[BigJMoney]

This is a little out of the blue, and it probably won't apply, but what about the RTS/TBS hybrids? You admitted that, initially you were surprised with maybe a shade of disappointment when you first noted that Dom2 did not allow you to control tactical situations.

Rome: Total War is a game that has a very "board game" like strategy element that is VERY easy to grasp: the economy; recruiting; all of it. In fact, the game right before it in the series, Medieval: Total War, actually played out on a game board map of Europe. In the Total War games, you can choose to resolve the battles instantly (if you aren't feeling up to it) or you can actually fight them out in a turn-based strategy fight. Here is the sweet part: it's nothing like the TBS that is genre-contrived (WarCraft, AoE, etc) because you don't have to fuss with building bases and recruiting units! You already built them in the TBS(main) part of the game. It's 100% battlefield tactics. And if you know you've gotten caught with your pants down because you made a strategic mistake in the first place, you can at least choose to not waste your time by actually experiencing the defeat: just auto-resolve the fight. R:TW does have a few battle AI problems, but from the way you talk, it sounds like a minor quibble for you. Besides, none of them are game ruining.

I hope I've been descriptive enough. I also hope R:TW isn't a curse word around these parts.

=$= Big J Money =$=