Great topic, kudos to Nagan! :) I first encountered the game with three factions around 1999, and it might have happened much later, but most of my friends boasted and discussed this genre and the game itself, which drew my attention. They brought me in, didn't say anything about what to do, just told me to "figure it out myself," chose Rampart for me, and started "Forward Vikings." Of course, I lost my first game against more experienced friends. But maybe that's why I liked it even more! Then it was just practice, playing with one person, then another. I started winning, and soon I was taken more seriously, and games could be played for money or for treats (which was much more welcome :). For some reason, we always thought that the time limit for a turn shouldn't exceed one minute. I probably won my first match on different computers not because I was more skilled, knowledgeable, or better than my opponent, but simply because I studied the map better. If there was a one-minute limit, there would be an automatic turn transition, but I could hold down the left mouse button on the map and view it for as long as I wanted – there was no transition (I don't know if this trick still works). My opponent didn't know this, which led to his defeat. Later, I discovered this wonderful resource, which continued to expand my knowledge of the game. I found not only opponents but also great friends. I don't regret joining this community. Our city, Ryazan, is also not a center or even a gathering place for Heroes players, which is a pity. However, there are other Heroes players from our city on the forum, such as Vbn and Fanat. I'm very glad to have personal communication and friendship with them. A little later, I got to know one of the largest clans, Phoenix, which led to meeting even more experienced and, at the same time, wonderful people. Heroes 3 has been around for about 15 years, and the number of players continues to grow, which is a great thing.