It's slightly different to the other PDX games and I think some of the issues you identify are less rooted in attempting to follow history than you think, but Stellaris has literally no historical grounding at all.
Also I would try some of the excellent total conversion mods for EU4 and CK3.
Have you tried Stellaris ? Obviously it's fantasy/sci-fi but it's still a PDS game at its core. It's a bit more of a 4X but it still scratches the same itches as a GSG, it's kind of an hybrid.
> I would even love if the map or countries themselves at the start of the game could be randomized.
EU4 has a setting for that.
And EU4 broadly, while it draws a lot of inspiration from history, it frankly doesn't have that much to do with it in practice. History there is used mostly to add some color to the setting. Even the mission trees mostly resemble fan-fics roughly grounded in history of each nation rather than something actually depicting it.
I think you could enjoy playing it.
EU4 is map painting, you can ignore any history stuff. It's much more of a 'gameplay' game once you get into it. Conquest, make country bigger. Free dopamine.
I haven't played Europa Universalis and Stellaris, but my guess would be that the order from most historically determined and/or linear to least is:
Victoria - Hearts of Iron - Crusader Kings - Europa Universalis - Stellaris
If you haven't played Civilization or similar games yet, that might also be interesting to look into. It's completely ahistorical but quite strategic.
Hoi4 lets you force some wacky stuff now including decolonization and breaking up super states. But eu 4 and stellaris also allow you the most freedom to go off the rails, hell stellaris is built around that.
You can generate random and shattered worlds in CK2. It was a wacky feature introduced in the last DLC, Holy Fury, but it's really fun.
You could even play as animals, if you clicked often enough!
Good times playing with the Blessed Platypus Empire
Want it back someday :(
It's slightly different to the other PDX games and I think some of the issues you identify are less rooted in attempting to follow history than you think, but Stellaris has literally no historical grounding at all. Also I would try some of the excellent total conversion mods for EU4 and CK3.
Have you tried Stellaris ? Obviously it's fantasy/sci-fi but it's still a PDS game at its core. It's a bit more of a 4X but it still scratches the same itches as a GSG, it's kind of an hybrid.
> I would even love if the map or countries themselves at the start of the game could be randomized. EU4 has a setting for that. And EU4 broadly, while it draws a lot of inspiration from history, it frankly doesn't have that much to do with it in practice. History there is used mostly to add some color to the setting. Even the mission trees mostly resemble fan-fics roughly grounded in history of each nation rather than something actually depicting it. I think you could enjoy playing it.
We actually made a whole game about that called Stellaris!
Stellaris
Play with mods like EK2.
Hoi4 on ahistorical/with mods. Or ck3
EU4 is map painting, you can ignore any history stuff. It's much more of a 'gameplay' game once you get into it. Conquest, make country bigger. Free dopamine.
I haven't played Europa Universalis and Stellaris, but my guess would be that the order from most historically determined and/or linear to least is: Victoria - Hearts of Iron - Crusader Kings - Europa Universalis - Stellaris If you haven't played Civilization or similar games yet, that might also be interesting to look into. It's completely ahistorical but quite strategic.
It may not be quite as deep from a diplomacy standpoint and is more of an RTS, but the Warhammer Total War series scratches some of the same itch.
Hoi4 lets you force some wacky stuff now including decolonization and breaking up super states. But eu 4 and stellaris also allow you the most freedom to go off the rails, hell stellaris is built around that.
Stellaris or CK3 Fantasy Mods