This Week in 40K Podcasting – 6/1/2012 – 6/7/2012

I am back from vacation, so Welcome to another “This Week in 40K Podcasting,”  Here is this week’s top 5!

 Deepstrike Radio – Episode 38

Highlights:  This week the cast is back to full strength!  They open up the show with what they have been doing over the last two weeks in gaming and the hobby.  They then discuss all of the latest releases from your favorite third party companies, and the awesome GW releases of the flyers.  They also mention the 5^th Edition rulebooks dropping off of the GW site.  Then, in the ‘Librarius’ the boys dig into one of my personal favorite eras of 40K history, the Badab War.  They give an overview of the backstory for this event, discussing the area of space it is in, who the major players are and how the Astral Claws were called in to protect the Maelstrom and how they reached the point of war with the Imperium.  Next, they get into the war itself; discussing which Space Marine chapters were called in and they covered several of the key engagements of the war.  Next, in the ‘Hobby Trenches’, they guys discuss some of the advances that GW has made in the last few months and some of the great things they are doing.  This included White Dwarf rules releases, digital media, and more.  The guys close out the show with ‘the Briefing Room’ where they discuss the latest release of Flyer to 40K:  What they mean to the current game of 40K and what that may mean coming up in 6^th.

Opinion:  This was just an outstanding show!  One of my personal favorite areas of interest in 40K is the Badab War and the guys did an awesome job covering the first part of this conflict.  I also really like the discussions about the digital media and all of our hopes for that from GW, and the new Flyers.  Overall, this was this week’s top pick!

 The Independent Characters – Episode 54

Highlights:  This week’s show theme is ‘Competitiveness in Gaming’ and how it fits into the game of 40K.  They open up the show with ‘The Workbench’ where they discuss all of the hobby and gaming progress they were able to get done over the last two weeks.  This included Carl’s experience at KublaCon this year, which did not go so well for him.  After a break, the guys come back with their main topic for the show, in which they discussed Competitiveness in Gaming.  They look at the competitive circuits of other games, like Magic, and how they compare to the Tournament Circuit of 40K.  This included following favorite players, improving one’s game, and playing to win.  They then move on to a conversation about the differences between competitive play versus win-at-all-cost play.  They then define different term in competitive gaming, starting with the win-at-all-cost or WAC players, Baby Seals, SPAM and more!  They also discuss weather or not the game of 40K is right for a competitive environment.  They close out the show with a review of the Imperial Armor Model Masterclass Vol. 2, and they give their opinion of this awesome painting book, and their rating of it. 

Opinion:  This was a great show overall, with a really thought provoking topic.  I personally have a strong opinion that competiveness is good for the game of 40K as it helps promote the hobby as a whole.  I really liked their breakdown of the concepts involved, and their explanations of how it affects the game.  And of course there was a great review of the Masterclass Vol. 2 book, which was quite insightful.   

The 11th Company – Episode 120 

Highlights:  This week the guys check in with a monster of a podcast, clocking in at over 4+ hours!  This week they are joined by Sean in studio and they open up the show with ‘This Week in Gaming’, where they discuss the games they have played this week.  Next, in ‘Pat’s Corner’, Pat had an interview with YakFace from DakkaDakka, and they discuss the conversion of the INAT from 5^th to 6^th.  Pat then talked to Tim from the Bug Eater GT, and they discussed this awesome event and the results!  Then, Pat talks to YakFace once again and this time they discuss the new Digital Codex Space Marine.  Next, Eric is back from Tactical Terrain and he discusses more Night Fight terrain ideas, his spaceship interior table, terrain lighting and much more!  Then, Neil leads a discussion about how he wants to judge painting in future events, using the painting rubric from the Nova Open and how he wants to change it.  In the community segment, Pat talks to Chandler from Feasts of Blades, Wayne from Hardknox Games, Michael from the Midwest Massacre, Mike from the Nova Open on terrain and 6^th Edition, and Wolves for the Wolf God talking Ork Flyers and Killzone!  To close out the show, the guys take a tactical look at the new Flyers released by GW and how they will affect the game! 

Opinion:  Great show this week, if for nothing else to hear from YakFace and tap the well of all of his knowledge.  Eric’s Tactical Terrain segments have been challenging me to build bigger and better terrain on my table.  And of course I always cannot wait to hear what the guys have to say tactically about any addition to the game of 40K, so hearing their opinion on the 40K Flyers was outstanding. 

40k Radio – Episode 41 ***Explicit***

Highlights:  This week Rik rejoins the cast of a show!  They open up by catching up on what they have been doing lately in gaming and the hobby.  Kyle has recently been married, congratulations man!  Then, they cover the news and rumors out on the inter-webs, and really hit hard on the new GW price hike.  Each of the members of the staff talk about how they feel about the price hike, how it seems GW is pricing players out of the game of 40K and how this is bad for the hobby.  Next up in Rapid Fire, the staff responds to questions from their forum members.  Then, Teras is back and talking about the ‘Road to DualCon’ with Geek Nation Tours.  Up next, Kyle leads a discussion in the ‘Black Library Corner’, where the boys discuss the Black Library book ‘The Primarchs’.  They close out the show with ‘In the Crosshairs’, where the staff discuss the top 5 things they would like to see in the new 6^th Edition of 40K.  Each staff member takes a turn running off of what they would want in the new edition, and what they hope they take out of the current game. 

Opinion:  First, it was great to hear from Rik again, I did not realize how much I missed him on the show until her was back.  This week’s show was interesting, hitting on some great topics.  My favorite part was their open discussion about the GW price hikes.  I personally think that these will eventually drop out new players additions to the game and eventually may kill the game we love.  So I found that a lot of their opinions hit home for me.  And what they hope to see in 6^thEdition was awesome, with a lot of cool ideas I’d love to see happen.  Great work guys!

Imperial Vox Cast – Episode 76 ***Explicit***

Highlights:   This week show was dedicated to the new Flyers from GW.  The guys open up the show with what they have been doing the last two weeks in gaming and the hobby.  They also discussed some random things that had come up in email and the forums, which included some Sisters of Battle stuff.  Then, they moved on to the main topic of the show, the recent Flyer releases from GW.  The guys give a unit-by-unit review of these new models, discussing the tactical advantages to using them in their armies, and how they feel they will perform on the battlefield.  They close out the show by discussing the tournament they plan to run, at the dawn of 6^th Edition. 

Opinion:  Overall this was a good show this week; the main topic of the show is going around in the podcast world, so it is always great to hear their very unique point of view on these new models.  I will have to keep some of their ideas in mind when facing off against these new flyers!  Great work gang!

Honorable Mentions – All great podcasts that just missed this cut this week, but you should still check them out, in no particular order:

Worlds End Radio – Episode 65 – Flyers in 40K and the famous Sandgroper Cup!

Tyrant’s Due – Episode 25 ***Explicit*** News, Necrons List Reviews, and Flyers

Signals from the Frontline!  Game Empire GT, Ork Flyers, and more!

SkaredCast – Episode 10 Rumor Control, Changing your Wargame, and Local Updates 

Jaded Gamercast – Episode 81 ***Explicit*** Skaven Monsters, Fantasy Monsters, and GW Digital