And I went with Thrones of Britannia to spend my money on instead, which I realize is not a game that's on here, but that's beside the point.
While Frostpunk is cheaper and has been getting rave reviews, the more I thought about it as I've been watching Enter Elysium's lets plays, the more it seemed like it wasn't going to be a game to my tastes. However, Battletech does touch upon all my buttons, but I'm being more and more put off by the price, the recommended ram requirements, and the stories of bugs and issues. I will wait for a drop in price and enough time to pass so that either patches fix the performance or I can acquire a more powerful machine.
Thrones of Britannia is in that happy middle ground compromise. I can run the game, the price is a good compromise between Frostpunk and Battletech, and the subject matter and themes are to my taste. I realize Creative Assembly has as much of a hit or miss reputation as Paradox, but after seeing enough videos on the game on Youtube and seeing the team's dedication to historical detail, I think I'm fairly confident in my prepurchase.