Rob Zacny

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About Rob Zacny

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    Host: Three Moves Ahead & Esports Today

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  1. Three Moves Ahead 608: Balatro Len, Jon, and Mike Williams deal out a hand or two of Balatro. It's poker? Sort of? Not really? Poker with boss battles. Poker with booster packs. Poker with tarot cards? We don't hold our opinions close to our chest as we try to apply some kind of taxonomy to this indie surprise hit. Balatro Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes
  2. Three Moves Ahead 607: The Strategy Games of Steam Next Fest 2024 Len, Jon, and Mike Williams sit down to discuss the strategy and strategy-adjacent demos that caught our eyes in Steam Next Fest. Jon played 50 (!) of them, and several were actually good! Also like, where are all the aliens, for real though? Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes
  3. Three Moves Ahead 606: 2024 Look Ahead Len, Mike Williams, and Nerium Strom take a look at the strategy and strategy-adjacent games coming in 2024, discuss which ones we're most interested in, make some predictions, and discuss the awful state of the industry for workers this year so far. A Series of Unfortunate Events: 40,000 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes
  4. Three Moves Ahead 605: Warhammer 40,000 Tabletop Is this a Winter of Wargaming? Len and Ian are joined by Brian "Chef Lu Bu" Smawley to dig into Warhammer 40K as a setting through the lens of the flagship tabletop miniatures game (particularly the recent 10th Edition). We go over a bit of lore, run through the factions, talk about our favorites, discuss how we got into the hobby, and why it may or may not be for you. Warhammer 40,000 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes
  5. Three Moves Ahead 604: Mega-Sized 2023 Recap! Len, Rowan, and Ian gather 'round the Yule Log for an extended discussion on the year that was 2023 in strategy games. There was a lot of good and a lot of bad. There were a lot of people talking about "Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year" that didn't really know what they were talking about. We share our personal picks and tease out a theme to encapsulate an eventful stretch of time. Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes
  6. Three Moves Ahead 603: Against the Storm 1.0 Len, Rowan, and Luke have gathered around the hearth to revisit Against the Storm for its 1.0 launch. With one veteran and two greenhorns in tow, we discuss how this survival city-builder has changed since Early Access and why it's still so satisfying and refreshing to play. Against the Storm Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes
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  8. Three Moves Ahead 602: Patreon Preview: An Interview with Michele Pirovano (dotAGE) Listen to the first five minutes of our November Patreon episode for free, and then hear the full one hour and 15 minute interview by subscribing at Patreon.com/3MA! Len had a chance to chat this month with Michele Pirovano, the (almost) solo developer of dotAGE, a game we all had a great time with this year. They discuss how board game design has had a positive influence on the world of strategy video games, how it could continue to do so, the struggles of being an indie dev, and why the upcoming genre of roguelike city-builders works so well. dotAGE, Northgard, Rimworld, Against the Storm Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes
  9. Three Moves Ahead 601: Victoria 3: One Year Later Len is joined by Dr. Bret Devereaux and Chapel Comic creator Father Lorris to take a look at Victoria 3 one year later. Is this a game that deserves to stand beside Paradox's best yet? And if not, what's it still missing? We play armchair game dev for an hour and a half and unpack the difficulty of modeling both the beginning and the end of one of humankind's most momentous centuries with a common set of mechanics. Victoria 3, Victoria 2 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes
  10. Three Moves Ahead 600: dotAGE 100 episodes ago, we declared that video games are over. Did they ever come back? Also, what's this dotAGE game with authentic medieval chiptune music Overwhelmingly Positive user reviews? dotAGE Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes
  11. Three Moves Ahead 599: Cities: Skylines 2 Len and Jon are joined by Sin Vega and Well There's Your Problem's Justin Roczniak (donoteat01) to discuss Cities: Skylines 2. We have some mixed feelings about this much anticipated sequel, and we don't shy away from pointing out what doesn't work while giving a few nods to what is new and cool. If you understand how garbage works in this game, please leave a comment. Cities: Skylines 2, Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes
  12. Three Moves Ahead 598: Total War Pharaoh Len and Ian are joined by freelance writer Josh Broadwell to discuss Total War: Pharaoh, the first properly historical Total War in an actual age. We dig into the new campaign mechanics, the feel of the battles, and the scope of the map. Has Creative Assembly Sophia come from behind to take the title of Total War's A-Team? Total War: Pharaoh Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes
  13. Three Moves Ahead 597: Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew This week, Jon is joined by RPS Editor in Chief Katherine Castle and freelance writer Dominic Tarason to discuss Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew. Mimimi's swan song, as we sadly learned after recording, is a follow-up and an evolution to Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun and Desperados 3, both games that we loved. What makes this one even better? Why is Len using dashes instead of colons to separate the show number from the game title now? I don't know if I like this. Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, Desperados 3, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes
  14. Three Moves Ahead 596: Baldur's Gate 3 Len, Jon, and Ian are joined by Brian "Chef Lu Bu" Smawley to delve into Baldur's Gate 3. We discuss what really makes this a CRPG that can be enthusiastically recommended to tactics fans, what our favorite races, classes, and companions have been, and the ridiculous antics we've gotten up to with Larian's "Yes, and..." engine and quest design. Is this the best version of Dungeons & Dragons you can play on the computer? Give it a listen and roll Insight to find out. Baldur's Gate 3 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes
  15. Three Moves Ahead 595: Aliens: Dark Descent Rob, Len, and Rowan are in the pipe, five-by-five, to discuss Aliens: Dark Descent. An unconventional squad-based stealth game that brings James Cameron's sci-fi classic to a new (and dare we say better) perspective, we discuss similarities to the likes of Darkest Dungeon and how clever escalation mechanics can dynamically imitate the structure of a horror movie. Aliens: Dark Descent, Darkest Dungeon, Starship Troopers: Terran Command Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes