Tuesday, September 6, 2011

More 40k Podcast Reviews

In a continuing mission to keep my readers up-to-date with all that's happening in the 40k podcast world, here's a new update. I'll introduce you to some new podcasts (well new new to me anyway) and update you on my opinions of some that I have mentioned before. Remember that these are rated according to what I look for in a podcast - your needs may vary!

If your favourite podcast is missing, that's because I have an earlier post that covered the podcasts available at that time. I have also made all my podcast review content available as a permanent page on my site. I hope that you get some value from my reviews!
Podcasts I Like

Turn 8 (link)

Ooh I found a new 40k dedicated post that comes out roughly every 3 weeks. It is hosted by three friends: Bill who has played for 20 or so years, Opy who has been playing for a while, and Rich who has an army but is yet to play! They are all happy to discuss their hobby in detail, and its refreshing to get such a varied point of view. They are all well spoken and vibe is friendly and welcoming.

I really like this one, and have quickly listened through the back catalogue (there are 7 episodes available). The battle reports are really something unique, they narrate the battle story over background music and then discuss the aftermath afterwards - its really engaging. They do spend some time discussing general hobby news, which several other podcasts do to, but I guess they have their own angle. They review things like Kill Team and the Sisters of Battle Codex, and their responses have all been sensible. Great stuff - I can't wait for Rich to play his first game. Come on mate, assemble the rest of those Dark Eldar!

Can Hammer (link)

This is really a Fantasy podcast, but they have several episodes dedicated to 40k - mainly tournament reports. So not one to subscribe to unless you play Warhammer (Emperor protect you!), but you might enjoy downloading the 40k episodes for a bit of variety - they are clearly marked. They claim their might be some Flames of War content in the future too.

So I've only listened to the two 40k episodes. Both were good, with battle reports and discussion about the viability of different units. Nothing groundbreaking, but worth having a listen to.

Screaming Heretic (link)
I mentioned these guys before, but reserved judgement until I had listened to a few more episodes. The hosts are friends with the Eternal Warriors crew - girlfriend in one case. Huh? Yes that's right, this one has GIRLS. However the podcast is held together by Joe, who does all the production and seems to organise the crew as well. He's backed up by Chaos Dave, She-Swizzy and The Jen (to avoid confusion with other Jens). They spend a lot of time discussing the hobby and social side of the hobby.

First off, this is a very different podcast to Eternal Warriors, with a much more positive energy to it. The content is improving in the newer episodes too, and it is nice to hear the female perspective on our hobby. Its not my favourite, but in general I like it. Its hilarious to hear each episode what work Jo has done on Jen's Dark Eldar, as he seems to hobby for the both of them (they are married).

40k UK (link)

OK I already devoted a full article to my review of this, but I just wanted to bring it up again because I am so impressed with the way that this podcast is developing. The host Dave Symcox is great at listening to feedback and incorporating it into the show. I am amazed at the amount of energy he puts into the podcast, and into 40k in general. And he has a great crew that are backing him up with some of the most insightful and competitive advice on the internet.

Its a long show, but packed full of rich content that is always great to listen to. Keep up the good work Dave! 

Not For Me

Tyrants Due (link)

A few guys from Indiana who get together to talk about wargaming in general, although the emphasis is definitely on 40k. They also are really getting into the 40k roleplaying games, such as Death Watch and Black Crusade.

I find these guys really disorganised. The podcast seems to run for about 20 minutes before they realise they are on air. There is good content at times, but it is heavily diluted with off-topic discussion and banter. Also they do spend a lot of time talking about role-playing. They are ten shows in now and don't really seem to have found their stride. I might have another listen in a few months but for now they are off my playlist.

Interesting Tactics (link)

This 40k podcast is hosted by a young bloke named Adam (hes only 18 I think). He has other people joining him sporadically. Hes a nice bloke and obviously in to his 40k, but there was a lack of consistency to the content - it could be about anything really.

I think that Adam is struggling to find a niche. Some of the episodes were little more than eccentric monologues. The tactical content was was very basic, and not worth my time to listen to really, so I pulled the plug. Looking at the web site it says he has two additional hosts now, but looking at the latest episode descriptions at least one of them seems to be missing from the new episodes. More of the same I guess, but I might have another listen just in case.

The Eternal Warriors (link)

I wanted to give Rich, Dave and the crew another go. The last time I had listened to them was in the Dice Like Thunder days, and I never really recovered from Mac leaving the podcast. So I downloaded the latest episode and had a listen, but ended up shutting it down sometime after the first hour.

My main issue was that there really wasn't a lot of on-topic conversation. There was a lot of general banter, talk about Magic and GenCon without much specifics. When they were talking 40k, it was to spend a whole lot of time discussing the new Sisters codex and whether or not it was fair to receive it in the White Dwarf. Its just not the content I am looking for in a podcast.

Life After The Cover Save (link)

I also decided to give the LATCS crew a second chance - I remember liking a few of their earlier podcasts but going off them pretty quickly. I listened to the first forty minutes of the latest episode before pulling the plug.

These guys ARE still funny, but the level of 40k content was hovering around zero. Its all goofing around and being rude. I quickly grew bored.

5 comments:

  1. Good reviews, I hadn't heard of Turn 8; will check them out!

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  2. Hurray we made the list! Glad you like what we're doing and thanks for the nice review, always appreciated! Now that I finally found this I feel guilty for not having a game yet. OK Ravager, you and me, this weekend, we're doing this ...

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  3. Ha ha its always nice to know that the podcasters I review are aware of me :) Come on Rich, write a list and get those models on the table. If you want any help on the list front, feel free to email me!

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  4. We are always watching muahahahaha,.. err never mind.

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