Idle Thumbs

Rob and T.J. are joined by freelance writer Astrid Johnson to discuss goth girl tactics game Othercide.

For our landmark 500th episode, Rob sits down with Rowan, T.J., Troy, and Bruce to discuss the formative games that made us strategy fans. Buckle in - it's a long one!

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Jon Ingold, who co-founded inkle and is best known for his work in interactive fiction, including All Roads, 80 Days, and the Sorcery! series. They discuss how to get the player to trust the designer, why pursuing fairness can take away what is special about a game, and whether packing should be done in real-time. Games discussed: Creature o...

USgamer's Mike Williams and Kotaku's Luke Plunkett join Rob to talk about Desperados III, the stealth tactics puzzler from Mimimi. They talk quicksaving versus flow, stealth tactics vs stealth immersive sims, and Desperados vs. Shadow Tactics, the previous game from this developer.

In this episode, Soren interviews veteran game developer Jon Ingold, who co-founded inkle and is best known for his work in interactive fiction, including All Roads, 80 Days, and the Sorcery! series. They discuss why Plundered Hearts is his favorite Infocom game, how being a maths teacher is like being a level designer, and when he realized that parsers were a commercial dead-end. Games discussed:...

Rob and T.J. got some hands-on time with an in-development build of Crusader Kings 3, and they have a lot to say about it. Can the medieval strategy sequel live up to its now august predecessor?

The Tenet trailer is the starting point of this week's discussion. Derek and Ric dive into the trailers for all his films and look for the common threads in the marketing of this master of secrets. Trailers Discussed: Tenet, Dunkirk Teaser, Dunkirk Trailer 1, Dunkirk Trailer 2, Inception Teaser, Inception Teaser 2 Inception Trailer, Interstellar Teaser, Interstellar Trailer, Interstellar Trailer 3...

Rob is joined by Cameron Kunzelman and Evan Lahti to discuss Gears Tactics, which adapts the familiar rhythms and dynamics of Gears of War to a turn-based, squad-tactics format with generally positive results.

In this episode, Bruce Geryk interviews veteran game developer Roger Keating, co-founder of Strategic Studies Group (SSG). Roger is best known for his work on the Warlord series as well as many digital wargames. They discuss what it was like to do pathfinding before A*, how SSG worked from home before it was cool, and how to determine who is a game designer. Games discussed: Conflict, Operation Ap...

Kert Gartner loves making VR game trailers, and he's constantly breaking new ground in virtual cinematography and mixed reality. He's been making indie game trailers for about 10 years, and with his years of experience in the feature film VFX industry, he's most comfortable making trailers in After Effects. We discuss how the heck that works, why he wouldn't have it any other way, how he got into...

Rob, Rowan, and Bruno Dias start working the mean streets of City 31 as they discuss XCOM: Chimera Squad.

Elisha Male is a AAA game trailer editor at Hammer Creative in Los Angeles. We talk about her journey from editing emo Kingdom Hearts music videos to editing trailers for AAA games like DOOM Eternal, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Shadow of the Tomb Raider and more! Trailers Discussed: DOOM Eternal, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Elder Scrolls Legends - Heroes of Skyrim, Final Fant...

With the sports world mostly on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sports games have emerged to take their place in some of the oddest ways. Rob discusses this weird moment for sports sims with Troy, Jenn Cutter, and Kat Bailey. They chat about why sim motorsports seem to be working well, but most console sports sims don't seem to have the same resonance. Rob accuses Troy of being the target audie...

Rowan, Jon, and T.J. are joined by Waypoint and Friends at the Table's Austin Walker to once again ask the immortal question: Is Stellaris good now? On the heels of a diplomacy rework and four years of expansions, what has become of Paradox's oddball 4X space child?

Twin Peaks Rewatch 0: The Pre-Episode by Idle Thumbs

Twin Peaks Rewatch 1: Pilot by Idle Thumbs

Twin Peaks Rewatch 2: Traces to Nowhere by Idle Thumbs

Twin Peaks Rewatch 3: Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer by Idle Thumbs

Twin Peaks Rewatch 4: Rest in Pain by Idle Thumbs

Twin Peaks Rewatch 5: The One-Armed Man by Idle Thumbs

Twin Peaks Rewatch 6: Cooper's Dreams by Idle Thumbs

Twin Peaks Rewatch 8: The Last Evening by Idle Thumbs

Twin Peaks Rewatch 7: Realization Time by Idle Thumbs

Twin Peaks Rewatch 9: May the Giant Be With You by Idle Thumbs

Twin Peaks Rewatch 10: Coma by Idle Thumbs