If you're into fast-paced racing games, heart-pounding first person shooters, or edge-of-your-seat tower defense games, then you can click the back button now and find another article. This isn't that kind of article. Here, we're talking about turn based strategy games that demand a strong intellect and a creative battle plan that will outsmart and outwit the competition.

These are games that are like the digital version of chess, with characters, advanced graphics, and sometimes even a storyline. Like chess, these games require planning your moves ahead of the competition, predicting what your opponent is most likely to do, and ultimately outsmarting the other player. Turn-based strategy is all about separating the men from the boys and the women from the girls when it comes to brain-power. If you can think through a future scenario further than your competition, and do so accurately, you'll do extremely well with turn based strategy games.

The games I chose for this review are three of the best online games that I've found that incorporate a time-based strategy in a way that gives you plenty of time to contemplate your next move, click the "done turn" button, and see if your planning and strategy pays off.  If this sounds like your kind of thing, then make sure to check out one or all of these games.

The three games I'm going to review include Marauders, a turn-based strategy game that combines war strategy with a role playing game environment. Then there's Apokalyx, a fun game that's all about becoming the champion warrior, by battling other fighters and making it out on top every time. Finally, I'll take a look at Battalion: Nemesis, another tactical game that's all about placing your game "pieces" - war weaponry - strategically on the game board to take out the competition when it's your turn.

1. Marauders [No Longer Available]

Maurauders is definitely a favorite turn-based strategy game of mine. I like it because it actually feels like there's a whole world to explore, unlimited quests to fulfill, and the main storyline and quest to strive toward. It's one of those games that you could easily spend a whole night playing, and feel like you've just gotten started.

When you first start playing the online game, you'll have a chance to create your character and dress it however you like.

turn based strategy games

This character will represent you throughout the turn based strategy game, however the battles themselves are entirely weaponry and soldier based, not character based. You'll need to control your units and destroy enemies within your turn allotment, in order to win.

The character action happens while exploring the world. Ground battles represent only a section of the gameplay. From the main map, you can visit different locations, and once there, you'll have the opportunity to buy and sell things, go on quests for private clients, or continue on the path of your core quest.

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The tactical aspect of the battles really make me feel just like when I was playing Command & Conquer years ago.However unlike C&C, I love how each unit has a certain number of turns, and by combining moves and firing, you can either make a unit perform extremely well on the battlefield, or get it blown to pieces. It's total strategy and a lot of fun.

2. Apokalyx

For a slightly different angle on the whole turn-based genre, you'll definitely want to give Apokalyx a try. In this game, you are a prophesied warrior that everyone wants to kill before you make your way to the top. Starting out, you'll create your character by first choosing the strongest skills you'll have - such as whether you want to be a brute-basher or a tactical and quick fighter. Once you choose your general fighting style, you'll see the resulting starting stats, and you can slightly tweak the appearance of your character if you like.

turn based games

This game is a series of combat challenges, followed by short interludes where you can go to a shop and sell off the loot that you took off your opponent. You're allowed to take one item off of every opponent.

Fighting is a series of turn-based maneuvers, where you choose a tactic you want to take in each round, and then watch how the fight plays out. At the beginning, the sequence is pretty simple. You have a basic strike, and a basic defense.

As your skills grow, these options will increase. You'll also have the option to choose weapons. Do you want a two-handed pole that increases damage but reduces your mobility, or a one-handed blade that lets you make quick moves, but delivers less damage?

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The combination of the weapon you choose and your actions before each turn will determine whether or not you are able to wipe out your opponents hit points before they take yours.

The secret is to watch your opponent's behavior. If they're an aggressive attacker, then you want to opt for the "parry" defense a little more often. In this game, if someone attacks, and you successfully parry that attack, then in the next round you will deliver significantly more damage. In the fight sequence below, I discovered this and used it to take out one of a two-person attack team.

You parry in the same way, except you choose it by left clicking over your character first, rather than your opponent. This is where you'll see all of the defensive choices at your disposal.

Just choose your options wisely on each of your turns. Should your opponent successfully attack and injure you enough times, you will die. And in this game, as in real life, if you make the wrong choices and die, there's no starting over. No passing go and no collecting 200 dollars. It's just game over.

Unless of course you've saved your game. Okay, so it's not quite like real life.

3. Battalion: Nemesis

Battalion: Nemesis is a turn-based strategy game at Kongregate, the popular location for online games. At first glance, you may think that Battalion Nemesis is for kids, due to the somewhat cartoonish appearance of the units and the board itself.

Really, you just have to think of it in terms of a board game. The units are game pieces, and the ground layout is the board, complete with paths, bridges and rivers that'll kind of remind you of games like Chutes and Ladders.

The technique required in this turn based strategy game is similar to Marauders in that you need to position your units to maximize their ability to strike at enemies during the next turn, without getting so close as to get destroyed before the next round. This can get extra-tricky when you're dealing with air, land and sea units.

You have to keep a close eye on what units can attack other kinds of units, and what the potential effectiveness of those weapons are. Don't send an airplane into airspace near a ground unit that has an effective air defense, or you'll get slaughtered.

The game also includes the ability to create your own units once you have a war factory running.

turn based strategy games

These three turn based games were selected for two reasons. They are all far better than the standard fare you'll find at most online game sites. Secondly, because they offer many hours of strategic game play, for the wonderfully affordable price of zero dollars. You don't even have to check your bank account, just start playing!

So which of these games did you decide to try? Do you know any other really cool turn-based strategy games out there? For something more traditional, consider these interesting war strategy games.