Battle for Wesnoth

Even though the game is so simple, the mechanics lend themselves to a colossal number of permutations.

The campaigns have plenty of interesting character moments and level-up choices; even if you are bad at the game, it’s still fun to see what will your character evolve into, or how will the story escalate.

There are almost twenty different campaigns to choose from, an extensive multiplayer, skirmish, hotseat and an easy to use map editor.

With its low barrier for entry, enormous skill ceiling, huge gameplay variety, expressive visuals and accessible modding, Battle for Wesnoth is the closest that a video game has ever approached perfection.

Over the last fifteen years, I have come to appreciate its sublime learning curve; complexity emerging from clear, understandable basics.

Wesnoth offers a unique take on tactical combat: you start with a core army, fight for control of villages to generate a slow but steady income, and use that to call in reinforcements.