Chaosdwarft]

I don't know how it escaped my radar, but I have never played a Dominions game. I saw 4 and 5 looks very similar, any reason 4 is better than 5? What about earlier games (1-3) ?

Also, which one has the best campaign?
From a single player campaign perspective, I'd replace HoMM 3 with HoMM 2 in the poll.

I would like to say that Dominions 5 is way better than 4. It has so many quality of life improvements, reworked blessings, new nations... I own both games and I never went back to dominions 4.

Talking of escaping radar, I just noticed you finally published your Colonization-like game, congratulations. Will buy it when I got the time to do a proper run.

Cheers!

 

[Stone Dog]

Also, which one has the best campaign?

Neither. You have random games, but the AI is seriously unable to cope with the complex mechanics. Unless you're 100% roleplaying, Dominions is actually a (great) multiplayer-only game.

 

[Galdred]

Also, which one has the best campaign?

Neither. You have random games, but the AI is seriously unable to cope with the complex mechanics. Unless you're 100% roleplaying, Dominions is actually a (great) multiplayer-only game.

That. You can challenge yourself by chosing non competitive pretenders against the AI, but that's about it. It is still enjoyable though (and I haven't played 4&5 much, but some nations were only usable against the AI before, unless you wanted to get murdered in MP)

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Neither. You have random games, but the AI is seriously unable to cope with the complex mechanics

Thank goodness I am strategically impaired or I'd get bored of winning without cease.

 

[samuraigaiden]

The voice acting in Etherlords is unforgettable. The actress narrating the mission briefing is literally cracking up as she reads her lines.