Advice on learning the game

[Ignus]

I've been playing Dominions 3 on and off for about a year and a half now, and yet I still don't feel I understand it. Yes I know what all the buttons do and how to research etc. etc. but I don't feel like I'm ever on top of what the hell is going on. It always feels like I'm bumbling around and it just happens to go well sometimes.

To put it in perspective: I've always liked Master of Magic, and a part of that appeal was that I got the game pretty quickly. I understood what the numbers meant, what would happen if I chose to build a library, or told my strength 4 guy to attack a defence 3 fellow. This is the same with Civ, Master of Orion and even Dwarf Fortress. My actions had reactions and I felt in control.

I'm not complaining, I love this game and all the confusion it brings with it! It's just that I wish I could play it with some amount of conscious thought behind my decisions. I've used some of the race guides on here but I've found that they detach me even more, as I'm not making my own choices based on stuff I know.

Ok, enough rambling. My question is this: How can I stop feeling like a blind, groping Luddite?