Back then I played Warcraft 3 ladder games and I hit my skill ceiling quite fast because my micro was simply too bad/slow. I still very much enjoy real time strategy games. Is there any real time strategy game that is played competitively with an active community where micro is not that essential? (Ruling out Star Craft 2.) Besides real time strategy games, what other games are out there being played competitive with an active community and where clicks-per-second are not too important?
it’s definitely outside of your scope, but since when I discovered boardgaming (specifically german boardgames - which are actually not made in germany, it’s just the name of the genre) I got severely hooked into that. these are mainly no-luck deterministic games where you compete with your opponents through strategy and tactics. my favourites are Imperial Steam and Caylus, but you can also start from Terraforming Mars for a more easier rules overhead :)
Is there a competitive scene for this games? For me only games with an electronic version (like Terraforming…) make sense, because it is hard to meet with friends physically regularly.
The obvious answer is CCGs like Yugioh Master Duel, Magic Arena, Pokemon TCG Online, or Hearthstone. But of course those all use predatory monetization mechanics. A fun sorta-competitive strategy game that doesn’t have booster packs you buy with cash is Super Auto Pets.
Thanks, makes total sense and I loved Slay the Spire. The monetization mechanics are really what prevent me from starting Magic etc.
Legends of Runeterra is a good alternative. If you want zero monetization then I would recommend Netrunner. Fantasy Flight Games pulled the plug on the physical card game some years ago and it became a community run enterprise. You can also play online via https://www.jinteki.net/.
You might like Total Annihilation and its modern descendants, like BAR or Zero K. There’s still some micro depending on the variant, but the focus is much more heavily on macro, along with making the units smarter.
Apart from that, the Civ games are turn-based, but scratch a similar itch as RTS games
It sounds like you might really like auto-battlers, also called “auto-chess” style games. Auto Chess started as a Dota 2 mod, and now Dota has their own called Underlords. League of Legends also has an auto-battler spinoff; it’s called Teamfight Tactics. And don’t sleep on the indie Super Auto Pets. It’s pure fun.
Probably not entirely your wheelhouse but have you considered coop turned based strategy games (or just turn based in general)? Something like Divinity 2 requires strategy and planning, especially on higher difficulties, but they are entirely turn based and can be played in real time in co-op. Alternatively, games like Disciples Liberation which centers around tactocul turn based combat can be absolutely brutal on high difficulty.