4X
Also said as Civ-like, Explore, expand, exploit, exterminate
Empire-building strategy, usually turn-based, whose name means explore, expand, exploit and exterminate. It promises to take you from a single settler to a world power, and it keeps you up with "one more turn".
Growth compounds, and there is always something finishing next turn, so there is never a good place to stop. The catch is the late game: once you are clearly ahead, the rest can be a long chore.
Say it
“Make it a 4X: start with one city in fog of war, give each tile a yield so that expansion compounds, and always have something finish on the next turn.”
Where you’ve seen it
Alan Emrich coined the term in 1993, previewing Master of Orion for Computer Gaming World. Sid Meier's Civilization (1991) is the best-known example: a settler, a fog-covered map and thousands of years.
Not to be confused with rts
A 4X usually gives you all the time you want and a whole world to manage. An RTS is a short and urgent fight, where speed is part of the skill.