Today is the first episode of a new concept for the show: Player Profiles! We find there is value in assessing why a specific player makes the decisions they make. You can use their ideas to better your own play, or use their thoughts AGAINST THEM. For the first one, we break down how Matt has thought about strategy games in the past, and what goes through his head when he plays Twilight Imperium. Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com

Shh! There are many secrets in this episode. This week, Matt and Hunter discuss the value of secret, backdoor politicking in Twilight Imperium, and the different amounts of whispering that seem acceptable within the community. Looking for more feedback on this discussion, so be sure give your thoughts! Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com

Today’s episode is a bit of a stranger topic. But with the Patreon tournament more on our mind, we felt it was best to talk a little bit about the benefits and pitfalls of playing on Tabletop Simulator. We’re hoping this episode sparks more discussion from TTS experts in the community that we can follow up on next week. After our TTS discussion is errata for Tech Skips. Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com

While tech paths are still topical, Matt and Hunter decided to sit down and talk about planets with Tech Specialties, otherwise known as Tech Skips. They break down the different planets themselves, the best techs to skip, and how this impacts different factions' tech paths. After that is errata for the “Always and Nevers” episode from last week. Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com

It’s time for an episode decided on by the Galactic Council! The “Always and Nevers” of Twilight Imperium is our list of somewhat absolutes players should consider when playing. None of this is actually absolute, and there is no such thing as always and no such thing as never. Unless we’re talking about Stymie. Then "Not Even Once..." Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com

Sorry for the late show this week! While Matt was traveling across most of the United States, Hunter sat down with other close friends and discussed getting mad in games of Twilight Imperium. TI has a special ability to get players emotionally involved, and often that leads to explosive results. Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com

It’s our Ding Dang Ol’ Birthday! So it’s time to celebrate. To do so, we’re going to set the strategy and theory-crafting aside, and instead discuss our plans for year two and onward. We’re shifting the focus of the Patreon to primarily revolve around tournament and league play, and so today we break down what a lot of that means for you. We’re very excited to try more tournaments and have a lot of ideas that will require a lot of playtesting, so join us on this adventure, won’t you? Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com

It’s time to finish the fight! This week we complete the trilogy of Optimal Tech Path discussion. This episode is defined by some of the more difficult to pin down factions and leads to some more open ended ideas of what is truly optimal.   Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com

We’re putting off Tech Paths Part 3 this week because we just streamed our very first 14 point game, and there is simple too much to talk about while we still have it on our minds. This won’t be an in depth analysis of 14 point games at large, but instead a breakdown of the game we played and our first reactions to the differences between 10 points and 14 points. This game is available on our YouTube to watch, so if you want to see it first, THEN hear our reactions, go check it out! Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com

Hey look! It’s just what you asked for! It’s more discussions on Tech Paths. This week we cover six more factions Optimal Tech Paths, and breakdown alternatives to those paths. We’ve got five more to go, so looks like there will be a part three!!   Music provided by Ben Prunty. Find more at benpruntymusic.com or benprunty.bandcamp.com