Rob Zacny

If this is trolling, it is very well-done and I applaud you. If not, here's the deal: I went on vacation for a couple weeks and while I was gone, Troy and Bruce stepped up to host great shows and give me a badly-needed break. I was running on fumes, and I felt the show quality had suffered a little bit, and there were a couple topics we had in reserve that I knew I would not be a good fit for. So Bruce did a Bomber Command episode and Troy did Out of the Park. I'm back hosting this week, refreshed thanks to my awesome panelists. The next episode might be delayed a little bit due to some stuff that's going on in our producer's life right now. By the way, Troy created Three Moves Ahead, so it's not like it's weird when he hosts. He did it for years before stepping down to give me my shot, since he was going into PR and now represents a good many strategy games. He's got a different style than I do, and he and I joke about who is the better host, but the truth is the show is in great hands when I'm not around. And even when neither Troy nor I are around. After 170 episodes, we've all gotten pretty good at this.

Jon Shafer joins Rob, Troy, and Julian to talk about challenge in strategy games. What kind of challenges do we want from strategy games, and how does it get botched? Why are people still surprised when AI opponents aren't very clever? Why are they so hesitant to take on multiplayer? What's the difference between good scenario design and unfair scenario design? How amazing is Unity of Command? Seriously, you guys. Download here

PC Gamer staff writer Tom Senior and freelance writer Phill Cameron come to Rob's podcasting island, bringing with them rifles and steam-powered ironclads. Things swiftly turn violent as they discuss Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai, and some of the Total War series' longstanding contradictions. How does balance function in Fall of the Samurai, and how does the campaign structure let down the setting? Why does the AI behave as if it's not sure if it's in a game, or a history sim? How does Fall of the Samurai change the role of gunpowder weapons? Listen here. Rob's Fall of the Samurai Review Phill's review Tom's review

I think one exception to this rule is a question of personal interest. If you really know Civil War-era US politics, Victoria II is going to be a lot more engaging and intuitive than it is for a lot of people. My pal Erik Hanson, who was on our Pride of Nations episode, really got into that game because he actually knows a lot of what's going on in that time period. It gave him a place from which to start figuring out the game. In general, I think the debate between CK2 and EU3 is a good one. I'm with Jon that EU3 is probably easier to learn, but I also think it's easier to be bored while you're figuring out EU3 than it is with CK2. CK2 you've just got more stuff to manage: marriage arrangements, vassal loyalty, plotting, province improvements, etc. Even if you haven't figured it all out, you can more easily track the impact your decisions are having on the game. That is a little harder with EU3, I think, even though it may ultimately be a simpler game.

Hey, just made my account as I begin to move in. Wanted to say hi, and thanks for the warm welcome. I'm really glad there are so many Thumbs listeners who dig what we do over at 3MA. I promise we'll continue to be awesome, and so niche we're almost impossible to understand at times.