June 10, 2016 The inmates are running the asylum as Three Moves Ahead producer Michael Hermes takes over the show to talk about the state of chess in 2016. Joining Michael is chess professional and Youtuber John Bartholomew, an FIDE International Master and all-around chess guru. There are many reasons to be excited about chess right now, such as the boom in Youtube and streaming and the dynamic state of the professional scene. John and Michael go over some of the tools available to modern players, the sites they get excited about, and how St. Louis has become the chess capital of the US.

Chess

June 3, 2016 This week's show features another game chosen by our Patreon backers: Battlefleet: Gothic Armada. In the grim dark future there is only war, but here in the present there is... well, still only war, just mostly in the form of Games Workshop games with "war" in the title. Rob, Rowan Kaiser, and freelance writer Jonathan Bolding to talk about this boardgame adaptation and agree it's a gorgeous visual feast that also embraces the glorious tradition of Warhamminess.

Battlefleet: Gothic Armada

May 25, 2016 Good news, Games Workshop fans: your long wait is over. After literally days without a single new Warhammer or Warhammer 40K video game being launched, Total War: WARHAMMER is upon us. Fraser Brown and Dan Griliopoulos join Rob to talk about the latest entry in the Total War series that takes the series to the mildly ahistorical setting of Warhammer. The reviews have been positive and the verdict is a solid recommendation from our panel as Total Warhammer puts the fun back into Total War.

Total War: WARHAMMER

May 18, 2016 Ashes of the Singularity is hard to pin down. It's not fast, like Starcraft. It doesn't have the same swagger as Grey Goo. The single-player campaign leaves much to be desired. Yet there are still some interesting mechanics that make it a point of interest on the RTS map, a giant ball of string that, while not as much fun as Mount Rushmore, was good for at least one fun picture.

Ashes of the Singularity, Starcraft, Grey Goo, Homeworld

May 9, 2016 It's a very special, gas giant-sized podcast as the panel discusses Paradox's newest grand strategy game, Stellaris. Stellaris takes the Paradox formula and flings it into space, replacing trade merchants with space merchants, warships with space warships, and regular coalitions with space coalitions. Not content with one, two, or even three guests, Rob welcomes Rowan Kaiser, Austin Walker, Fraser Brown, and Sean Sands to the show to get their take on the new game. Some people love it, some people have conflicted feelings, and then there's Rowan.

Stellaris

April 29, 2016 Game designer Soren Johnson returns to the show to talk about his new game, Offworld Trading Company. Built in spirit of M.U.L.E., Offworld Trading Company is an economic RTS that has the player hunting for resources and playing the market. Soren talks about recent changes to the game, the pros and cons of Early Access, and the benefits of having hyper-competitive players.

Offworld Trading Company

April 23, 2016 It's an uncommonly ebullient episode of Three Moves Ahead as Rob, Julian, and Troy "Please Speak Louder Into My Bowtie, Comrade" Goodfellow talk about Twilight Struggle on the PC. This Cold War era board game has been translated to a shiny new computerized version which, despite some minor technical drawbacks, has the entire panel (and Bruce) happy with the results.

Twilight Struggle, A Few Acres of Snow, 1960: The Making of a President, Lords of Waterdeep, Advanced Squad Leader, Tigers on the Hunt, 1989: Dawn of Freedom

April 17, 2016 Our Patreon patrons have spoken and they chose Atlantic Fleet, a World War II naval warfare game available on mobile and PC. Rob, Bruce, and Troy "Lining Up Shots to Fire Out the Rear" Goodfellow find Atlantic Fleet to be a solid investment for $10, even if there are a few nagging flaws.

Atlantic Fleet

April 12, 2016 In order to dispel the notion that we are all just disembodied voices generated by an algorithm programmed to please fans 82% of the time, Rob and Bruce got together - in real life - to play board games. In this extra-jumbo episode of Three Moves Ahead our duo of wargamers talk about block games, COIN games, insurgencies, and Bruce's cats.

Empire of the Sun, Churchill, Triumph and Tragedy, Rommel in the Desert, Clash of Steel, Fire in the Lake, Andean Abyss, Pendragon, Falling Sky

April 4, 2016 Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Softened memories of sunlit rooms on Saturday mornings and brilliant panzer strategy replace the reality of grueling turn counts and CD-ROM issues. Can you ever really go home again? Is Master of Orion really as good as we recall? (The answer to both is: no.) Rob Zacny, Rowan Kaiser, Sean Sands, and Troy "I don't Google during a podcast" Goodfellow wheel their chairs into the whist room to talk about games that have aged gracefully and games that have not.

Vampire: The Masquerade, Battle for Middle Earth, Impossible Creatures, Master of Orion, Rise of Nations, Medieval Lords, Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Warcraft 2, Planescape: Torment, Elder Scrolls, TIE Fighter, Imperialism, Age of Empires, Rise of Legends, Anno 2070, Need for Speed, Steel Panthers, Age of Rifles, Panzer Corps, Final Fantasy, Max Payne, Wizardry 7, Myst, Under a Killing Moon, Myth, Dark Reign, Battlezone, Seven Kingdoms, Sacrifice, Messiah, Civilization

March 25, 2016 Rob Zacny gets together with Rabbitcon host Julian Murdoch as well as game designers Rob Daviau and David Heron to talk about party games. The term "party game" can conjure up a variety of games, from the most casual of affairs to the in-depth slog that run through the night. But how can a board game balance depth with ease of entry?

7 Wonders, 6 nimmt!, Mysterium, Puerto Rico, Splendor, Chinatown, Pandemic Legacy, The Manhattan Project, Argricola, Caverna, Concordia, Blood Rage, Carson City

March 17, 2016 In this very special Three Moves Ahead, Rob is joined by Civilization designers Jon Shafer and Soren Johnson to talk about Civilization. The venerable strategy series turns 25 this year, and Rob already took the one joke I had about how it can now rent a car. Oh well. Jon and Soren give their takes on the other entries in the series and give some insight into their design decisions for Civ IV and V.

Civilization 1, Civilization 2, Civilization 3, Civilization 4, Civilization 5, Civilization 6 j/k lol

March 10, 2016 After many requests, the Dwarf Fortress show is finally here. 3MA editor Michael Hermes and Troy "Wait, how does vomit work again" Goodfellow are joined by Gaslamp Games' Nicholas Vining and freelance writer Gita Jackson to talk about everyone's favorite simulation, Dwarf Fortress. Dwarf Fortress has helped move forward an entire genre of games, from direct copies to finely honed world-building experiences. What is the secret sauce that makes Dwarf Fortress so endearing? What's the deal with the interface? Why does everyone keep dying?

Gnomoria, Clockwork Empires, Craft the World, Game of Dwarves, Rimworld, Towns, Spacebase DF-9, Prison, Architect, Banished, Aurora 4X, UnReal World

March 3, 2016 Bruce continues the Winter of Wargaming and brings on Gene Billingsley and Mitch Land of GMT games on to talk about the 25th Anniversary Edition of Silver Bayonet. Silver Bayonet was the first game published by GMT, and to commemorate 25 years of business the company is reissuing the game with revised rules and an improved map. Listen in to find out why the game is important to Bruce and what fans can expect to see in the new version.

Silver Bayonet

February 26, 2016 Bruce and Troy "I know his ideas are weird but let's just hear him out" Goodfellow are joined by Rod Humble to talk about Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa. The latest entry in the Decisive Campaigns series adds intriguing elements of roleplaying into the wargaming formula as the player attempts to sway, cajole, and stay on the good side of superiors and fellow staff.

Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa, War in the East