It’s Day 5 and PSG.LGD finally face off against their TI8 rivals, OG (formerly Monkey Business), in one of the most anticipated matches of the International Dota 2 Championships in Shanghai. Luckily, esports researcher and MIT professor T. L. Taylor joins us to discuss our experiences both inside the stadium during an intense match full of cheers and jeers and then outside during an equally intense session of bartering for blind boxes, swag bags, and secret shop spoils. From one of the most memorable matches of the tournament to tournament memorabilia, in this episode T. L. helps us make sense of the monkey business.

Every Game in This City

Every Game in This City 207: Monkey Business

In this episode, Soren and Leyla interview independent game developer Chris DeLay, co-founder of Introversion Software and best known for his work on Uplink, Darwinia, Defcon, and Prison Architect. They discuss how to play Prison Architect without a prison, why the game needed cutscenes, and how to design an economy when the world is ending. This episode was recorded on March 24, 2022.

Games discussed: Prison Architect, Scanner Sombre, The Last Starship, Academia: School Simulator, Road to Ruin, Oxygen Not Included, Dwarf Fortress, Old World

Designer Notes 69: Chris Delay - Part 2

In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Justin Ma, co-founder of Subset Games and best known for his work on FTL and Into the Breach. They discuss how he bombed his first game industry interview, why the AI in FTL can’t behave like a human, and whether Into the Breach should have unlimited undo. This episode was recorded on March 24, 2022.

Games discussed: Pitfall, Manhole, StarTropics, Top Sin, FTL, NetHack, Stone Soup, Spelunky, Into the Breach, XCOM series, Wildermyth, Old World

Designer Notes 70: Justin Ma

In this episode, Soren and Leyla interview veteran game designer Harvey Smith, best known for his work on the Deus Ex and Dishonored series. They discuss what TDA stood for at Origin, if Dishonored is just Thief but faster, and why it is sometimes better to be heavy handed. This episode was recorded on March 23, 2022.

Games discussed: Pong, Adventure, Defender, Dungeons and Dragons, Elden Ring, Ultima Underworld, System Shock, Fireteam, Deus Ex series, Dishonored series, Redfall

Designer Notes 72: Harvey Smith

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game designer Liz England, best known for her work on Scribblenauts, Sunset Overdrive, and Watch Dogs: Legion. They discuss how she organized her mom’s RPG inventories, what is the boiling point of a lion, and whether system complexity matters if the player can’t see it. This episode was recorded on September 17, 2022.

Games discussed: Alice in Wonderland, Time Zone, The Outer Wilds, Might and Magic: World of Xeen, Heroes of Might and Magic, Unreal, Drawn to Life, Scribblenauts series, Resistance 3, Sunset Overdrive, Sea of Thieves, Watch Dogs: Legion, Old World, Crusader Kings series, The Sims series

Designer Notes 73: Liz England

In this episode, Soren and Leyla interview veteran game designer Charlie Cleveland, founder of Unknown Worlds and best known for his work on Natural Selection and Subnautica. They discuss why Charlie Cleveland moved to Cleveland, how he did Kickstarter before Kickstarter, and whether Subnautica was intended to be a survival game. This episode was recorded on March 20, 2022.

Games discussed: Pong, Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Diplomacy, Aquarium Fighter, MindRover, Empire Earth, Natural Selection, Roblox, Natural Selection 2, Subnautica, Don’t Starve

Designer Notes 74: Charlie Cleveland

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Trent Kusters, co-founder of League of Geeks, best known for the strategy game Armello. They discuss why Armello has so much output randomness, whether they fudge the odds, and how to turn off a Game-as-a- Service. This episode was recorded on September 8, 2023.

Games discussed: Armello, Magic: The Gathering, Solium Infernum, Talisman, Old World, Tharsis, Jumplight Odyssey

Designer Notes 79: Trent Kusters - Part 2

Len is joined by Dr. Bret Devereaux and Chapel Comic creator Father Lorris to take a look at Victoria 3 one year later. Is this a game that deserves to stand beside Paradox's best yet? And if not, what's it still missing? We play armchair game dev for an hour and a half and unpack the difficulty of modeling both the beginning and the end of one of humankind's most momentous centuries with a common set of mechanics.

Three Moves Ahead 601 - Victoria 3: One Year Later

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Jake Solomon, best known for the XCOM reboot and Midnight Suns. They discuss how much money he had to give back to Accenture, how to animate multiple units at the same time, and why Sid suddenly started golfing so much. This episode was recorded on April 25, 2023.

Games discussed: Sopwith, Silent Service, Zork, Jumpman, Ultima V, Falcon 4, F-19 Stealth Fighter, Pirates!, Dungeons and Dragons, X-COM: UFO Defense, Midnight Suns, Warcraft 2, Doom, Duke Nukem, Age of Empires 2, Civilization 3, Dinosaurs!, SimGolf, Civilization 4, Civilization: Revolution, XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Designer Notes 80: Jake Solomon - Part 1

In this episode, Soren interviews noted game investor Mitch Lasky, best known for his work as a venture capitalist at Benchmark, as the CEO of JAMDAT, and as an executive at Activision and Electronic Arts. They discuss how the Doom shareware model was a preview of free-to-play, why a console transition led to EA buying Maxis, and how Jamdat pioneered paying for visibility on mobile. This episode was recorded on October 23, 2023.

Games discussed: Pong, Computer Space, Robotron, Seven Cities of Gold, Secret of Monkey Island, Civilization: Call to Power, The Lion King, Aladdin, Classic Text Adventure Masterpieces of Infocom, Quake III Arena, Doom, Spore, Journey, Sky, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Deer Hunter, Doom RPG, Half-Life, Team Fortress, Counter-Strike, League of Legends

Designer Notes 82: Mitch Lasky - Part 1

In this episode, Soren interviews noted game investor Mitch Lasky, best known for his work as a venture capitalist at Benchmark, as the CEO of JAMDAT, and as an executive at Activision and Electronic Arts. They discuss how the industry’s business models have always affected design, why he was wrong about the Halloween pack ruining League of Legends, and why the litigation leaks are better than GDC. This episode was recorded on October 23, 2023.

Games discussed: League of Legends, Hearthstone, StarCraft, Civilization 6, World of Warcraft, Pentiment, Offworld Trading Company, Flow, Sky, Journey, Grand Theft Auto V, Stormgate

Designer Notes 83: Mitch Lasky - Part 2

In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Zach Barth, best known for his puzzle games, including SpaceChem, Infinifactory, Shenzhen I/O, and Opus Magnum. They discuss why he never originally wanted to make money on his games, why puzzle games are terrible, and whether he has ever played Minecraft. This episode was recorded on September 11, 2023.

Games discussed: Duke Nukem, Star Wars: Empire at War, Civilization III, SpaceChem, Infiniminer, Minecraft, The Codex of Alchemical Engineering, Motherload, Civilization IV, Last Call BBS, MOLEK-SYNTEZ, Ironclad Tactics, Opus Magnum, Mobius Front ‘83, Infinifactory

Designer Notes 84: Zach Barth - Part 1

In this episode, Soren interviews independent game developer Zach Barth, best known for his puzzle games, including SpaceChem, Infinifactory, Shenzhen I/O, and Opus Magnum. They discuss why he made a game about assembly language, how he guaranteed that Fortune’s Foundation is winnable, and whether he knows how to make fun games. This episode was recorded on September 11, 2023.

Games discussed: Infinifactory, TIS-100, Counter-Strike, Ricochet, Zortex, Alien Swarm, Shenzhen I/O, Zachtronics Solitaire Collection, Opus Magnum, Exapunks, MOLEK-SYNTEZ, Last Call BBS, Eliza, Mobius Front ‘83, Picross

Designer Notes 85: Zach Barth - Part 2

In this episode, Soren interviews Anton Strenger, best known for his work on Civilization 5, Civilization 6, and Beyond Earth. They discuss how he ended up paying Carnegie Mellon so that he could work at Firaxis, why there aren’t many Great People after 1900, and whether Civilization has secretly become a live-service game. This episode was recorded on October 22, 2023.

Games discussed: ESPN Extreme Games, Quest for Glory 4, Pokemon series, Suikoden II, Alpha Centauri, Civilization series, Old World, History of the World

Designer Notes 86: Anton Strenger

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game designer Caroline Marchal, best known for her work on Heavy Rain, Beyond Two Souls, and As Dusk Falls. They discuss whether narrative games should show all paths to players, should we care if characters walk up stairs correctly, and how Heavy Rain was built for non-gamers but enjoyed the most by gamers. This episode was recorded on September 6, 2024.

Games discussed: Tetris, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid, Phantasmagoria, Grim Fandango, Ryzom, Omikron, Fahrenheit, Heavy Rain, Detroit Become Human, As Dusk Fall, Beyond Two Souls

Designer Notes 87: Caroline Marchal - Part 1

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game designer Patrice Desilets, best known for his work on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the Assassin’s Creed series, and Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey. They discuss being hired as the first developer at Ubisoft Montreal, the similarities between improv theater and game design, and why he wants to remove UI from his games. This episode was recorded on April 15, 2025.

Games discussed: Lode Runner, Choplifter, Metroid, Legend of Zelda, Mario Kart, Hype: The Time Quest, Chrono Trigger, Donald Duck: Goin’ Quackers, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Rainbow Six, the Civilization series, Prince of Persia, Knockout Kings, Assassin’s Creed

Designer Notes 89: Patrice Desilets - Part 1

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game designer Patrice Desilets, best known for his work on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the Assassin’s Creed series, and Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey. They discuss why they couldn’t put rewind into Assassin’s Creed, the problem with designing for a meeting, and why he needed to have players beat up the pope. This episode was recorded on April 15, 2025.

Games discussed: Assassin’s Creed, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the Civilization series, Assassin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, 1666 Amsterdam, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey

Designer Notes 90: Patrice Desilets - Part 2

With Stormgate leaving Early Access alongside the release of its first full single-player campaign, Ashes of Earth, Len chatted with Frost Giant's Top Tims, Tim Morten and Tim Campbell, about what has changed in the last year and what this new chapter means for the RTS.

Check out this wild custom map made without triggers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSjGR4HGuiU

Three Moves Ahead 637 - Stormgate: Ashes of Earth Interview

Timberborn is one of those Early Access games that we missed covering at its original launch, and we're not sure when it's going to be actually done... so what better time to talk about it than now, honestly? Len, Ian, Mike, and Sin sink their oversized incisors into the beaver city builder to discuss its ecological themes, potential for hydrological urbanism, and where it's at in its development journey.

Three Moves Ahead 638 - Bobr

Len, Ian, and Fraser are placed onto the battlefield from strategic reserves to talk about the past and future of Dawn of War. The past: the recent Dawn of War: Definitive Edition and how well it holds up for a 20-plus-year-old game. The future: Dawn of War 4, which Len and Fraser both got some hands-on time with.

Three Moves Ahead 639 - The Past and Future Dawn of War

Len and Mike are joined by Ruth Cassidy and Sin Vega to give some early impressions of Endless Legend 2's Early Access launch, as well as a whole bunch of other stuff we've been playing, in this chill variety chat.

Games discussed in order of mention: Endless Legend 2, Zephon, Feastopia, The Alters, Against the Storm, Hades 2, The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily, Town to City, Rise of the White Sun, Tempest Rising, Victoria 3, Silent Hill f, Super Robot Wars Y

Three Moves Ahead 640 - Endless Legend 2 & Friends

Len, Rowan, and Jon are at last granted the liberty to speak on their experiences with Europa Universalis 5, Paradox's latest and most ambitious grand strategy game. Is it actually good? Is it even possible to evaluate it in a that straightforward of a way at this point? And why has it turned Rowan into The Joker?

Three Moves Ahead 641 - Europa Universalis 5

In this episode, Soren interviews Tomislav Uzelac, best known for his work on the Unity of Command series. They discuss how he taped his first games from a radio station, building the MP3 encoder for Winamp, and whether there is a solution to snowballing in campaign modes. This episode was recorded on April 15, 2025.

Games discussed: Sid Meier’s Pirates!, Centurion: Defender of Rome, the Panzer General series, the Unity of Command series, Old World

Designer Notes 91: Tomislav Uzelac

Len and Jon are joined by But Why Tho?'s Kate Sánchez and CGMagazine's Dayna Eileen to build Rome in a day with Anno 117: Pax Romana. We discuss the series history and our jumping-on points with it, what's different about this one, and how it serves as an interesting lens through which to view the height of the Imperial Era.

Three Moves Ahead 642 - Anno 117: Pax Romana

Len, Nerium, and Mike kick back to highlight some of our favorite strategy and non-strategy games of 2025 that didn't make it to a full episode. There were how many Roman city-builders this year? And yes, sports management games do count as strategy. Even that one.

Games discussed: Nova Roma
Look Outside
Lisa the Painful
Total War Warhammer: Tides of Torment
Skin Deep
Ambrosia Sky
Demonschool
Phantom Brigade
Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream
Crusader Kings 3: All Under Heaven
Mount & Blade 2: War Sails
Cities Skylines 2
Victoria 3: Iberian Twilight
Death Howl
Heroes of Might & Magic: The Olden Era
The Case of the Golden Idol
Enigma Trilogy

Three Moves Ahead 643 - 2025 Catch-Up

In this episode, Soren interviews Paul Kilduff-Taylor, best known for his work on Frozen Cortex and the Frozen Synapse series. They discuss whether a sword-fighting game should be controlled with a mouse, why Frozen Synapse uses simultaneous turns, and how it ended up as one of the first indie games on Steam. This episode was recorded on July 15, 2025.

Games discussed: Contraption, Wing Commander series, King’s Quest series, Ultima series, The Longing, Determinance, Frozen Synapse series, DEFCON, Flotilla, Offworld Trading Company, Advanced Wars series, Old World, Frozen Cortex, Tokyo 42, The Colonists, Fights in Tight Spaces, Citizen Sleeper, Into the Breach, Slay the Spire, Prison Architect

Designer Notes 92: Paul Kilduff-Taylor

Len, Mike, and Luke pop the champagne and discuss the Strategy Games of the Year for 2025. And we can't really talk about the year in strategy without dwelling on the big theme of Disappointment. But all is not woe, because we played plenty of stuff we loved this year, too!

Stay tuned after the main show for a chunky, free preview of this year's final Patreon bonus episode!

Games Discussed: Civilization 7, Endless Legend 2, Europa Universalis 5, Crusader Kings 3, Stormgate, Broken Arrow, Two Point Museum, Jurassic World Evolution 3, Burden of Command, Anno 117, Master of Command, Cataclismo, Tempest Rising, Phantom Brigade, 9 Kings, The King is Watching, Drillcore, Pioneers of Pagonia, The Great Villainness: Strategy of Lily, Heretic's Fork, Tavern Keeper

Three Moves Ahead 644 - 2025 Strategy Games of the Year

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