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

Nearing the end of the SanSan Cycle, we come to Old Hollywood. But always fashionably late to the party, Old Hollywood is replete with glitz, glamour and a heap of interesting new cards. NBN's Executive VP for Media Relations Leigh Alexander joins us to sort the masterpieces from the award bait.

Terminal7 36: Amusement Unshackled

Len and Brian "Chef Lu Bu" Smawley are joined by friend of the show Diana to peek into the near distance at the strategy games we're interested in that have announced or probable release dates in 2026. It's going to be another big year for city-builders! Also, is Total War 40K even a good idea?

Games discussed: Total War: Warhamer 40,000, Dawn of War 4, Menace, Slay the Spire 2, Nova Roma, Norse: Oath of Blood, DarkSwitch, Battlestar Galactica: Shattered Hopes, Beyond These Stars, SkyRig, SpaceCraft, Game of Thrones: War for Westeros, Star Wars: Zero Company

Three Moves Ahead 645 - 2026 Look Ahead

This week, Rowan and Luke contemplate the inherent class struggle implied by feline-rodent relations in another delightful, furry-adjacent city builder with Whiskerwood. In this world, the cat tax doesn't simply mean posting a pet pic to thank people for reading your wall of text modding tutorial. It's wealth extracted from the whiskered workers by feline overlords in a distant land. The solution, once again, might be trains.

Three Moves Ahead 646 - Whiskerwood

Len and Jon get tactical with the squad-based space marine (in the classical sense) platoon simulator, Menace. Because war is actually about Family.

Three Moves Ahead 647 - Menace Early Access

Len is joined by long-time friend and collaborator, real life video game lawyer D.M. Schmeyer, to reconnect over tales of nearly 30 years nerding out together and discuss what we're currently in to and up to.

Games Discussed:
The Necromancer's Tale
Amorantus
Esoteric Ebb

Three Moves Ahead 647.5 - Len and D.M. Join the Yakuza (WtHTI Patreon Preview)

Idle Thumbs is an independent podcast network whose podcasts span comedy, pop culture and entertainment, video games, and TV.