wesnoth VS freeciv

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I don't think there's much in terms of managerial/4x f2p games (afaik)...closest thing that comes to mind would be The Battle for Wesnoth which I wouldn't recommend for "turning off" your brain.

Wesnoth, obviously: https://www.wesnoth.org/

The Battle For Wesnoth? (Keep in mind it's been around since 2005, and had more simplistic graphics at one point - a random example.)

The Battle for Wesnoth

Battle for Wesnoth - free https://www.wesnoth.org/

I read that as Wesnoth at first and was very confused.

I used to love tactical RPGs, but as I've aged I don't have the patience for them. I really wanted to play Battle of Wesnoth (https://www.wesnoth.org/), but it was not to be. Then I found this gem and it scratched my space sim itch, https://endless-sky.github.io/.

#4 - Free Civ - Its Civilization 1 and 2, a free clone. You can download the game here; OR play via the online web version... which is my favorite... has a great 2.5 iso view that adds depth.. or join a mega game where 300 or so human players play one turn per day.

Also, a similar question points to FreeCiv: http://www.freeciv.org/

Freeciv

I also played my fair share of FreeCiv, because my second favourite Amiga game was Civilization. ;-)

It's worth-trying if you're interested in seeing what the "4x" genre is about. Probably not Civ 2 on PSX, but you can get Civ: Revolution (Civ "dumbed down" for consoles) on the PS360 generation consoles, Civ: Revolution 2 on mobile (not a bad attempt but really should've stuck on console), Civ 6 on the Nintendo Switch, or FreeCiv on PC and/or mobile if you want a Civ2-experience that isn't stuck on the original Playstation (or hunting down an older DOS/Windows copy). Alternatively, if looking for a Civ5 experience and not on Steam but mobile: There is UnCiv which can be pretty decent for the price (free) and platform (mobile). It won't match Civ6, but it's near "current" based on Civ5.

It's a tough one to recommend for, that fanless system tends to overheat just being on, much less running anything, from all I've read. I'd probably stick with some basics like ADOM, FreeCiv, Battle for Wesnoth, etc. (all three are free by the way). Those games are non-system intensive so shouldn't put too much pressure on it to run them, and turn-based so you don't have to worry about lag. Looking for a bit more action, give the demo for Torchlight a go, see how the system handles it. Should be capable enough but with heat issues it could put a crimp in the play. Similar with Windows (Bedrock) edition Minecraft, give the free trial a go and see what's what. Fez, Bastion, Braid, Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, Beyond Good & Evil, Commandos 2+3, Deus Ex, Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Empire Earth, Europa Universalis II, Fallout 1/2/Tactics, Fate, FlatOut 2, Gothic 2, Ground Control, Hearts of Iron, Hitman 3: Contracts, Homeworld (the classic version, comes with the remastered), IL-2 Sturmovik, Jagged Alliance 2, Machinarium, Majesty, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Mount & Blade, Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, Planescape: Torment, Praetorians, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Quake 1-3, Rayman 2, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Shadow Warrior Classic, Sid Meier’s Civilization III (or give Freeciv a go instead), Silent Storm, SimCity 4 Deluxe, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix, Starcraft (original, it's the free one), System Shock 2, The Curse of Monkey Island, The Settlers IV, Theme Hospital, Thief, Thief 2, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Tomb Raider II, should run on that.

Freeciv is well, free : https://www.freeciv.org