
Three Moves Ahead
Three Moves Ahead is the leading strategy game themed podcast on the internet. Every week a panel of knowledgeable gamers with strong opinions meets to talk about the strategy and war games of the day, design issues and games in the wider world.
Latest episodes

10 snips
Jul 23, 2021 • 1h 6min
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?

Jul 13, 2021 • 1h 14min
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.

6 snips
Jul 2, 2021 • 56min
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?

14 snips
Jun 28, 2021 • 1h 38min
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?

11 snips
Jun 20, 2021 • 1h 60min
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?

May 29, 2021 • 52min
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?

7 snips
May 25, 2021 • 1h 14min
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.

7 snips
May 8, 2021 • 1h 6min
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.

10 snips
Apr 30, 2021 • 1h 14min
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?

4 snips
Apr 23, 2021 • 55min
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.