Rob Zacny

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

Three Moves Ahead 577: Marvel Snap Len and Rowan are joined by Brian "Chef Lu Bu" Smawley and Axe of the Blood God's Eric Van Allen to discuss Marvel Snap, the latest free-to-play comic book card battle sensation. We talk about how it sets itself apart from the likes of Magic or Hearthstone, what our favorite cards are, and which deck archetypes make you an objectively bad person if you play them. Marvel Snap Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 521: Shadow Empire Rob, Jon, and shadow councilor Mike are joined by 3ma Panelist Emeritus Tom Chick to discuss Shadow Empire, a post-apocalyptic sci fi colony management sim with a 300+ page manual. Shadow Empire Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 435: Omnia vincit Roma This week we explore Rome. Not the Total War game (though it gets mentioned), but Rome itself - as a historical interest and as a touchpoint in gaming. If you've listened to the show in the past, it's no secret that several members of our panel have a strong interest in the Roman empire and the fascinating history that surrounds it. In this episode we finally let everyone loose to talk about the period without worrying about a specific game review to guide the discussion. Listen in as Rob, T.J., Rowan, and Troy "I wear socks with caligae" Goodfellow dive deep into their collective knowledge and discuss ancient Rome. Centurion: Defender of Rome, Rome: Total War, Crusader Kings II, Annals of Rome, Defender of the Crown, lots of other Rome games Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 567: Two Point Campus Len and Jon are joined once again by Fanbyte's Mike Williams to talk about their semester abroad in Two Point Campus. Is the humor a bonus or a drawback? How is it, really, as a management game? And what exactly does the Scientography machine... do? We have written a thesis on all of these topics and are ready to defend it. Two Point Campus, Two Point Hospital Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 566: RTS Esports and Stormgate Len is joined by two special guests, Strategy Lead at Vortex Games Trent Murray and Head of Esports at Frost Giant Studios, Trevor "TorcH" Housten. From the glory days of Brood War in Korea to the modern era of "ded gaem", we go over the history of RTS esports, why it was overshadowed by other genres, and what the future may hold. In particular, Trevor has some insights to share on what Frost Giant is doing to create the first "social RTS." Stormgate, Starcraft: Brood War, Starcraft 2, League of Legends, Heroes of the Storm Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 538: Hell Let Loose This week Rob is joined by Ranged Touch's Cameron Kunzelman and PCGamesN's Ian Boudreau to discuss an unusual World War II military shooter that feels more like a tactics game: Hell Let Loose. Hear the stirring tale of trying to explain how to drive a manual transmission to someone who has only ever been in his 2006 Honda Civic during the middle of a war. Find out which war movie officer Rob would be. And by the end, probably have a pretty good idea of whether or not this would be your thing or not. Hell Let Loose Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 482: Radio Commander Troy, Jon, and Rob have been to The Nam and deep in "The Shit" this week as they play Serious Sim's narrative wargame, Radio Commander. To what extent is Radio Commander an actual wargame versus a cleverly disguised RTS choose-your-own-adventure? Does the distinction matter? What are the game's politics, and how do they affect Radio Commander's portrayal of contemporary politics? Most confoundingly, the crew wrestle with whether this is a good game that people should play, or merely an interesting experiment. Radio Commander Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 565: Strategic Command: American Civil War Rowan, Troy, and Ian Boudreau dig into Strategic Command: American Civil War. Taking a very high-level look at the conflict, the focus is much more on the operation than individual battles. It's an ambitious approach for a relatively small studio. Does it pass muster from serious Civil War buffs? And what about Ian? Strategic Command: American Civil War, Grand Tactician: Civil War, Gary Grigsby's War Between The States Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 564: Company of Heroes 3 North Africa Interview Rob sits down with Company of Heroes 3 Lead Gameplay Designer Matt Philip and Senior Designer Will Ward to talk about the recently-released North Africa alpha, which you can play from today until July 19. The Deutsch Afrika Korps is the second German faction to be announced, so what sets them apart from the Wehrmacht? And how do you balance around player attention in a game where you're supposed to zoom in and admire the detail? Company of Heroes 3, Company of Heroes 2, Company of Heroes Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 563: Starship Troopers: Terran Command Len is joined by Sin Vega to discuss Starship Troopers: Terran Command, a bug-splattering RTS that happens to be the first licensed Starship Troopers game in far longer than you may realize. And there's a bit more to it than just StarCraft or Dawn of War with a cult hit sci fi license tagged on, too. I feel like I can't make the "Would you like to know more?" joke again so I'll spare you all that. Starship Troopers: Terran Command Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 558: Dune: Spice Wars Early Access Len, Fraser, and Jon take a look at Shiro Games' Dune: Spice Wars, which just launched into early access. Is this the modern Dune RTS we've been waiting decades for? As it so happens, it ends up igniting an entirely different kind of war in our own ranks. Dune: Spice Wars, Dune your mom Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 562: Songs of Conquest Len and 3MA Radar Technician Mike are joined by Sports Business Journal's Jason Wilson to talk about Songs of Conquest, an early access aspiring successor to Heroes of Might and Magic. We've got frog men. We've got zombies. We've got Generic Human Fantasy Kingdom. Is it worth a look? Songs of Conquest, Heroes of Might and Magic Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 561: Warhammer: 40,000: Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters Len and Rowan are joined by Kotaku's Luke Plunkett and Twitch streamer Casey Explosion to talk about Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters, and also more than a little bit of Mechanicus since we seem to have slept on that one. Is this just XCOM with space marines? And why should you be paying attention to this, the 40,000th Warhammer 40,000 game to release just in the last decade alone? Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters, Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, XCOM 2 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 560: Old World Interview Len and Jon are joined by Leyla and Soren Johnson to talk about Old World's Steam launch and its first big expansion. We got their thoughts on the Early Access process, figuring out how to depict historical cultures like the Hittites when sources are sparse, and where the ancient era 4X might go next. Old World, Civilization, Crusader Kings II Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes