[Lawtan]

12) Age of Mythology & Titans Expansion

If anyone wonders what started me on mythology, the Strategy Game Age of Mythology would be it. AoM combines a moderately complex resource set/limit (Wood, Gold, Favor, Population, and Food) with a complex research tier set. (You chose 1/4 sides, 1/3 Major Gods, and 3 sets of 1/2 minor gods, plus technological research)

The sets are relatively creative, with all 12 different Major Gods having variation in the building appearances, 6 Wonders, 3 Titan beasts, etc.

You actually create a small set of villages, rather than just "build a base, slay the enemy, win". There's a simple economy/trading system, farming, houses, and (if I recall correctly) town influence. Even after a game over, it was fun to just continue building.

Now, as to the mythology, for the most part it was Wikipedia-accurate for the origins, stories, ect. of Heroes, peoples, units, and Mythological creatures. You could just access it from their description/information. That was how I first learned of Hercules (Not via Disney) and Perseus and the Nidhoggr.

Strikes against it would be yes, the game is polygon 3D with a skin over it, and yes, there are things in the campaign that you can't have outside of it (a pet peeve in strategy and FPS games in general)...so no, you can't host a game where everyone fights to release the Gates of Hades (though the game does have chaotic and neutral factions to compensate).

Finally, you can create your own maps in AoM. I am fairly certain someone did one for Carthage or Rome a good while back.