I made a thread like this a couple of months ago and I was told that EOIV was a good starting point. I'm about 80 hours into it now and I think that was good advice. It's still the only one I've played but I'm thinking of moving to one of the Untolds after it. It's definitely a game that takes a long time ramping up, but it's well worth sticking with. It's still fun early it's just new mechanics are introduced surprisingly late into the game, and I love drawing the maps.