Rob Zacny

Three Moves Ahead 532: Company of Heroes 3 Interview Relic has announced Company of Heroes 3! Rob and Len were given a chance to give a bit of the new dynamic campaign map a go. Now they're joined by Relic's David Littman and Matt Philip to discuss what we saw and how this long-awaited sequel is coming together. You can check out the pre-alpha preview yourself by heading over to companyofheroes.com. Company of Heroes 3, Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 531: Siege Survival: Gloria Victis Rob, Troy, and Fraser have only a curtain wall and a micromanagement puzzle between them and the invading hordes as they discuss Siege Survival: Gloria Victis. Who will hold out, and who will secretly leave the postern gate open to put an end to the suffering? When are we going to do a show on Going Medieval? What is a siege, if not a larder persevering? Siege Survival: Gloria Victis Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 529: Early Access City Builders In one of our biggest panels ever, Rowan, Fraser, Len, Jon, and Mike are joined by Sin Vega to discuss the many city builders currently stewing in Early Access, or which had a long tenure there. What is the role of Early Access for this genre, and why does it seem to be such a popular starting point? Also, what would we like to see in the next generation of city builders? Cities Skylines, Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic, Dwarf Fortress, Rimworld, Industries of Titan, Cliff Empire, NewCity, Ostriv, Frostpunk, Terra Nil, The Last Haven, Surviving the Aftermath, Going Medieval, Chang’an of Tang Dynasty Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 507: Sid Meier's Sid Meier's Memoir Troy and Rowan are joined by Paradox's Johan Andersson and Mohawk Games' Soren Johnson to discuss the august Sid Meier's recent book, Sid Meier's Memoir. Sid Meier's Pirates!, Sid Meier's Civilization, Sid Meier's Other Games Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 527: Ultimate Admiral: Age of Sail Michael Hermes makes a port of call as Rob, Nick Capozzoli, and Matt Flanigan take to the high seas in Ultimate Admiral: Age of Sail. Rob hates the land combat, Matt hates the way the ships behave like sports cars, Capo greets both with measured approval, and Michael thinks we're all being a bunch of picky jerks looking a gift-horse in the mouth. Ultimate Admiral: Age of Sail Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 528: Hundred Days - Winemaking Simulator Rob and Len are joined by behind-the-scenes mastermind Mike to pursue some millennial agriculture fantasies, step on some grapes, and grit their teeth through a bit of sus localization. Will they taste victory, or find themselves sprawled in an alley with a bottle of $8 chardonnay wondering why they thought they could drop out of school and join a punk band? Are these hypotheticals getting more weirdly specific all the time? Does anyone even read the description anyway? Hundred Days - Winemaking Simulator Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 526: Total War: Rome Remastered Rob, Jon, and Len have taken up their swords and strapped on their sandals to party like it's 2004. What did the original Total War: Rome do right that the series hasn't since? And does it hold up beside its younger, prettier siblings? And why is no one talking about Lone Star? Seriously. It's a great movie. Total War: Rome Remastered Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 525: Unity of Command II - Barbarossa Troy and Rob are joined by Kotaku's Luke Plunkett to discuss Unity of Command II's Barbarossa expansion. How much of the frustration you feel leading the Germans on the Eastern Front comes from any given game, and how much of it comes from the mere situation of leading the Germans on the Eastern Front? Unity of Command II - Barbarossa Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 524: The Total War: Rome Remastered Interview This week, as we prepare for the release of Total War: Rome Remastered, Rob welcomes Creative Assembly's Kevin McDowell and Guy Davidson, who both worked on the original Rome. They talk about the studio's early days and precarious finances, the surprisingly slow-burn success of Rome, and the long development hangover that resulted from CA's old culture of crunch. Producer's note: We weren't able to get an isolated vocal track for one of our guests and there are a few places where there's a definite echo. Apologies for the inconvenience. Total War: Rome Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 522: Suzerain Rob is joined by freelance writer Sin Vega to discuss Suzerain, a branching narrative head-of-state simulator that asks you to make complex decisions about the politics of a small, Cold War nation. Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/3ma Suzerain Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 523: Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic Len and Jon are joined by Alice Caldwell-Kelly and Justin Roczniak of Well There's Your Problem to talk about Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic. May contain revisionism. Check out Well There's Your Problem, a podcast about engineering disasters: wtyppod.podbean.com/ Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/3ma Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 513: 2020 in Review Rob, Rowan, Jon, and Len discuss the year in the rear view. 2020 was a year we'll never forget. But can we say the same about its strategy games? How good was Crusader Kings 3, really? What could our modern leaders learn from Soviet Concrete Simulator? Is RTS back, baby? Tune in and reminisce with us. 2020 in strategy games Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 517: An Interveiew with Lou Coatney The Winter of Wargaming begins with a trip down memory lane with Bruce and wargame designer Lou Coatney, whose career includes not just several great original print-and-play designs but also a robust set of fixes and "mods" to classic wargames. Bruce and Lou also discuss in detail the problems of getting Barbarossa and The Bulge "right" from a design and history standpoint. coatneyhistory.com/ lcoat.tripod.com/ Note: Since this episode was recorded, one of the designers discussed, Tom Russell, has come out as transgender. Please note that while he / him is used on the podcast, her correct pronouns are she / her. Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 520: An Interview with Dana Lombardy Bruce takes the Winter of Wargaming to the Streets of Stalingrad as he interviews acclaimed wargame designer Dana Lombardy to discuss his past, present, and future work. Check out lombardystudios.com where you can still pre-order MacGowan and Lombardy’s The Great War card game at the Kickstarter backer price. Streets of Stalingrad, Khalkhin Gol, The Great War card game Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 518: Panzer Blitz As the Winter of Wargaming presses on, Rob and Bruce discuss the Avalon Hill classic PanzerBlitz and the interplay between game mechanics and the awesome war movie you see in your head. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/3MA Panzer Blitz Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 519: Field of Glory II: Medieval Rob, Troy, and Jon discuss Field of Glory II: Medieval as the Winter of Wargaming enters the Middle Ages. Who are these guys Alexander Nevsky brought to war today? Anybody? Pyotr, are they friends of yours or what? Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/3MA Field of Glory II: Medieval Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 500: Origins For our landmark 500th episode, Rob sits down with Rowan, T.J., Troy, and Bruce to discuss the formative games that made us strategy fans. Buckle in - it's a long one! Warcraft II, Shogun: Total War, Warlords, The Operational Art of War, Harpoon, Eastern Front: 1941 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 515: Faction Design Rob, Rowan, and Len discuss how faction design in strategy games has changed over the years, and the trend toward more specific and asymmetrical mechanics which started in RTS before spreading to the rest of the wider genre. Total War, Civilization, StarCraft, a bunch of other stuff Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 516: Total War: Warhammer 2 and 3 Len, Rowan, and Fraser ally up to discuss all of the updates to Total War: Warhammer 2 since its launch, as we've miraculously not done a show on it since then, and the piping hot announcement of Total War: Warhammer 3. Total War: Warhammer 2, Total War: Warhammer 3, Mortal Empires Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 514: Airborne Kingdom Fraser and Jon are joined by PC Gamer's Rachel Watts to discuss high-flying city builder Airborne Kingdom. Can this unorthodox spin on the classic genre keep our interest aloft? Airborne Kingdom Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 512: Per Aspera STORY SPOILERS! Skip ahead from 58:30 to 1:13:05 to avoid. Rowan, Jon, and Len discuss the new Mars colonization game Per Aspera, and how it weaves branching story into a classic colony builder. Per Aspera Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 510: Möbius Front '83 Rob, Troy, and Jon discuss Zachtronics' Cold War wargame Möbius Front '83. What has it borrowed from the genre's storied past? And what might it have missed from recent years? Möbius Front '83 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 509: The Insider and All The President's Men Troy and Rob discuss two films about exposing the seedy underbelly of the institutions of power: Michael Mann's The Insider and Alan J. Pakula's All The President's Men. How has the film industry's portrayal of investigative journalism and corporate whistleblowers changed with the times? What can each of these stories still teach us today? The Insider, All the President's Men Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 505: Crusader Kings 3 Rob, Rowan, Fraser, and Leana discuss their feelings on Crusader Kings 3 a few weeks after launch. How do we feel now that we've spent more time with the full version? Why does Rob keep sleeping with his grandkids' wives? Listen in and find out! Crusader Kings 3 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Three Moves Ahead 506: Iron Harvest Rob, Troy, and the prodigal panelist Jon Bolding discuss the alt history interwar RTS Iron Harvest. Can a strategy game be good in single-player for the same reasons it's bad in multiplayer? Aren't giant dieselpunk mechs just the raddest shit? Rev up and strap in to find out. Iron Harvest Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes