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Idle Thumbs

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

leisure

All Episodes

01:49:05

Three Moves Ahead 644 - 2025 Strategy Games of the Year

Idle Thumbs ·

2026/01/01

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

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03:08:39

Designer Notes 92: Paul Kilduff-Taylor

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/12/26

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,

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01:14:35

Three Moves Ahead 643 - 2025 Catch-Up

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/12/13

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

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01:12:17

Three Moves Ahead 642 - Anno 117: Pax Romana

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/11/22

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.

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02:27:45

Designer Notes 91: Tomislav Uzelac

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/11/18

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

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01:32:37

Three Moves Ahead 641 - Europa Universalis 5

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/11/01

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?

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00:59:54

Three Moves Ahead 640 - Endless Legend 2 & Friends

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/10/09

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

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01:04:21

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

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/09/20

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.

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01:05:32

Three Moves Ahead 638 - Bobr

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/08/16

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.

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01:01:27

Three Moves Ahead 637 - Stormgate: Ashes of Earth...

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/08/05

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

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01:51:04

Three Moves Ahead 636 - Civil War Midlife Crisis

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/07/31

Aftermath's Riley MacLeod has developed a sudden interest in the American Civil War, and we've assembled a 3MA all-star team featuring Rob Zacny, Rowan Kaiser, Len Hafer, and Luke Plunkett to walk him through this difficult and confusing time. We use Ultimate General: Civil War as a launching pad to discuss the conflict itself, the games based on it, as well as the tricky elements of adapting it for an entertainment product through the wonder-filled eyes of a strategy newbie. Inspired by the

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01:41:59

Designer Notes 90: Patrice Desilets - Part 2

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/07/25

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

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01:06:41

Three Moves Ahead 635 - The Strategy Games of Steam...

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/07/12

Len, Mike Williams, and Dominic Tarason run down the most exciting and interesting strategy and tactics games (and a couple from outside our usual wheelhouse) of Steam Next Fest 2025. From squat mechs to Italian vampires, there's a little something for everyone.

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01:44:26

Designer Notes 89: Patrice Desilets - Part 1

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/07/03

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,

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01:11:47

Three Moves Ahead 634 - 9 Kings

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/06/30

Len, Mike Williams, Luke, and Jon roll out the red carpet for 9 Kings, a tile placement base defense game with roguelite elements. It's hard to describe, honestly. But trust us: it's worth a look.

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01:25:58

Three Moves Ahead 633 - Even More EU5

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/05/23

It's Three Moves Ahead Original Flavor as Len, Fraser, and Jon gather for a second panel discussion on the press hands-on for Europa Universalis 5. We discuss how this game made us feel like absolute fools, argue about whether or not Greenland is a good starter nation, and discuss who has the most Troy Energy.

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02:02:18

Designer Notes 88: Caroline Marchal - Part 2

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/05/17

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 how much a narrative game should acknowledge that it is a game, if a 50/50 player split for a binary choice is desirable, and whether you are in the shower or under the shower. This episode was recorded on September 6, 2024.Games discussed: Heavy Rain, Beyond Two Souls, As Dusk Fall, Old World, the Sorcery! series

en

00:42:14

Three Moves Ahead 632 - We Played Europa Universalis...

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/05/08

This is a free preview of this month's Patreon episode. Check out the extended version at Patreon.com/3ma!Len, Lambert, and Lorris have gotten some hands-on time with the Actually Really Announced game Europa Universalis 5! We discuss our impressions, our praises, our gripes, and even some of our most precious wishes.

en

01:08:12

Three Moves Ahead 631 - Cataclismo

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/04/23

Len is joined by special guest Casey Explosion to talk about Cataclismo, a horde defense RTS with a unique, LEGO-like base building mechanic. We touch on the aesthetics, the tactics, and the story, as well as Casey's latest indie recommendations for 3MA listeners.Casey's Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/caseyexplosion Casey's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CaseyExplosion Casey's Steam Curator Page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/28340174-Casey-Explosion/ Get 20% off your first month at

en

01:52:59

Designer Notes 87: Caroline Marchal - Part 1

Idle Thumbs ·

2025/04/19

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

en

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