Rather than playing with the possibilities of the world and experimenting with short- and long-term strategies, I was obliged to work toward very specific goals from day one. It's not that I expected to play a World War II game without any warring whatsoever, but the inevitability of the conflict meant that my approach focused on victory from the start. Too often, I'd begin a campaign and abandon a couple of hours later when I felt locked down on the path to all-consuming war. I've tried to love it over the years but the condensed timeframe seemed to leave little room for the kind of wild tangents away from the historical path that I enjoy. The series has always been there, rumbling angrily in the background as I play with its grand strategy siblings. Hearts of Iron IV might finally bring me into the heart of the twentieth century. It wasn't until the sequel that I learned to enjoy the nineteenth century. From there I moved to Europa Universalis II and struggled to infiltrate the colonial powers of Victoria.
I'm slightly unusual in that Europa Universalis wasn't my gateway game – I entered the fold by means of the first Crusader Kings, which swiftly became one of my favourite games, despite its problems. I've spent an inordinate portion of my adult life playing grand strategy games, particularly those of the Paradox variety.
