Space Cats Peace Turtles

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...

We’re chuggin’ along with these Dune Faction introductions, and this week Matt took the lead on The Fremen. There’s a lot of thematic exceptions to rules with the Fremen, all of which lead to a faction that can hit hard, but has very few tricks up their sleeve. Finding allies can be tricky, so where are these sand people supposed to find a win?? Listen and we’ll tell you!   After the guide, there’...

There’s a bit of stalling this week. It was meant to be a Galactic Council episode featuring a Player Profile on our friend Alex. However, scheduling mix-ups have delayed that interview, so for now, we’re going to give you everything ELSE we could have given you! Lots of tournament updates and Hacan strategy guide errata! We should have an interview with Alex out to you soon*. Music provided by Be...

The Spacing Guild in Dune is a faction that makes a lot of money, but has very little battle prowess to back it up. Do you strike at any given opportunity, or hold out for as long as you can? Today we explore how to get your Guild game started. Not to mention some errata for our Atreides and Harkonnen guides.   After the guide, more Twilight Imperium Tournament Updates! We cover 5 more games and g...

We are the Space Cats. You are the Space Cats. We are all Space Cats, and we must seek to be the greatest Space Cats we can be. So, for your furry pleasure (no, not that furry pleasure), we have our Guide on the Emirates of Hacan. It’s a faction that relies HEAVILY on the relationships at the table, which makes it a very difficult guide to spell out, so stick with us while we describe some pretty...

It’s another Dune week, finally! This time, we’re learning how to play Harkonnen. They’re a tricky faction that require a lot of subterfuge. Their abilities don’t amount to a lot if not used properly, so it’s important to think outside of the box!   After the guide, we have a deluge of Tournament Updates. Nine more games were played this week, and we want to keep you up to date on all of them, so...

The Galactic Council is just as into tournament season as we are, and as such they have voted for us to do an episode all about Tournament Drafting. We did an episode recently where we went over this year’s Draft Rules, but we didn’t get to expand on what those rules might result in. So today, we do a handful of Mock Drafts just to get a better look at what kind of strategic thoughts come up with...

2020 is upon us, and the only appropriate way to close out 2019 is with an annual Faction Tier List. An Absolutely Real, Super Important, 100% 2019 Huge SCPT Faction Tier List. This year we chose to approach the list with the tournament in mind, and this tier list is based on the faction when they are played by 6 high-level, Finalist worthy players. It changes up some of our assumptions about a lo...

We survived the holidays, which means we survived yet another Holiday Spectacular. This year’s show was extra special because we were able to play with all of the members of our original Twilight Imperium crew. Most of us played our classic factions, but the game itself was a wild ride with some players taking the game significantly less seriously than others. Today, we chat with one of those play...

Patience_is_a_Virtue is a bit of a legend in the TTS community due to the strange situations he seems to always get himself in. And the reason he gets into these situations? Because he hasn’t told his wife, family, or job that he plays this game online with other nerds. He has quit many times in the past, but the fun community consistently brings him back in. But, the fact that no one in his real...

We went to PAX Unplugged and all we got was the best episode of our show ever. We sat down with Cole Wehrle of Leder Games and discussed his upcoming work-in-progress, Oath. It’s a remarkable game that we can’t wait to sink our teeth into. We cover how to play, what kind of design Cole is trying to achieve, as well as some design insights into his last hit Root, and some notes on his history with...

The tournament is looming over us, and with many players starting to get in practice games this seemed like the perfect time to go over a lot of our rules and expectations for the tournament. But, in addition to our specific guidelines, this episode serves as an analysis of what role we feel the moderator of a game is meant to fill and when it is important to follow strict timing procedure. So hop...

It’s our second official foray into the world of Dune. To get things started, it seemed important to start digging into each of the factions. We didn’t start with something as brave as a “strategy guide,” but getting started with an in-depth overview and analysis of House Atreides seemed safe. They’re a great starter faction, especially if you want to learn the components quickly and have an urge...

Our third new Strategy Guide is for our toughest faction yet. Sardakk N’Orr start with some glaring weaknesses, and many question the power of their only true ability. Today we uncover what could be some reliable strategies to employ and the best ways to overcome these weaknesses.   4:22 Sardakk N’Orr Overview 28:33 Early Game Rounds 56:05 Tech Paths 1:11:30 Trading 1:16:23 Mid Game 1:23:51 Late G...