Polytopia is a simplified version of Civilization which is also much faster to play. Beating the hardest ranked computer opponents requires planning and strategy which makes the game quite engaging. I recommend upgrading deep into a small number of branches in the skill tree rather than spreading evenly across them (Depth First Search strategy > Breadth First Search here). Knights and Bomber boats are particularly strong. If you're able to unlock either of these before an opponent does you'll have a fantastic opportunity to take territory and drain resources.
Thronefall is a unique take on the tower defense genre. The primary novelties are:
“this was a good idea, Jeremy for president!”
-David Millard“Prospection is the generation and evaluation of mental representations of possible futures. The term therefore captures ... the prediction of future emotion (affective forecasting), the imagination of future scenarios (episodic foresight), and planning. Prospection is central to various aspects of human cognition and motivation.”
-Wikipedia“Don't be nervous if a problem seems really easy, I'll tell you now that there are some easy questions on this exam. The hard part is figuring out which ones they are! So good luck”
- Dr. Henry Pfister“The Stone Age did not end because of a shortage of stones”
- Nathan S. Lewis“I don't understand why humans would be at the top of the consciousness foodchain”
-Justin Wei“The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well."
-Olympics Creed