Podcast
Idle Thumbs
Hosted by Idle Thumbs · EN
Idle Thumbs is an independent podcast network whose podcasts span comedy, pop culture and entertainment, video games, and TV.
11episodes
Episodes
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Three Moves Ahead 650 - Slay the Spire 2
4w ago01:09:37Tap to summarizeLen and Jon are joined by PC Gamer's Evan Lahti to Slay the Spire once again in the roguelike deckbuilder sequel. We discuss why our intrepid host is so bad at this game, if she can even be helped, and what the wackiest combos we've seen so far look like.
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Designer Notes 94: Charles Cecil - Part 2
May 403:33:36Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Charles Cecil, co-founder of Revolution Software and best known for his work on Beneath a Steel Sky and the Broken Sword series. They discuss why he made a game about the Knights Templar, how digital distribution changed the publisher-developer relationship forever, and what made the goat puzzle unfair. This interview was started on April 14, 2025. Games discussed: King’s Quest series, Broken Sword series, Beneath a Steel Sky, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Lure of the Temptress, In Cold Blood, Gabriel Knight series, The Da Vinci Code, Darwinia, CLANG, Broken Age, Heavy Rain, Monkey Island series
Transcribe →Three Moves Ahead 649 - Xenonauts 2
Apr 2301:13:09Tap to summarizeLen, Jon, and Sin gear up and get ready to die on the first turn to some BS in Xenonauts 2, a sequel to a throwback to a classic tactics game. We discuss how it stacks up to the old school UFO Defense, the Firaxis reboots, and the best Noah Wyle show, Falling Skies.
Transcribe →Designer Notes 93: Charles Cecil - Part 1
Apr 2001:56:49Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Charles Cecil, co-founder of Revolution Software and best known for his work on Beneath a Steel Sky and the Broken Sword series. They discuss various dodgy tax avoidance schemes, what the Bitmap Brothers faxed to Acclaim, and how to teach players the grammar of adventure games. This interview was started on April 14, 2025. Games discussed: Galaxian, Adventure A, Adventure B, Bandersnatch, World Cup Football, World Cup Carnival, Lure of the Temptress, the Broken Sword series, Beneath a Steel Sky, the Monkey Island series
Transcribe →Three Moves Ahead 648 - Heart of the Machine
Mar 2801:10:00Tap to summarize3MA is finally embracing AI! Okay, not really. But Len and Jon do have many thoughts about Heart of the Machine, a fascinating, story-driven strategy RPG about becoming the world's first sentient computer.
Transcribe →Three Moves Ahead 647.5 - Len and D.M. Join the Yakuza (WtHTI Patreon Preview)
Mar 1401:02:15Tap to summarizeLen 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
Transcribe →Three Moves Ahead 647 - Menace Early Access
Feb 2201:10:22Tap to summarizeLen and Jon get tactical with the squad-based space marine (in the classical sense) platoon simulator, Menace. Because war is actually about Family.
Transcribe →Three Moves Ahead 646 - Whiskerwood
Feb 601:19:39Tap to summarizeThis 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.
Transcribe →Three Moves Ahead 645 - 2026 Look Ahead
Jan 2401:04:05Tap to summarizeLen 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
Transcribe →Three Moves Ahead 644 - 2025 Strategy Games of the Year
Jan 101:49:05Tap to summarizeLen, 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
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