Rob Zacny

Okay, we're not picking favorites among our guests from last year, but former intern Soren Johnson and designers Jon Shafer and Dave Heron were our most recurring guests in 2012 and it seemed like a great time to hear them weigh in on their favorite games from last year. Perhaps inevitably, a fight breaks out over how to classify FTL. RIP Soren. It wasn't a strategy game, but we can all agree it was pretty good. You'll be missed. Listen

Three Moves Ahead 364: Pet Peeves Certain sins are unforgivable. Poor interface, an over-abundance of tooltips, and apparently ship designers. Let's get one thing straight: I - Michael, who writes these notes every week - like ship designers. I liked Gratuitous Space Battles, I like them GalCiv, I like them any way I can get them. So while I've never been on the show to defend my case on this particular topic, I'm writing the notes. Do I get to editorialize? Sure I do. Who's going to stop me? Troy? Ship designers are always a delight. If you don't like them, then this week you can listen to Rob, T.J. Hafer, and Rowan Kaiser go through their lists of strategy game pet peeves. Gratuitous Tank Battles, Stellaris, Crusader Kings 2, Total Annihilation, and many more Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 362: Alternate Histories Rob Zacny, Rowan Kaiser, and TJ Hafer range the hills of Gettysburg and traverse the Pacific in a show that talks about games that alter the course of history. Hearts of Iron IV inspired this discussion about how we can change the outcome of historical events to something even more plausible than reality. Hearts of Iron IV, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Europsa Universalis IV, Sid Meier's Gettysburg!, Ultimate General: Gettysburg, Sid Meier's Antietem!, Gary Grigsby's War in the East, STAVKA OKH Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa, Total War: Attila, Battles of Napolean, Crusader Kings II Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 360: Hearts of Iron IV Rob is joined by Bruce, Jonathan Bolding, and Fraser Brown to discuss the latest in Paradox Interactive's stable of historical games, Hearts of Iron IV. This latest entry in the series returns us to World War II, except it's not always World War II, but that's kind of the point, except when it's not. Despite a few glaring oversights in documentation, the panel has plenty of good things to say about the joy of being "historish". Tune in to find out: is the whole game great, or just Parts of Iron? Hearts of Iron IV Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 363: Sid Meier's Pirates! Rob, Fraser, and Troy "I'm tired of swabbing the poop deck" Goodfellow get together to revisit Sid Meier's Pirates! We all know who Sid Meier is, and we all what pirates are. So let's just cut to what you're here for: Troy "I'm wanted on three continents for my ample booty" Goodfellow, Troy "My parrot crapped on my shoulder" Goodfellow, Troy "Ramming broadsides is my specialty" Goodfellow, Troy "How do I make a sandwich with two hooks" Goodfellow, Troy "I've got barnacles but I can't say where" Goodfellow, Troy "Stop calling me 'Shark Bait'" Goodfellow Sid Meier's Pirates!, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 348: Civilization at 25 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 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Tom Chick joins Rob to talk about their feelings toward Company of Heroes, and why they both feel a bit disappointed. Tom thinks the game's economy is broken and it's become too armor driven, while Rob is really depressed by the faction design. And yet Rob still likes it, while Tom finds it ultimately pointless. Listen

Three Moves Ahead 361: Pacific War Strategic Games Bruce welcomes back game designer Mark Herman to talk about games covering the Pacific War in World War II. Mark's expertise comes in the form of his two Pacific games, Pacific War (1985) and Empire of the Sun (2005). Bruce and Mark cover a wide variety of board games, diving into what makes or breaks a strategic game in this theater. Pearl Harbor (GDW), War in the Pacific (SPI), Victory in the Pacific (Avalon Hill), Pacific War (Victory Games), Empire of the Rising Sun (Avalon Hill), East Wind, Rain (Task Force Games), Fire in the Sky (Multi-Man Publishing), Empire of the Sun (GMT Games), War of the Suns (Multi-Man Publishing), Axis Empires: Dai Senso! (Decision Games) Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Idle Weekend May 13, 2016: Just, like, your opinion, man The weekenders examine the curious case of a game critic who... gave his opinion on a video game. Then the game's publisher told its fans that it's ok for a critic to do such a thing. It's the curious case of Stellaris! Elsewhere, the weekenders ponder sexism in games they enjoy and tackle Captain America: Civil War. Stellaris, Fallout 4, Street Fighter 5, Alien: Isolation, The Witcher 3, Dragon's Crown, Captain America: Civil War Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Idle Weekend June 18, 2016: We Happy E3 It's the big E3 show, with a roundup of the games that looked the most interesting at this year's massive industry trade show. But it's also a sober week, as we spend much of our mailbag time pondering the industry's reaction to the Orlando tragedy. It's two Big Topics for the price of one this weekend. Dishonored 2, Prey, Xbox One S, Project Scorpion, Project Neo, Recore, Playstation VR, God of War, Farpoint, Gwent, Battlefront: An X-Wing Mission, Grow Up, Sea of Thieves, South Park: Fractured But Whole, Death Stranding, We Happy Few, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Battlefield 1, Steep, Watch Dogs 2, For Honor, Forza Horizon 3, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, The Last Guardian, Detroit: Become Human, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Resident Evil 7, Warcraft (film), Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

In the beginning, there was Panzer General and it was good. Soon after that came Panzer General 2 and it was even better. After that was another game we don't talk about. Fast forward a decade or so to Panzer Corps and things were back to good, unless you asked Troy, and some time after that we reach this week's topic of Panzer Boat. Rob, Tom, Bruce, and Troy "HMCS Uganda" Goodfellow get together to talk about Order of Battle: Pacific, a game that superficially shares a lineage with the venerable Panzer Corps and other Slitherine games. Rob and Troy took a shine to it while Tom and Bruce decide that they've sung this song, danced this dance, and sunk that carrier before. Hello Kitty is invoked, JRPGs are explained, and the Pacific Theater in general is likened to Warhammer 40K. Read Rob's review at PCGamesN. Listen here.

Three Moves Ahead 350: Aging Gracefully 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 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 358: Battlefleet: Gothic Armada 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 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

This is a good point, and I think it's a complementary argument to one that another listener linked on Twitter: that Sicario intentionally uses elements of sexual violence to underscore the nature of the war that Kate finds herself fighting. And it does make me want to reassess the movie with these points in mind. On the other hand, there is a broader context that makes me uneasy with this arc, whatever themes it is expressing by stripping Blunt's character of her power and independence. As much as I am starting to realize this may have been the skillful expression of the film's subtext, in the end I just watched a movie where a strong, proud woman is abused by her colleagues for two hours, and then assaulted and coerced into submission. Which I don't think can help but also carry an implicit, "no place for a woman in this man's world" meaning, intended or not. That the woman ends up being the symbol of civilization, of order, and the men represent violence and vengeance is a restatement of some tired themes. That it's done well here does earn it some points (I mean, it's why I really liked the film and will watch it again). But I also think that deeper meaning only goes so far when you've created a movie whose store culminates in the psychic shattering of the heroine.

Three Moves Ahead 357: Total War: WARHAMMER 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 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Firaxis designer Ananda Gupta joins Rob, Troy, and Bruce to discuss his upcoming expansion to XCOM and his storied design career in PC and board gaming. Listen

Three Moves Ahead 356: Ashes of the Singularity 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 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 354: Offworld Trading Company 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 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 353: Twilight Struggle 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 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 352: Atlantic Fleet 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 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 351: Weekend of Wargaming 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 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 349: Satisfying Party Games 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 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Idle Weekend March 11, 2016: Buried Treasure Like a perfect diamond wrapped in layers of greasy wrapping paper, this week we're talking about great games that happened to be buried in... other stuff. Does a focus on meaty game length ruin a wonderful, if shorter, experience, or merely water it down? Helping us answer these questions are the aliens, wolf men, succubi and vampires that we know and love (and spend too much time with). Rust, Alien: Isolation, Zelda: Twilight Princess, Lost Girl, the Joe Pitt Casebooks Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 347: Dwarf Fortress and World Simulators 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 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Esports Today March 10, 2016: Between Katowice and Shanghai Rob and Andrew discuss the ESL CSGO tournament with Joe Wong, then discuss China's surprising slump on the Lords Management front. Then, Rob and Andrew have to go, their planet needs them. Dota 2, CSGO Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes