Three Moves Ahead Three Moves Ahead 645: 2026 Look Ahead
12 snips
Jan 24, 2026 Brian "Chef Lu Bu" Smawley, strategy games enthusiast and Warhammer 40K lore buff. They preview big 2026 releases and debate whether Total War 40K can capture authentic battle scale. Short takes on Dawn of War 4, Slay the Spire 2, and XCOM-like Menace. Deep dives into city-builders like Nova Roma, DarkSwitch and Beyond These Stars, plus impressions of Star Wars: Zero Company and a Game of Thrones RTS.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Contain Scope With Sector-Focused Campaigns
- Focus campaigns on distinct sector-level goals rather than an immediately sprawling galaxy to reduce scope risk.
- Use layered campaign maps to tie strategic choices into repeatable playloops across launches.
Two 40K Strategy Lanes Arrive
- Dawn of War 4 and Total War 40K arriving close together give 40K fans two different strategy takes.
- Dawn of War 4 leans campaign and single-player, filling a different niche than grand-scale Total War ambitions.
Menace Fills The XCOM Void
- Try Menace as an XCOM-shaped tactical alternative while XCOM 3 is absent.
- Expect bigger mech scale and faster mobility than traditional squad tactics games.