I love the gameplay of the Total War series, but recent games have strayed too far from the simulationist combat model (adding hitpoints to units, single entity units that can tank tons of damage, etc). I'm always interested in other games that play similarly to the TW games, so let's make a list of them.
What qualifies for this list:
- any game with simulationist real time tactical combat
- games that combine a strategic layer with a tactical combat layer; due to how rare they are, I will also accept turn based battles for those
Games that combine a strategic layer with RT battles
Obviously we got the Total War series itself. A simple strategic layer where you manage an empire, and whenever two armies meet you go into tactical battle mode.
Then there's Knights of Honor, an early 00s game that tries to combine Paradox style map painting with real time battles. It's pretty good.
King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame is less simulationist in its battles, but still combines empire management with real time battles. Also a good one.
War Leaders: Clash of Nations takes the classic (pre-Rome) Total War "chessboard" empire management and combines it with real time battles. It's set in WW2 and the concept is really cool, but... the battles are complete shit, and the game is a buggy mess. Waste of potential.
Aggression: Europe Under Fire is an ambitious game set during WW1 and WW2, where you lead your nation throughout the first half of the 20th century. Both the empire management and the battles are real time, but both modes are very mediocre. At least the battles have cool building destruction physics... but other than that, the game sucks.
The Graviteam Tactics series combines strategic troop movements with realistic real time battles. There's no empire building though, the games are focused on a regional scale where you command army groups in certain fronts of WW2. The interface takes a lot of getting used to but it's a great game with highly simulationist battles.
Games that combine a strategic layer with TB battles
If you combine Field of Glory: Empires with Field of Glory II, you have essentially a turn based Total War. FoG Empires is your average grand strategy without tactical battles, but whenever a battle happens you can import it into FoG2 which is a turn based tactics game, fight it out, and then export the results back into Empires. A bit awkward, but it works.
Games with only RT battles, no strategic layer
Ultimate General: Civil War is a great real time wargame set in the American Civil War. It has a "campaign" but that merely consists of a sequence of historical battles through which you command your own custom army, and in between battles you get to equip your troops, recruit new ones, etc. I love this one, it's great fun.
Scourge of War: Waterloo is a very grognardy real time wargame set in the battle of Waterloo. The interface takes a lot of getting used to, and you don't command entire armies but small sections, acting as an officer within a larger army rather than the mastermind of it all. It works pretty well and is a fun game.
What qualifies for this list:
- any game with simulationist real time tactical combat
- games that combine a strategic layer with a tactical combat layer; due to how rare they are, I will also accept turn based battles for those
Games that combine a strategic layer with RT battles
Obviously we got the Total War series itself. A simple strategic layer where you manage an empire, and whenever two armies meet you go into tactical battle mode.
Then there's Knights of Honor, an early 00s game that tries to combine Paradox style map painting with real time battles. It's pretty good.
King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame is less simulationist in its battles, but still combines empire management with real time battles. Also a good one.
War Leaders: Clash of Nations takes the classic (pre-Rome) Total War "chessboard" empire management and combines it with real time battles. It's set in WW2 and the concept is really cool, but... the battles are complete shit, and the game is a buggy mess. Waste of potential.
Aggression: Europe Under Fire is an ambitious game set during WW1 and WW2, where you lead your nation throughout the first half of the 20th century. Both the empire management and the battles are real time, but both modes are very mediocre. At least the battles have cool building destruction physics... but other than that, the game sucks.
The Graviteam Tactics series combines strategic troop movements with realistic real time battles. There's no empire building though, the games are focused on a regional scale where you command army groups in certain fronts of WW2. The interface takes a lot of getting used to but it's a great game with highly simulationist battles.
Games that combine a strategic layer with TB battles
If you combine Field of Glory: Empires with Field of Glory II, you have essentially a turn based Total War. FoG Empires is your average grand strategy without tactical battles, but whenever a battle happens you can import it into FoG2 which is a turn based tactics game, fight it out, and then export the results back into Empires. A bit awkward, but it works.
Games with only RT battles, no strategic layer
Ultimate General: Civil War is a great real time wargame set in the American Civil War. It has a "campaign" but that merely consists of a sequence of historical battles through which you command your own custom army, and in between battles you get to equip your troops, recruit new ones, etc. I love this one, it's great fun.
Scourge of War: Waterloo is a very grognardy real time wargame set in the battle of Waterloo. The interface takes a lot of getting used to, and you don't command entire armies but small sections, acting as an officer within a larger army rather than the mastermind of it all. It works pretty well and is a fun game.
