[aran]

Tired of twitch-addled children beating you at realtime strategy games because they can click faster than you? Play RUSE. It's in free open beta on steam (and steam only, unfortunately) for the next week or so.

Set in WW2, the game is all macro. Very little micromanagement of units is necessary. It's all about strategy--and the game is well-balanced as far as i can see from the 20 or so games i've played and the many replays i've watched.

The twist is that once per minute you get to play a new "ruse", which is a special ability that effects an area of the map for a few minutes. You can hide your units (from all but recon units) in a sector, view the enemy's units in a sector, construct decoy base buildings, launch decoy assaults, and more. The mechanic adds a lot of strategic depth.

The game's mechanics are not complicated--just remember to scout often and build counters to your enemies units as soon as possible.