I really like StarCraft. I think it's one of the greatest RTSs of all time. I can sit here and praise its unit design and strategic base-building and prominence of micromanaged spellcasters, but...

I also like Company of Heroes. It's got much of the same philosophy as StarCraft, but the emphasis on the units is different. Individual units in StarCraft are expendable, individual units in CoH matter. You have to think about how they will handle different terrain, and what situations will immobilize your infantry. It's not like StarCraft, where you can order your units to go somewhere and be assured that they will arrive unless they die. Plus, the strategic emphasis is heavily biased toward map control.

And I just discovered this awesome little game made thirteen years ago in the Czech Republic! It's called Original War, and it never passes up an opportunity to kick you in the balls and palm your wallet. You start each mission (In a long, long campaign) with a number of infantry units. Lose one and you'll never get it back. If you want a vehicle built or a tech researched, there's got to be an infantry unit manning the appropriate building. Most vehicles need an infantry unit to drive them too, unless you've sunk valuable supplies into remote control or autopilots.

I like StarCraft, I really do... but it would be a tragedy if every RTS started copying its gameplay.

Also, can you imagine what it would be like if Blizzard marketed Legacy of the Void toward the dudebro demographic? =(