This Week in 40K Podcasting – 01/31/2013 – 02/06/2014

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

Here is this week’s top 5!

Highlights:  This week the guys kicked of the show with ‘This Week in Gaming’ where they discussed the games that they have been playing.  This included Alan’s attempts at making ‘Nids competitive, NOVA and Adepticon’s reactions to Escalation, Stronghold Assault and Formations, and much more!  Next, in ‘Tactical Terrain’, Eric was back and discussing ‘Paper Terrain’.  Then in ‘Tournament Talk’ Neil discussed the recent meta changes to more of a ‘Deathstar’ style of 40K!  They talked about what competitive lists will look like this year; lists like the Screamer-star, Jetseer Council, the O’Vesa-star, and some new ones like Beast-star, Centurion-star, and much more.  Up next was the community segment where Pat talked to Reese from Frontline Gaming and they discussed the Las Vegas Open, Forgeworld in competitive events, some FAQs, why Tyranids are so bad and much more!  After that, Kevin had another ‘Segmentum Obscurus ‘segment where he also talked to Reese and discussed the LVO!  The guys closed out the show with part two of their coverage of Codex Tyranids.  They picked up right where they left off, and rehashed some things they missed initially on their first pass.  They moved on to the HQ choices of the Swarmlord, Tyrant Guard, Tervigons, Old One Eye, Primes and more.  They then moved on to the Troop choices of the Warriors, Genestealers, Gaunts, and Ripper Swarms before covering the Elites starting with the Hive Guard and the moved on to Zoanthropes, Lictors, and the rest. 

Opinion:  This week’s show was just what the doctor ordered for competitive players.  The first gem was the ‘Deathstar 40K’ segment which was just jam packed with looks ahead at this year’s tournament circuit.  The second one being their coverage of the ill-fated Tyranid codex.  And if you’re a big fan of Reese, which I am, there was a double dose of LVO coverage.  Overall, an outstanding show, easily my top pick for the week!

Highlights:  This week the boys concluded their coverage of Caledonian Uprising 2014, day two!  The boys caught us up with where they were at the end of day one and the re-hashed the lists that they took to the event.  They then covered in great detail each of their last two games on day two, discussing the missions, the lists their opponents were running, and the final outcome of those games.  Whenever possible, they followed this up with an interview with an opponent to talk about the game.  This included Josh and Rob’s epic final table battle for first place and Dave’s interview with John Paul Stevens and Matt Robertson who finished 3^rd and 9^th respectively at the Caledonian Uprising 2014.  They closed out the show with and interview with Tim King, TO of the Caledonian Uprising and they discussed the event, how it was run, prize support, and more. 

Opinion:  This week the boys concluded their massive coverage of the first big 40K tournament in the UK, and I have been a huge fan of it.  This three part series was as comprehensive as you could possibly ask for, including two of the staff at the top table at the end going head-to-head, every tactic and strategy used, and all of the fun of a big two day event.  I found a wealth of knowledge here, and I thank the staff for such a complete review of the event.  Check it out! 

Forge the Narrative – Episode 39

Highlights:  This week ‘Juice’ joins the crew and they are talking about the new Tyranid Codex!  They kicked it off by talking about the list they ran on their Web Broadcast battle, how Juice ran it, and how the list performed.  They moved on to a discussion about how Tyranids are an army that needs to spend its point efficiently to succeed, and they really dig deep in to some new wave tactics for the ‘Nids.  This included an analysis of the Broodlord and how his Psychic power could be abused in a game.  After some more free form tactic discussion, the guys moved on to talk about their Adepticon preparations and what they are doing to be ready for the big event.  They were then joined, on the fly, by Reese from Frontline Gaming, and he talked a little about the upcoming LVO and a lot more about the new Tyranid Codex in a free form conversation. 

Opinion:  I was a real big fan of ‘Juice’ this week, because he has an attitude about this Codex that says, ‘I can make this work!’  There are a lot of us out there, myself included, who are really disappointed with the Tyranid Codex and feel it will be left for dead.  But ‘Juice’ and the guys all had different feelings on that matter and I am looking forward to trying some of their ideas out this week.  Great show guys, I’m loving what you’re doing there!

Imperial Vox Cast – Episode 108 ***Explicit***

Highlights:  This week, Bill and Dawson looked at the new Tyranid Codex!  They kicked off the show with some updates on what they have been up to lately in the hobby, gaming and life (congratulations Bill!).  Next, the boys dove into their review of Codex Tyranids.  They started with army’s Special Rules of Instinctive Behavior, Synapse, and Shadow in the Warp.  They moved on to the Warlord Traits, discussed what this army lost from the last codex, and ran down the Tyranid Psychic powers and Artifacts.  They then started to cover the units found in this book, starting with the HQ and the Hive Tyrant, the Swarmlord, Old One Eye, Primes, Tervigons, and more.  They moved on to the Troops, starting with Warriors and moved on to Genestealers, Gaunts, and Ripper Swarms.  They then coved the Elites choices of Zoanthropes, Hive Guard, Venomthropes, Lictors and more.  They then covered the Fast Attack and Heavy Support choices and highlighted the Gargoyles, Harpies, Hive Crones, Carnifexes, Biovores and Mawlocs!  They closed out the show by building and discussing what they consider to be competitive list using this new book.

Highlights:  This week Allan is joined by Larry, Cory and Joe and this week they kicked off the show with what they have been up to lately in gaming and the hobby.  They then moved on to a review of the new White Dwarf and Visions, what they think of the format overall, the content, and more.  This moved on to a discussion about how hard is it for a new player to get into the game with the prices set at what they are.  They then discussed what other companies are doing with their games and how this attacts new players, from lower prices, community participation in the rules, and through direct feedback with the company.  Next, Allan had an interview with Dan Corbett from Game Table Adventures and they discussed a bit more about the finical state of GW in light of the drop in their stock.  They covered GW’s long range finical planning, the rumors out on the internet, and some local news and updates.  They closed out the show with some ideas on how to run events for new player versus competitive events and a hobby tip on thinning your paints. 

Opinion:  Once again Boltgun Battle Brother has made my list!  I am really liking what is going on with this show.  They still have some audio issue I think they need to work on, but overall Allan and the guys are producing some quality shows.  I really did like the reviews of the White Dwarf and Visions and their thought on the state of the game from a business standpoint.  Keep up the good work 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 163 ***Explicit*** Dwarf pics and GW issues

Noobhammer – Episode 38 ***Explicit*** Tournament Etiquette and Kill Team rules

The Deployment Zone – Episode 51 ***Explicit*** GW changes from 2013 – 2014, supplement reviews, Kickstarters and more

Southern State of 40K – Episode 19 Tyranid Codex review