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One thing that tends to trip up new players is the set of game mechanics. Maybe more accurately, the fact that Starcraft has game mechanics at all. You are used to thinking of operating system elements like selecting, dragging and shortcut keys as interface elements. It's time to start thinking of them as game mechanics, no different than doing a fighting game combo or pushing an analog stick to move a character.

When you say "real time strategy" people have a tendency to only hear the last of those three words, and then they sit around scratching their chins like it's Civilization. The Tetris comparison is very apt -- both games involve thinking and planning, but you are also under the gun to perform efficiently and effectively.

If the length of the early game sounds dull, there are various cheap-shots that can happen in those first few minutes. Some of these are "harassment" designed to gain an economic advantage, while others are "all-in" gambles that do not have a backup plan. Starcraft and Warcraft are really unforgiving, but that's another post.

Anyway, I'd be happy if they upped the starting worker count to eight, because in the first 40 seconds you're right, nothing goddamn happens. Only Zerg can do anything at all with six workers, and I personally think Blizzard chose nostalgia over good game design there.

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Yeah, I've been watching a lot of SC2, but why go to the trouble of reinstalling and patching and shaking the rust off when there's an expansion in beta.