
Space Cats Peace Turtles
An unofficial podcast for fans of Twilight Imperium and other strategy board games. Each episode is a humorous analysis of mechanics and strategies for new and experienced players alike!
Latest episodes

May 6, 2020 • 1h 16min
Ep 133: Experimental Tech Paths
On this month’s edition of the Galactic Council, they bring you something a bit more off the beaten path. Since we have new tech, it seems the hottest topic is what new possibilities have opened up in the world of “tech paths.” So, today we explore some of that space, while also just brainstorming what non-traditional tech paths we could experiment with with each faction.
But first! Dane Beltrami is going to join us and catch us up to speed with the recent Omega release, as well as the even MORE recent Living Rules Reference 1.3!
Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com
Join in on the discussion here, on our Discord, or at our Board Game Geek Guild. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. And send us your in game moments for Play of the Week! and This Imperium Life at spacecatspeaceturtles@gmail.com
We appreciate all of the feedback and discussion, but there are more ways you can contribute! If you want to join in and decide future games and topics to cover, visit our Patreon

Apr 28, 2020 • 2h 9min
Ep 132: Xxcha Kingdom Strategy Guide
Call me Matt. Some years ago -- nevermind how long precisely -- having little or no command counters on my sheet, and nothing particular to interest me on the board, I thought I would sail about a little and see the turtley part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the anger, and regulating the circulation… It’s time to slay my white whale. Join us, for the long anticipated guide to the Xxcha Kingdom
10:10 Overview
22:20 Round 1 Strategy Cards
55:16 Early Game Problems
1:10:16 Tech Paths
1:22:11 Trading
1:33:13 Mid Game
1:41:00 The Meta and Late Game
Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com
Join in on the discussion here, on our Discord, or at our Board Game Geek Guild. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. And send us your in game moments for Play of the Week! and This Imperium Life at spacecatspeaceturtles@gmail.com
We appreciate all of the feedback and discussion, but there are more ways you can contribute! If you want to join in and decide future games and topics to cover, visit our Patreon

Apr 22, 2020 • 54min
Ep 131: Omega Techs and Diplomacy
The tournament is over with a stunning final game, but it’s now time to return to some sense of normalcy. How better to get back into the swing of things than to start discussing the new technologies and updated Diplomacy Dane and FFG released on April 1, 2020? Today we analyze the updated Magen Defense Grid, X-89 Bacterial Weapon, and Diplomacy, as well as theorize how that affects some of our recent faction strategy guides.
Don’t forget to grab the new technologies and Diplomacy for yourself!
Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com
Join in on the discussion here, on our Discord, or at our Board Game Geek Guild. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. And send us your in game moments for Play of the Week! and This Imperium Life at spacecatspeaceturtles@gmail.com
We appreciate all of the feedback and discussion, but there are more ways you can contribute! If you want to join in and decide future games and topics to cover, visit our Patreon

Apr 15, 2020 • 1h 46min
Ep 130: Road to the Finals 2020
You made it, dear listener. It’s been a long road of amazing games, but it all ends this weekend. And to help us cross the finish line, we sat down with each of our finalists to pick their brain about strategy, competition, metagaming, and more. We get a great look at how each of these highly skilled competitors differs in styles, and we’re certain it will make for an incredibly tight race in the Championship. Please join us, this Saturday, April 18 at 17:00 UTC. You better follow us on Twitch so you can get notified when the game goes live!
Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com
Join in on the discussion here, on our Discord, or at our Board Game Geek Guild. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. And send us your in game moments for Play of the Week! and This Imperium Life at spacecatspeaceturtles@gmail.com
We appreciate all of the feedback and discussion, but there are more ways you can contribute! If you want to join in and decide future games and topics to cover, visit our Patreon

Apr 8, 2020 • 1h 48min
Ep 129: Semifinals Overview
The Semifinals are officially over, which means we only have one game left of this year’s monumental tournament. But before we can properly introduce our players, next week, we need to go over all of the absolutely wild action that took place over these six games. They were all incredibly memorable, despite Matt’s horrible ability to remember things.
Also, you better follow us on Twitch so you can join for the upcoming FINALS!
Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com
Join in on the discussion here, on our Discord, or at our Board Game Geek Guild. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. And send us your in game moments for Play of the Week! and This Imperium Life at spacecatspeaceturtles@gmail.com
We appreciate all of the feedback and discussion, but there are more ways you can contribute! If you want to join in and decide future games and topics to cover, visit our Patreon

Apr 1, 2020 • 1h 11min
Ep 128: Three Player Games
We are right at the end of the semifinals, which means this week’s episode is strategy-lite. We played a Three Player game recently, and realized we have covered every other player count, and it was time to give this one it’s day in the sun. We discuss the differences, between 3p and other counts, the pros and cons, and some the strategy to utilize. Additionally, Matt “debuts” his Trident map that he made over a year and a half ago! Which you can find here: https://www.reddit.com/r/twilightimperium/comments/8zyfjz/the_trident_3_player_map_that_encourages_conflict/
Also, you better follow us on Twitch so you can join for these ongoing Semi-finals!
Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com
Join in on the discussion here, on our Discord, or at our Board Game Geek Guild. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. And send us your in game moments for Play of the Week! and This Imperium Life at spacecatspeaceturtles@gmail.com
We appreciate all of the feedback and discussion, but there are more ways you can contribute! If you want to join in and decide future games and topics to cover, visit our Patreon

Mar 25, 2020 • 1h 11min
Ep 127: Dune - Learning the Bene Gesserit
The Space Witches of Dune are essentially the de facto best faction in the game. They have a plethora of strengths, almost no weaknesses, and some abilities that are downright broken. Today, we break all of that down and take a closer look at how to get started playing the wildly complex Bene Gesserit
Music by Brian Kupillas. Find more at wanderinglake.bandcamp.com
Join in on the discussion here, on our Discord, or at our Board Game Geek Guild. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. And send us your in game moments for Play of the Week! and This Imperium Life at spacecatspeaceturtles@gmail.com
We appreciate all of the feedback and discussion, but there are more ways you can contribute! If you want to join in and decide future games and topics to cover, visit our Patreon

Mar 18, 2020 • 1h 6min
Ep 126: Player Profile: Alex
Coronavirus and tournament have thrown our schedules out of wack! So, what was supposed to be an “extra” episode in the feed is ending up as ep 126! We’ve owed the February Galactic Council Player Profile on our friend Alex for some time now, and we were finally able to sit down with the boy. In this, we discuss his history with TI, his playstyle, and what this great game has taught him.
Also, you better follow us on Twitch so you can join for these ongoing Semi-finals!
Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com
Join in on the discussion here, on our Discord, or at our Board Game Geek Guild. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. And send us your in game moments for Play of the Week! and This Imperium Life at spacecatspeaceturtles@gmail.com
We appreciate all of the feedback and discussion, but there are more ways you can contribute! If you want to join in and decide future games and topics to cover, visit our Patreon

Mar 10, 2020 • 1h 15min
Ep 125: Hacan vs Mentak
The Galactic Council voted this month to have a discussion about the matchup of Hacan vs Mentak. It’s an interesting dichotomy, especially compared to our last matchup episode, Sol vs Yin. This one is rampant with meta assumptions and a lot of second guessing! Sounds about right when dealing with trade goods and negotiations!
Then, we finally complete the Tournament Prelim updates! Also, you better follow us on Twitch so you can join us when those Semi-finals start THIS WEEKEND!
Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com
Join in on the discussion here, on our Discord, or at our Board Game Geek Guild. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. And send us your in game moments for Play of the Week! and This Imperium Life at spacecatspeaceturtles@gmail.com
We appreciate all of the feedback and discussion, but there are more ways you can contribute! If you want to join in and decide future games and topics to cover, visit our Patreon

Mar 4, 2020 • 1h 32min
Ep 124: 2020 Semifinal Map Analysis
The prelims of our tournament are finally over, which can only mean one thing! It’s time to unveil the map for the 6 Semifinals games. It uses board position as a balancing mechanism rather than raw numbers, and it will hopefully force players into some intense conflict!
See the map for yourself, here!
Then, there are two more Tournament updates! The prelims over, but the overviews will carry over into next week as well.
Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com
Join in on the discussion here, on our Discord, or at our Board Game Geek Guild. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. And send us your in game moments for Play of the Week! and This Imperium Life at spacecatspeaceturtles@gmail.com
We appreciate all of the feedback and discussion, but there are more ways you can contribute! If you want to join in and decide future games and topics to cover, visit our Patreon