This Week in 40K Podcasting – 12/30/2011 – 1/5/2012
Well, the holidays are over and I am back to work in 2012 after a rough couple of weeks.
Welcome back “This Week in 40K Podcasting,”
Here is this week’s top 5 plus an editorial!
The 11th Company his 100 Episodes!
I would be lacking in my duties if I did not first and foremost mention a historical event that took place during my absence in the last two weeks. While I was off last week with family issues, 11th Company Podcast posted their historic 100th episode. For nearly two years now Neil, Pat, Steven, Larry and the rest of that cast and crew of the Myrtle Beach Wild Bunch have delivered to us countless hours of clean 40K entertainment each and every week. For 100+ episodes the gang has covered outstanding, second to none tactical and strategic reviews of each and every army, army lists, tips and tactics for the tournament centered player, interviews with some of the top names on the 40K tournament scene, Tournament Organizers from events around the world, bloggers, the cast of other podcasts, and much, much more. And of course they had a lot of fun doing it. The chemistry of the cast is just amazing, and makes you feel like you are right there with them as part of their gaming group. I have had the pleasure of listening to all 100 episodes, even had the honor of being interviewed by Pat once, and I have never missed a show. Despite vacations, sickness, the birth of children, whatever, my 40K hobby would not be complete without my weekly dose of the 11th Company. You guys have truly become one of the best in your genre, and all the while doing your best to promote and expand the community and being humble in the process. Congratulations on your remarkable achievement, here is to 100 more!
Worlds End Radio – Episode 63 ***Explicit***
Highlights: The boys are back after an almost 4-months layover! This episode is dedicated to the latest release of Codex Necrons. They open up with some news about new model releases while they had been off and then move on to discuss where the heck they have been since September! They move on to discuss what they have been up to lately in the world of gaming and hobby, including some of the events that they have been attending or running. They then moved on to their Hobby Update, where the guys discussed the new Vampire Counts coming, including the new models that have been previewed. Up next the guys start part one of their coverage of Codex Necrons. They start of by talking about the old model range versus the new model range that came out with the release. They also discuss the changes that were made to the story of the Necrons from the old Codex to the new. They then move on to discuss the back story of some of the special characters and some of the more interesting points to each of them. Next, they go over the Special Rules of the Necron army, discussing some of the finer points of each, and some of the changes from their previous version in the old codex. Next they start talking units, covering everything in the HQ slot and theorizing that they very well may be some 6th Edition in this Codex, as well as the Troops and Dedicated Transports. After the break, the guys continue with part two of their review and continue their unit-by-unit review, starting with the Elite choices. They move on to talk about the interesting choices of the Fast Attack slot, starting with Wraiths and saving Scarabs for last. They go over the Heavy Support choices and discuss what seems to be the most lack luster of all of the slots. Finally they talk about all of the fun held in the Special Character’s rules and their overall feeling on this new Codex. To close out the show, they look ahead to 2012 and discuss their goals for this year.
Opinion: It has been so long since I heard from these guys that it was just a pure joy to listen to this week’s podcast. While the guys down under do not make my countdown often (mostly due to their coverage on non-40K games) they still are one of the best ‘gaming’ podcasts out there, and I have never stopped being a fan. This week was just an outstanding podcast, and their take on the Necron Codex was unique and very interesting to listen to. Outstanding work guys, my top choice for the week!
40K UK – Episode 37 ***Explicit***
Highlights: This week is the Christmas and New Year’s Special for the 40K UK gang, and it is a monster show at over 4 hours! After some thanks and shoutouts, the show opens up with a very Christmas themed ‘Big Fight’ and this week the guys pit their versions of 40K Santa Claus vs. 40K The Grinch for the Battle for Christmas. Next up in ‘The Shoutout’, Dave and the gang did a review of the year that was 2011 in 40K gaming and the UK Tournament scene. They talk about some of the big surprise this year and some of the most notable changes to the game and the meta. They also discuss the trends of the tournament scene over the year, discussing the winners and their armies. Next up the guys get back to the ‘Big Fight’ segment where this time they pit The Grinch vs. Ghazghkull Thraka! To finish off the Battle for Christmas, the guys battle it out for all of Christmas as the Grinch leads a Chaos Space Marines army and Santa take an Ultramarine Army into battle in “the Match Live!” The boys discuss the lists that they brought to this contest and then give a turn-by-turn account of the game, live.
Opinion: This was just a fun episode from start to finish. Dave and the guys really took their Christmas theme to the max this week and produced a really enjoyable podcast to listen to. I think the ‘Big Fight’ theme to the show was great, and the Match Live was just a ton of fun. Great work guys!
The Overlords – Episode 81 ***Explicit***
Highlights: This week is the first podcast of the New Year for the Overlords, and the gang has a light crew for the show this week. They open up the show with the news, discussing the new Beasts of War television channel and some YouTube channels of interest. Next up, they moved on to local Overlords News where they discussed their upcoming team event and they answered a listener email about Robotech models. Then, they guys move on to talk about what they have been up to in the hobby and gaming, which included new terrain built, models painted, and some games played. Next up in a new segment, the guys move into ‘Top-Chat’ and this wee the boys address the best place to begin reading Black Library books. Each of the guys gave their opinion of where they would recommend pointing a new Black Library reader to. Some pointed to the Gaunt’s Ghosts series and some to the Horus Heresy. They also talked about the Black Library audio dramas out there as well. Next up on a return to ‘Sprue Peter’ Shagga talks to us about all of the modifications he has made to create his Adeptus Mechanicus army. He tells us were he is getting the bits and bobs to design his army and give some tips to putting them all together and painting them. To close out the show, Steve has an interview with Collin from Lone Wolf Development, the people who bring you Army Builder! He discusses his history of gaming and how he got into 40K and how he got into working for Lone Wolf. Collin gives a rundown of what the software is and how it does what it does.
Opinion: As usually, the Overlords had a great show this week. I have to say I really want to visit their club sometime because they really sound like they are having a blast. The introduction to Black Library books was quite informative and Sprue Peter was awesome this week. We need to see some pic though guys! And hearing from Collin at Lone Wolf Developing was really a blast for me, developer-to-developer (it’s a geek thing). Overall, a great show!
Highlights: This week the guys are sadly missing Chase, but Jim and Chris motor on through the show without him. They open up the show with what they have been doing lately in the hobby and gaming. So then the guys moved on to talk about some of the ‘third party’ miniature release and some ideas on what you ‘might’ use them for. They also talk about the leaked photo of the 2012 Gamesday Model. Next up the guys go over a year that was in 2011 in 40K. They open up by talking about the release schedule in model, codices, and their impact on the game. They go month-by-month and discuss all of the major news and releases of each of those months and the big changes in Games Workshop’s rumor control policy. They move on to look ahead at 2012, at the number of possible releases, if you believe the rumors, and of course the impending 6th Edition of 40K. Next up in the Librarius, the boys cover the history and back-story of the Gothic War, which was Abandon’s 12th Black Crusade and what the game Battlefleet Gothic was based on. They go into detail about the major happenings during this time period of surprise attacks by Chaos on the Imperium. They talk about the leader of the Battlefleet of the Gothic sector, Cornelius von Ravensburg and his plan to destroy the smaller fleets with one massive fleet. Next up in the ‘Armory’, Jim and Chris talk about moving your 40K game into space. The boys build lists mostly designed for boarding actions in the 40K universe. Then the boys close out the show with what they are looking forward to in 2012, armies to build and paint, codices they hope to see, and what they hope and dream 6th Edition will be.
Opinion: This was a pretty interesting show overall. I really did enjoy the look back at the year of 2011, and it is surprising how much you forget happened this year alone. The best part of this podcast for me was the coverage of the Gothic War. This was really a compelling story and an area of 40K backstory I have not heard much about. Outstanding work guys!
Screaming Heretic – Episode 17 ***Explicit***
Highlights: This week, Chaos Dave takes the reins as host of the final show of 2011, and they are joined by some of the cast of the Eternal Warriors. They open up the show with some introductions and what they have been doing lately in the hobby and gaming. This included some modeling, painting, MMOs, costumes, tournaments, and more! Next up the gang discussed the latest releases in the hobby world, starting off with the new Imperial Armor 11 from Forgeworld, before moving on to alternative models and yet more ‘Thunderwolf’ Cav models out here. Next up in ‘Kiss My List’ the girls review a 2000 Point very fast Dark Eldar list submitted from their forums. The girls, along with the rest of the crew, review the list and give their overall opinion on it. In their final segment of 2011, the cast, crew, and guests of the Screaming Heretic go through all of their hobby resolutions. This included podcast resolutions and what they would like to do next year with the show. This then moved on to what each of them would like to accomplish next year in their hobby and somewhat in their lives (Congratulations CSwizzy and SheSwizzy!). It also included some shoutouts and ‘thanks’ for all of those who helped out the podcast this year. To close out the show the gang did a ‘Product Review’ of the Forgeworld Dark Eldar Tantalus. They open up with a look at the model itself, including the resin warping and how to correct that. They also give some tips to working with etched brass, also from Forgeworld.
Opinion: I love this show and I love it more when both of the girls are on! And of course to hear from the Eternal Warrior guys is always good during their podcast hideous. This week was a pretty good show; they had some audio issue in the first segment, but the content makes up for it, so bear with it. Interestingly enough, my favorite section this week was the product review. Santa was kind enough to bring some Forgeworld to my doorstep this year, and having never worked with resin before, I found this to be eternally useful. Great work guys!
Honorable Mentions – All great podcasts that just missed this cut this week, but you should still check them out, in no particular order:
The Heroic 28s – Episode 25 ***Explicit*** – Celebrating 1 Year! Looking back at the show and Warmachine.
El Pee and the Man – Episode 38 ***Explicit***
Signals from the Frontline Tau Rumors, Black Templar, and much more!
Skared – Episode 4 Deathstars, Pat from the 11th Company and more!
So, that is it for This Week in 40K podcasting, thanks for reading. Got a podcast all about 40K, or mostly 40K that I am not listening to? Let me know about it, [email protected] and let me know about it. Also you can find me on My YouTube Channel for Battle Reports, Tactics, Reviews and more! Disagree with my review? Post comments for that too!
