Critical Moves - Strategy Gaming

Jack and Adam dig into how strategy games model their economies — from Victoria 3's fully simulated supply and demand to Stellaris treating resources as a means to an end. Along the way they cover limited versus unlimited resources, why money can feel like a cheap way out of a tight spot, the wildly different scales games use for wealth, and whether they'd rather play scarce or swimming in surplus. Games discussed include Victoria 3, Stellaris, Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron 4, Anno, Tropico, Civ 6 and 7, Offworld Trading Company, City Skylines and more.

Al is joined by Adam and Jack to work out how to build a strategy library on a budget, or for nothing at all. This one came straight from the Critical Moves Discord: community member Cooper asked us to revisit the cheaper alternatives after Episode 89, so here it is. We get into price tracking with GG.deals and whether the cheap key sites can be trusted, the best free games led by Beyond All Reason, free-to-play routes into Crusader Kings and the wider Paradox catalogue, and whether Xbox Game Pass and Prime Gaming earn their keep. From there it is the case for playing older titles, GOG and its preservation work, the games that never seem to leave the sale page, and the modding scenes that turn a cheap base game into hundreds of hours. Got an episode idea? Come and suggest one in the Discord.

Beyond All Reason — https://www.beyondallreason.info/

0 A.D. — https://play0ad.com/

OpenTTD — https://www.openttd.org/

OpenRCT2 — https://openrct2.io/

Unciv — https://yairm210.github.io/Unciv/

FreeCiv — https://www.freeciv.org/

OpenRA — https://www.openra.net/

OpenXCOM — https://openxcom.org/

Mindustry — https://mindustrygame.github.io/

Jack, Adam and Nuno get into strategy simulations and war games: what separates a war game from an RTS or a turn-based strategy title, why so many people love the idea of them but bounce off the reality, and how to find a stepping stone over the barrier to entry. They work through Ultimate General: Gettysburg, Combat Mission, Men of War and Call to Arms, the abstraction problem, and whether Stellaris even counts as a simulation. It winds up in X4, War Thunder and mil sims like Squad, Hell Let Loose and Arma, and whether those belong under the war gaming umbrella at all.

Tim and Adam step away from the screen this week to talk about strategy on the tabletop. It turns out board gaming and strategy gaming sit right next to each other, and the two get into what the medium does better than a PC ever could.

They make the case for Eclipse: Second Dawn as the finest strategy board game ever made, argue over whether Twilight Imperium is worth an eight hour commitment, and marvel at the Europa Universalis board game that ate a whole weekend and still only reached the halfway point. Along the way they dig into the real divide in board gaming, victory point optimisation versus everything else, and why direct conflict at the table can end friendships in a way a stranger on the internet never could.

There's plenty on the crossover too: how deck builders like Dune: Imperium shaped Hearthstone and Balatro, why Tabletop Simulator captures the social side more than the play, and where the Civilization adaptations get it right and where they fall flat. The 1979 Dune gets its due as a masterclass in asymmetry, and the episode closes with first game recommendations and a handful of honourable mentions.

Jack and Drexy are joined by nine2 and FoneE from Enhearten Media, the team behind Sanctuary: Shattered Sun, on the day their Kickstarter and free demo finally go live. This is a proper deep dive: five years of development, the technical architecture that took most of that time to get right, and the three hero features that make this RTS stand out, a Dyson sphere battlefield you can physically shatter, a freeze mechanic that turns oceans to ice, and the colossal T5 titan units built to end stalemated games outright.

The conversation covers the studio's Patreon-to-Kickstarter transition, why they chose to launch with a working demo rather than a wish and a trailer, how the stretch goals are structured from finishing land combat through to air units, campaign missions and beyond, and the team's philosophy on balance, community modding and keeping a game alive for decades without relying on live servers. There is also a candid section on why communication has been patchy for years, and what changes now that the big Kickstarter reveal is behind them.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1699050/Sanctuary_Shattered_Sun/ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/enhearten-media/sanctuary-shattered-sun

If you back one strategy Kickstarter this year, this episode makes the case for why it should be this one.

Marking episode 90 with the only decade fitting for the number, Al is joined by Joe, Adam and Drexy to work through the strategy games of the 1990s and the genres they created. The conversation covers Sierra's city builders including Caesar 3 and Pharaoh, the birth of the RTS through Dune 2 and the Westwood versus Blizzard debate, the rise and eventual oversaturation of Command and Conquer clones, and how Starcraft's competitive scene in Korea gave it a longevity that outlasted Westwood's single player dominance. There's a proper detour into esports history, tracing a line from Quake through Starcraft and Counter-Strike to League of Legends and Dota, and a genuinely surprising story about Games Workshop turning down Blizzard's request for a Warhammer licence, a decision that arguably shaped Warcraft and eventually World of Warcraft. The group also covers the birth of 4X games with Civilization, Master of Magic and Master of Orion, god games through Populous and Megalomania, the console versus PC strategy divide, and closes with recommendations for which 90s strategy games are still worth playing today.

https://dark-reign.net

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Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and Monday news updates. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.

Al, Drexy, and Joe tackle a question hitting every strategy gamer's wallet: is modern gaming too expensive? From the RAM price surge and the Steam Machine's launch price to Civ 7's $70 tag and Football Manager delisting its own back catalogue, the panel breaks down where the real cost pressure is coming from, and argues the case for mods, indie studios, and simply not buying on day one.

Topics covered: hardware price inflation, console pricing, AAA price increases adjusted for inflation, DLC-as-vehicle releases, indie studios outperforming AAA at the awards, mod culture as a cost-saving strategy, and the ethics of delisting older game versions.

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Critical Moves examines strategy games through weekly Friday episodes and Monday news updates. Six hosts across multiple continents analyze recent releases, forgotten classics, and industry developments without the typical podcast theatrics. We cover real-time strategy, 4X civilization builders, turn-based tactics, and hybrid games that blur genre boundaries.

Drexy hosts this week, joined by Adam and an early-rising Joe (5am and counting). The trio raid each other's Steam libraries for a "Pile of Shame" challenge, picking games none of them have played and forcing each other to give them a proper go (2-5 hours minimum) before reporting back.

Adam gets handed Warhammer 40K: Gladius – Relics of War by Drexy and Terra Invicta by Joe, complete with a rundown of Gladius's brutal AI (built by a modder-turned-freelancer) and a full strategy briefing on playing Terra Invicta as the Initiative. Drexy is gifted Nova Lands by Adam and the original Mount & Blade (with the Prophecy of Pendor mod) by Joe. Joe gets Prison Architect and Warsim: The Realm of Aslona from Adam, plus a Shadow Run: Dragonfall pick from Drexy — with a shared, unplayed copy of Warsim becoming a running joke and unofficial group homework.

Expect tangents on Zephon's end-game crisis problem, Terra Invicta's mid-patch Ukraine war update, and a Rock Paper Shotgun story about a Solium Infernum player who won a match he almost missed entirely.

It's Steam Summer Sale time, and the Critical Moves crew has recommendations. Al, Jack, and Drexy each bring one game they'd recommend to listeners and one they're taking the plunge on themselves this sale. From alien plant invasions to pirate city building, classic RTS nostalgia to gridless town builders, there's something here for every corner of the strategy gaming world. Also: a quick word on the Sanctuary: Shattered Sun Kickstarter launching 14th July. Links below.

Synergy: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1989070

Age of Empires II: https://store.steampowered.com/app/813780

Republic of Pirates: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2103470

Halo Wars: https://store.steampowered.com/app/459220

SpellForce: Conquest of Eo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1581770

Calyx: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3211850

Town to City: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3115220

X4: Foundations: https://store.steampowered.com/app/392160

Sanctuary: Shattered Sun Kickstarter: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/37b88887-7add-479a-a91f-47ecebdf9e5e/landing

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Adam, Jack, and Drexy run through the strategy and tactics releases worth watching in 2026 — from Star Wars Zero Company to Stronghold 4, a pirate city builder from the Tropico team, two suspiciously similar space 4X games, and a medieval combat game that might finally give Mount & Blade some competition.

Games covered: Stronghold 4, Star Wars Zero Company, Corsair Cove, Company of Heroes Anniversary Edition, Fragile Existence, Beyond Astra, Chronicles Medieval, Carthage Bellum Punicum, Grand Tactician Napoleonic Wars, Total Victory World in Conflict.