This Week in 40K Podcasting – 12/27/2013 – 01/02/2014

Well, after a nice long holiday break, let’s get back to work and into another fine year of “This Week in 40K Podcasting,”

Here is this week’s top 5!

Preferred Enemies – Episode 67 ***Explicit***

Highlights:  This week the boys are doing their year in review for 2013, and what a year it was!  They started off the show with the news which included the release of the Cypher Dataslate, the Kill Team Rules, and the additions of Escalation and Stronghold Assault to regular 40K!  They discussed the implications of these changes on the game and how the competitive scene has responded to it.  They then moved on to their ‘Year in Review’ and this kicked off with Escalation and continued on to the rapid release of Codices this year for Dark Angels, Tau, Daemons , Eldar, Space Marines, Sisters, and Inquisition.  They also discussed the Dataslates, Apocalypse, and Escalation and Stronghold Assault!  In addition they included the Supplements in this list as well.  They moved on to the additions of the huge models like the Riptide and the Wraithknight and all of the new Flyers, and more.  The shifts in the meta were a big topic like Screamerstar, Jetseer Council, and the power of Tau/Eldar.  They then ran down a list of their most favorite and lest favorite releases from the past year and missed opportunities for GW like new kit possibilities and the lack of Battleforces.  They then started talking about what is yet to come in 2014, which included Tyranids in early 2014, Guard, Orks, Dark Eldar and Space Wolves on the horizon.  Also the crazy rumors of 7^th Edition coming sooner then we think, their hopes for 2014, and personal goals! 

Opinion:  While quite a few podcasts have had their hand of a ‘year in review’ episode this week, this one without a doubt was my favorite.  2013 really was an amazing year for 40K with so many releases we still haven’t figured out what the current meta is or how to deal with it.  Without hearing them all laid out like this I was really amazed at how much our game has really changed this past year.  I cannot recommend this one enough, easily my favorite for the week!  Outstanding work guys!

Highlights:  This week the guys are continuing their look at the Horus Hersey book: Fulgrim in a 2 part series.  This is the second part in the series, so I highly recommend checking out the previous show for the full review.  This show is dripping with spoilers so if you have not read Fulgrim just yet, read it first, then get back to this one!  This week’s show is picking up right after Fulgrim virus bombed everything in the Eldar sector and moved on to the Threshold section of the book.  They cover the last parts of the book, and while I will not spoil it all here, I will tell you that their coverage was quite complete and very enjoyable to listen to.  They went through each chapter and dissect all of the events found there in leading up to the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V! 

Opinion:  For those who are not of the square-basing persuasion, the Grangehammer guys may be new to you.  However ever since I started playing that other game, these guys have been my go to Fantasy podcast as they really are an outstanding group of podcasters who have been pumping out great shows.  Some time ago they started this little off-shot podcast covering all of the Horus Hersey books from the Black Library.  These show have been quite good, and this one is no exception.  Now I cannot express this enough, if you have not read the book being reviewed, I’d read it before listening to these shows.  They will spoil the whole book.  Great show guys, it was really an enjoyable review of one of my favorite HH books! 

Highlights:  This week Parker, Bill, and Alan started off the show with some updates on their hobby progress.  This included getting ready for Adepticon!  In their first full segment the boys sat down to discuss the rage of Kick Starters and your hobby.  Are Kick Starters worth it?  Are they good for the hobby?    They each discussed their Kick Starter experiences, both good and bad, and why some may not have tried supporting a Kick Starter.  Next, the boys briefly talked about their big 40 man event that they are running in the Columbus OH area and some advice on what not to do as a Game Store owner.  Next, the guys moved on to a discussion about the rapid release schedule GW is on with all of the digital dataslates and additions to the game.  They also talked about the latest releases of Escalation and Stronghold Assault and what they have brought to the game.  They closed out the show with this week’s hobby tip, the Spiral Bound Rulebook/Codex. 

Opinion:  While the guys did hit on a few non-40K games during the course of this show, the majority of the content was 40K and all quite interesting.  The highlight for me was the review of Kick Starters in the hobby.  Seems to me that every time I turn around some other Kick Starter is all the rage on the internet.  I myself have shied away from this rage, but this review gave me plenty of information on the whole process and some of the pitfalls and benefits to these project.  If you’re thinking of hoping onto a Kick Starter, I’d recommend listening to this first.  Good show guys!

Life After the Cover Save – Episode 93 ***Explicit***

Highlights:  This week the guys pulled some old segments out of the closet and tossed them out there for your listening pleasure.  They opened up the show with some questions from their listeners, mostly all comedy.  Next, the boys had an interview with Frankie from Frontline Gaming and they talked about the big Las Vegas Open 2014 and all of the outstanding events that they have planned for that weekend.   Next, the boys are joined by Cheyenne to discuss Imperial Armour Book 12: The Fall of Orpheus.  They start off by discussing the Minotaurs Chapter of Space Marines and their role in the book, the Necrons, of course, and all of the new things this book added to the army.  They move on to discuss the details of the campaign presented in the book, the campaign that they ran from this book in their local gaming group, and how it is proceeding.  This included having some fun with the Zone Mortalis rule set, and a live campaign is taking place in the studio and they check in with is as well.  They also discussed some of the issues that have cropped up trying to schedule a campaign. 

Opinion:  This week’s show had a nice golden topic for me, a Forgeworld Campaign review.  This is something the guys have not covered before and I really think they did an admirable job with it.  I am looking forward to updates on the campaign and of course to see if they finish it.  Also, it was great to hear from Frankie and get the latest on the Las Vegas Open 2014.  Good show guys!

Angels of Death – Episode 23 ***Explicit***

Highlights:  This week Fab and Dave are back and they kicked off the show with some discussion about new podcasts and delay in their January show and their hobby updates.  Next, the guys looked back to the year that was 2013 and what it brought to them personally in the hobby and as a whole for the gaming community.  This included a lot of Horsey Hersey book caught up on, their high and lows of the year as far as releases were concerned, the effects of Escalation and Stronghold Assault on the community as a whole, and the great things that Forgeworld and the Black Library released this year. 

Opinion:  This week the boys cover their year in review for 2013.  While not as detailed as others I have heard, this one really did hit more on what Forgeworld and the Black Library release and that was truly interesting.  The show did take its turns onto off topic conversations, overall it was still entertaining.  Check these guys out. 

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!

Skaredcast – Episode 72 Kill Team Leaders, Blood Bowl, Stronghold Assault