I do like Go, quite a bit. I'm having trouble finding people to play in person, though. The internet is fine, but... I don't know. I seem to play different when I have to tactile aspect is there. That and it's more sociable, which I like a lot.

I like this little article. I've only played a handful of games, but I noticed very quickly that initiative was important, but how you used it was more so. These concepts help clarify that intuition a great deal.

In addition to sente and gote, I would also argue that Mage Wars is actually an area control game in disguise. It may appear to be a duel on the surface, but Mage Wars seems to have much more in common with Go than even its apparently obvious analogue, Magic the Gathering. However, Mage Wars has something which makes it different from Go, and that is the important "areas of control" shift over the course of the game.

Obviously, one aspect of this issue is the Mage's moving around, but it can also be more subtle. It could also be realizing when your Warlock's Battleforge has lost utility, and you move creatures away to guard your now more important Mana Crystals. Or you could (in MtG lingo) use your life total as a resource, essentially taking advantage of your Mage's high HP to draw attention away from, or towards, strategic points.