i recently discovered alicesoft, amazing developers, just bought evenicle 1-2 (currently on sale on gog). But what is the best way to enjoy Rance? go back to all the old classics? or just play Quest Magnum and IX?
1: There is no 'correct' play route with these games. Long time English language fans overwhelmingly got introduced to the franchise with Sengoku Rance- Rance 7- and even from that frame of reference they found the franchise interesting and enjoyable. The problem is that absent context, a lot of the plot can feel weird without at least some background. The games wont leave you completely out in the rain in terms of what the hell is going on when an established character shows up, but it also tends to give you the one-sentence version of things.
2: Start with the remakes. Currently only Rance 1 and 2 are in English but that will introduce you to many of the foundational characters to the franchise. Both of the games can also be completed in about 8 hours or less, too. While you're not required to play these first, they'll have the best impact when consumed first.
3: Understand that Rance is an asshole. That's his character. He's not supposed to be a straightforward good guy so much as a traditional anti-hero, which is to say, a villain made hero by circumstance, rather than a character who's fundamentally good but conflicted.
4: The Rance franchise feasts on it's own absurdity. While the games certainly know when to be serious and will demand your attention for those instances, Rance is also fundamentally a silly character, and the games know it.
5: At this point you have choices. Rance 3 has a remake but it hasn't finished translation yet, and as I understand it the old version of it is not translated into English either. Rance 4 IS translated (and is also freeware), but it also shows it's age, aggressively. Very much a product of 1993 being made by what would have been a small indie team with tools like MS Paint. Of course, Rance 4 isn't a huge deal to miss out on. There is no plans at the moment to remake Rance 4.
6: There is also Kichikuou Rance! It's a non-canonical spinoff that takes place shortly after Rance 4 that genre bends from adventure / JRPG tropes to a turn based grand strategy game. This was also at one point the swan song of the franchise, with Alicesoft thinking they were done with Rance, only for the game to sell remarkably well. Very early / mid 90's, the game's UI and experience is, in a word, clunky. But if you can get over it's obvious age, it's a lot of fun, and is also the franchise's brain dump where they threw every bit of world building they could think of into the game.
7: Rance 5D. Depending on how you interpret it, 5D is either the transitional game or the first of the modern Rance titles. Hoo boy, this one's controversial. 5D was the fourth (hence the 'D') attempt the studio made at making Rance 5, and the burnout shows. The game relies on a goofy gambling mini-game to direct player actions which is....weird. The game's weird. I wouldn't call it bad, but it is very polarizing. Completely skippable except for the fact that it introduces the character of Rizna. It's also the one where Rance gets into a drinking contest with frat boy Haniwa.
8: Rance 6. I'm not a huge fan of this one, but I'd still say it's worth the time investment. Rance 6 gives you your first real look at the kingdom of Zeth, catches up with a few characters from previous titles and their own on-going plots, and introduces two best girls- Magic and Urza.
9: Sengoku Rance (AKA: Rance 7.) This is the one a lotta long time fans fawn over because it's the first one they played. Rance gets placed in the universe's version of the Sengoku period in JAPAN (yes, all caps) and fights along side Oda Nobunaga. Gameplay heavily mirrors Kichikuou Rance, if you're a fan of that it's a blast to play although it does somewhat suffer from being a solvable game. If you look up guides you'll learn in an awful hurry how to suck all the fun out of the game.
10: Rance Quest. AKA Rance 8. You should absolutely play this with the Magnum expansion installed with it (IIRC you don't even have the choice with the Manga Gamer version?) since the original version of the game was.... not great. I'd also discourage you from starting with RQ simply because it's an ensemble game that leans heavily on the fact that you're already familiar with the characters presented in it.
11: Rance 9: Helmanian Revolution. Fun. Represents the resolution of one of the major plot threads churning in the background of the franchise. I wouldn't start with it for the same reason you shouldn't make "Return of the Jedi" your first Star Wars movie.
12: Rance X. Not translated yet, although you can absolutely spoil yourself on the major plot points if you're dumb. Don't go looking for info on it.
As a heads up, I would not recommend QM or IX as a starting point. Both of them have alot characters who have appeared in past games and IX especially is very story-heavy and expects you to have knowledge of previous games as it does go through several character's development which would be lost/won't make as much sense without having played through previous games. As mentioned, Sengoku is a better starting point to see if you like it and then work your way up through the games in chronological order. The gameplay in Sengoku still holds up very well and the story is mostly self-contained that you won't be lost on the characters/plot
I would just start with the remakes of 1 and 2. They're not bad and if nothing else they're short. I'd echo the sentiment that you not start with Quest / Magnum or 9, though. Way too much stuff you wont pick up on.