Think of the Arc the Lad Collection as a well loved trilogy of your choice - but instead you have the good fortune to play it all at once instead of waiting years for the series to complete. Then add a couple spin-offs and the ever important behind the scenes looks.
Even if you've never played a strategy RPG in your life, Arc the Lad is the perfect starting point: it's not overly difficult, it features an easy-to-use battle interface, and the variety of gameplay increases with each chapter in the series.