Where did people learn to play Heroes?

In the early 2000s, I visited a village, and a friend showed me Heroes 3. We played all summer. In 2002, I got a decent computer and immediately installed The Shadow of Death. I'm still playing it! In 2004, I installed Heroes 4, but I didn't like it. This winter, I installed Heroes 5, but I still prefer Heroes 3! And I still get together with friends to play Heroes 3.

I had a similar experience. A friend came from the city and brought Heroes 3 (Restoration of Erathia, Armageddon's Blade, The Shadow of Death), localized by Buka, but all pirated and on one disc. This was in the spring of 2003, and I bought a computer for the New Year 2002-2003. We played all summer. I completed Restoration of Erathia, and my friend completed The Shadow of Death. The following summer, I bought Heroes 4. My friend didn't like it at all. But I enjoyed the campaigns. Even though they are separate, they are all interesting. And this winter, another friend downloaded Heroes 5 + Hammers of Fate for me from a file-sharing site. But I only got halfway through the first part. I'm getting old....