Space Cats Peace Turtles

Hunter is hitting the road this week, moving back to Arkansas to be with his baby daddy. In lieu of time to record a proper episode, Alec is here to fill the gap yet again with another Fireside Chat. This time, he sits down with Weird Bear Fargoness and his son, GenCon 2019 Finalist Xenofeline. There aren’t many father/son duos in our community, and the humor and skill these two both bring is so v...

Winnu Winnu, Chicken Dinnu. It’s a faction so bad at winning that they have a celebratory catch phrase. How did we get here? Is there a trick to all of this that makes Winnu truly viable? Or is every win just a fluke? Let’s talk about “strategy” for the faction that really really really wants Mecatol Rex and basically nothing else. Also, if you prefer three and four player games...I’m really sorry...

Birds, man. Lemme tell ya. This was a tough nut to crack, but eventually we found some comfort with The Eyrie Dynasties in Root. They are a good faction, but they can, at times, feel a bit tough to learn and unlock the full potential of. Half programming, and half slow-burn, the Eyrie makes for a faction that, when things go wrong it can feel crippling. But when things go right, they are among the...

Open up your cosmic history books and get yourself ready for story-time!   Today Hunter and Alec the person sat down together to talk about the Lore of Twilight Imperium 4th edition. We talk a lot about the opening crawl in the learn to play book and dive deep into several faction sheets. It was actually super fun and I feel a new sense of appreciation for the writing in these games. LIKE DID YOU...

Introducing a new show within the show, FIRESIDE CHATS.   This week enjoy some special programming from community favorite Root, AKA Alec. Today (actually in April) he sat down with one of our favorite players of all time MAGI to have a wide-ranging conversation about strategy games, TI, and tournaments.    Check out the beginning of the episode for this week’s rundown and general announcements an...

She is industrious. She is stalwart. She is really hard to win Root with. She is the Marquise de Cat. What is often used as the “learning” faction for Root is the one with some of the most problems to overcome. So, to help you in your process of learning all of the varied faction in Root, we wanted to present this overview of the Cats!   6:19 - Abilities & Setup 19:14 - Birdsong, Daylight, & Eveni...

The time rift is still open and the universe is in absolute chaos. This episode careens back and forth between pre-baby and post-baby Matt, and you can expect more in the weeks to come. While Matt and Hunter are trapped in this time loop, they found a chance to talk about the L1z1x Mindnet. Enjoy that talk before eternity folds back in on itself and we all wake up as cyborgs.    Section Outline: ...

Today we’re going to mind-meld with the psychic reptiles we love so much, The Naalu Collective! Listen as Matt and Hunter unveil their Naalu strategy guide! Also we have entered the Baby arc of the show where Matt and Hunter will begin hopping through time as they record many episodes early for air so that the baby will have plenty of Matt time. Also stay tuned to the end for a live update on that...

Our original plan was to make an overview episode for the Marquise de Cat in Leder Games’ Root for this week. But, in setting out on that journey, we realized Root requires a bit more setup. So, this week, we want to cover the key actions at your disposal in Root and the ways they impact your positioning and points. Then, when we DO get to faction overviews, we can use these ideas as a framework t...

Kind of a weird tone to start this week’s episode, but that’s just the vibe these days. Eventually, we talk a bit about the 14 point tournament from last weekend that was a wildly fun party for the community. We’ve got thoughts on 14 point games, winmaking, and streaming TI, so maybe there’s something in there for everyone. We certainly hope everyone willing to listen feels welcome, that’s for sur...

What a world we’re in! Last week was a faction guide, and we’ve got another one hot on it’s trail. Yssaril is a faction all about subterfuge and sneakery, and turns out that can be a difficult tool to wield. Action Cards can be a mighty force, but only with the economics to back them up. So, is this faction good? Come listen and find out!   11:58 Yssaril Tribes Overview 25:21 First Round Strategy...

This episode hit a few snags along the way. Our first recording put us over three, and we ended up getting pillaged, so we had to record another once we’d spent our other episodes. So, here now, finally, is our Mentak Coalition Strategy Guide. They’re a bit more straightforward than some of our previous guides, but that doesn’t mean there are important nuances that any player must tend to. Also, a...

It is time to embark on a new journey! We’ve been honing our skills at Leder Games’ Root, and we want to start this game off the way we start all of our games: learning how to LEARN Root. This is different from your Learn to Play guides out there, and instead we discuss the ways to approach the game and the types of tactics to approach if you hope to develop a real love of this game. Music by Bria...

On this month’s edition of the Galactic Council, they bring you something a bit more off the beaten path. Since we have new tech, it seems the hottest topic is what new possibilities have opened up in the world of “tech paths.” So, today we explore some of that space, while also just brainstorming what non-traditional tech paths we could experiment with with each faction.   But first! Dane Beltram...

Call me Matt. Some years ago -- nevermind how long precisely -- having little or no command counters on my sheet, and nothing particular to interest me on the board, I thought I would sail about a little and see the turtley part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the anger, and regulating the circulation… It’s time to slay my white whale. Join us, for the long anticipated guide to the...

The tournament is over with a stunning final game, but it’s now time to return to some sense of normalcy. How better to get back into the swing of things than to start discussing the new technologies and updated Diplomacy Dane and FFG released on April 1, 2020? Today we analyze the updated Magen Defense Grid, X-89 Bacterial Weapon, and Diplomacy, as well as theorize how that affects some of our re...

You made it, dear listener. It’s been a long road of amazing games, but it all ends this weekend. And to help us cross the finish line, we sat down with each of our finalists to pick their brain about strategy, competition, metagaming, and more. We get a great look at how each of these highly skilled competitors differs in styles, and we’re certain it will make for an incredibly tight race in the...

The Semifinals are officially over, which means we only have one game left of this year’s monumental tournament. But before we can properly introduce our players, next week, we need to go over all of the absolutely wild action that took place over these six games. They were all incredibly memorable, despite Matt’s horrible ability to remember things. Also, you better follow us on Twitch so you can...

We are right at the end of the semifinals, which means this week’s episode is strategy-lite. We played a Three Player game recently, and realized we have covered every other player count, and it was time to give this one it’s day in the sun. We discuss the differences, between 3p and other counts, the pros and cons, and some the strategy to utilize. Additionally, Matt “debuts” his Trident map that...

The Space Witches of Dune are essentially the de facto best faction in the game. They have a plethora of strengths, almost no weaknesses, and some abilities that are downright broken. Today, we break all of that down and take a closer look at how to get started playing the wildly complex Bene Gesserit Music by Brian Kupillas. Find more at wanderinglake.bandcamp.com   Join in on the discussion here...

Coronavirus and tournament have thrown our schedules out of wack! So, what was supposed to be an “extra” episode in the feed is ending up as ep 126! We’ve owed the February Galactic Council Player Profile on our friend Alex for some time now, and we were finally able to sit down with the boy. In this, we discuss his history with TI, his playstyle, and what this great game has taught him. Also, you...

The Galactic Council voted this month to have a discussion about the matchup of Hacan vs Mentak. It’s an interesting dichotomy, especially compared to our last matchup episode, Sol vs Yin. This one is rampant with meta assumptions and a lot of second guessing! Sounds about right when dealing with trade goods and negotiations! Then, we finally complete the Tournament Prelim updates! Also, you bette...

The prelims of our tournament are finally over, which can only mean one thing! It’s time to unveil the map for the 6 Semifinals games. It uses board position as a balancing mechanism rather than raw numbers, and it will hopefully force players into some intense conflict!   See the map for yourself, here ! Then, there are two more Tournament updates! The prelims over, but the overviews will carry o...

We’re nearing the end of our “Learning Dune Factions” series, and before things get a little crazy, we get to take it easy this week with the very basic Emperor. There aren’t many abilities, and many of the Alliances are fairly straight forward. But how do we utilize this basic set of tools to still succeed?   After the guide, there’s three more games worth of Twilight Imperium Tournament Updates!...

Some groups see them every game. Some groups ban them from every game. Everyone knows the Jol-Nar are good. But what MAKES them so good, and how can a player best capitalize on their strengths to find wins in their games? Today, we’re going to break this faction down so that you can make your friends all groan, “Ugh, fine. The fish win AGAIN.”   Then, there are five more Tournament updates! The en...