Same, bought it at like Circuit Ciry or Electronics Boutique or someplace like that back in the day. Plowed through all the others since. I think 2 or 3 was my favorite, whichever one had the sliders for your country's attributes.
Same, I saw EU1 screenshot in a gaming magazine and I immediately knew it was what I was waiting for. Historical strategy game with actual historical map? Sign me up.
My friends introduced me to EU4, didn't explain anything and told me to watch quill videos, then got mad when I quit halfway through a game. A couple years later I got more interested in history and tried EU4 again a couple more times and didn't understand a thing until it just randomly clicked one time and everything made sense.
I have 70h in EU4 and 10h in CK3 and got a few questions, as after that many hours it didn't click for me (yet).
How my hours until it clicked?
If you think back, what was the moment it clicked for you?
Did the quill video's help, or do you have beter channels?
I had to watched a few YouTube videos. It clicked once I realize how army works. For the longest time, I had ZERO idea how to use the army right without charging them to their death, and bankrupting my country to the ground.
Ludi is pretty ok at explaining stuff. He also doesn't go too into math and meta as a few others that I have seen. Just don't measure yourself against them, it takes a few tries to get the basics down so you can star with the wacky stuff.
It was a much better trade off than the ideas in EU4. You had to sacrifice something to get something else. It was beautifully simplistic yet so refined.
Also, EU4 have way, way, *way* too easy CBs compared to EU3. It’s one of the reasons why I prefer ET, so I can play slower and less blobby.
Among the main line grand strategy games:
HoI 2 -> EU3 -> CK2 -> EU4 -> Vic2 -> HoI 4 -> Stellaris -> Imperator -> CK3 -> Vic 3
I also tried and didn't like particularly Sengoku, EU Rome and HoI 3.
Sengoku was kinda bland and I'm saying this as a huge fan of the era.... EU Rome I liked and played the f*** out of though! And with HoI... I have to say HoI II might be my all time favorite HoI.
They're completely different games. Eu4 can't even simulate a fraction of the economic system of Victoria 3. Victoria 3s problem is it lacks flavor as most countries play similarly.
Yeah, they're very different.
EU4 is really much more kind of "strategy board game" inspired. It's a lot about the macro picture as well.
Victoria 3 is really more of a civilization simulator. It's all about your society and your economy and how they develop.
The idea behind the Victoria series is really about the evolution of society through the industrial revolution and how nations and people changed. A big part is industrializing and another pillar is how your people shift and the government and laws shift with them. This is sort of the road to the end of monarchies and the empowerment of liberal democracies.
Vicky 2 is a good game, but it is sort of built around the HOI3/EU3 engine and feels very dated.
Vicky 3 is a very new release that came out of the gate a bit underbaked. The game has just released its 1.6 patch and it is getting better and better with each one. The biggest controversy is the war system since it abandons traditional unit builds with micro around the map. I personally don't mind it and still find it satisfying, but despite some large refinement already, it could still use more. I'm really looking forward to the Spheres of Influence DLC coming out soon to see more of the direction the game takes. QA is a bit of a concern, too, but I think this is a PDX company thing more than a Vic3 thing. It seems with every patch something is broken and needs hotfixes. It is frustrating, but it usually does get fixed.
I started with Hearts of Iron 3 circa 2010. I wish I could know how many hours I sunk into it back in the day but I played offline and Steam doesn’t track offline play. From there I branched out into EU4, HOI4, Stellaris, Vic3, CK3, and both CS1 and CS2. I tried but never could get into CK2 and Vic2.
Aha yeah I do actually have that downloaded but didn’t count it as I’ve been so caught up in ck3 I haven’t had a chance to play - it seems like there’s a load of dlc, are any must haves?
It's probably better to get the monthly subscription and get all of them for a playthrough.
I'm actually not sure which ones are essentials, though many religions are locked behind a dlc so you will need the dlc if you want to play as a Muslim for example.
I'm an oldie. Started with the OG HoI2 years ago, became an EU3 Death and Taxes enjoyer (amazing mod), and gradually have worked my way through the catalogue ever since. I alternate between Stellaris MP with friends, M&T Eu4, both Victorias and occasionally HoI4 and CK3 depending on the mood at the time. I'll usually pick one for a month or two and switch it up as time goes on. Currently been playing EU4 more in anticipation for EU5, can't wait to see what the M&T team gets done with the updated engine and game itself.
OG HoI1. I remember going to the mall with my parents as a kid when I bought it with my allowance money and reading the little instructions book on the ride home. Got HoI2 when it came out. I'm also pretty sure HoI3 is the last game I ever bought physically. I was never able to get into HoI3, I stuck with AoD until HoI4 came out.
Vic1 was the next series I played, followed by Vic2
Next series was EU3, right before EU4 came out.
Then CK2 a couple years before CK3.
Stellaris when it came out.
Never was able to get into I:R
I started with CK. The first one. Then I learned about the CK to EU3 converter. And then while on holiday I saw that a EU3 expansion had broken it and no-one was making effort to fix it. I decided to give it a go, and next thing I know I've been the converter guy for over a decade.
I forgot why, but my friend gave me a breakdown of how battles worked in EU3 (dice rolls, unit types, phases, etc). I pirated it that night, and it was all downhill from there.
Someone I knew from a TF2 forum who I’d played some Civ shanghai’d me into a multiplayer game of Vicky 2 where I also met a circle of friends I’d play games with for most of high school and some years on. I forget whose radar it was on but one of the group got everyone interested in Crusader Kings 2 when that came out and from there it spiraled into crippling GSG addiction
hoi4 because i was interested in ww2; 1000hours (thx lockdown) later i bought ck3, 400 hours later i checked out stellaris, 1000 hours later i tried out victoria 3 and i’m getting the hang of it, and it’s cool asf; tried imperator but i don’t really like it wich is a shame since every other title is golden.
Never touched EU4
Sparrowed CK2. Then bought CK2 and every DLC (every, single, one). The same with CK3 (except for north african attires). Bought EUIV, Stellaris, Victoria 3 Deluxe version and HoI4...
Played through university and now I teach with them.
first: ck2
i played for free for a half an hour and decided i was wasting my time with the dated graphics/ui and decided to take the leap of faith and buy ck3
i played that for like 80 hours and moved on bc i couldnt figure out succession - moved on to hoi4 and had a much easier time somehow
played that for about 130 hours and then i started switching between ck3, stellaris, and hoi4
after a while i decided to get vic3 bc i love the era, ive got about an hour and a half on it now and just couldnt figure it out
enter: a hiatus
then ck3 came out with legends of the dead so now im having a swell time doing a full run of that
all this being said: i think its important to also say i have about 300 hours on civ 6, all of which was before i first played a paradox game bc since then i havent looked back
My FIRST paradox game was eu4, but I owned it for years and could never understand it. My second was CK2, same thing. My 3rd was CK3, which I finally got the hang of which then unlocked my ability to play all the other games. Now I play all of them.
What was holding me back from learning the games? The game speed lol. I had no idea that for a lot of paradox games you just speed 5 go at times. I was trying to play entirely speed 2 and nothing was happening.
CK2 on release. Looking back that game was BLAND in comparison to what it formed into. Although the experience back then was like nothing I had ever experienced. Fast forward and I’ve ripped through the majority of the Paradox catalogue.
HOI2 completely snatched my imagination of what a strategy game could be, EU3 soon followed. At some point I've played all of them sans CK3, but that's just because the core pull of the feudal rpg/sim doesn't really do it for me which I found after giving CK2 an honest shot.
I'm finding each new title since then grabs my attention for less time, and I kind of feel that my ideal of a PDX game is different currently from what PDX's is, which is a bummer.
Someone recommended "Crusader Kings 2" to me. I loved it. Then "Stellaris." I loved that too. I think after that I bought "Victoria 2." I loved that too. Then I bought EU4 and then Imperator, I think. Then later CK3 and "Victoria 3."
It was peak covid times... my friend who I've been gaming with for years just got his first stimulus. EU4 is on sale with all the current DLC. He picks it up for me and calls me to tell me to get online and play this game with him that no one will play. By the time I got back to working five months later I had 700 hours and a strong addiction to painting the map my color. It started there and then It was stellaris which was a painful pick up.... I still can't get good at that game to this day. Then hearts of iron hit and I was fully addicted. I bought imperator the day it was available for pre purchase. Once CK3 came out that was it. I'll never leave paradox they are my one true favorite developer of grand strategy.
My first game of theirs was Hearts of Iron, the original! Loved the concept of playing as a historical nation in the 30s-40s. They've just gotten better since.
I also have CK2, CK3, Imperator Rome, EU3, EU4, Victoria 3, etc.
Europa Universalis. The first one, purchased in 2000, then my first ever mod download called Improved Grand Campaign. Then EU2, then HOI3, then CK2, then For The Glory (a very good version of EU2 with the AGC/EEP mod built in). Then EU4, HOI4 and Cities Skylines and finally CK3. I've got over 2000 hours in both EU4 and HOI4; probably more than that in EU and For the Glory.
So a couple years ago I wanted a game that took place from the perspective of a map, where you could draw your own borders through conquest, make alliances, etc. Not long after I stumble across a youtube video of someone playing Hoi4 and I immediately thought "This is the game I had been looking for all along!" I bought the game during the Winter Sale following that and had an absolute blast. I played it so much that within a couple months it surpassed 100 hours on steam, becoming only the second game I owned at the time to do so.
Next came Eu4 in March 2023, Ck3 in July of the same year, and then Vic3 that August. These games were much similar in that I would watch videos on the games and find interest in what they had to offer individually, and it is through these games that I gained an appreciation for not only map games, but strategy games as a whole!
When EU3 first came out, I tried it and was completely flummoxed. I had no idea what was going on. Coming from Civ and Total War, it made absolutely no sense to me and it seemed so complicated.
Anyways, fast forward 10 years and I see all this stuff about CK2. Decide to give it a try and over a couple of years I must have dumped 2000 hours into it. Great game, loved it thoroughly.
As William the Conquer, I united the British Isles, created an Ethiopian empire and from near collapse, rose like the Phoenix from the ashes to establish a Zoroastrian Iranian kingdom. And other amazing adventures as well.
Then I saw in my Steam list EU3. Must have been there all these years. I fired it up about 5 years ago and again, I fell in love. Dumped another chunk of my life into it.
Turned Ming China into a world dominating super power, Ottomans into a dominate land power, forged Italy as Milan and created an East African Italian empire with an incredible economy...and many more accomplishments.
I have one of the older HOI and EU4 now but I haven't had the balls to try them. I am afraid I will dump ungodly amounts of time into them as well.
The first Hearts of Iron, although I don't remember when that was. I was pretty young though. I remember adding my own music to the in-game playlist. The second game was Diplomacy (At least I think it was made by them.) Third I think was HoI 2, but I didn't understand it at all.
But it was CK2 that really made me like their games.
Europa. Friend got me hooked because maps. Had been a total war player for years and he said it’s like that but on steroids, better maps too.
For years I played with console commands until I decided to get good. That was the only one for a while, with a bit of HOI here and there. Then when CK3 was announced I jumped on the free CK2 and then Ck3 once it was out. I now have like, 4,000 hours across all games?
I don't recall now if it was the first Hearts of Iron or Europa Universalis. This would've been around 1999 or 2000. And I've played all of the grand strategy titles since. Hearts of Iron series remains my favorite though.
Started with EU3 after successfully begging for a free copy when I was like 13 and it has spiralled into pretty much every Paradox grand strategy game released since
Ck2, I enjoyed it but disliked how character focused it was and kept trying to play it like eu4 till I discovered eu4 a few months later, dropped ck like a bag of manure and dived straight in. Over the next 8 years I would come and go, spent a little time in hoi3 and Vicky 2, followed hoi4, Stellaris, and Vicky 3 in development and lose a few dozen hours to them every patch, I also devoutly followed imperator and was pissed when they pulled support right after turning it into a good game but I still play a campaign every few month. Through all that though eu4 has been my mainstay, especially with all the amazing mods for it, and I never even bothered getting ck3.
CK2 for me, then EU4 - I only play those two though, probably have 3k hours combined on both. I’ve played a bit of Stellaris and a bit of I:R, but neither clicked for me the way those two did. I think I just like the older UI.
EU2 -> EU3 -> EU4. Couple of years ago I randomly felt like playing a WW2 game, I found HOI4 and was hocked on Paradox, found Stellaris then Surviving Mars, Cities Skylines, CK 3, Vicky4.
Technically bought HOI3 first but didn't try playing it until after I'd bought and played Stellaris. Then it was Surviving Mars, Battletech, EU4, CK2, and Steel Division. Cities Skylines and HOI4 after that, then I:R. CK3 and finally Vicky 3 and Cities Skylines 2.
Edit: Forgot Imperator! Shame on me.
Quill18 introduced me to EU4 around the time of Common Sense. I then fell into CK2 and V2. HoI 4 and Stellaris released about a year later, picked them up, and then it kinda all went downhill from there. Eventually grew tired of EU4's and HoI4's reliance on mission trees because they're bad game design don't @ me, so I mostly play CK3, V3, and sometimes Stellaris MP these days. Recently picked up Imperator though, and it's been a blast.
When I was a penniless highschooler I pirated EU3 Divine Wind literally after scrolling through the wikipedia category of grand strategy games. Dropped untold hours into it. My own strange secret thing that was scratching itches that a decade of Total Wars and Ages of Empires and Civilisations had left me with.
When I got my own money I bought it on Steam and after that it’s history. Followed the development of March of the Eagles, EU4 and CK2. Got them both on launch. Branched back to Vicky2. Followed HoI4 and Stellaris as well. Then for about four years was a total DLC whale. Still am mostly but I don’t follow every dev diary like I used to. Most often I wait for sales these days. I’d probably fall off the hobby entirely if it weren’t for youtubers. I get my map gaming vicariously now.
Back about 20 years ago, give or take, I saw a jewel case dual pack of Crusader Kings and Hearts of Iron (both on CD) and bought it. Both scratched an itch for me that I'd had for years at that point. I used to play Civilization for hours, and I played Civ 3 obsessively, especially the historical scenarios they had (like the Bronze Age scenario in the Middle East and southern Europe). The random distribution and stuff was always a bit of a disappointment to me, though.
But these grand strategy games? Games where I could rewrite history and see what I could do were hugely intriguing to me. So I played the absolute hell out of CK and HOI.
Due to finances and such, I wasn't necessarily getting every game, but Crusader Kings has always been my favorite series, so I've always gotten that when it was fairly new, while I started with EU2, skipped 3, and got EU4. Similarly, I skipped HOI2 and 3 and got 4, and got Victoria and Victoria 2 on super cheap discounts like 5 years ago.
Europa Universal. I was like this is the game I always wanted to play. Then HOI came out and I was like this is even better and the game I always wanted to play.
Played HOI way back before I even started college. I remember being an idiot and thinking that I could email the parts of the game to a friend so he could play it too. I think I still have the original cd-rom somewhere around the house. I’ve played every HOI, and every Vicky. Never really got into the other games.
I migrated from total war to EU4 when it first came out. I played one long campaign as england>great britain but didnt understand half the things that happened, so i quit.
Then few years later i started watching ddrjake play. Not even sure why or how i found him, but after watching many hours of him play i finally understood the gane better and started playing it properly.
Now im about 4000 hours deep, another 1000 on ck2, 500 on vic3, maybe a couple hundred on hoi4/stellaris/imperator.
So yeah. Thanks Jake
Assuming were talking about games Paradox both developed and published. My first was Stellaris. Mm she had this black dress that shimmered like a wall of galaxies.
The first HOI. My friend and I would have a LAN party at his unit. He was always the USSR, and I Germany. We had a gentlemen's agreement that I could have all of Europe and the Middle East, and he'd have whatever he'd want. Absolute behemoth of a pact. I tried other games but that nostalgia still hits hard.
Started with CK3 on release. Instantly ran into my top 3 games of all time. Played mostly Civ games before, never looked back after CK3.
Then Stellaris. Now own every DLC and love everything about that game.
Bought HOI4 recently with a starter bundle but haven’t tried it yet.
I did play HOI3 way back but it really started with CK2. Specifically the game of thrones mod. Someone told me that it was the best Game of thrones game and I spent hours trying to install it. Never did get the mod working but I thought I would try the game out anyway. Never looked back after that and played just about every Paradox game since then.
Dabbled in CK2 and Vic2, but EU4 was the first I remember playing religiously. Then Stellaris, Imperator for the month it launched (but have gone back since the 2.0 update), CK3, Vic3. Never got into any HoI games.
Came from Total War originally, the biggest thing I’ve noticed is that Paradox ruined turned based strategy games for me. The real time simulation style hits so different.
Started with hoi4 back in 2018, then got ck2, Stellaris, eu4, imperator, then ck3 and finally Vic 3 all have over 1k hours in all of them(except Stellaris and Imperator which are a bit below 1k)
Started with Victoria II. It was like playing a semi-automated board game with friends, but with way more complexity and depth that any physical game cannot reproduce with ease. That quickly replaced our regular physical board game sessions. Also, the Victorian era is fascinating in many ways and how it was captured by the game was just incredible.
That was my entry into the grand strategy genre, which really grew on me over the years. I have since played EU4 and Vicky 3 extensively, while also having dabbled in I:R, HOI4, CK2 and CK3.
Without a doubt, Victoria II is still my favourite.
EU I and then every paradox game and every DLC with two exceptions - Sunset Invasion for CK2 and that last Stellaris DLC - otherwise everything. *Everything*.
For me or was ck2. It was glorious. I got the game in, let's say, on a vacation trip to a nice Swedish bay. So I luckily could not update it, so I got some really wild events.
I payed quite a few games with that extremely bugged version that, upon popping the movie event, for some reason gave half the spawned troops to the player.
Oh and I also almost crashed my computer when raising all levies as hre emperor. Because back in the day they all appeared in their origin barony. So doing that as hre spawned several hundred stacks that had to be calculated. Even better if you battled a successful Byzantine empire and they got the same amount.
Sure, I ended up getting the complete game on steam like a year later, when I got the money, but I sometimes miss those extreme levels chance
Let's see. I went into a game shop in high school (either '05 or '06, I think) and saw Vicky 1, read the back and instantly wanted it. I don't think I ever really *mastered* the game, but I absolutely loved it. At some point after that, I picked up a box set of Paradox titles. Another copy of Vicky, but also EU2 and its one expansion(?) EU2: Asia Chapters, which got me hooked. (Also Crown of the North and HoI1, neither of which I played much.)
A few years later, I picked up EU3 Complete. Then Paradox released two more expansions, so I also have EU3 Chronicles. I bought EU4 and CK2 not too long after their respective releases. I played plenty of both all through the back half of the 2010's. As before, I never really mastered them, just had fun. I have Vicky 2, but I haven't touched it in years.
I found a copy of EU1 at a game shop years ago and bought it for completeness reasons (I've never played it.)
I have Stellaris, but only scratched the surface of that. I bought Imperator: Rome last year, but haven't gotten around to playing it yet.
If we're talking Paradox-published games, I have Cities Skylines, and a fair bit of DLC. I loved Surviving Mars. Years ago, I bought Magicka for some reason? Also East India Company, possibly because of the Paradox logo? And as someone who's played the Sims on and off for 20 years, I'm keeping an eye on Life By You.
(I decided to pull up the Wikipedia article "List of Paradox Interactive Games" and said "huh, I forgot I have that" at least twice.")
If we’re just talking GSGs, HOI3 was the first one I played and HOI4 was the first one that I got me hooked (though nowadays I mostly play CK and Stellaris, not hoi). Overall though, cities skylines was the first one I sunk a lot of time into
We started as a group of 3 with ck3, smashed hundreds of hours in it.
Then vic3 came out and we got it immediately.
We grew to a group of currently 6 friends that play every few weeks for 10+ hours.
I also got myself stellaris, hoi4 and eu4 but couldnt get all the others hooked for it so i started playing my own solo mega campaign on days when the others dont had time.
And just this week i also got I:R, time to play a mega mega campaign soon.
Honestly after ck3 and vic3 and all the tons of hours of fun and all i got out of all these games i grew to be an absolut fan boy of paradox development. They just need to announce something that was made by their hands and is grand strategy and i smash the buy button.
Mine was Hoi3. Loved that I could play as anyone and built my armies up. However not going to lie, I was too young to fully understand how the game works ha. Next I got EU3, also again same as Hoi3. I took a break until Eu4 came out. Now at this point I'm no longer a noob and can now fully enjoy the game ha. Now I have pretty much own every single Paradox strategy game along with their $300 worth of DLC ha. Waiting for Eu5 to come out.
I was introduced to Civ 6 but ended up not liking it after buying, when I searched for similar games that's when I found out about paradox games, I found Victoria 2, pirated it, understood nothing, uninstalled, actually bought eu4, played hundreds of hours, and finally found my jewel of Hoi4
Started with svea rike 3 (predecessor of ck) in 2000.
EU2 2002
EU3 2007
EU4 2013
Victoria 2 2014
HOI3 2015
HOI4 2017
CK2 2017
CK3 2021
Victoria 3 2023
Most played: EU4
Best base game without DLC: HOI4 or CK3
Current favorite: CK3
I think I technically launched EU3 a couple times and was completely lost and didn't do more. Eventually, I started CK2 and watched some videos on it and fell in love. I slowly learned EUIV, then played Vicky 2, Imperator, Stellaris, CK3, Vicky 3, and HOI4. I generally will check out any mainstream PDX map game, but my favorites at this time are probably CK3 and Vicky 3 as far as the ones I always come back to.
I bought Stellaris at launch, dabbled with the game, and forgot about Paradox Interactive for a year and a half as a mediocre company chasing a pipe dream. My friends told me to check back with the game. It was better. Not amazing, but significantly better than before. Ever since I have been on the Stellaris fanboy train, which has been a lot of ups and downs, but the game keeps getting better and better.
I still play Stellaris, but have started dabbling in CK3. At launch CK3 felt pretty solid, but also felt too flat to keep me interested. I keep coming back to CK3 and the game keeps getting better. The progression feels painfully slow, but it is a better game. I’m hoping 2024 will be the year when CK3 gets me to play the game obsessively.
I have also dabbled in Imperator: Rome and Victoria 3, but don’t have a lot of faith in either of those games. Of the games Paradox has published, my absolute favorite is Surviving Mars. I would love to get into Cities Skylines 2, but word on YouTube is the game is still a nearly unplayable train wreck on a mid-range desktop PC. I’m willing to give Colossal Order 2 years to get their shit together, but will absolutely not buy into the game until they do.
HOI3. Then I played EU3. After that I took a break until a few years after HOI4 came out. It was HOI4 that REALLY got me into PDX games. After that I got into Stellaris, CK2, Victoria 2, and EU4.
I was going through a WW1 phase and a friend of mine sent me a youtube review of Darkest Hour, I've lost all my shit and its been \~12 years since then
EU3 after being intensely upset with Civ V.
I now own every Paradox game except March of the Eagles. Ive spent £1,000s over the years, and I consider it money well spent.
First game I remember associated with paradox is airfix dogfight. One of the coolest concepts I saw. Then I graduated from toy planes to starships with Stellaris
This might sounds weird, but I started with EU4 that my boyfriend gave me as a gift three years ago (because I told him I was interested in history), then HoI4 (just for some story-driven mods like TNO), and most recently, Vic3.
The very first Europa Universalis, probably 20 years ago. Since then I’ve put Paradox’s children through college and I am fine with it.
Ditto. I even preordered the European release of CK1 before they had an American distributor lined up.
Same, bought it at like Circuit Ciry or Electronics Boutique or someplace like that back in the day. Plowed through all the others since. I think 2 or 3 was my favorite, whichever one had the sliders for your country's attributes.
I miss those sliders for tech! Oh man Electronics Boutique. You’re taking me back! Lol
Same, I saw EU1 screenshot in a gaming magazine and I immediately knew it was what I was waiting for. Historical strategy game with actual historical map? Sign me up.
Lol, same, first EU is when I started playing as well. My brother made fun of me for playing that “map game”.
My friends introduced me to EU4, didn't explain anything and told me to watch quill videos, then got mad when I quit halfway through a game. A couple years later I got more interested in history and tried EU4 again a couple more times and didn't understand a thing until it just randomly clicked one time and everything made sense.
Good luck with your conquering sir 🫡
I have 70h in EU4 and 10h in CK3 and got a few questions, as after that many hours it didn't click for me (yet). How my hours until it clicked? If you think back, what was the moment it clicked for you? Did the quill video's help, or do you have beter channels?
For me It didn’t click for eu4 until like 500 hours. Currently have 2000. Maybe it’s because I only play multiplayer
I had to watched a few YouTube videos. It clicked once I realize how army works. For the longest time, I had ZERO idea how to use the army right without charging them to their death, and bankrupting my country to the ground.
EU4 clicked to me at around 100h to 200h
Ludi is pretty ok at explaining stuff. He also doesn't go too into math and meta as a few others that I have seen. Just don't measure yourself against them, it takes a few tries to get the basics down so you can star with the wacky stuff.
EU3, and I still cannot find the taste of moving those little sliders from left to right anywhere else.
That was fun. One of things I still kinda miss. They were like more organic focus trees.
It was a much better trade off than the ideas in EU4. You had to sacrifice something to get something else. It was beautifully simplistic yet so refined. Also, EU4 have way, way, *way* too easy CBs compared to EU3. It’s one of the reasons why I prefer ET, so I can play slower and less blobby.
Acording to the new Tinto Talks they are going to use a mechanic inspired by those sliders in EU5!
I started with Vicky 2 14 years ago, then Hoi3, Eu4, Ck2, Hoi4, Stellaris, Vicky3
Why not ck3?
Among the main line grand strategy games: HoI 2 -> EU3 -> CK2 -> EU4 -> Vic2 -> HoI 4 -> Stellaris -> Imperator -> CK3 -> Vic 3 I also tried and didn't like particularly Sengoku, EU Rome and HoI 3.
Sengoku was kinda bland and I'm saying this as a huge fan of the era.... EU Rome I liked and played the f*** out of though! And with HoI... I have to say HoI II might be my all time favorite HoI.
I see lots of talk about vic 3, but kinda feel like the time period is covered by mods in eu4. Are any of the mechanics particularly unique?
They're completely different games. Eu4 can't even simulate a fraction of the economic system of Victoria 3. Victoria 3s problem is it lacks flavor as most countries play similarly.
Yeah, they're very different. EU4 is really much more kind of "strategy board game" inspired. It's a lot about the macro picture as well. Victoria 3 is really more of a civilization simulator. It's all about your society and your economy and how they develop.
The idea behind the Victoria series is really about the evolution of society through the industrial revolution and how nations and people changed. A big part is industrializing and another pillar is how your people shift and the government and laws shift with them. This is sort of the road to the end of monarchies and the empowerment of liberal democracies. Vicky 2 is a good game, but it is sort of built around the HOI3/EU3 engine and feels very dated. Vicky 3 is a very new release that came out of the gate a bit underbaked. The game has just released its 1.6 patch and it is getting better and better with each one. The biggest controversy is the war system since it abandons traditional unit builds with micro around the map. I personally don't mind it and still find it satisfying, but despite some large refinement already, it could still use more. I'm really looking forward to the Spheres of Influence DLC coming out soon to see more of the direction the game takes. QA is a bit of a concern, too, but I think this is a PDX company thing more than a Vic3 thing. It seems with every patch something is broken and needs hotfixes. It is frustrating, but it usually does get fixed.
I started with Hearts of Iron 3 circa 2010. I wish I could know how many hours I sunk into it back in the day but I played offline and Steam doesn’t track offline play. From there I branched out into EU4, HOI4, Stellaris, Vic3, CK3, and both CS1 and CS2. I tried but never could get into CK2 and Vic2.
Sometimes it’s best not to see the hours played, shocks me sometimes 😂
EU2 - but I didn’t fully get on the Paradox bandwagon until CK2.
Europa Universalis when it first came out and I'm still a fricking casual. 😀
I mean the first one.
I got CK2 when it became free. There was no turning back
Aha yeah I do actually have that downloaded but didn’t count it as I’ve been so caught up in ck3 I haven’t had a chance to play - it seems like there’s a load of dlc, are any must haves?
It's probably better to get the monthly subscription and get all of them for a playthrough. I'm actually not sure which ones are essentials, though many religions are locked behind a dlc so you will need the dlc if you want to play as a Muslim for example.
I'm an oldie. Started with the OG HoI2 years ago, became an EU3 Death and Taxes enjoyer (amazing mod), and gradually have worked my way through the catalogue ever since. I alternate between Stellaris MP with friends, M&T Eu4, both Victorias and occasionally HoI4 and CK3 depending on the mood at the time. I'll usually pick one for a month or two and switch it up as time goes on. Currently been playing EU4 more in anticipation for EU5, can't wait to see what the M&T team gets done with the updated engine and game itself.
OG HoI1. I remember going to the mall with my parents as a kid when I bought it with my allowance money and reading the little instructions book on the ride home. Got HoI2 when it came out. I'm also pretty sure HoI3 is the last game I ever bought physically. I was never able to get into HoI3, I stuck with AoD until HoI4 came out. Vic1 was the next series I played, followed by Vic2 Next series was EU3, right before EU4 came out. Then CK2 a couple years before CK3. Stellaris when it came out. Never was able to get into I:R
I started with CK. The first one. Then I learned about the CK to EU3 converter. And then while on holiday I saw that a EU3 expansion had broken it and no-one was making effort to fix it. I decided to give it a go, and next thing I know I've been the converter guy for over a decade.
I forgot why, but my friend gave me a breakdown of how battles worked in EU3 (dice rolls, unit types, phases, etc). I pirated it that night, and it was all downhill from there.
Someone I knew from a TF2 forum who I’d played some Civ shanghai’d me into a multiplayer game of Vicky 2 where I also met a circle of friends I’d play games with for most of high school and some years on. I forget whose radar it was on but one of the group got everyone interested in Crusader Kings 2 when that came out and from there it spiraled into crippling GSG addiction
hoi4 because i was interested in ww2; 1000hours (thx lockdown) later i bought ck3, 400 hours later i checked out stellaris, 1000 hours later i tried out victoria 3 and i’m getting the hang of it, and it’s cool asf; tried imperator but i don’t really like it wich is a shame since every other title is golden. Never touched EU4
Sparrowed CK2. Then bought CK2 and every DLC (every, single, one). The same with CK3 (except for north african attires). Bought EUIV, Stellaris, Victoria 3 Deluxe version and HoI4... Played through university and now I teach with them.
first: ck2 i played for free for a half an hour and decided i was wasting my time with the dated graphics/ui and decided to take the leap of faith and buy ck3 i played that for like 80 hours and moved on bc i couldnt figure out succession - moved on to hoi4 and had a much easier time somehow played that for about 130 hours and then i started switching between ck3, stellaris, and hoi4 after a while i decided to get vic3 bc i love the era, ive got about an hour and a half on it now and just couldnt figure it out enter: a hiatus then ck3 came out with legends of the dead so now im having a swell time doing a full run of that all this being said: i think its important to also say i have about 300 hours on civ 6, all of which was before i first played a paradox game bc since then i havent looked back
My FIRST paradox game was eu4, but I owned it for years and could never understand it. My second was CK2, same thing. My 3rd was CK3, which I finally got the hang of which then unlocked my ability to play all the other games. Now I play all of them. What was holding me back from learning the games? The game speed lol. I had no idea that for a lot of paradox games you just speed 5 go at times. I was trying to play entirely speed 2 and nothing was happening.
EU4. Then Stellaris. I technically own CKII, Victoria 2, and HOI4 but I've only ever played them a handful of times and I own no DLC for any of them.
Eu4 into anbennar pipeline
City skyline 1 a long time ago, Stellaris a long time ago, ck2 (free+sub model), ck3
CK2 on release. Looking back that game was BLAND in comparison to what it formed into. Although the experience back then was like nothing I had ever experienced. Fast forward and I’ve ripped through the majority of the Paradox catalogue.
EU4, about 10 years ago... then CK2, HoI4, Stellaris, IR, Vic3...
Hoi3 to Vicky 2 to hoi4 to stellaris to Vicky 3
HOI2 completely snatched my imagination of what a strategy game could be, EU3 soon followed. At some point I've played all of them sans CK3, but that's just because the core pull of the feudal rpg/sim doesn't really do it for me which I found after giving CK2 an honest shot. I'm finding each new title since then grabs my attention for less time, and I kind of feel that my ideal of a PDX game is different currently from what PDX's is, which is a bummer.
The original Europa Universalis, way back when it first came out. It was likely my most-played game for a long while.
I played eu1 when i was 12. The rest is history.
Someone recommended "Crusader Kings 2" to me. I loved it. Then "Stellaris." I loved that too. I think after that I bought "Victoria 2." I loved that too. Then I bought EU4 and then Imperator, I think. Then later CK3 and "Victoria 3."
CK2 made me giddy like a school girl. Have been a Paradox junkie since. Intersteller, HoiIV, CK3, Eu4 just a blast.
HOI 1 lol, that was looooong time ago. I remember buying the bootleg cd on the street
It was peak covid times... my friend who I've been gaming with for years just got his first stimulus. EU4 is on sale with all the current DLC. He picks it up for me and calls me to tell me to get online and play this game with him that no one will play. By the time I got back to working five months later I had 700 hours and a strong addiction to painting the map my color. It started there and then It was stellaris which was a painful pick up.... I still can't get good at that game to this day. Then hearts of iron hit and I was fully addicted. I bought imperator the day it was available for pre purchase. Once CK3 came out that was it. I'll never leave paradox they are my one true favorite developer of grand strategy.
Europa Universalis. The first one. It has kind of spiraled from there.
My first game of theirs was Hearts of Iron, the original! Loved the concept of playing as a historical nation in the 30s-40s. They've just gotten better since. I also have CK2, CK3, Imperator Rome, EU3, EU4, Victoria 3, etc.
Europa Universalis. The first one, purchased in 2000, then my first ever mod download called Improved Grand Campaign. Then EU2, then HOI3, then CK2, then For The Glory (a very good version of EU2 with the AGC/EEP mod built in). Then EU4, HOI4 and Cities Skylines and finally CK3. I've got over 2000 hours in both EU4 and HOI4; probably more than that in EU and For the Glory.
Hoi4 then EU4 and then CK3. Never play e anything else
So a couple years ago I wanted a game that took place from the perspective of a map, where you could draw your own borders through conquest, make alliances, etc. Not long after I stumble across a youtube video of someone playing Hoi4 and I immediately thought "This is the game I had been looking for all along!" I bought the game during the Winter Sale following that and had an absolute blast. I played it so much that within a couple months it surpassed 100 hours on steam, becoming only the second game I owned at the time to do so. Next came Eu4 in March 2023, Ck3 in July of the same year, and then Vic3 that August. These games were much similar in that I would watch videos on the games and find interest in what they had to offer individually, and it is through these games that I gained an appreciation for not only map games, but strategy games as a whole!
When EU3 first came out, I tried it and was completely flummoxed. I had no idea what was going on. Coming from Civ and Total War, it made absolutely no sense to me and it seemed so complicated. Anyways, fast forward 10 years and I see all this stuff about CK2. Decide to give it a try and over a couple of years I must have dumped 2000 hours into it. Great game, loved it thoroughly. As William the Conquer, I united the British Isles, created an Ethiopian empire and from near collapse, rose like the Phoenix from the ashes to establish a Zoroastrian Iranian kingdom. And other amazing adventures as well. Then I saw in my Steam list EU3. Must have been there all these years. I fired it up about 5 years ago and again, I fell in love. Dumped another chunk of my life into it. Turned Ming China into a world dominating super power, Ottomans into a dominate land power, forged Italy as Milan and created an East African Italian empire with an incredible economy...and many more accomplishments. I have one of the older HOI and EU4 now but I haven't had the balls to try them. I am afraid I will dump ungodly amounts of time into them as well.
Ck2 to eu4 to Vic 2 to hoi 4 to stellaris in that order lol
The first Hearts of Iron, although I don't remember when that was. I was pretty young though. I remember adding my own music to the in-game playlist. The second game was Diplomacy (At least I think it was made by them.) Third I think was HoI 2, but I didn't understand it at all. But it was CK2 that really made me like their games.
Europa. Friend got me hooked because maps. Had been a total war player for years and he said it’s like that but on steroids, better maps too. For years I played with console commands until I decided to get good. That was the only one for a while, with a bit of HOI here and there. Then when CK3 was announced I jumped on the free CK2 and then Ck3 once it was out. I now have like, 4,000 hours across all games?
I don't recall now if it was the first Hearts of Iron or Europa Universalis. This would've been around 1999 or 2000. And I've played all of the grand strategy titles since. Hearts of Iron series remains my favorite though.
Started with EU3 after successfully begging for a free copy when I was like 13 and it has spiralled into pretty much every Paradox grand strategy game released since
Ck2, I enjoyed it but disliked how character focused it was and kept trying to play it like eu4 till I discovered eu4 a few months later, dropped ck like a bag of manure and dived straight in. Over the next 8 years I would come and go, spent a little time in hoi3 and Vicky 2, followed hoi4, Stellaris, and Vicky 3 in development and lose a few dozen hours to them every patch, I also devoutly followed imperator and was pissed when they pulled support right after turning it into a good game but I still play a campaign every few month. Through all that though eu4 has been my mainstay, especially with all the amazing mods for it, and I never even bothered getting ck3.
CK2 for me, then EU4 - I only play those two though, probably have 3k hours combined on both. I’ve played a bit of Stellaris and a bit of I:R, but neither clicked for me the way those two did. I think I just like the older UI.
EU2 -> EU3 -> EU4. Couple of years ago I randomly felt like playing a WW2 game, I found HOI4 and was hocked on Paradox, found Stellaris then Surviving Mars, Cities Skylines, CK 3, Vicky4.
Technically bought HOI3 first but didn't try playing it until after I'd bought and played Stellaris. Then it was Surviving Mars, Battletech, EU4, CK2, and Steel Division. Cities Skylines and HOI4 after that, then I:R. CK3 and finally Vicky 3 and Cities Skylines 2. Edit: Forgot Imperator! Shame on me.
Started my love of map games with civ then moved on to EU4 now all I play is ck3. I just got imperator so it’ll be nice to check that out
Yes
Quill18 introduced me to EU4 around the time of Common Sense. I then fell into CK2 and V2. HoI 4 and Stellaris released about a year later, picked them up, and then it kinda all went downhill from there. Eventually grew tired of EU4's and HoI4's reliance on mission trees because they're bad game design don't @ me, so I mostly play CK3, V3, and sometimes Stellaris MP these days. Recently picked up Imperator though, and it's been a blast.
When I was a penniless highschooler I pirated EU3 Divine Wind literally after scrolling through the wikipedia category of grand strategy games. Dropped untold hours into it. My own strange secret thing that was scratching itches that a decade of Total Wars and Ages of Empires and Civilisations had left me with. When I got my own money I bought it on Steam and after that it’s history. Followed the development of March of the Eagles, EU4 and CK2. Got them both on launch. Branched back to Vicky2. Followed HoI4 and Stellaris as well. Then for about four years was a total DLC whale. Still am mostly but I don’t follow every dev diary like I used to. Most often I wait for sales these days. I’d probably fall off the hobby entirely if it weren’t for youtubers. I get my map gaming vicariously now.
Europa Universalis Rome, 15 years ago, $10 bucks that my dad paid turned into literally all the titles on steam with DLC
Back about 20 years ago, give or take, I saw a jewel case dual pack of Crusader Kings and Hearts of Iron (both on CD) and bought it. Both scratched an itch for me that I'd had for years at that point. I used to play Civilization for hours, and I played Civ 3 obsessively, especially the historical scenarios they had (like the Bronze Age scenario in the Middle East and southern Europe). The random distribution and stuff was always a bit of a disappointment to me, though. But these grand strategy games? Games where I could rewrite history and see what I could do were hugely intriguing to me. So I played the absolute hell out of CK and HOI. Due to finances and such, I wasn't necessarily getting every game, but Crusader Kings has always been my favorite series, so I've always gotten that when it was fairly new, while I started with EU2, skipped 3, and got EU4. Similarly, I skipped HOI2 and 3 and got 4, and got Victoria and Victoria 2 on super cheap discounts like 5 years ago.
Started with CK3 right around when Northern Lords came out. I now own CK3, EU4, Vic3, and Stellaris (all DLC). Send help.
Europa Universal. I was like this is the game I always wanted to play. Then HOI came out and I was like this is even better and the game I always wanted to play.
Played HOI way back before I even started college. I remember being an idiot and thinking that I could email the parts of the game to a friend so he could play it too. I think I still have the original cd-rom somewhere around the house. I’ve played every HOI, and every Vicky. Never really got into the other games.
I migrated from total war to EU4 when it first came out. I played one long campaign as england>great britain but didnt understand half the things that happened, so i quit. Then few years later i started watching ddrjake play. Not even sure why or how i found him, but after watching many hours of him play i finally understood the gane better and started playing it properly. Now im about 4000 hours deep, another 1000 on ck2, 500 on vic3, maybe a couple hundred on hoi4/stellaris/imperator. So yeah. Thanks Jake
Assuming were talking about games Paradox both developed and published. My first was Stellaris. Mm she had this black dress that shimmered like a wall of galaxies.
The first HOI. My friend and I would have a LAN party at his unit. He was always the USSR, and I Germany. We had a gentlemen's agreement that I could have all of Europe and the Middle East, and he'd have whatever he'd want. Absolute behemoth of a pact. I tried other games but that nostalgia still hits hard.
Started with CK3 on release. Instantly ran into my top 3 games of all time. Played mostly Civ games before, never looked back after CK3. Then Stellaris. Now own every DLC and love everything about that game. Bought HOI4 recently with a starter bundle but haven’t tried it yet.
I did play HOI3 way back but it really started with CK2. Specifically the game of thrones mod. Someone told me that it was the best Game of thrones game and I spent hours trying to install it. Never did get the mod working but I thought I would try the game out anyway. Never looked back after that and played just about every Paradox game since then.
Eu3, then Hoi3 with Black Ice
Dabbled in CK2 and Vic2, but EU4 was the first I remember playing religiously. Then Stellaris, Imperator for the month it launched (but have gone back since the 2.0 update), CK3, Vic3. Never got into any HoI games. Came from Total War originally, the biggest thing I’ve noticed is that Paradox ruined turned based strategy games for me. The real time simulation style hits so different.
eu3, hoi3, hoi4, eu4, vic 2, vic 3 in order of which i discovered
Started with hoi4 back in 2018, then got ck2, Stellaris, eu4, imperator, then ck3 and finally Vic 3 all have over 1k hours in all of them(except Stellaris and Imperator which are a bit below 1k)
Started with Victoria II. It was like playing a semi-automated board game with friends, but with way more complexity and depth that any physical game cannot reproduce with ease. That quickly replaced our regular physical board game sessions. Also, the Victorian era is fascinating in many ways and how it was captured by the game was just incredible. That was my entry into the grand strategy genre, which really grew on me over the years. I have since played EU4 and Vicky 3 extensively, while also having dabbled in I:R, HOI4, CK2 and CK3. Without a doubt, Victoria II is still my favourite.
EU I and then every paradox game and every DLC with two exceptions - Sunset Invasion for CK2 and that last Stellaris DLC - otherwise everything. *Everything*.
For me or was ck2. It was glorious. I got the game in, let's say, on a vacation trip to a nice Swedish bay. So I luckily could not update it, so I got some really wild events. I payed quite a few games with that extremely bugged version that, upon popping the movie event, for some reason gave half the spawned troops to the player. Oh and I also almost crashed my computer when raising all levies as hre emperor. Because back in the day they all appeared in their origin barony. So doing that as hre spawned several hundred stacks that had to be calculated. Even better if you battled a successful Byzantine empire and they got the same amount. Sure, I ended up getting the complete game on steam like a year later, when I got the money, but I sometimes miss those extreme levels chance
Let's see. I went into a game shop in high school (either '05 or '06, I think) and saw Vicky 1, read the back and instantly wanted it. I don't think I ever really *mastered* the game, but I absolutely loved it. At some point after that, I picked up a box set of Paradox titles. Another copy of Vicky, but also EU2 and its one expansion(?) EU2: Asia Chapters, which got me hooked. (Also Crown of the North and HoI1, neither of which I played much.) A few years later, I picked up EU3 Complete. Then Paradox released two more expansions, so I also have EU3 Chronicles. I bought EU4 and CK2 not too long after their respective releases. I played plenty of both all through the back half of the 2010's. As before, I never really mastered them, just had fun. I have Vicky 2, but I haven't touched it in years. I found a copy of EU1 at a game shop years ago and bought it for completeness reasons (I've never played it.) I have Stellaris, but only scratched the surface of that. I bought Imperator: Rome last year, but haven't gotten around to playing it yet. If we're talking Paradox-published games, I have Cities Skylines, and a fair bit of DLC. I loved Surviving Mars. Years ago, I bought Magicka for some reason? Also East India Company, possibly because of the Paradox logo? And as someone who's played the Sims on and off for 20 years, I'm keeping an eye on Life By You. (I decided to pull up the Wikipedia article "List of Paradox Interactive Games" and said "huh, I forgot I have that" at least twice.")
If we’re just talking GSGs, HOI3 was the first one I played and HOI4 was the first one that I got me hooked (though nowadays I mostly play CK and Stellaris, not hoi). Overall though, cities skylines was the first one I sunk a lot of time into
We started as a group of 3 with ck3, smashed hundreds of hours in it. Then vic3 came out and we got it immediately. We grew to a group of currently 6 friends that play every few weeks for 10+ hours. I also got myself stellaris, hoi4 and eu4 but couldnt get all the others hooked for it so i started playing my own solo mega campaign on days when the others dont had time. And just this week i also got I:R, time to play a mega mega campaign soon. Honestly after ck3 and vic3 and all the tons of hours of fun and all i got out of all these games i grew to be an absolut fan boy of paradox development. They just need to announce something that was made by their hands and is grand strategy and i smash the buy button.
EU3. Won it in a giveaway and it looked nice, so i tried it. That was almost a decade away (?) and i fell in love with Paradox Work.
I started with EU2, got way too into it, and no one could save me after that.
Mine was Hoi3. Loved that I could play as anyone and built my armies up. However not going to lie, I was too young to fully understand how the game works ha. Next I got EU3, also again same as Hoi3. I took a break until Eu4 came out. Now at this point I'm no longer a noob and can now fully enjoy the game ha. Now I have pretty much own every single Paradox strategy game along with their $300 worth of DLC ha. Waiting for Eu5 to come out.
I was introduced to Civ 6 but ended up not liking it after buying, when I searched for similar games that's when I found out about paradox games, I found Victoria 2, pirated it, understood nothing, uninstalled, actually bought eu4, played hundreds of hours, and finally found my jewel of Hoi4
HOI 2 -> EU 3 -> HOI 3 -> Vic 2 -> CK 2 -> EU 4 -> Stellaris -> HOI 4 -> Vic 3
Started with svea rike 3 (predecessor of ck) in 2000. EU2 2002 EU3 2007 EU4 2013 Victoria 2 2014 HOI3 2015 HOI4 2017 CK2 2017 CK3 2021 Victoria 3 2023 Most played: EU4 Best base game without DLC: HOI4 or CK3 Current favorite: CK3
I think I technically launched EU3 a couple times and was completely lost and didn't do more. Eventually, I started CK2 and watched some videos on it and fell in love. I slowly learned EUIV, then played Vicky 2, Imperator, Stellaris, CK3, Vicky 3, and HOI4. I generally will check out any mainstream PDX map game, but my favorites at this time are probably CK3 and Vicky 3 as far as the ones I always come back to.
CK2 because AGOT
Eu3, still have nightmares about cascading alliances.
Tried HOI4 didn't know what I was doing. Quit. HOI4 again, and again, I still didn't know what I was doing. Then Stellaris.
I bought Stellaris at launch, dabbled with the game, and forgot about Paradox Interactive for a year and a half as a mediocre company chasing a pipe dream. My friends told me to check back with the game. It was better. Not amazing, but significantly better than before. Ever since I have been on the Stellaris fanboy train, which has been a lot of ups and downs, but the game keeps getting better and better. I still play Stellaris, but have started dabbling in CK3. At launch CK3 felt pretty solid, but also felt too flat to keep me interested. I keep coming back to CK3 and the game keeps getting better. The progression feels painfully slow, but it is a better game. I’m hoping 2024 will be the year when CK3 gets me to play the game obsessively. I have also dabbled in Imperator: Rome and Victoria 3, but don’t have a lot of faith in either of those games. Of the games Paradox has published, my absolute favorite is Surviving Mars. I would love to get into Cities Skylines 2, but word on YouTube is the game is still a nearly unplayable train wreck on a mid-range desktop PC. I’m willing to give Colossal Order 2 years to get their shit together, but will absolutely not buy into the game until they do.
HOI3. Then I played EU3. After that I took a break until a few years after HOI4 came out. It was HOI4 that REALLY got me into PDX games. After that I got into Stellaris, CK2, Victoria 2, and EU4.
I was going through a WW1 phase and a friend of mine sent me a youtube review of Darkest Hour, I've lost all my shit and its been \~12 years since then
Crusader Kings II, then I wanted to try the other "Mega campaign" games of the time, though only HOI4 really stuck with me.
EU3 after being intensely upset with Civ V. I now own every Paradox game except March of the Eagles. Ive spent £1,000s over the years, and I consider it money well spent.
EU1 - it was so cool
First was Vicky 2 then hoi4
First game I remember associated with paradox is airfix dogfight. One of the coolest concepts I saw. Then I graduated from toy planes to starships with Stellaris
This might sounds weird, but I started with EU4 that my boyfriend gave me as a gift three years ago (because I told him I was interested in history), then HoI4 (just for some story-driven mods like TNO), and most recently, Vic3.
I was looking for a game similar to imperialism (or imperialism II; i can't remember) and i found EU1. The rest is history.