Rob Zacny

Three Moves Ahead 589: 'Board Game' vs 'Simulation'-style Strategy Games It's an all-star panel as Len and Mike Williams are joined by Mohawk Games' and Idle Thumbs' own Soren Johnson and Paradox Tinto's Johan Andersson to chip away at a tricky target: the different design goals between a more "Board Gamey" strategy game like Civilization and the "Simulationist" breed exemplified by Europa Universalis. We discuss what we like and don't like about each one, who the audiences are for each, and how to navigate the significant overlap in those audiences. In the end, maybe it's not as adversarial after all... Hoo boy, a whole bunch, I didn't write them down Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 574: Victoria 3 The long-awaited steel and steam macroeconomics simulator from Paradox has finally graced us with its presence, and we've assembled a League of Extraordinary Lady and Gentlemen to discuss it. Len and Jon are joined by Kotaku's Luke Plunkett, PCGamesN's Ian Boudreau, and our good friend from UNC Chapel Hill, Dr. Bret Devereaux to analyze this absolute behemoth of a game from every angle. Hold on tight and keep your arms and legs completely inside the podcast. We're about to leave the station for an epic episode. Victoria 3, Just Victoria 3 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 591: Darkest Dungeon 2 Rowan, Len, and Nerium hitch their wagon to Darkest Dungeon 2 and set in for the long haul on this epic-length episode. We discuss some of the ways this sequel is an improvement over one of 3MA's consensus favorite games of all time (that we somehow never did a dedicated episode on), and several ways in which it's not. What kind of parties did we like to roll with? How have things changed since early access? And is there a cooler narrator than Wayne June? By the end, you might even get to hear us have a Meltdown! Darkest Dungeon, Darkest Dungeon 2, Hades Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 587: Terra Nil This week, Rowan teams up with Fanbyte's Mike Williams and Kotaku's Luke Plunkett to discuss Terra Nil, a "city builder in reverse" about restoring the natural ecosystem of a devastated planet. We break down what makes this concept so compelling, feelgood, and relaxing, as well as what it could have done differently to fill a more simulationist niche. Terra Nil Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 579: Marvel's Midnight Suns Len and Fraser are joined by PC Gamer's Evan Lahti to discuss Marvel's Midnight Suns. This tactical card battle RPG from Firaxis is a big departure from XCOM... or is it? We gush and grumble about our most and least favorite characters, respectively, break down the combat and progression systems, and learn an important lesson about the true meaning of friendship. Marvel's Midnight Suns, Mass Effect, Into the Breach, XCOM 2 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 590: Wartales Rowan, Nerium, and Luke set off into the fantasy landscape of Wartales to give a glimpse at one of the most robust tactical management games we've seen in a while. They discuss how it's a counterpoint to – and possibly even a commentary on – Battle Brothers in a couple of interesting ways. You'll also hear perspectives from both of its world scaling settings, to help you decide if you'd rather have everything automatically scale to your current party, or tackle the more dangerous, "MMO-style" version where each region comes with a set level and may be deadlier than you're ready for. Wartales, Battle Brothers, Darkest Dungeon Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 582: Europa Universalis IV - Anbennar It's a NoCBcast semi-reunion as Len is joined by Lambert (https://www.youtube.com/Lambert2191) and Father Lorris (https://www.chapelcomic.com/) to discuss Anbennar, our favorite Europa Universalis IV total conversion mod. Have you ever wondered how elite elven archers would fare against 18th Century line infantry? What if the Protestant Reformation was kicked off by the literal death of a god? It's epic high fantasy meets the early modern world and we can't recommend it enough. Europa Universalis IV, Anbennar Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Better late than never, freelance friends Jason Wilson and Rowan Kaiser join Rob for a love-in on Warlock: Master of the Arcane. They discuss how much it improved with patches, how its trans-dimensional map is both amazing and wasted, and how it solves classic problems of the fantasy strategy game. Big thanks to Jonathan Downin for taking on production duties this week. Listen here

Three Moves Ahead 461: Three Kingdoms as a Setting It's rare, but sometimes companies that aren't Koei make a game about the Three Kingdoms. During the runup to the new Total War game, we thought it would be fun to talk about the Three Kingdoms as a setting and the games from that past that have portrayed it well. Are you ready for a deep dive into Three Kingdoms history? No, like, a really deep dive? This week T.J., Rowan, Austin Walker, and guest Brian "Lu Bu" Smawley talk about their favorite factions, historical tidbits, and video game adaptations of this rich period of history. Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dynasty Warriors, Dynasty Tactics, Total War: Three Kingdoms, Kessen II, Strike Force Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 586: Industrialization and Snowballing w/ Bret Devereaux Len and Ian are joined once again by our official unofficial historical consultant, UNC Chapel Hill's Dr. Bret Devereaux, to discuss a couple of interrelated topics: Snowballing in strategy games and the process of industrialization. We take a wide-ranging trek through games and history that touches on different ways developers have tried to put checks on snowballing, what factors prevented real societies from hitting that exponential growth until the 1800s, and which games portray it best. There's also a lot of chat on our exploits in the recent 1.2 patch for Victoria 3, because of course there would be. Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 581: A Look Ahead to 2023 Len, Rowan, and Mike Gillis take peek ahead at the roster of strategy games that are maybe, probably, or definitely coming out (or coming out of Early Access) in 2023. We also take an aside for some informed speculation on what some suspiciously quiet heavy-hitters like Total War and Civilization might be concocting. Also, who is Hooded Horse and why are they publishing everything we're into now? Oh boy, a lot of different games Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 580: 2022 in the Rear View Len is joined by PCGamesN's Ian Boudreau, Fanbyte's Mike Williams, and 3MA Janitor Emeritus Mike Gillis to give a thoughtful post-mortem on the year that was 2022. What were the big ideas? What were our favorite games? What disappointed us? a lot of games Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 573: Crusader Kings 3 in 2022 Rowan is joined by Firaxis Narrative Lead Cat Manning and freelance writer Ruth Cassidy to discuss Crusader Kings 3, two years on. How do we feel about it after all the patches and DLCs? What's great about it, and what's still not so great? And what would our dream version of this game look like? Crusader Kings 3 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 572: Forever Games This week, Len and Jon discuss the concept of the Forever Game: the strategy game you could keep playing from now until the end of time. Do they even really exist? What has come closest for us? And has the trend of continuous development brought them into existence only recently? Civilization, Dwarf Fortress, Crusader Kings 2, Europa Universalis 4 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 576: Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Len and John are joined once again by UNC Chapel Hill's Dr. Bret Devereaux to finally, at long last, discuss Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. We have some mixed feelings about it. What did we love and what did we really not? How do the systems and battles stand up to a military historian's eyes? And at the end of the day, is it actually good? Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 588: The Great War: Western Front This week, Len and Ian welcome military historian Brett Devereaux back to the show to talk about The Great War: Western Front. We discuss what it gets right and what it gets wrong about the trenches, artillery bombardments, and innovative tactics that eventually broke the stalemate. But at the end of the day, does the Western Front of World War I just suck as a setting for a strategy game? The Great War: Western Front Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 568: Farthest Frontier Len and Jon are joined again by UNC Chapel Hill's Dr. Bret Devereaux to discuss Farthest Frontier, a survival city-builder with an uncommon level of historical authenticity. From clearing brush to crop blights, the attention the devs have given to inflicting realistic suffering on our villagers captured our imagination. But does it hold up at this early stage of early access? Farthest Frontier Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 569: Immortal Empires Len, Rowan, Jon, and Kotaku's Luke Plunkett take the plunge into Total War: Warhammer 3's Immortal Empires beta. It's the fullest realization of the promise Creative Assembly made six years ago and one of the most ambitious strategy campaigns of all time. Did the madlads actually pull it off? Total War: Warhammer 3, Immortal Empires Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 571: Terra Invicta SPOILER WARNING! Skip from 44:00 to 58:43 if you want to experience your first playthrough blind to the truths behind the alien threat. Len and Jon take to the stars with Terra Invicta: a wildly ambitious, solar-system-spanning, alien invasion grand strategy games from the makers of XCOM and XCOM 2's Long War mods. The ambition is incredible, but with ambition comes hubris. Is this even a working video game? And if so, who is it for? Terra Invicta Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Bruce and Troy welcome Jake Solomon, lead designer of Firaxis' new XCOM, and interrogate him mercilessly. Jake explains his design choices and the trade-offs he faced in adapting and updating X-COM. Listen

Three Moves Ahead 575: Total War: Warhammer Immortal Empires Interview Len is joined this week by a full squad of developers from Creative Assembly to talk about Total War: Warhammer 3's Immortal Empires beta launch, and what may be to come in the near future. DLC Director Richard Aldridge, Lead Designer Sean Macdonald, Lead UI Programmer Mikaela Lidstrom, and designer William Hakestad talk about everything from the challenges of getting this beast working to their personal favorite start positions, while Len only revels a little bit in the fact that she's the only one here allowed to say "Chaos Dwarfs" without being tackled by a PR handler. Total War: Warhammer 3, Immortal Empires Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 585: Phantom Brigade We have a packed panel this week as Jon is joined by Fanbyte's Mike Williams and Nerium Strom, Waypoint's Renata Price, and Freehold Games' Brian Bucklew to hop into the cockpit on Phantom Brigade. This is far from the first turn-based mech game we've talked about, so why were there so many people excited to talk about it that we couldn't even include them all on one show? What are our biggest criticisms, and why did we end up digging it regardless? Phantom Brigade, Gundam, Battletech, other mech stuff Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 584: Company of Heroes 3 Rob and Ian are joined by Kotaku's Luke Plunkett to dig in to Company of Heroes 3. The long-awaited World War II RTS left us with mixed feelings, between a dynamic campaign that just doesn't really work and some of the best battle maps the series has ever seen. So how does it all stack up when the smoke clears? And what about that North Africa operation? Company of Heroes 3 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 583: Religion Revisited Len, Jon, and Ian kick off what is to be an ongoing series revisiting some big ideas in strategy games that we haven't covered since Ye Olde Podcast Days of Yore. This time around, we're taking a fresh look at religion, which we last gave its own show waaay back in 2009. How have strategy games changed their depiction of spiritual practices in the last decade or so, and how are they still stuck in certain ruts? We also discuss some of our favorite non-standard takes on religion like Frostpunk and Terra Invicta, and share some thoughts on what we'd like to see done differently. Sid Meier's Civilization, Crusader Kings 3, Victoria 3, Terra Invicta, Frostpunk, Pentiment, Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic, Old World Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 578: Slaves to Armok: God of Blood Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress Jon and Len are joined by Fanbyte's Mike Williams and freelance writer Gita Jackson to celebrate and discuss the steam release of Dwarf Fortress. We dig greedily and deep into what makes this game so special, the moments we'll always remember, and some of our favorite little guys. Slaves to Armok: God of Blood Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes