This Week in 40K Podcasting – 01/25/2013 – 01/31/2013

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

Here is this week’s top 5!

The Heroic 28s – Episode 62

Highlights:  This week the boys are back with part two of their review of Codex: Grey Knights.  After some announcements, the guys opened up the show with a discussion about the rulebook missions at a tournament and what you should hope to see.  They also discussed how they have run the Railhead Rumble in the past in relation to the missions and the format.  They then pick up where the left off on the review of Codex Grey Knights with the Elite section of the book.  This included detailed looks at units like Purifiers, Paladins, and the notorious henchmen!  Next, it was on to the slim Fast Attack choices that does have the awesome Stormraven and the Heavy Support choices like the Nemesis Dreadknight and the Purgation Squad!  They close out the show with a look at how Grey Knights play overall on the table and what they believe are the benefits to this army. 

Opinion:  Well, I sure am going to miss the boys over the next few weeks, as the show is on hiatus until Kenny is done moving.  However, they get to go out on top this week as they completed an excellent look at Codex Grey Knights.  I especially enjoyed their conversation on missions at tournaments.  I think we all are still trying to get a feel for what works best in this edition and their ideas were quite insightful.  Nice work guys, and hurry back!

The Overlords – Episode 119 ***Explicit***

Highlights:  This week Ciaran is back on the show!  The boys opened up this week with a brief look at the news from 40K video games before moving on to what they have been doing lately in the hobby and gaming.  Next, the guys talked a bit about the team tournament that they recently attended and the high population of Necron players there.  Steve and Ciaran talked about the lists that they took, Necrons and Grey Knights, and a brief look at each of their games.  Next, they then had an evaluation of the Necron Codex in 6^th Edition, their high points and their lows.  They do a really good job running down each of the units found in this codex.  They highlight the key units that have increases in power with the edition change, which included Destroyer Lords, Wraiths, Night Scythes, and Annihilation Barges. 

Opinion:  What more can I possible ask for but to have Ciaran back on the show and talking about my beloved Necrons!  This week’s show was a bit shy on the news, but made up for it with a good tournament review and a great look at Codex Necrons.  I might have missed it, but I did not here how the Overlords finished up at the event, however.  Overall though, a good show with a great topic!  Love it guys!  Also, thanks for the heads up on that new podcast!

 

The Independent Characters – Episode 71

Highlights:  This week the guys are talking about ‘How to expand your Gaming Group’.  They opened up the show with a few announcements before they moved on to the ‘Work Bench’, where they discussed all of the hobby progress they have accomplished.  This also included a rather large section of the games Carl and Geoff have been playing lately.  Then, in the main topic, the boys discussed adding new players to your overall gaming group.  This started off with the tale of how Carl and Geoff met on the internet and met in a neutral location.  They cover over some of the best ways to meet new gamers including conventions, stores, the internet and forums.  They then took the angle of how to introduce one self to a new gaming group, with tips on how to break into this circle of friends.  Next up was another installment of ‘The Warrior’s Lodge’, where a selection of friends and forum users got together to debate some issues.  This included a good conversation on Flyers in 6^th Edition and are they too powerful and some of the best ideas to combat them.  They also discussed Allies and their effects on their armies, unchanging army lists, their favorite Forgeworld models and much more!   They closed out the show with an interview with Jay from ‘Spruehammer’, a gaming store in Western Kentucky. 

Opinion:  This was an interesting show this week with a topic few have really covered.  I myself have always been able to talk easily with people, and found my gaming group just as easy.  However, not everyone in the hobby is as apt to conversation as others, and I can see this being a challenge for them.  This show offered up some great ideas for everyone in breaking into or starting a good gaming group.  Nice work guys! 

Imperial Vox Cast – Episode 90 ***Explicit***

Highlights:  This week the boys took a good look at Allies in 40K!  Bill and Dawson opened up the show with what they have been up to lately in the hobby and gaming.  Next, the guys reviewed the Allies rules in this edition of the game.  They briefly looked at the history of Allies in 40K and how it ties into the fluff and how it can be abused to make no sense in the fluff.  They then discuss the official rules for Allies, starting with ‘Come the Apocalypse’, ‘Desperate Allies’, ‘Allies of Convenience’, and ‘Battle Brothers’ and rules that govern them.  They then looks at who can have the most in each category, starting with Battle Brothers and IG and Marines have the top slot and the rules favor the Imperial armies.  They then discussed their feelings on Allies, how they feel they play on the table and how they feel about this addition to the game.  They then discuss some of the combinations they have seen on the table, including what they believe to the more nasty combinations, and the combos they are really looking forward to using themselves.      

Opinion:  We’ve all heard about them, most have tried them, and here was a really good look at the Allied rules for 40K.  Weather you believe it to be a ploy to sell more models, or a huge boost to the fluff and story of your army, we all can use a good refresher on how Allies work and what are some of the nasty combos out there today.  I really enjoyed this week’s topic, and their show. 

40K UK – Episode 60 ***Explicit*** 

Highlights:  This week the boys checked in with another monster of a podcast, over 6+ hours of coverage on the Caledonian Uprising Tournament.  The guys opened up the show by describing the 94-man event itself, discussing the lists they plan to take, Franco taking a Necron Super friends list and Dave taking his Guard/Space Wolves list, and at some of the breakdowns of their competition and the armies they are bringing.  Next, each of the staff members who attended the event gave their overall feelings on it after it was all over.  It started off with the bad weather and snow the cast has to endure and moved on to their feelings on how it was run.  They then moved on to a very detailed round-by-round review of each of the staff members’ games and their outcomes.  When available, the opponents of the staff were interviewed after the match. 

Opinion:  I genuinely have a love-hate relationship with shows like this.  First, SIX HOURS!  The show could easily have been broken into two, and the sheer size of it made for a grueling run to the finish on this one.  Having said all of that, there is loads of great tactical information to be found in this week’s show, from some of the top players in the UK.  So while the show might have taken two day to listen too (and for me that is saying something) overall it was worth it.  Good show, but I need an aspirin.

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

Signals from the Frontline ***Explicit***  Flyer and WoC rumors, White Dwarf rumors, and a DA list review!

Jaded Gamercast – Episode 112 ***Explicit***  Warriors of Chaos and epic fail Rick Priestley on Kickstarter!

Skardcast – Episode 31  Black Templar in 60 seconds

Hitting on 3s – Episode 17 ***Explicit***  5 Ways (and more) to lose a game, the inequality of Flyers in 40K and how to deal with them, 40K Quick Hits and more!

Death or Glory – Episode 9 ***Explicit***  Dark Angels Army Lists and critique!

Battle Plan Roll 6s – Episode 15 ***Explicit***Rumors and FAQs, Dark Angels Review, a Rundown of the Primarchs, and much more!

The Deployment Zone – Episode 29  Brian Steele from Dark Age and much more!