Recommend me a cultural strategy game

[Tam_OConnor]

Hello, the Playground. I am currently in the market for a game that focuses on non-military strategy (since the tech tree of Medieval 2: Total War has become somewhat wearying).

What can you recommend? Setting is no object; I'll take fantasy, alternate history, science fiction, etc.

[Mando Knight]

LEGO Rock Raiders. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Rock_Raiders_%28video_game%29)

[AgentPaper]

You might enjoy Europa Barbarorum (http://www.europabarbarorum.com/features.html), a mod for Rome: Total War that is both more realistic and far more complicated than stock R:TW. Might still be a bit too military-y for you, but it's probably better than M2:TW, at any rate. If you want a taste, you can watch my LP about it, which will be starting in a few days.

[warty goblin]

Galactic Civilizations 2 has, particularly with the Twilight of the Arnor expansion, entire tech trees and several strategies for cultural domination.

[Hunter Noventa]

Civilization 4 has many victory options aside from military power. Not that you can go the whole game without military power, but you can win via diplomacy, culture, religion or technology as well.

It also contains excellent scenarios for each setting you describe.

[Tam_OConnor]

Thanks, all. Now for the finance wrangling...

[Om]

Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun is a grand strategy game set in the 19th C. There is war involved, if you choose, but the focus is on the industrial and social development of your nation. Check it out