I keep hearing these amazing stories about Crusader Kings or Civilization and it actually fascinates me how complex is the stuff you can do in those type of games (grand strategy) but the deep learning curve and the large amount of time needed to learn and play the game just scares me and i end up not trying them (i have CK2 and Civ 5 + expansions).
Same thing for those space strategy games like Endless Space or Sins of the Stars, i really want to play these games and during the week i'm thinking "yeah, this weekend i'll do it, this is it" and i end up playing something online or short sessions of singleplayer games (i'm currently playing Infested Planets).

Is it just me?

No...

With a huge learning curve and no tutorial or manual really to speak of, yes. Quite a few really...

Then there's AI Wars... The theme song haunts me and has made me burst into tears...

Not really.

I am a bit intimidated by RTS games of old and new. It's an age thing I think as I do not have the patience and quick reaction I had when I was a kid growing up with C&C and Warcraft.

I know you are really excited about those games but, last I heard, there was no crossover between them. :P

I was intimidated by Demon's Souls when I first got it because I heard about how unforgivingly hard it was. But I played it, and I loved it.

no but more about my unwillingness to spare my free time to learn obscure mechanic and bad ui (tool tips combat log and so on)

I felt the same and boy did it piss me off big time. But I did love that game by the time I finished it. Did not enjoy the sequels though. :)

EVERY DAY! :D

Lol, you actually made me remember a friend of mine that has the same problem, he likes the Warhammer universe but he won't play the rts games (even the Dawn of War that is more... rpg ish) and he was also amazed by my stories of ninjas attacking castles on Shogun 2. Lol, i always confuse Sins of a Solar Empire with Sword of the Stars. :)

I have learned to play Dwarf Fortress. I believe the answer is 'NO'.

Realms of Arkania 1-3... I'm too old for that hardcore RPG stuff. I just want to have fun, damn it! =P Same here, that's why I don't play many of them anymore with a few exceptions like Stronghold, Original War, Dungeon Keeper, and, as of late, Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds. Most of the time I have to play them at a very slow speed because I have trouble keeping up otherwise, and I'm still a bit sucky at them even then. ;) It's a good thing then that the AIs in those are not terribly bright. I tend to get stomped out of existence in no time should I play against another human being.

Shogun 2 isn't so bad, it has a good pace. I love the battles in that one. But about RTS, I will try them if they look good (like total war) but I genuinely don't have the skill for it any more. I blame 15 yrs of drumming lol.

Someone give gunsynd a copy of Cossacks.

He'll be in here tomorrow singing a different tune. :P