That is what is in the store while playing Slitherine’s (and Auroch Digital’s) Early Access, turn-based “Last Days of Old Earth”.
Action Points (AP) are the soul of the procedurally generated main map.
AP are used to recruit units, move units, create armies, and to draw new hero and fighter cards for your expanding deck. Need additional resources (Materials, Population, Energy)?
Leftover AP. Resources are also needed for unit purchase and for trying to improve your chances, at the turn beginnings, for Initiative dice rolls. If you win the Initiative next turn, you not only move first, but you also earn more AP to spend.
It is tempting to jump in and spend all of your AP every turn. However, any unspent AP will collect each turn and eventually be spendable on more resources. More resources equal higher value cards and, again, a chance for winning Initiative.
Brain melting yet? So, do you spend more AP building up and moving armies or hold on to them to accumulate for following turns? It’s quite the (tremendously fun) conundrum.
As you move through the map, there are various “Encounters” that you come across, with more decisions to be made (I won’t spoil any of them). There are also additional resources on the map itself to build collectors upon (then yet another quandary of, “Leave the collector unguarded or leave precious troops there to protect it?” Yes, you want to protect them, but at the cost of weakening an army?) and reap their benefits every turn.
Supply is also a large factor. Your armies are penalized for moving out of supply range. The solution is to spend the much-needed resources to build outposts, to extend your supply radius.
Everything above is before ever engaging an enemy in turn-based battles! There are easy as many strategies as game hexes within each battle itself. Setup before the battle allows you to decide which units should be frontline, and which ones are to be used as a support, artillery, auxiliary, etc. Turns alternate with you choosing the order of attack you prefer. Tactics rule as you try to outwit your opponent on the battlefield, enabling you to take down an enemy with superior numbers.
It may verbally seem like a lot, but the game is extremely easy to get into. The AI is good as it kicked me around quite a bit while also punishing me for any less-than-optimal decisions I may have made along the way. The gameplay was really smooth and I did not have any crashes or technical difficulties at all.
Finally, all of this is available right now, in an EA game! They are going to add deck building, although the current decks are quite satisfying, which will give you and even more tailored-to-your-strategy experience. Stealth will also be added which will include sabotage and assassination They are also going to implement Air mechanics including air strikes, AA, and air recon. Single player is currently skirmishes only (with variable amounts of opponents), but they are adding a Campaign. (Multiplayer is in, but I did not test that at all).
2) how many enemies do I want to teach me lessons about my decision-making process?
I am definitely going back in to beat upon some more.