This Week in 40K Podcasting – 11/30/2012 – 12/06/2012

Welcome to another “This Week in 40K Podcasting,”

Here is this week’s top 5!

The 11th Company – Episode 143 

Highlights:  This week the boys opened up the show with ‘This Week in Gaming’ where they covered what games they have been playing lately, including Neil’s Escalation League games and Eric’s really bad week.  Next, in ‘Pat’s Corner’, Pat talked to Cody and they talked about the 1750 Dark Eldar army he is preparing for the Bay Area Open 2013.  He also talked to Kevin and they discussed his Sister list with Grey Knight allies.  Next, Neil led a discussion about the menace that is the Chaos Daemons.  They open up with some of the best ways to build a list to beat Daemons as well as the rest of the field.  They moved on to talk about some anti-Daemon specific tactics such as bubble wrapping, deployment, and reserves, and more.  There were also some great overall 40K tips just in this segment.  Next up was a segment where the guys talked about List Building in the new edition of the game.  They discuss the bare bones basic needs of every army, like dealing with infantry, dealing with flyers and tanks, finding an army that you like to play, and so on.  They also talked about keeping up with the meta, reading lists on line, watching battle report, and adapting your lists.  They closed out the show with their Q&A segment, where they answer questions from their fans live on the show. 

Opinion:  This week’s show had two really great topics that bumped it up to the top of the list for me.  First, we all have heard of the menace that is the Chaos Daemons army, and to learning some of the tactics the guys use to counter this army was invaluable!  Second, I really enjoyed the list building segment.  Some of us are still trying to get a feel for this new edition to the game and at the core of that is building a list.  I truly appreciated the guys opinions and advice for doing this in 6^th.  Great show guys!

40K Radio – Episode 52 ***Explicit***

Highlights:  This week the guys open up the show with what they have been doing lately in gaming and the hobby.  Then, the guys moved into the news and rumors section where they discussed the all of the Black Library deals, the Hobbit releases in White Dwarf, and the Crusade of Fire Campaign book and new terrain pieces from GW.  Next up was the Rapid Fire segment, where the staff answers questions from their forum users live.  Then, in the Hobby Hotspot, the boys reviewed a product called Aves Studio Apoxie Sculpt, a two part sculpting medium.  Next, in the Black Library Corner, Rik reviewed the audiobook Garro: Sword of Truth.  Then in the Tactica section, the boys review the Crusade of Fire campaign book.  They give their first impression of the book itself, the story behind this campaign, and some of the rules to running this campaign.  The guys close out the show with ‘In the Crosshairs’, and this week they talked about the eternal question of is there too many Xenos in 40K today.  They open up with the books from the Black Library, are the Xenos getting as much attention as the Imperial vs Chaos books that we see?  They then look Forgeworld and their support for the Xenos armies and the cool new toys available there.  Next up the looks a GW’s terrain support, or rather the lack of, and how the main rulebook doesn’t show a lot of love to the Xenos armies. 

Opinion:  The guys really had an outstanding show this week, with two topics I really had not heard discussed on any other show.  First, most people have not talked about the Crusade of Fire campaign book, mostly due to its limited release.  So since I could not get my grubby hands on it, the boys’ review of the book was quite illuminating!  Second was just a great point-counter point on Xenos armies in the world of 40K.  I personally have always felt that GW had a more imperial slant to it and hearing the boys opining on this was fascinating.  Great work fellas!

The Independent Characters – Episode 67 ***Explicit***

Highlights:  This week’s show is all about how to great that great Battle Report!  The boys opened up the show with the ‘Work Bench’ where they discussed what they have been doing lately in gaming and the hobby.  Next up the guys started their conversation about Battle Reports!  They first covered the reasons for doing a battle report and determine what your goal and target audience is for your battle report.  They then talk about some of the things you can do to chronicle at battle you intend to do a report on, such as taking photos during the game or videotaping the event itself.  They offer up some tips such as having a third party doing the photography or the taping of the event, getting the thoughts of the players during the game, and where to post these battle reports.  They also talked about the Battle Chronicler software available out there and the basics of using it.  They then move on to the different types of battle reports out there, starting with the text BPs with tips on adding photos, running through the lists involved, the background of the games, and whatever story is attached to the game.  They then move on to a new segment called ‘The Warrior Lodge’ where they discuss some of the hot button topics from their forums and the internet on 40K.  The first topic up for discussion was the new Chaos Space Marines Codex and its impact on their local gaming club and the meta as a whole.  They talked about how some units have changed and how effective the Codex will be in the tournament circuit.  They also talked some about the Allies rules and its effect on the game, White Dwarf updates, and their thoughts on 6^th Edition and its FAQs. 

Opinion:  I personally found this show quite intriguing!  As some of you might already know, I do my own video battle reports and picking up some of the tips the guys gave out for this part of my hobby was outstanding.  They gave me some great ideas moving forward with more reports.  Anyone interested in doing either video or blog based battle report would do themselves a service by checking out this show!

The Heroic 28s – Episode 55 

Highlights: This week the boys conclude their review of Codex Chaos Space Marines!  They open up the show with Nathan Fillion and moved on to discuss expanding your competitive horizons and your gaming community.  This turned into a conversation on what one should expect from the tournament environment versus what you should see at your local gaming night.  Next, the gang moved on to their review of the CSM Codex, starting off with the Heavy Support choices.  They first covered the Havocs and their new Flak Missile options and then touched on the great Obliterators and run down the numerous weapons they have available to them.  They then cover the stock standard Marine tanks like the Predator, the Vindicator, and the Land Raider.  They also covered the more exotic Heavies, such as the Defiler, the new Maulerfiend and the Forgefiend!   In the final segment, the guys cover their conclusion on this Codex.  They hit on the competitive nature of the codex and discuss their beliefs on what will work best.  They did try to build a list, but never made it through that.

Opinion:  The great 4-Part review of the Chaos Space Marine codex was one of the most complete that I have heard in the world of podcasts.  The boys concluded their excellent coverage with a great show.  The topper for me was their final segment where they mostly discussed 40K theory with this new army, a subject I always find interesting.  Good job guys!

Deepstrike Radio – Episode 50

Highlights:  This week the guys take a moment to reflect back on 50 episodes before going over what they have been doing lately in gaming and the hobby.  Next up, they covered the news, including Crusade of Fire from GW, the latest from Forgeworld and the Black Library, and what’s new on the third part product front.  They also announce that after the interviews, they will be moving to a four host format, adding Christina and Camille to the show!  Then, in the ‘Librarius’, the guys talked about the back story and history of the Marines Errant!  They also discussed the goals, missions, and fleet-based make up and boarding tactics of this great chapter of Marines.  They also talked about the Marines Errant’s most notable campaigns including the Badab War and their most famous characters.  In the Armory, the boys do another creative 1000 point list live, for the Marines Errant.  Next, the boys also discuss their pre-made lists as Jim made a 1750 point list, and Chase made a 2000 Point themed list.  Then, Jeff from the Codex Project chimes in to talk about the Grots for Tots charity event.  The guys close out the show in ‘The Briefing Room’ where they answer questions from their listeners. 

Opinion:  This week the guys once again hit me with some knowledge I did not have before, on a Marine Chapter I had only ever heard of by name or reference.  Having know so very little about the Marines Errant going into this show, I was glued to my ear buds as they laid down the awesome story of this proud chapter.  I also look forward to the additions of Camille and Christina (my vote last time) to the show!  Quite a good show this week gang!

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

Imperial Vox Cast – Episode 77 ***Explicit***  Review of their latest Tournament

40K UK – Episode 54 ***Explicit*** Heat 3 of the UK Grand Tournament Circuit! 

Jaded Gamercast – Episode 105 ***Explicit***  Model of the Week, the new Empire models, and Skyfall!

Signals from the Frontline ***Explicit***  Bay Area Open, Tau, and Chaos rumors,

Skardcast – Episode 23  Upcoming Tournament, Dark Eldar, and Black Templars!

Tyrant’s Due – Episode 36 ***Explicit***  Necromunda

El Pee and the Man – Episode 53 ***Explicit***  Tau and CSM!

Turn 8 – Episode 29  – CSM Codex Review part 2, Chaos Themed Battle Report, and Q&A!

The Overlords – Minisode 1  – The Horus Hersey: Betrayal review and Dagmire is back with some Black Library book reviews!