What are you playing right now?

[King Tao]

I've mainly been sticking to Crusader Kings III, Stellaris, Hearts of Iron IV, and Victoria III. Singleplayer can become a bit repetitive at times, but luckily I'm able to get the odd multiplayer match with alexoren and Xe of Greed. The three of us also played a lot of the Total War: Warhammer III multiplayer together, but we kind of burned ourselves out on the game along the way. Really anticipating that "early 2023" release date for the CK3AGOT mod after I sank about 600+ into the GOT mod for Crusader Kings II. I've also sank an embarrassing amount of time into the Franchise Hockey Manager series, but that's neither here nor there. Other than that, I run my weekly ttrpg games with alexoren, Xe, and some other irl friends, something we've been doing almost non-stop for just over ten years now.

[Daolun]

The most consistent game for me these past few years as been the classic Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom by Impressions Games.

It released in 2002 and it is a classic city builder covering two thousand years of China from the Xia to the Jurchen Jin. Manage your religious coverage, ensure ample food supply, keep crime down, have a bustling market and industry field, promote entertainment and morals, keep your city up to OSHA regulation, form alliances and trade agreements, or conquer your enemies.

Don't forget to smash some pottery for Mommy Xiwangmu (not a cat girl tho like she was pre-Han. Not historically accurate at all. 0/10)

Pleasant game to look at, even without the widescreen patch. Music is great, voice acting is charming, the game is relaxing. It is something I can get lost in for hours which I can't say for most games.

It really scratches that itch of needing something set in China.

At some point in the distant future when life settles down and I can do it, I'll check out Amazing Cultivation Simulator.

[Niahak]

The most consistent game for me these past few years as been the classic Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom by Impressions Games.

This was the first of their city-builders that I got into, and although I have tried I haven't been able to get into their others.
While some other games do scratch similar itches (Knights & Merchants, the Anno games and occasionally Tropico) this is my favorite.

The entire package is just pleasant, it's relatively easy to get the walkers to do what you want, and it's the right mix of challenging and forgiving - hard enough to engage the brain but easy enough that things don't get frustrating (with difficulty settings for your desired level of brain engagement ). I was very happy when GOG finally got it in their library since it was one of my few remaining "must keep on CD" games

[Mikhail]

I'm juggling a few right now. On PC I'm playing Final Fantasy XIV and Train Sim World 3 and whatever Final Fantasy game I decide to do next after completing IV this morning.

I also recently bought a PS5 and am playing Ghosts of Tsushima and Star Wars Battlefront 2 on it.

Trying to see if I can actually play some of the thousands of games I have before I buy whatever new one tickles my fancy.

[R.P. Gryphus]

When I take a moment to play a game nowadays, it is RTK XI. Such a good game! But I do love me some Crusader Kings 3, Hearts of Iron IV, Total War 3 Kingdoms, Medieval 2 : Rise of the Three Kingdoms and Nobunaga's Ambition.

Also if some of you would like, you can add me on Steam : https://steamcommunity.com/id/helldiablo92/

[Kong Wen]

Trying to see if I can actually play some of the thousands of games I have before I buy whatever new one tickles my fancy.

This has been my mission so far in 2023 (as you've probably noticed in the TONe game clears channel!) and I've been feeling good about it.

I set my sights on a number of games I started playing back in the later PS3 to early PS4 transition period and then left unfinished for whatever reason (probably because I started playing Destiny).

So I've knocked out 6 games so far this year, which is almost on par with the number of games I completed all year in 2022, 2021... 2020... etc.

The next in my lineup of quick slaps is Valiant Hearts: The Great War, which I believe was an early PS+ freebie on PS4 which I booted up but didn't make any progress in. If I need something even lighter than a... World War 1 puzzle game... I also have Pic-a-Pix Color, which is basically off-brand Picross. Neither of those games should take me long.

When I'm actually in the mood for (that is, have time for) a longer gaming session that I can concentrate on, I'll be playing Tactics Ogre: Reborn if my crew isn't online, or Final Fantasy XIV: Almost Stormblood if my crew is online.

My copy of Fire Emblem Engage: Divine Edition just arrived today, but it has to decorate a shelf till I'm done with TO.

[rcsha]

Now that I've taken a break from Battle Brothers, I've been playing a lot of Wasteland 3. After a very rough go of one of the DLC missions, I decided to play something nice and chill for a bit and had just gotten this little shopkeeper game called Winkeltje: The Little Shop.

Once I needed a bit more excitement, yesterday, I started State of Decay 2.

And of course two L5R games a week - one as a player, one as a GM.

[Daolun]

How are you liking State of Decay 2? I couldn't get into it for whatever reason. Just didn't click at all, whereas I loved the first game a lot.

[rcsha]

Personally I'm liking it a lot better than I did 1. I put 22 hours into the first, but the fact that the game continued to play itself (very poorly) while you're offline annoyed the absolute hell out of me. I played for like...six hours straight to secure enough supplies for my community and get everyone geared up, then I logged out, ate some dinner, did some stuff around the house and when I logged back in like...5 hours later...I was almost out of food, totally out of meds, and two of my people were wounded. I sat there for a moment...then logged off, uninstalled the game and never played it again.
Only reason I tried the sequel is because I got it in a bundle that I bought for something else. I've put about 59 hours into it so far and I've only had it for like a week, so I definitely like it more than the first.

I really enjoy the more story-based mode, I believe it's called Heartland, I wish more of the game was set up like that. But I'm a huge narrative fanatic, so that tracks. I enjoyed the story-based part here you played a badass army officer leading her platoon in the original, too.

If (when) they make a third I think it needs 3 major things to put it far and away above 2:
1. Character Creator mode. Or at the very least more chatter amongst the characters. Two hours into a community and all the cool talk is done and it's just the occasional "Hey there friend, you were gone so long I almost missed you."
2. Fix the bugs. Just like the first, the game is a little on the buggy side, even now. So many times I'm trying to do something and it's like "I just...need to talk to Gracie. But the talk prompt won't come up. Let me get in and out of the car. Nope. Let me try swapping to her, well no that will cancel the mission I'm on." Also having events pause the game would be nice - I almost died in the late stage of my first completion because as I got near the Trade Summit location a big box popped up saying "Hey, you're about to complete the game and unlock Legacy Mode!" But while I was reading the three paragraphs of text it threw at me, zombies swarmed my car and started ripping my colleague and I out of the vehicle and tearing us up.
3. Make Juggernauts more interesting to fight. They're just a nuisance. Ferals are dangerous and make you feel skilled when you manage to pop one in the head while it's charging you, Screamers can make things go from 1-100 real quick. Bloaters are good area denial foes that can really make you feel penned in if you're not careful around them. But juggernauts? Juggernauts are just bullet sponges that you shoot until you run out of ammo, dodge them when they charge, watch them rip your NPC cohort in half, then hunt down more ammo, to finally weaken enough to get a cut-scene kill out of it. I actually drop the difficulty when I see a Juggernaut, because otherwise it just takes 3 clips of 7.62 ammo, then my entire sidearm, and then I have to go in for the melee dismantling and kill. But on the easy difficulty setting it takes 1-2 clips, then finish him. They're just annoying, more than threatening.

So yeah...more story mode stuff, too.

[Ranbir]

Started Chained Echoes this week while ill. It's okay.