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Critical Moves - Strategy Gaming

Critical Moves - Strategy Gaming

Written by: Critical Moves Podcast
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About this listen

Critical Moves is a strategy games podcast 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.

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.

We're an RTS podcast, a 4X podcast, a place for smarter conversations about tactics and strategy gaming. Critical Moves is made for players who think about systems, mechanics, and design.

New episodes every Friday.

https://criticalmovespodcast.com

Critical Moves 2024-2025
Science Fiction
Episodes
  • Victoria 3: Is This Now Paradox's Best Game? (Ep.79)
    May 1 2026

    Jack is joined by Tim and Joe for a full episode on Victoria 3. They cover how the game has changed since launch, what the Charters of Commerce and subsequent DLC updates have done to the economic and political systems, and whether it now stands as Paradox's strongest title. The conversation moves through the learning curve, the best nations to start with, the true cost of war, and what the upcoming Russia and China expansions might bring. If you have bounced off Victoria 3 before or are wondering whether now is a good time to get into it, this is the episode to start with.

    More from Critical Moves Podcast:

    Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com

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    Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_

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    Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves

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    55 mins
  • Bad Guys, Evil Factions, and Moral Grey Areas in Strategy Games (Ep.78)
    Apr 24 2026

    Al is joined by Adam and Joe to dig into the role of villains and evil factions in strategy games. The conversation covers standout bad guy characters including Arthas from Warcraft 3, Kerrigan from StarCraft, and Kane from Command & Conquer, before broadening into whether strategy games are uniquely suited to letting players be evil. The discussion moves through Nuclear Gandhi, Paradox's approach to punishing warmongering, Stellaris' crisis mechanics, and the ethics of playing as historical atrocity-committing factions in games like Hearts of Iron 4. The episode closes on a pointed discussion about Gostomel Heroes, a recently released RTS that depicts Russian forces in the Ukraine conflict as heroes, and where the line sits between historical distance and active glorification of war crimes.

    More from Critical Moves Podcast:

    Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com

    Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com

    Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com

    Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify

    Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple

    Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon

    Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast

    Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves

    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.

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    45 mins
  • Our Most Legendary Strategy Gaming Moments (Ep.77)
    Apr 17 2026

    Jack is joined by Timothy and Joe for a campfire session of war stories. Every strategy gamer has them: the run where everything clicked, the lucky seed, the moment the sandbox handed you something you could not have scripted. This week the team shares their most memorable gaming moments spanning World of Warcraft loot drama, a Beyond All Reason tournament upset, Dwarf Fortress hippo economics, Crusader Kings 3 diplomatic chaos, Victoria 2 alternate history, and a Stellaris run that had absolutely no business going as well as it did. Come for the stories, stay for the April Fools chaos.

    Web: https://criticalmovespodcast.com

    Forum: https://criticalmovesforum.com

    Newsletter: https://criticalmoves.beehiiv.com

    Spotify: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/spotify

    Apple: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/apple

    Amazon: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/amazon

    Discord: https://criticalmovespodcast.com/discord

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalmovespodcast

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/CriticalMoves_

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalmovespodcast

    Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/CriticalMoves

    Show More Show Less
    41 mins
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