Strategy game templates
Strategy templates are a decision you can lose. They differ in whether you make it before the fight, during it, or by buying a piece and watching.
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A base, or no base
An RTS asks you to gather and build while the other side does the same. StarCraft II (Blizzard Entertainment, 2010) is the worker. One worker, one resource, one barracks. If you can ignore the worker and still win, you wanted tactics. Real-time tactics throws the base away. Shadow Tactics (Mimimi Games, 2016) is three units and a patrol. You do not mine. You place.
A tactics game gives you the turn. XCOM 2 (Firaxis Games, 2016) is cover and a miss. Into the Breach (Subset Games, 2018) shows the enemy's move before you commit. A turn-based strategy zooms out to the map. Advance Wars (WayForward, 2023) is a unit on a tile. Do not start on the tile and the soldier and the century at once.
4X is explore, settle, build, conquer, and the turn is long on purpose. Civilization VI (Firaxis Games, 2016) is the city. Stellaris (Paradox Development Studio, 2016) is the border. Grand strategy is that century from inside one court. Crusader Kings III (Paradox Development Studio, 2020) is a person who dies. One decision a month. A battle you control directly has left the template.
Buy, then watch
A tower defense spends the decision before the wave. Kingdom Rush (Ironhide Game Studio, 2011) is the path and the spot. One tower. If a second tower does not change where the first goes, you do not understand the path. A deckbuilder spends the decision between fights. Slay the Spire (Mega Crit, 2019) shows the enemy's next move. Ten cards, one reward. A card battler keeps the deck you brought. Hearthstone (Blizzard Entertainment, 2014) is the mana. An auto-battler lets you place, then takes your hands away. Teamfight Tactics (Riot Games, 2019) is the shop. If you are clicking during the fight, you bought the wrong template.
The AI strategy game maker and the strategy game maker cover the family. A worker and a base are the AI RTS maker. Towers, decks and courts are separate templates, and they do not become an RTS by adding a minimap.
Every template in this genre
Every build and style in this genre
- 4X strategy template: build it step by step
- Civilization style template
- Factorio style template
- Auto-battler template: build it step by step
- Card battler template: build it step by step
- Balatro style template
- Roguelike deckbuilder template
- Slay the Spire style template
- Grand strategy template: build it step by step
- Real-time tactics template: build it step by step
- RTS template: build it step by step
- Tactics game template: build it step by step
- Tower defense template: build it step by step
- Turn-based strategy template: build it step by step
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Describe your version in one sentence. The AI writes a brief from the template, and nothing is built until you approve it. Free for Windows and Mac.