I've always admired the RTS genre but could never get into it. I've tried C&C and Starcraft. The only strategy-esque game I really liked whats civ 4. The Dawn of War series seems pretty cool and it gets good reviews. I'm wondering what is the story like? Is it a solid story? Should I play the first game to really get a feel for everything? I'm going to download the demo to try it out but I'm wondering if I should download the demo of the first game or the second. thanks for any advice duders

If you aren't already a fan of Warhammer, the story won't matter to you.
 
Still, they're pretty great games. Sounds like 2 would be right up your alley, it's pretty much an RPG trapped inside the body of an RTS... I know that's a horrible analogy, but trust me, you'd probably like it.

" If you aren't already a fan of Warhammer, the story won't matter to you.  Still, they're pretty great games. Sounds like 2 would be right up your alley, it's pretty much an RPG trapped inside the body of an RTS... I know that's a horrible analogy, but trust me, you'd probably like it. "

I don't recommend the Dawn of War games before 2. Those are old school base-building RTS games like Starcraft and most C&C. Dawn of War 2 is a more story focused game with an emphasis on squad control and character progression.
 
There is a lot of WH40K lore and these games take place in certain moments in that universe's timeline. There's no story outside of the context of what's presented to you in the game that matters while you're playing it.