Will this do the job if I just want to roleplay as a late 20th century merc, or should I just stick to Soldier of Fortune?

I should probably have noted in the OP that I am indifferent at best toward strategy games and don't like most RPGs (though there are some that I absolutely love). So as much as people hype up this game, genre-wise it really doesn't seem like my type of thing. But I'm intrigued by the theme.

Well, let me just tell you already. Jagged Alliance isn't a strategy RPG. It's actually a Revolution Management game. Yes, there are a lot of battles, but the main gameplay loop, believe it or not, is managing an army of mercenaries to overthrow a dictator. The battles are secondary. You can win every engagement and then get absolutely wrecked because you mismanaged funds or didn't take team composition into account. Others can delve into the systems, but that's the gist of it.

Remember: management first, combat second.

>>11838842
Is that a yes or a no to the question in the OP?

>>11839952
It's a no. You don't roleplay as a late 20th century merc. You roleplay as a chief of staff of a revolutionary corps.

Why is the first game never discussed here?

>>11840235
We discussed it a few months ago. For starters, anything JA1 does, JA2 does much better. Aside from the micromanagement stuff, JA1 is pretty barebones. While you can do a lot in JA2 that doesn't involve taking over sectors (train militia, go to towns, patrol), in JA1 you can only harvest trees and move from right to left in the island map until you take the final sector over.

>>11838720
Indeed it's one of the most hyped turn-based tactics game. The vibe this game goes for is 90's action movies both in tone and cheesiness.

Alright, thanks for the replies.