Dipped into a few demos and playtests from the Steam NextFest.
Great House of Calderia - Felt like a more story-based Crusader Kings 3, getting that nobility scheming in. Feels very solid, and was good fun.
Lakeburg Legacies - Cottagecore Stardew-type medieval city-building game. Manage resources, and match up couples. Get more villagers. Eventually a monarch. Lacking in content in some parts and the gameplay loop was quite basic. Was nice that anyone could marry anyone with children brought to the city via a stork.
The Great War: Western Front - Made by some of the old Westwood Studios team, RTS game focusing on the Western Front from WW1. Very crunchy and respectful to the horrors that is WW1. Every decision felt difficult to make on the conscience.
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Other Mentions:
Manor Lords - Probably mentioned this game before here, but it feels like this will be the perfect medieval-themed city builder. Played it in late 2022 after watching development for 6 years, was good fun. Not too difficult either like other city builders, and didn’t feel monotonous.
Blood Bowl 3 - Releasing in a fortnight, Warhammer Fantasy + American Football. Some of the early access reviews have been kind of mixed, plus it introduced a “blood pass” for you to unlock cosmetics. Uses the current rule set but this was a childhood love of a game so I’m so excited about it.
Victoria 3 - Played 1 and 2, this has a lot of the modern refinement you would expect. Release it had severe late-game lag which has improved. Rule a nation during the Industrial Revolution, and reshape the world. Paradox Interactive game so will follow their Grand Strategy model.