Rob Zacny

That's interesting. I started to wonder about PPDs relationship with Aui when he was on Twitter basically rubbing Aui's face in it. Now he's claiming the account was hacked and everything but, well, that's what you say after you screw up on social media. PPD's blog post is an eye-opening read, though. I get why PPD would feel this way. It sucks working with people who make life harder and more stressful, even if they're really competent. I can understand wanting to remove that from you team, especially if someone is really proving to be clubhouse poison. At the same time, when you have a championship-winning team, are feelings and happiness the most important thing? To paraphrase Don Draper, that's what the money is for. Side note: if you haven't seen it, you should check out The Bronx Is Burning, the miniseries ESPN made about the '77 Yankees. What I love is that it's a really subversive sports story, and probably a more honest one. You have this team full of clashing personalities and coaches. Bitter rivalries, an arrogant manager and owner that can't stand each other, sniping in the press... and you keep expecting the team to come together to form a united front and go win a championship. But they never do. They hate each other on the way to the World Series, and they hate each other afterwards. But the point is that the friction itself was the price of having that particular version of a great baseball team. And it got me thinking about how often we like stories about how, if only everyone worked together and respected each other's strengths, everyone would be the best versions of themselves. Well, in sports, maybe that's not the case. Sometimes you have to choose between winning or working with people you like.

Three Moves Ahead 317: Crusader Kings II: Horse Lords TJ Hafer and Rowan Kaiser joing Rob Zacny to discuss the latest expansion to CK2, Horse Lords. Horse Lords allows the player to assume the role of the eastern hordes, galloping across Europe and the CK2 interface. Has CK2 finally been stretched to its limit? Crusader Kings II, Horse Lords Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes Subscribe to the RSS Feed

So FGC coverage in general will probably a bit more sporadic on this show than we would like. Andrew and I are foremost SC2 fans, then we each have our respective Lords Managements that we're into. Then for our third areas Andrew skews more FGC and I skew more CSGO. So the answer is yes, but it's something that we'll probably have to grow-into. Also, just in terms of timing, it's tough because we just missed EVO. We've had TI. Now all the final SC2 seasons are getting underway. LoL is ramping up to to Worlds. And IEM Cologne is kind of a big deal, I think. So it's a tough slate, and I'm not sure there's a TON happening in Smash right now post EVO. But don't be afraid to message us on Twitter or email if something big is upcoming that you worry we'll miss. We will also make an effort to find people who DO know what they're talking about when it comes to the areas we're less confident in.

Wait, are y'all telling me that Andrew made me buy a compendium for NOTHING? Dammit to hell. That guy is the worst. Funny thing is I used to call everything a tower because that's what they plainly are, but I spent two years working for LoLEsports doing freelance stuff and the house style infected my speech patterns. Another thing I hate? How you gotta be really careful about calling LoL characters "champions" and Dota characters "heroes". But I'm not sure I can get away with calling them lords every week, given the tenor of show we're going for.

Things can change quickly. One day all of your fans are happy, the positive reviews flow like wine, and phrases like "a return to form" are bandied about by critics. Then, when you least expect it - BAM: hit by a bus called "Rome 2" and it's back to the bottom. Time to look for yet another "return to form". Rob, Fraser, Rowan, and Troy "The Horse Lord" Goodfellow talk about series that have fallen off the horse, gotten back on, fallen again, shot the horse, and built a glue factory. No cows (or horses) are sacred and Rowan drops a truth bomb about Alpha Centauri that we all needed to hear. Listen here.

It's our Pi-eth episode! Rob is joined by game designer David V. Heron and OG panelist Tom Chick to discuss Massive Chalice. Doublefin's take on squad-based tactics has Tom all aflutter while David has a more reserved take. This Massive Chalice show has Massive Spoilers, so watch for the subtle cue. Listen here.

Rowan Kaiser and Fraser Brown fill in for an ailing Rob Zacny and talk about Age of Wonders 3. After a dearth of fantasy strategy games over the years, how does Age of Wonders 3 set alongside the Warlock series and the upcoming Endless Legend? Listen in as the phrase "dire penguin" is said on the show for the first time ever. Rowan's review at IGN. Fraser's review at PCGamesN. Listen here.

Rob, Bruce, and Troy "They Call Me Pony Express" Goodfellow attack the mailbox. We asked 3MA listeners for questions and got them in spades, so tune in to find out the panel's favorite games, podcasts, and desert island picks. Listen here.

MoO-ve over, other space 4X games -- Star Drive 2 is here and ready to impress. Fraser Brown (it's definitely Fraser this time) and Rob discuss the finer points of perpetuating genocide on a mass scale for the best reason possible: a lack of any other viable option. Star Drive 2 improves on the original and brings a ship building module that Rob actually enjoys, a feat not seen since GalCiv2 which is only accurate because I am writing this summary and Rob is not. Also, Endless Space is a great game. Love, Michael. Listen here.

Rob and Troy talk to Jamie Cheng and James Lance of Klei Entertainment, developers of Invisible, Inc, a turn-based tactical game that focuses on stealthy people doing stealthy things. Listen here.

Bruce and Rob are joined by game designer Ananda Gupta to discuss the idea of historical accuracy in games. Bruce gets down to the point by looking for a definition of "historical accuracy" and whether it's a bonus, a detriment, or just another facet of wargaming. Listen here.

Rob Zacny and Troy "Flava Flavius" Goodfellow examine the latest Total War game, Attila. Following the dizzying heights of Shogun 2 and the despair-filled depths of Rome 2, Attila shows that Creative Assembly can still soar like so many proverbial eagles. The praise is effusive in this show as both hosts are happy to see the series return to form. Rob breaks it down: "Attila... basically awesome." Listen here.

Rob, Rowan, and Sean Sands fulfill our listeners' requests by taking a deep dive on the newest expansion for EU4: Common Sense. The latest DLC (and associated free update) brings notable changes to the game's systems. Are they all for the better? Should this be called EU5? How many kids are on Rob's lawn, and should they get off of it? Credit for the episode title goes to listener @semitext, who angers me by coming up with something as good as "EU4ever" before I could. Listen here.

Bless you for this. Could fill the entire hour one #1. <kicks back, lights cigar>

I think the reason for that is there's not a proven market for "middle ground" options. If you hang out around seriously grognardy websites, there's a massive amount of enthusiasm for games that let you weigh every possible factor. Like the people who wanted Crown of Glory to model different recovery times for injured generals. There's a real wariness of anything that's streamlined because of how quickly people start worrying about a game being "dumbed down". So as you begin to streamline-away some of the historical detail, you start losing that hardcore audience. But that doesn't necessarily come with an attendant gain of new players who want something more approachable, because the odds are good you're still making a game that's too complex. So the middle ground seems like a tough place to make a successful game, just because it doesn't have a natural constituency. I do think this problem goes back to something Bruce said earlier this year. I can't remember which game we were talking about, but he didn't like the way games like UoC or Ultimate General Gettysburg always have to be labeled "entry level" or "beginner level" wargames, while games like War in the East or John Tiller's Squad Battle series get to enjoy a kind of default status. The way we frame wargame discussion also ends up ceding the field to rivet-counters, which probably skews things away from what most people would actually want.

Bruce and Julian sit down to talk about the often mentioned (but rarely truly discussed) Advanced Squad Leader. Joining them are Jeff Hallet and Dave Kleinschmidt, hosts of what is undeniably the best ASL podcast on the internet, The 2 Half-Squads. ASL holds a reputation for being one of the most detailed and fully fleshed-out wargames available. The flexible combat system lends itself to memorable games that cover a wide variety of scenarios. For even more in-depth discussion of ASL, visit The 2 Half-Squads: http://www.the2halfsquads.com/ Listen here.

Paradox returns to World War II with the upcoming Hearts of Iron IV and a recent press event found Rob, Rowan, Fraser, and Gamers with Jobs' Sean Sands playing a preview build of the simulation. The results? Mixed feelings. Amidst glimmers of hope for an improved HoI on the order of the successful EUIV and CK2, the panelists found a confusing interface, a lack of direction, and plenty of room for improvement before the final build. Listen here.

Jon Shafer returns to the show to talk with Rob and Troy about revisionist history. Everyone thinks the Spanish Conquistadors were jerks, but let's not forget the behavior of the waffling Belgians. Also, where are all the World War I games? Listen here.

Sean Sands from Gamers With Jobs joins Rob to talk about Europa Universalis IV. EUIV has seen several expansions and updates since its launch, and what used to be the unidisputed flagship of the studio is fighting for top dog with Crusader Kings II. Sean has played just a few hours of EUIV and offers his insights into what the game has grown to be and why he keeps coming back. Alternate title: Europa Universalis More Music by Andreas Waldetoft Listen here.

Three Moves Ahead continues to explore World War I in an extended episode that looks at 1997's The Last Express. Rob and Troy are joined by Idle Thumbs' Chris Remo to dive into an adventure game that explores the often-overlooked time in history that preceded World War I. Links: Chris Remo's interview feature at Gamasutra Jeremy Peel's Mechner interview Umberto Eco on Casablanca Rob's article at Gamers With Jobs Listen here.

Roguelikes. They're not strategy games, but they're everywhere. Well, parts of them are. Very specific parts, but rarely all of them, at least not enough to make everyone happy. To discuss these finer points, Rob gathers a veritable rogue's gallery of panelists and experts. Tyler Sigmund: game designer and creator of the upcoming Darkest Dungeon. Darren Grey: Roguelike developer and current host of Roguelike Radio, an entire podcast about the genre. Michael Hermes: 3MA audio guy with the ability to bug Rob until we finally do a show about roguelikes. Absent: Troy "I Only Play Minotaurs" Goodfellow. Listen here. Or here, for Roguelike Radio!

This week, Bruce Geryk hosts Kim Kanger, designer of Dien Bien Phu: The Final Gamble, as well as a series of wargames covering France's 20th century colonial wars. They discuss the appeal and importance of the wars in Algeria and Southeast Asia, as well as the unique challenges of designing games around them. Listen

Open your folder of fanfic and scroll down to the Warhammer and Warhammer 40K crossover you've always wanted to publish, the one where the dark elves fight space marines with acid spitting aliens and dragons flying through the sky next to the Serenity (for good measure). Now close that that .txt file, open Heroes of the Storm, and behold: Blizzard have brought your dreams to life! Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo come crashing together in the Lords Management/LOMA that promises to be faster to play, easier to learn, and cost more than other, similar titles. Rowan Kaiser and David Heron join Rob to talk about the current state of HotS and whether it lives up to Blizzard's lofty goals. Listen here.

Rob and Bruce revisit SSG's classic Korsun Pocket in this first episode of 3MA's Winter of Wargaming. Rob tells us how the game holds up to someone seeing it for the first time and Bruce explains what made Korsun Pocket unique and important at its release in 2003. Check out the attached file (sourced from the musty corners of the internet) and read Bruce's original review of the game in Computer Gaming World. The game was also originally part of the now resurrected Tom vs Bruce: Tom vs Bruce #8: Korsun Pocket Listen to episode 247 here. Bruce Geryk Review - Korsun Pocket.pdf

Ils ne passeront pas! The Winter of Wargaming plods forward, inch by inch, straining through the rain and grime amidst a hail of enemy artillery and rifle fire. The trenches never end, a maze of mud and blank-faced soldiers so far beyond rational thought that their only solace lies inward toward thoughts of home and hearth. But wait, who's that ahead going over the top? It's Rob, Bruce, and Troy "Who Took My Cheese Rations?" Goodfellow here to talk about John Tiller's Squad Battles - First World War. Is this entry into the venerable series the volume that finally makes trench warfare fun? Listen here.