So Im thinking about playing one of these games for the next 10 days or so. Assume all DLCs and the newest version.
Stellaris. This ones a favorite of mine, but I already have north of 500h in it. I havent really messed around with the newest 4.0 update that much, and I still need to properly “learn” it / get into it. But just based on the sheer number of hours I’ve played, I know how to have fun with it. Its Comfort food.
Imperator: Rome. I have only got about 20–30h in this one, but I liked what I played. The game feels a bit basic, but I would play it with the highly recommended Invictus mod. Probably as Carthage or one of the Diadochi. It’s not one of my faves, but I’ve been wanting to get back into it one day.
Age of Wonders 4. Not 100% sure how I feel about this one. I’ve got a bit over 50h in it. I like it, but I don’t love it. I think I need to play more of the turn based battles to get the most out of it. I tend to auto resolve too much. The nice thing is I can usually finish a game in about 6h, or under 10h at least. I think its a cool game but I think I havent clicked with it just yet.
Victoria 3. Close to 90h in this one. I really like this one. The game really found its stride with the last big update. Unlike the others, I already have a save that’s like 40 years in as Spain, and I’m doing okay (as far as I know). It’s funny, sometimes I tank my economy other times I do fine, but I can’t always tell what exactly I did right or wrong. Kinda fun though. I definitely lack deeper game knowledge, which makes it the opposite of Stellaris, where Ive got an almost natural affinity for it.
So I actually have a buddy that played AoW4 for like over 500h and that loves the game. I think I can see the appeal when you have a deeper understanding (which im lacking) since there seem to be a lot of synergies and combos that should be cool and possible.
I also agree with you that on paper AoW4 should be right up my alley with its themes and elements.