Rob Zacny

Three Moves Ahead 657: Total War Warhammer: Lords of the End Times Len and long-lost prodigal cohost Ian gird themselves for the apocalypse in Total War Warhammer: Lords of the End Times. We discuss the new factions, the new crisis mechanics, and how not even a walking god of death is scarier than what happens when you outsource your Shogun 2 remaster to the lowest bidder. Total War: Warhammer, Total War: Shogun 2 Complete Edition, Total War: Warhammer 40K, Darktide Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 656: Endless Legend 2 Interview Len sits down with Endless Legend 2 game director Derek Paxton and game designer Julien Gueguen to talk about the 1.0 release of Endless Legend 2, how 4X devs iterate on feedback, and how they managed to put out 60 major updates in the course of a year. Endless Legend, Endless Legend 2, Endless Space, Civilization VI, Humankind Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 655: Star Wars Zero Company SPOILER ADVISORY: This episode contains character spoilers throughout (if you don't want to be spoiled on which classic Star Wars archetypes can be recruited, or which movie characters make cameos). PLOT SPOILERS for the big mid-game time skip begin at 48:05 and conclude at 1:14:09. Jon and Luke are joined by PC Gamer's Ted Litchfield to discuss Star Wars Zero Company, a tactics game in a galaxy far, far away from several of the developers of NuXCOM and Marvel's Midnight Suns. We discuss our favorite characters, why you should never give firearms to an astromech droid, and all of the other things that make this one of the best Star Wars games in a parsec. Star Wars: Zero Company, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Marvel's Midnight Suns Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 654: Summer Catch-Up 2026 Len and Nerium are joined once again by special guest Diana to discuss a lot of the smaller games we played this summer that didn't make it into a full episode, our varying levels of EU5 addiction, and mechsploitation. Games Discussed: Games Discussed: Sovereign Tower, Dispatch, Suzerain, EU5, Civ 7 Test of Time, Mortal Shell II, Elden Ring: The Convergence, Big Walk, The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily, Twisted Tower, Endacopia, Openfront.io Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 653: Corsair Cove Len, Jon, and Fraser set sail with Corsair Cove, a pirate city-builder with a reckless disregard for building codes. We discuss our different buccaneer building styles, the card- and dice-based ship combat, and try to answer the eternal question: what DO you do with a drunken sailor? Corsair Cove, Timberborn, Whiskerwood, Tropico Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 652: ZeroSpace Early Access Interview Len sits down with Game Director Marv Gouw and Consulting Art Director (and Relic co-founder) J. Aaron Kambeitz to talk about ZeroSpace, a new RTS inspired by the greats of the genre with BioWare-style cutscenes and story decisions. We dig into the odd place RTSes find themselves in the industry right now, how the "Homeworld look" relates to typefaces, and how the changes in the games industry today echo those the film industry went through decades ago. ZeroSpace, Homeworld, Starcraft 2, Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, StarCraft: Brood War, Stormgate, Battle Aces Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 651: Age of Empires II in 2026 feat. Hera Len and DM are joined by the current Age of Empires II world champion, Hera, to discuss the state of the game in 2026. We try to explain its longevity, examine what it takes to be a top-level esports player, and discuss Hera's streamer invitational tournament, The King's Gauntlet. Age of Empires II, Age of Empires III, Warcraft 3, Starcraft 2, Starcraft: Brood War Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 650: Slay the Spire 2 Len and Jon are joined by PC Gamer's Evan Lahti to Slay the Spire once again in the roguelike deckbuilder sequel. We discuss why our intrepid host is so bad at this game, if she can even be helped, and what the wackiest combos we've seen so far look like. Slay the Spire 2, Slay the Spire, Monster Train 2 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 649: Xenonauts 2 Len, Jon, and Sin gear up and get ready to die on the first turn to some BS in Xenonauts 2, a sequel to a throwback to a classic tactics game. We discuss how it stacks up to the old school UFO Defense, the Firaxis reboots, and the best Noah Wyle show, Falling Skies. Xenonauts 2, X-COM, XCOM, X – COM, X—COM, X_COM_FINAL_v2 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 648: Heart of the Machine 3MA is finally embracing AI! Okay, not really. But Len and Jon do have many thoughts about Heart of the Machine, a fascinating, story-driven strategy RPG about becoming the world's first sentient computer. Heart of the Machine Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 647.5: Len and D.M. Join the Yakuza (WtHTI Patreon Preview) Len is joined by long-time friend and collaborator, real life video game lawyer D.M. Schmeyer, to reconnect over tales of nearly 30 years nerding out together and discuss what we're currently in to and up to. Games Discussed: The Necromancer's Tale Amorantus Esoteric Ebb The Necromancer's Tale Amorantus Esoteric Ebb Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 647: Menace Early Access Len and Jon get tactical with the squad-based space marine (in the classical sense) platoon simulator, Menace. Because war is actually about Family. Menace, Battle Brothers, XCOM, Terra Invicta Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 646: Whiskerwood This week, Rowan and Luke contemplate the inherent class struggle implied by feline-rodent relations in another delightful, furry-adjacent city builder with Whiskerwood. In this world, the cat tax doesn't simply mean posting a pet pic to thank people for reading your wall of text modding tutorial. It's wealth extracted from the whiskered workers by feline overlords in a distant land. The solution, once again, might be trains. Whiskerwood Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 645: 2026 Look Ahead Len and Brian "Chef Lu Bu" Smawley are joined by friend of the show Diana to peek into the near distance at the strategy games we're interested in that have announced or probable release dates in 2026. It's going to be another big year for city-builders! Also, is Total War 40K even a good idea? Games discussed: Total War: Warhamer 40,000, Dawn of War 4, Menace, Slay the Spire 2, Nova Roma, Norse: Oath of Blood, DarkSwitch, Battlestar Galactica: Shattered Hopes, Beyond These Stars, SkyRig, SpaceCraft, Game of Thrones: War for Westeros, Star Wars: Zero Company Total War: Warhamer 40,000, Dawn of War 4, Menace, Slay the Spire 2, Nova Roma, Norse: Oath of Blood, DarkSwitch, Battlestar Galactica: Shattered Hopes, Beyond These Stars, SkyRig, SpaceCraft, Game of Thrones: War for Westeros, Star Wars: Zero Company Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 644: 2025 Strategy Games of the Year Len, Mike, and Luke pop the champagne and discuss the Strategy Games of the Year for 2025. And we can't really talk about the year in strategy without dwelling on the big theme of Disappointment. But all is not woe, because we played plenty of stuff we loved this year, too! Stay tuned after the main show for a chunky, free preview of this year's final Patreon bonus episode! Games Discussed: Civilization 7, Endless Legend 2, Europa Universalis 5, Crusader Kings 3, Stormgate, Broken Arrow, Two Point Museum, Jurassic World Evolution 3, Burden of Command, Anno 117, Master of Command, Cataclismo, Tempest Rising, Phantom Brigade, 9 Kings, The King is Watching, Drillcore, Pioneers of Pagonia, The Great Villainness: Strategy of Lily, Heretic's Fork, Tavern Keeper Civilization 7, Endless Legend 2, Europa Universalis 5, Crusader Kings 3, Stormgate, Broken Arrow, Two Point Museum, Jurassic World Evolution 3, Burden of Command, Anno 117, Master of Command, Cataclismo, Tempest Rising, Phantom Brigade, 9 Kings, The King is Watching, Drillcore, Pioneers of Pagonia, The Great Villainness: Strategy of Lily, Heretic's Fork, Tavern Keeper Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes