Critical Moves Podcast
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Podcast Overview
<p>Critical Moves is a <strong>strategy games podcast</strong> that takes RTS, 4X, and tactics seriously. Most gaming podcasts don’t even bother with strategy games. We do. Each week we cover real-time strategy, turn-based tactics, 4X empire builders and indie experiments, plus shining a new light on old classics.</p><p>These aren't quick reviews or recycled talking points. It’s sharp criticism and honest discussion about strategy game design. If a game is shallow or broken, we’ll say so. If it does something clever, we’ll explain why it works. We talk to developers and key industry figures, getting into the mechanics and design choices that shape the games we love.</p><p>We're an <strong>RTS podcast</strong>, a <strong>4X podcast</strong>, a place for smarter conversations about tactics and strategy gaming. Critical Moves is made for players who think about systems, mechanics, and design.</p><p>New episodes every Friday.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://criticalmovespodcast.com">https://criticalmovespodcast.com</a></p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
9/30/2024
1 verified contact email on file for Critical Moves Podcast
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Recent Episodes
August 7, 2026
Strategy Simulations and War Games: Where to Start (Ep.93)
<p>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.</p>
July 31, 2026
Strategy Board Games: Eclipse, Dune and the Tension Video Games Can't Match (Ep.92)
<p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p>
July 24, 2026
Sanctuary Shattered Sun: Kickstarter Live! T5 Titans, Shatter & Freeze (Ep.91)
<p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1699050/Sanctuary_Shattered_Sun/">https://store.steampowered.com/app/1699050/Sanctuary_Shattered_Sun/</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/enhearten-media/sanctuary-shattered-sun">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/enhearten-media/sanctuary-shattered-sun</a> </p><p>If you back one strategy Kickstarter this year, this episode makes the case for why it should be this one.</p>
94 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Critical Moves Podcast?
<p>Critical Moves is a <strong>strategy games podcast</strong> that takes RTS, 4X, and tactics seriously. Most gaming podcasts don’t even bother with strategy games. We do. Each week we cover real-time strategy, turn-based tactics, 4X empire builders and indie experiments, plus shining a new light on old classics.</p><p>These aren't quick reviews or recycled talking points. It’s sharp criticism and honest discussion about strategy game design. If a game is shallow or broken, we’ll say so. If it does something clever, we’ll explain why it works. We talk to developers and key industry figures, getting into the mechanics and design choices that shape the games we love.</p><p>We're an <strong>RTS podcast</strong>, a <strong>4X podcast</strong>, a place for smarter conversations about tactics and strategy gaming. Critical Moves is made for players who think about systems, mechanics, and design.</p><p>New episodes every Friday.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://criticalmovespodcast.com">https://criticalmovespodcast.com</a></p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 6 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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