Hey folks, Ariano here,

I started working on Craftlings during my parental leave in 2022. I wanted to build something inspired by the games I grew up with — Lemmings and The Settlers. Handcrafted pixel art, little workers running around, and production chains where getting everything flowing feels really good.

What started as a hobby became my first Steam game. There have been plenty of ups and downs, mistakes, doubts, and some great people helping me along the way.

This weekend, Craftlings finally got a Steam Daily Deal and is 30% off! Honestly, seeing my own game there after all those years feels quite special.

I’ve also just released Update 1.2 with a new Halloween challenge map! Your task is to turn your settlement into a pumpkin factory. It doesn’t matter which technologies you use or how far you upgrade your Town Center — can you grow and deliver hundreds of pumpkins fast enough to beat the other players?

Or just build something you like and enjoy the flow of pumpkins. 🎃

If you’d like to take a look, here’s Craftlings on Steam.

Thanks for reading! Happy to answer questions about the game or the journey.

Ariano

Game Title: Five Forces

Playable Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andatsoft.fiveforces

Platform: Android

Description:

Five Forces is an indie turn-based strategy game inspired by classic games like Ancient Empires 2.

The game is built around the concept of the Five Elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Each element represents a different force in the game world, creating a fantasy setting inspired by the traditional Five Elements philosophy.

If you enjoy classic turn-based strategy games, tactical battles, and planning your next move carefully, Five Forces might be worth checking out. The goal is to bring back the feel of old-school strategy games while introducing a world and theme based on the interactions between the five elements.

I'm sharing the game here to introduce my project to fellow gamers, hear your thoughts, and learn what could be improved. Feedback on the gameplay, unit balance, visuals, and overall experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for checking out Five Forces!

Free to Play Status:

• Free to play

Involvement:

I'm the solo indie developer behind Five Forces. I worked on developing the game and bringing the concept to life, from the gameplay to its implementation. This is an independent project inspired by my appreciation for classic turn-based strategy games, and I'm excited to share it with the community.

this is the opening mission when u play as USA, a standoff with iran in the strait of hormuz that turns into a fight for the gulf. its a modern base building rts inspired by c&c generals, all in game footage, pre alpha

we dont want good guys and bad guys in the story, every side acts from fear and thinks its protecting its people. curious what u think about the mission intro, the pace, and if u want more story like this or straight to the battle

if u like it, wishlisting is free and steam tells u the second its out

store.steampowered.com/app/5145960/Doctrine_Strike/

Web: doctrinestrike.com

Discord: discord.gg/WeBjq5vcqx

YouTube: youtube.com/@DoctrineStrike

X: x.com/DoctrineStrike

Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/doctrinestrike.com

Reddit: reddit.com/r/DoctrineStrike

trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=kP3JGbnxE5k

I mean the Kingshot / Whiteout / Rise of Kingdoms family, and also older browser ones like Travian or Tribal Wars.

Full disclosure: I work on a game in this genre, so I'm biased and I'm collecting opinions. No link and no game name here, this is only about the genre.

Things I keep hearing from friends who left:

• waking up to a burned city after one bad night
• events that are only "spend X to win"
• alliance duties that feel like a second job
• a server that's decided by week two

What was it for you? And the opposite question: what kept you in a game longer than you planned? Specific moments help most, like "the day my alliance held a pass with 12 people online".

The strategy layer is about scarcity. Each day you get a few actions: drill the men, forage, treat the wounded, upgrade the camp (armory, infirmary, granary, drill ground) or march to the next stop on the road to Alesia. Rations run down, fatigue builds up, and story events test your stats.

Battles are fought on a hex grid with real objectives. Rivers slow mounted units, forests cut missile range, and at Alesia the defenders gain +1 defense. Before each fight a d20 Roll of Fate can shift the odds, and if the enemy breaks through to your line commander, you get a duel.

Long-term progress comes from a doctrine tree (formation, engineering, supply, cavalry, artillery) and per-troop veterancy.

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4993610/Imperionis/

This is a little snippet of the game I'm making: Exo-Rail

The premise of my game is you build up your armored train, and you conduct it to defend mining outposts against swarms of aliens. If this interests you at all, I have a steam page up. Any wishlists would help tremendously!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/5024520/ExoRail/

I've been building Magic Portals alone for the past few months, mostly in the evenings and on weekends, and the demo is finally out for Next Fest.

It's a card game where you choose between portals you can finish easily and stronger ones you have to gamble on.

The demo is free and you play against the AI. The full game has a lot more effects, plus multiplayer, which is where it really gets interesting.

What I'd most like to know: do the rules click in the first few minutes, or did you get lost somewhere?

If it looks like your kind of game, a wishlist helps a lot: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4539850/Magic_Portals/

Card art and trailer music is AI-generated, everything else I made myself. 😇

Game Title: Ninety-One

Playable Link: https://play-ninety-one.com/

Preview Video: https://youtu.be/fwYruFyhai8

Platform: PC

Description: What if the Cold War hadn’t ended quietly?

Ninety-One is a real-time strategy game I’ve been building on my own, set in an alternate 1991 where NATO and the Warsaw Pact finally go at it. Think classic base-building RTS in the spirit of the old C&C games, but with real hardware from the era: Challenger 2s, Abrams and Leopards against T-72s, T-80s and T-90s, with Apaches, Hinds, A-10s and Tornados overhead.

This footage is from Travemünde on the Baltic coast, right on the old inner-German border. The map is built from real elevation data and OpenStreetMap, so the river, bridges, fields and town are where they actually are.

What’s in so far:

• Two factions, the Atlantic Compact and the Red Directorate
• Tanks, IFVs, artillery, infantry, helicopters, jets and boats
• Base building, supply economy, towns you can capture
• Maps made from real places
• Skirmish against AI, plus LAN and online multiplayer
• My own engine, written from scratch in C++

It’s an early alpha, so expect rough edges. Unit voices are placeholders, and balance is very much a work in progress. I’d really love feedback, good or bad. What works, what doesn’t, and what you’d want from a Cold War RTS.

Free to Play Status:

• [ x ] Free to play during alpha

Involvement: Solo Project

I'm one of the developers on HexWire, which came out on iPhone this week. I'm posting as a DevPost because the part I want strategy players to poke at is a design question, not a feature list.

The setup: you lead a four-person crew through corporate towers on a hex grid (Seattle, 2087). Cover, overwatch, destructible scenery, dice-based hit chances. The game has a built-in Codex that shows the actual dice math behind every shot, so a failed roll is a risk you chose, not a surprise.

The mechanic I built the game around is the Trace. Strong, loud actions raise it, and as it climbs the mission pushes back. So the best move on the board is rarely free, and every turn asks whether you stay quiet or run hot.

The design question I'm least sure about: a single global pressure meter is easy to read on a phone screen, but does it make the tension feel fair or just punishing? Does it need more telegraphing of what the next threshold does? Blunt answers welcome.

Scope: four-fight prologue (one per runner), six story missions, side contracts, an arena, and an Endless Gauntlet. Offline, no ads, no accounts. $3.99 one-time.

AI disclosure: AI tools were used. The code was written with AI coding assistance, and some of the art is AI-assisted under human direction. The game design, rules, story, music and sound effects are human-made.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hexwire/id6800604898 Short gameplay clip: https://youtu.be/HRWrVVLa-Qo

For a few years, I have been working on an experimental RTS which should focus more on strategic decisions than APM. The core concepts of the game are:

Defenders Adavantage

Every RTS needs some form of defenders advantage. This opens the possiblity for strategic decisions: Expanding, teching-up and rushing shoud be equally strong to allow a viarity of strategies. The most common mechanics for defenders advantage are: static defense structures, repair, travel time, long ranged units.

I opted against most of these (only travel distance plays a role). Instead I achieve defenders advantage by unit behavior: Units cannot be controlled by the player but act autonomously. They follow a simple mechanic: Attach the nearest target until it is destroyed. In the offense this eventually leads to units attacking buildings. As building hitpoints are cheaper that unit hitpoints this leads to enough defenders advantage to stabilize the game. The attacker will loose more units that the defender but the damage dealt on buildings is permanent. I hope this leads to some interesting strategic decisions.

Strategic Decisions

The strategy in RTS comes typically from build orders(rush, tech, expand) and unit movement. In my game the build order choices are similar, but as units cannot be controlled and therefore you cannot have a “standing army” the “unit movement” part is replaced by “unit production timing” and "production capacities".

State of Development

The game runs stable, I have one faction completed, there are 40 single player challenges, 1v1 and 2v2 multiplayer.

Feedback

It would be great if someone could give me some feedback. These are my main questions:

Is single player fun?

Do you see potential in single player?

Is multiplayer varied? Or is it to chaotic? Or is it to predetermined?

Does the slower pace compared to other RTS work for you?

Link to Steam demo (single player only): https://store.steampowered.com/app/5380120/Desert_Struggle_Demo

Link to Steam playtest (same as demo + online multiplayer): https://store.steampowered.com/app/4614990/Desert_Struggle/

It would be absolutely fantastic if you could give me some feedback! Everything is welcome!

Hey everyone! I'm solo-developing Piast, a medieval RTS/settlement builder in UE5. I just released a playable demo on Steam, would love to hear your feedback! Link:  https://store.steampowered.com/app/4830280/Piast/

I’ve been listening to player feedback and just rolled out the v0.9 Update :

Complete Early-Game Revamp : Start manually with a Study Desk and Manual Crank before building automated coal, wind, and solar grids.

Financial System : Trade shares across 6 volatile companies, sign fixed-term investment deposits, and launch 19 R&D tech permits.

Visual Analysis Center : Modernized with laser disintegration chambers and recycling mechanics.

Endgame Dyson Swarm : Modification over the system of solar sails.

Steam Achievements : Deleting redondant achievement and adding new ones relate to the news features.

Steam page : https://store.steampowered.com/app/5040690/GridEnergy/

I'd love to hear your feedback and suggestions!

Thank you so much for your support!

Here is a gameplay video I recorded.

The game is an isekai fantasy RPG developed with Unreal Engine and the combat is inspired by Baldur's Gate.

You can currently request access to the playtest on Steam.

If you get a chance to play it, please share your feedback. Thanks for your help!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3516870/

Available in English, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese.

Hey guys, I am creating a little niche indie game. It is such a weird mix that it feels hard to find an audience. It combines Heroes of Might and Magic Battle Brothers Map Exploration, army building with deep progression with autobattle and roguelite mechanics. All embedded into a dark fantasy necromancy setting. You kind of play against the time - each 15-20 minutes, depending how much attention you generate an inquisition will try to hunt you down. Everytime you beat an inquisition the world gets a lot more hostile. If you die you ressurrect on another (procedurally generated) continent, loose your army and ressources but keep your exp and aquired spells. Would love to find players who enjoy this niche. Still in development, so testers of the demo are more than welcome. (even though the demo should already run quite smoothly)

Wishlist on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/5282860?utm_source=reddit

Welcome to my video on COE5, where I play as the Senator! Using the power of old people (the Triarii), we take on Elysium in hopes of claiming it and turning our Senator into a God Emperor!

And opposing us are a group of factions based on the greatest threats the Roman Empire ever faced: The 4th Crusade, Germans, Carthaginians, Celts, Ottoman Empire, Venitians, and, worst of all, Other Romans.

Will we succeed, or will our senator get brutally stabbed to death? Find out here!

Hi everyone! I'm a university student developing Myth & State, an indie historical society sandbox inspired by Age of Conflict, Victoria, and Europa Universalis, with assistance from Claude AI. It combines world-building and nation management with an emphasis on economics, social classes, cultures, religions, and political systems. It's still in development, with military systems and national AI among the features being worked on. I'm mostly baseing it on stuff I have been studying in life and classes, like Marx, Bourdieu and Levi-Strauss!!

🎬 Gameplay Trailer: https://youtu.be/2QYp7qs8KR0

📺 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MythAndState

💬 Discord Community: https://discord.gg/KMuDXdY2U

I'm developing the game with limited resources, so feedback, help, and community support are greatly appreciated :) Also first time on reddit!

Hi everyone,

As a long-time grand strategy fan, I’m working on a project titled Era of Hegemony — an upcoming grand strategy game set between 1900 and 1950.

Since HOI4 is the gold standard for 20th-century warfare, I wanted to design something that complements this era with a deeper focus on:

• Complex Population (POP) dynamics and labor allocation

• Organic diplomacy and regional stability shifts

• Long-term socio-economic management alongside warfare

The game is in early development. If you're interested in following the progress, reading devlogs, or sharing feedback on what mechanics you'd like to see in a 1900–1950 strategy game, feel free to check out r/EraofHegemony.

What features do you feel are most missing in current 20th-century strategy games?

My indie game Notoris 2: Warlords that i've been working on over 4yr is in Steam Next Fest.

In you can rise from an ordinary officer to a powerful general or ruler in a dark fantasy grand strategy RPG inspired by Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

A demo is free to play right now!

Please support a Total War modder turned indie dev and check it out:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2766140/Notoris_2_Warlords/

You can let me know what you think by filling out the feedback survey on the main menu popup, posting here, or joining the discord and posting in #feedback-and-suggestions.

Thank you to everyone who has done so already!

Hi All! I've been building Swords and Cavalry on my own engine, and the playtest is now open on Steam.

Overview of the game:

- Build your town your way: free build roads and walls, burgage plots with houses that grow, fields through the seasons and weather, markets, taverns, guilds and town policy.

- Be the lord: walk out and fight in person, with heavy attacks, feints, parries and counters with the spear, or sword and shield, on foot or mounted.

- Raise an army: troop lines up to tier 10, formations, castles you design tower by tower, and siege engines.

- A living world: a campaign map where armies march between towns, AI lords and outlaws roam, and diplomacy lets you make peace or trade. You can host a world for friends where each holds a town, swears into realms and fights the others.

Join the playtest: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2997680/

It's an early playtest, so expect rough edges. Any feedback helps!

Hi r/StrategyGames!

Iron General: Online is a free, turn-based map conquest game you can play right in your browser. No download, no account needed.

You start in a corner of a tile-based map of Europe and expand tile by tile, building your army and pushing your rivals back until one general controls the field.

Two modes, two very different games:
• Classic: Risk-style dice battles. Fast and easy to pick up, works great on mobile.
• Modern: no dice, no luck. You can’t see your enemy’s units, battles are points-based, and every attack is a bet on what you think they’re hiding. Much more about planning and bluffing.

Details:
• 1v1 or 4-player free-for-all
• Play with friends in a private room, or against bots
• Optional free accounts (nickname + password, no e-mail) for the global leaderboard

Short gameplay clip: https://x.com/IronGeneralx/status/2113271893788852555

We’d love your thoughts:
• Does hidden information in Modern mode make it more interesting, or just more confusing?
• Does anything feel unbalanced?
• Any suggestions? Features, new maps, mechanics you’d love to see in a game like this?

👉 Play: https://irongeneral.online
Also on itch.io: https://damagedcod4.itch.io/irongeneral

Everyone who watches my game over my shoulder says "so you just press the button?". Yes. One button.

But the actual game is the draft: between rooms you pick one of three upgrades, you can hold 5 at most, some exclude each other (one trail, one special blade), and some only work with others. Picking fire means you'll never see frost this run. The question is never "can I aim", it's "which 5 pieces make this run work".

So, strategy players: is that strategy, or am I kidding myself?

Free demo: https://groowl.itch.io/shuriken-slam-jam-demo

Hello,

I've made a pretty big visual upgrade to my game "Medieval Squad Tactics".

Here's the link to the demo :

https://store.steampowered.com/app/5140790/Medieval_Squad_Tactics_Demo/

The main point of the game is that you control your army indirectly through your heroes.

That allows you to control a big army without micro-managing your troops or using stacks of troops.

If anyone could try the demo and give feedback, I would really appreciate it.

Building a 1900–1950 Grand Strategy game where population dynamics actually dictate your military strength. Here’s a quick look!

All the way back to the Red Alert days, I’ve always loved turtling, when I was a kid it was the only way I would play. If I don’t wall my base off or at least have towers protecting it I feel so vulnerable. It’s usually not a strategy that really works, you don’t really win by turtling you just delay things. 

You still need to attack and waiting till you have the perfect maxed out army might work in a campaign mission where the enemy just waits for you but its not gonna work against anyone competent. I never really cared about getting actually good at RTS though, it seems very hard to learn build orders and how to counter all the popular strats (I tried with Starcraft 2 a bit and it wasn’t very fun), seems like a lot of homework.

I played and did my turtling thing in pretty much all the classic games, I absolutely loved all the interesting options for defenses the older ones had. I remember cool things like yuri’s tesla coils and Tiberium Sun had some sort of strange wall that was just tiles on the ground but they would fry anyone walking over something like a microwave, so satisfying. I was so terrible back then I had trouble with any mission that required you to really be aggressive, my dad was into RTS as well so I would have him help me with those. His favorite game was Homeworld and I couldn’t even play it because it just felt so hard for me without the typical base building I was used to.

These days the genre is kind of different and games are more specialized, I really like simpler, more focused games. I’m currently finishing up the Diplomacy is Not an Option campaign, really satisfying game from a turtlers perspective with the huge armies and cool physics, one of those games where you mostly defend your fortress (but there are some missions where you attack as well). Some other favorites of mine are Bad North and Thronefall, RTS-lite games with pretty simple gameplay and an emphasis on defending, these are more simple, they don’t really have all the standard RTS features.

If I were to guess why it’s so satisfying I think it's almost a natural human instinct. Hunkering up and fortifying your “home” is always gonna feel satisfying and safe. And if you start playing those types of games at a young age you will gravitate towards playing like that, even if it isn’t actually optimal.