Rob Zacny

Three Moves Ahead 511: Wingspan Troy and Jon are joined by Dicebreaker editor-in-chief Matt Jarvis to discuss the PC version of the award-winning avian card game Wingspan. What are these birds up to? Where are they coming from? Should we be concerned? Why does our producer feel the need to ask you a whole bunch of questions at the end of every episode description these days? What do you think ever happened to those birds that used to sell us cereal on TV? Where did they learn to talk? You know, just curious. Wingspan Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 555: Triangle Strategy This week, Rowan recruits Fanbyte's Mike Williams, freelance writer Kendal Erickson, and 3MA's Correspondent for All Things Three-Sided, Brian Smawley, to discuss Triangle Strategy. The Switch has had some sleeper strategy hits, and we're here to let you know if this one belongs among them. Beware of salt. Triangle Strategy Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 554: Empires and Imperialism with Bret Devereaux Len and Mike are joined once again by Dr. Bret Devereaux (@BretDevereaux), Visiting Lecturer in the Department of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of the blog A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry (acoup.blog). The topic this time around is Empires and Imperialism. What exactly makes an empire? How do strategy games model empires and the process of imperialism, and how could they potentially do better? Header Image: The "Ozymandias Collossus", Ramesseum, Luxor, Egypt by Charlie Phillips via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Europa Universalis IV, Victoria II, Civilization, Total War: Warhammer 3 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 553: Total War: Warhammer 3 Len, Rowan, Fraser, and Jon join forces on one episode for the first time in a long time to talk about Total War: Warhammer 3. With nine new factions, a new story-driven campaign, and a customizable daemon protagonist, it's an ambitious capstone to the trilogy. Pledge yourself to Podcast Undivided and find out how we think it stacks up. Total War: Warhammer 3 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 552: Crusader Kings 3: Royal Court Len and Ian take a look at the first full expansion for Crusader Kings 3, and it's a chunky one. Royal Court adds a full 3D throne room and the ability to interact with your subjects at eye level for the first time. Forging new family heirlooms and new cultures. Has it reignited our interest in CK3? Crusader Kings 3: Royal Court Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 551: HighFleet This week, Jon and Rob dig in to what Rob has dubbed "yet another entry in the crowded Lunar Lander Bullet Hell Naval Wargame Roguelike Visual Novel genre." It's not an easy game to get into, so how did our boi go from cursing its very name to absolutely adoring it? What exactly is this game, anyway? And why should every good fleet commander read the manual? HighFleet Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 550: Expeditions: Rome Len and Troy plunge gladius-first into the Late Republic to win victories on the tactical and strategic scale in Expeditions: Rome. The third installment in the series has more going on than ever before, but is it /too/ much? And what is the correct way to pronounce Cicero, anyhow? We came. We played. We did a podcast about it. Expeditions: Rome Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 549: The Strategy Outlook for 2022 Len and Rowan come in for a low glide over 2022's calendar of strategy game releases to discuss what excites us, what worries us, and what smaller stuff we're keeping an eye on. Will Victoria 3 live up to the hype? Can Marvel's Midnight Suns satisfy our in-house X-Mean aficionado? Will Dwarf Fortress ever actually come out? We don't know the answers to any of these questions, but we can certainly discuss them over a few drinks. Lots Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 548: 2021 Recap Troy and Len are joined by PCGamesN's Ian Boudreau and Fanbyte's Mike Williams to look back on a year that's a bit hard to summarize. Why can't we find a theme to slap on 2021? What were some of the biggest surprises, good and bad? And what were our favorite strategy games in what was, if nothing else, kind of a weird year for them? Lots of games I forgot to write down while I was editing it Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 547: Hearts of Iron IV: No Step Back Len and Kotaku's Luke Plunkett dig into the logistics-laden recent expansion and patch for Hearts of Iron 4 with No Step Back and the Barbarossa Update. How has it changed how we play, and how does HoI4 feel different now compared to launch? We also go into the joys of playing wacky scenarios with historical focuses switched off and making the dumbest tanks the engine will allow. Hearts of Iron 4 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 546: Company of Heroes 3 Multiplayer Interview Rob got to check out a pre-alpha build of Company of Heroes 3's multiplayer, and now he's sitting down with lead gameplay designer Matt Philip and map designer Will Ward. Among the topics on the docket are how the flow and pacing of battles has changed from previous games in the series, keeping familiar factions fresh without betraying their identities, and the challenges of creating maps that appeal to high-level competitive players as well as casual weekend warriors. Company of Heroes 3 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 541: Strategy Games As A Service Len and Rowan discuss the concept of "games as a service" as it relates to the strategy space. Is it a good thing? Has it always been around and we just called it something different? Can you ever really trust a game studio? Are the post-Kripke seasons of Supernatural actually worth your time? Listen to the episode, then check out the Season Pass over on Patreon.com/3ma Crusader Kings 2, Europa Universalis 4, Civilization 6, Darkest Dungeon, Battletech, Total War: Three Kingdoms Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 545: Against the Storm Rowan, Jon, and Ian Boudreau talk about Against the Storm, an early access city-builder that forces you to abandon your cities after a set amount of time. How do these shorter runs affect how we approach the genre? What does a beaver need, on a deeper level, to be happy? And why were we so eager to do an episode on this when early access city-builders are thick on the ground these days? Against the Storm Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 542: The State with Bret Devereaux Len, Rowan, and Mike are joined by Dr. Bret Devereaux (@BretDevereaux), Visiting Lecturer in the Department of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of the blog A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry (https://acoup.blog/). The topic is The State in strategy games. What is a state? What are the advantages and disadvantages of making a game about states, and seeing history through a lens of state action? We talk in particular about how this question applies to Europa Universalis IV. Europa Universalis IV, Victoria 2, Civilization, King of Dragon Pass Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 544: Darkest Dungeon II Early Access Rowan recruits Fanbyte's Steven Strom and long-lost guest Jason Wilson to take a look at Darkest Dungeon II in early access. That's right, five years later we finally put out an episode with Darkest Dungeon in the title. How does it differ from its predecessor? And which of the changes do we actually like? How do we feel about the fact that they can kiss now? How do we feel about a sequel that is deliberately smaller in scope than the original? Darkest Dungeon II Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 543: Age of Empires 4 Len and Ian Boudreau discuss Age of Empires 4, the long-awaited return of one of the RTS genre's defining franchises. What's new and what's been kept the same? And where would we like to see it go in the future? Okay, okay, I'll say the thing: wololo. Get it? It's funny because I said a thing you remember. Humor is when someone says a thing you remember. Age of Empires 4 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 540: A Send Off to Civilization 6 Troy, Len, and Jon sit down to discuss the Civilization 6 New Frontiers DLC pass and where the king of 4X stands in 2021. How does Civ 6 now compare to launch five years ago? How have its modern competitors changed our perception of and relationship with it? Is Sid still the gold standard to beat? Civilization 6, Humankind, Old World Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 508: Star Renegades Rowan and Jon Bolding are joined by Fanbyte's Steven Strom and Waypoint Radio's Ricardo Contreras to discuss spacefaring tactical roguelike Star Renegades. Star Renegades Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 539: Conquest of Elysium 5 Jon and Ian Boudreau talk Conquest of Elysium 5, a lo-fi fantasy tactics game with Dwarf Fortress-like procedural world generation. Lead armies of moose, visit other planes of existence that are doing their own thing while you're not looking, and try to make it as a Senator in an era with no Senate. Do you like to control archers with your numpad? We know you do! Conquest of Elysium 5 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 537: Humankind Len, Rowan, and Fraser gather to discuss Amplitude's Humankind, the Civ competitor that has been looming large over our release radar for the past couple years. How does it compare to Sid Meier's finest work, and even this studio's previous 4X forays? Will it reignite the spark for those who have lost their love for the turn-based march through history? And aside from all that, is this game even done? Humankind, Civilization, Old World, Endless Legend Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 535: Deck Builders Rob is joined by Nicole Clark and Cameron Kunzelman to discuss two recent deck builders: Klei's Griftlands and Abrakam's Roguebook. What do we like and what brings us dismay about each? How do they stack up against other recent paragons of the genre? Where do these types of games fit into the strategy ecosystem? Is boxed macaroni and cheese really that much better if you drop some unsalted butter in there? That's not relevant to the episode. It's just me, Len, asking a cooking question. Griftlands, Roguebook, Slay the Spire Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 536: Slipways Len, Jon, and Mike discuss the indie space "4X without two and a half of the Xes" Slipways. We dig into the benefits of games designed with very strict rules that eventually let you break most of them, as well as having challenging microstrategy games you can finish in about an hour but aren't totally mindless. Slipways Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 534: Dark Deity Rob and Rowan are joined by PCMag's Mike Williams to discuss Dark Deity, a JRPG-inspired indie tactical RPG. What lies beneath the outward riffing on Fire Emblem? What kind of characters will we be bringing to battle, and can we make them kiss? Are numbers even real? Why can Len never come up with a clean way to wrap these episode descriptions up? Is she really just going to let it go out like this? Dark Deity Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 533: Old World Troy, Len, and Jon gather by the fire to discuss Old World, the new ancient world 4X from Civilization IV designer and prolific 3ma guest Soren Johnson. Does the tighter timeframe help or hinder it? Is it just ancient Civ? Is that even a bad thing? How many more questions can I come up with? Does this description still look too short? This is probably a good place to stop, right? Old World Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 530: Total War: Three Kingdoms: Endgame Rob and Rowan are joined once again by Three Kingdoms opinion-haver Brian "Chef Lu Bu" Smawley to discuss Creative Assembly's very odd pronouncement of ending support for Total War: Three Kingdoms. Where did it land and how do we feel about the state it's in? What do we wish had made it in? And what the hell is going on with gates? Total War: Three Kingdoms, Dynasty Warriors Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes