Clephas

Devils Devel Concept's protagonist is as far from a doormat as it is possible to get.  It's not translated though. 
Ayakashibito is translated and the protagonist, while he tends to cry a lot more than most, is suitably strong-willed and is willing to do what is necessary based on the situation.  
Phantom of Inferno's protagonist is a brainwashed assassin.  The only unfortunate aspect of the game is that the only English version is a weird DVD that plays like a video.  On the upside, that version has all the lines - dialogue or not - voiced.
Grisaia's Yuuji and the Phantom Trigger male protagonist.  The downside to Yuuji is that he is mentally unstable, so he might irritate you depending on the path.
Anything else I would suggest wouldn't be translated, unfortunately.

I could say a lot of things, but most of them would be negative, so I'll say good luck (not sarcastically).  

Draculius
Aoi Tori
Ojou-sama no Hanbun wa Ren'ai de Dekiteimasu
The Otoboku Series (Otome ga Boku ni Koishiteiru)
Hyper→Highspeed→Genius
RE:Birth Colony (plotge though)
 

Otaku corners aren't made.  They naturally appear as a result of our obsessions, the miasma of our lust and desire corrupting the air and creating an area full of moe.

Otaku corners aren't made.  They naturally appear as a result of our obsessions, the miasma of our lust and desire corrupting the air and creating an area full of moe.

Yeah, I'm talking about the ones on syosetu.  They are just about as long as the main story and are ongoing.  There are also several major story arcs in addition to a bunch of short stories, including three involving Kousuke and two involving Kouki.  

Tokyo Babel for action (Dies Irae and Fate both only get action-y relatively late)
Even though this isn't translated: End Sleep for horror

Amatsutsumi (future release in English)
Haruka ni Aogi, Uruwashi no (future FTL release)
Unfortunately, the rest of my suggestions are all untranslated.
Natsuiro Recipe
Izayoi no Fortuna
Tasogare no Sinsemilla
Koko Kara Natsu no Innocence
Sakura, Sakimashita
1/2 Summer
Toppara
Tamayura Mirai
 

Gensou no Idea
Paradise Lost
Ikusa Megami Zero (not at first, about halfway through, then the rest of the series has the protag periodically losing his memories)
 

Tokyo Babel
Tokyo Necro
Bradyon Veda
Komorebi no Nostalgica (It is after a massive world war between sentient humanoid AIs and humanity that concluded with humanity's defeat and a peace agreement.  Things have settled in the wake and society has been rebuilt, but problems remain.  It is primarily a nakige.) Edit: To clarify, this is not a 'wasteland' style post-apocalypse.  Rather, what was lost was history and culture, as a major hack destroyed the internet archives which had become responsible for retaining most of human culture and history from the late nineteenth through the twenty-first century.
Sousei Kitan Aerial (Muv-luv alternative type situation)
Hotel
Venus Blood Hypno/Hollow
Shuumatsu Shoujo Gensou Alicematic 
Any and all of the Soleil games by Skyfish
Baldr Sky
Fake Azure Arcology and Re:Birth Colony (games based long after a massive apocalypse, both based in arcologies)
Owaru Sekai to Birthday
Reminiscence (centuries post-apocalypse, underground arcology)
Sorceress Alive
Strawberry Feels
Harumade, Kururu
Natsukumo Yururu
 
 

Easily the best Venus Blood game, story-wise and gameplay-wise.  Not to mention the protagonist and main heroine have an insanely strong personal bond that makes you really root for them, though they are evil.

Tokyo Babel.  Basically, a bunch of angels and demons are guiding humans through Purgatory in an attempt to gain mercy from God before it squishes all the parallel universes like empty soda cans.  No ero content.  Available on Steam.
Ayakashibito- Same writer as Tokyo Babel, less action focused.  A version of Japan where people begin displaying habits and powers of youkai and are persecuted for it.  A solid mix of SOL, action, and plot.  Has ero content, but it isn't a major focus.  
Dies Irae- Over the top fantasy action with crazy antagonists and a brooding protagonist.  Makes Fate look tame.  Basic version has no ero.  Available on Steam.
 

Akatsuki no Goei, though it is mostly humorous and/or fails.

Meaningless choices are an annoyance and interrupt the experience because they require you to consider something completely irrelevant.

Meaningless choices are an annoyance and interrupt the experience because they require you to consider something completely irrelevant.

Tokyo Babel
Dies Irae
Dies Irae Interview with Kaziklu Bey
Aselia the Eternal
Seinarukana
Fata Morgana
Untranslated
The Silverio series by Light

Shuri from Kikan Bakumatsu Ibun Last Cavalier (she is definitely the dominant one in the relationship, though things twist around during H scenes)
Kurone from Waga Himegimi ni Eikan o (She is extremely kind to the protagonist while dominating their relationship completely)
Mana from Amatsutsumi (definitely the dominant side of their relationship, though it is perhaps not completely her way)
Jinia from Ou no Mimi ni wa Todokanai (their relationship turns around about two-thirds of the way through, so she isn't dominant the entire time)
Ami from Semiramis no Tenbin (though she is manipulative and black-hearted, she does care and isn't cruel to the protag)
 

Assuming translated only:
Ayakashibito- Suzu is fairly mildly tsundere to Soushichi and absolutely adores him (though this emotion is caught somewhere between sisterly love and romantic unless you are on her path).
Hello Lady- Saku and Tamao are both tsundere.
Primal Hearts- Haruhi
Ren'ai Karichaimashita- Chinatsu

Assuming translated only:
Ayakashibito- Suzu is fairly mildly tsundere to Soushichi and absolutely adores him (though this emotion is caught somewhere between sisterly love and romantic unless you are on her path).
Hello Lady- Saku and Tamao are both tsundere.
Primal Hearts- Haruhi
Ren'ai Karichaimashita- Chinatsu

Abyss Homicide Club.

Slapstick comedy is slapstick comedy.

Slapstick comedy is slapstick comedy.

Definitely Planetarian or Eden* if he just wants something short+translated... if he wants something darker, Saya no Uta.  I'm assuming, since he is new to this, that he doesn't know Japanese?

1) JVNs are generally priced high in Japan and over here have greatly reduced pricing.  
2) Localization speed can be anywhere from three months to seven years depending on the company doing the job and any legal issues involved.  
3) My advice?  Don't until you have it done and ready for release, then announce it a month before you release it with plenty of community outreach.
4)  The balance between Westernization and translation.  An eternal dilemma for people doing anything related to bringing JVNs over here.  
5)  Who cares about censorship?  Mosaic is sexy *Clephas's eyes go blank and he gives an eerie smile*
6) Digital availability?  Well, preferably, it should be available on Steam at the very least, since a lot of people don't want to trust their credit cards to small net shops run by individual localization companies.
7) Pay for localization staff sucks, end of story.
8 ) Kickstarters were great for the first iteration of the larger localization industry (as opposed to the 'old version' where there were precisely three companies doing localization and spent years on each one), but now they are just an excuse to defray costs in advance with no guarantee of an actual release.
9) No need for physical versions of the localized games, unless the game becomes popular enough to justify a commemorative edition.
10) VNs are less niche than they used to be, but any genre where reading is a significant part of the experience will always be niche, as most people are too stupid to be truly literate.

1) JVNs are generally priced high in Japan and over here have greatly reduced pricing.  
2) Localization speed can be anywhere from three months to seven years depending on the company doing the job and any legal issues involved.  
3) My advice?  Don't until you have it done and ready for release, then announce it a month before you release it with plenty of community outreach.
4)  The balance between Westernization and translation.  An eternal dilemma for people doing anything related to bringing JVNs over here.  
5)  Who cares about censorship?  Mosaic is sexy *Clephas's eyes go blank and he gives an eerie smile*
6) Digital availability?  Well, preferably, it should be available on Steam at the very least, since a lot of people don't want to trust their credit cards to small net shops run by individual localization companies.
7) Pay for localization staff sucks, end of story.
8 ) Kickstarters were great for the first iteration of the larger localization industry (as opposed to the 'old version' where there were precisely three companies doing localization and spent years on each one), but now they are just an excuse to defray costs in advance with no guarantee of an actual release.
9) No need for physical versions of the localized games, unless the game becomes popular enough to justify a commemorative edition.
10) VNs are less niche than they used to be, but any genre where reading is a significant part of the experience will always be niche, as most people are too stupid to be truly literate.