This Week in 40K Podcasting – 06/13/2014 – 06/19/2014

Welcome to another installment of “This Week in 40K Podcasting,”  Here is this week’s top 5!

The 11th Company – Episode 199.5.2

Highlights:  This week the guys continue on with their review of 7^th Edition (and staving off their historic episode 200)!  They kicked off the show with what they have been up to lately in gaming.  This included Alan’s analysis of the Psychic phase and Neil’s musing on how to counter the all powerful ‘Invisibility’ power and that Wave Serpent is firepower has dropped some in 7^th.  Next it was back to their review of the new 7^thEdition rules, starting with the Shooting Phase!  Not a lot has changed here, but there have been some subtle tweaks like ‘Line of Sight’ and how you now fire and resolve by weapon types.  This lead to a very detailed discussion on how this has made the shooting phase far more complicated.  They also hit on focus fire being gone, however each cover save is now determined on a per model basis.  They then moved on to look at the weapon types, a slight change to Rapid Fire weapons and the changes to strength D weapons.  They then debated now that D has been nerfed, should Lords of War no longer be banned in competitive play?  Then it was on to the Assault Phase where they talked about the changes to resolving charges, Flying MCs and their non-assault after landing, and charges through difficult terrain having been changed.  They then covered the updates to Moral and how it now works in 7^th Edition.  They closed out their show by answering some 7^th Edition question from their Facebook fans!
Opinion:  This week’s show continued on with the most detailed account of the new edition that I have heard yet.  Neil and the gang have always been my home for the best information and I really have enjoyed their reviews.  This was easily my favorite for the week, I highly recommend you check it out.

The Overlords – Episode 153 ***Explicit***

Highlights:  It is the Overlords Third Birthday Spectacular!  They are celebrating in Overlords fashion, with games shows and fun!  They kicked off the show with the news where they discussed the new Ork releases!  Next it was on to local events, which was all about their Birthday Party and the special event they held there!  Next it was on to the cast ‘Quiz Show!’  This is a huge fan favorite and I will not spoil it here.  This moved on to a points bid game based on a gigantic battle royal of the cast as 40K models.  They then moved on to discuss their thoughts on 7^th Edition after playing it for a couple of weeks.  They hit on the high points of what they have enjoyed about the new game.  This included a really good conversation about the Maelstrom of War missions and the changes to the Shooting Phase slowing the game now.  At the end of the show, Steve had an interview with Adam and Snore from the Masters of the Forge Podcast and they discussed their joint project.

Opinion:  I want to take this opportunity to wish the guys a very happy third birthday.  I find myself envious of such a great gaming club, it sounds like they had a blast.  While the 40K content was a little lacking this week, it didn’t really matter, as this was just a fun show to listen to.  Thanks guys!

40K Global – Episode 120 ***Explicit***

Highlights:  This week, Dave is not able to join the show, however Franco has taken the reins and the show motors on.  They opened up the show with BJ and Franco discussing Dave break from the show and what their plans are for the show.  They moved on to discuss the last two tournaments that they attended, starting with Franco’s attendance of ‘War of the Roses’!  He gave some details on the 5-Game event, including the list he was taking, the tactics he was using, and some detailed reviews of each of his matches.  At the same time, BJ discussed the ‘Mayhem’ Tournament that he attended and, like Franco, he described the event, his list, and described in detail his games from that weekend.  BJ comes out with a major victory and Franco had a disappointing weekend.  Next, in ‘Operation Codex’ the guys take their first look at 7^th Edition from a tournament prospective and the top rule changes to affect competitive play.  This included the change to the Allies Matrix, Objective Secured, the power of the Invisibility spell, the new Psychic Phase, the Vehicle Damage chart, and much more! 

Opinion:  I am so very happy that the guys are back.  I was sorry to hear that Dave was taking a bit of a break, however having started my own podcast and seeing the tremendous amount of work that it is to do, I can understand.  All of the material from the tournaments did have a bit of a dated feel to them.  All still good, but old news what with 7^th out now.  They did make up for it with some great 7^thdiscussion at the end.  Overall, a good balanced between the old and the new. 

Preferred Enemies – Episode 78 ***Explicit***

Highlights:  This week the boys dig into that all too controversial Psychic Phase of 7^th Edition and the Maelstrom of War missions!  They kicked off the show with some news including the new FAQs from GW which killed all of the book powers for Blood Angels and Space Wolves and the new Ork Releases!  Next, it was on to the main topic, the Psychic Phase in 7^th Edition.  This included the early reviews of the Daemon Bomb lists and how effect it may or may not be, and a great discussion about how much harder it has become to cast spells in 7^th Edition.  They also compare the Fantasy Magic Phase and the 40K Psychic Phase and how there is a gross difference and imbalance between the two.  They then moved on to talk about each of the Psychic Disciplines and highlight some of the key spells from each.  This included the power of the Invisibility spell and the dangers of Perils of the Warp.  Next, it was on to discuss the Maelstrom of War missions and their early thoughts on them.  This included their thoughts on random missions, how they would attack some of them with their armies, and some ideas for making them more competitive.  They closed out the show with their updates on their hobby progress!

Opinion:  Continuing on with their already outstanding coverage of 7^th Edition, the guys tackled the Psychic phase pretty well.  They hit on all of the highpoints of the Psychic Phase and took the time to mention some of the big spells we all need to be aware of.  I really did enjoy their thoughts on the Maelstrom of War missions and what can be done to make them more competitive.  They had a lot of great ideas!  Great show guys!

The Independent Characters – Episode 103

Highlights:  This week Carl is joined by Justin and Adan and this week they will be covering quite a few different topics.  They kicked off the show with the ‘Workbench’ where they discussed their recent games and hobby completed.  This included their thoughts on 7^th Edition and how it is playing out.  Next, they went on to discuss the benefits of technology in the game of 40K.  This included the use of iPads and digital codices and rules like the dataslates and the rulebook, social media like Facebook and forums, and blogs, YouTube channels, and news outlet like Bell of Lost Souls.  They moved on to their review of ‘Altar of War’, which is a collection of army specific missions.  Next, Carl interviewed Dave from ‘Dave Paints’ a commission painting service.  They discussed how his business got started, a lot of his recent projects which included armies painted and awesome Titans, and Carl’s experience working with him getting his Eldar army painted.  They closed out the show with an interview with Reese from Frontline Gaming and they talked about the Bay Area Open 2014!

Opinion:  The ICs always put together a great show.  This one hit on quite a few good topics of which I especially enjoyed the discussion on technology in 40K. It was not that long ago when we all were begging GW for digital content, and now we live in an era where it is readily available.  I for one am a huge fan!  And the discussion about painting services was quite interesting.  Very entertaining show guys!

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*** General Gaming News, Rumors, List Reviews, Tactics, and Rants!

Jaded Gamercast – Episode 180 ***Explicit***  Firestorm Armada FAQs and new Orks!

Skardcast – Episode 85  Wych Cults and the 7^th Edition Psychic Phase

Boltgun Battle Brothers – Episode 31 Origins 2014!

X-Wing Podcasts – And if you’re looking for a few good X-Wing Podcasts, please check these guys out!

The Kessel Run Brought you by the Heroic 28s!

NOVA Squadron Radio  Your home for tactical X-Wing discussion!

Scum and Villainy The Team Covenant X-Wing Podcast

The X-Wing Podcast ***Explicit*** Ben Curry & Ben Johnson’s UK Show

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, X-Wing and more! Disagree with my review? Post comments for that too!