In this episode, we talk about power fantasy; how it shows up in media and games and especially how it is represented in 40K. Rules in the game of 40K that allow players to act out the power fantasy of their army can often be at odds with the balance of the game, so we will discuss the tension between the two and how it impacts the state of the game with each new book that is released ..read more

Welcome to the 7th annual Battlehosts Christmas episode. In this episode, we cover the major events and releases for 40K and discuss the state of the hobby as we near the end of 2021. We also talk about the state of the 40K community and our wishes for next year. Special Announcement The Battlehosts podcast is changing again. We will no longer be a regular bi-weekly or monthly podcast. I can’t say exactly what the pace will be or when the next episode will be out, or even how many I will do each year. But I do know that we won’t be a regular podcast like we used to be. Consider each episode an ..read more

In this episode, we talk about the origins of the 40K universe and discuss it as a work of satire. Although it has changed over the last 30 years, it’s roots are in the “grimdark” universe that was first created in the 80s. We also discuss how some can miss the point of 40k as satire. We also review the new Warhammer Plus and whether it is worth your money. Introduction The Warhammer 40K Universe officially kicked off in 1987 with the publication of the first edition of 40k. It was called Rogue Trader, subtitled Warhammer 40K. Written mostly by Rick Priestly, it set up the universe we have al ..read more

In this episode, we talk about competitive versus casual players in 40k; how they view the hobby and how they like to play the game. We discuss what happens when their expectations clash during a game. We also talk about starting and ending a project, when to call it done, and when to bail. Introduction 40k players play the game for lots of different reasons, some want to play competitively, some want to tell a story, others just want to hang out with friends, a few want to do all three. The problem typically comes when players with different expectations play each other; it can lead to feel ..read more

In this episode, we talk about getting back into 40K. Most of us have been absent from the game for a long time and we have a new edition to learn, so it will take some time to get back up to speed playing the game again. For our second segment, we discuss how to balance 40K with your personal life. It’s especially appropriate now, given how many of our lives have changed as a result of the pandemic. Introduction As the COVID vaccines roll out to countries around the world, life is finally just starting to get back to normal. For us, this means playing 40K in person again and actually getting ..read more

In our sixth annual Christmas episode, we once again do a year in review for 2020. This was definitely a unique year in life and the 40K hobby, and real life for the first time had a big impact on the game. We cover the major events and releases for 40K and discuss the state of the hobby as we near the end of 2020. We also talk about looking ahead to next year and hoping we can get back to playing again! Major Events from 2020 January The Psychic Awakening series continues! Ritual of the Damned, for Grey Knights it made them a really good army. Thousand sons and Dark Angels also included. La ..read more

In this episode, we talk discuss two Black Library books as part of our Black Library Book Club series. We take a look at two books focused on the God Machines or Titans of Warhammer 40K; Titanicus by Dan Abnett and Imperator: Wrath of the Omnissiah by Gav Thrope. Although both have Titans at the center of the story, they are very different stories. We start with a spoiler free review section and  give our recommendation for each book. We will then do a more in-depth spoiler-filled dive into each book to discuss the themes, characters, and stories. Introduction The Black Library is the l ..read more

In this episode, we talk about getting back to 40K basics with Garagehammer. Garagehammer is the term the community uses for playing at home rather than at a store or an event. It’s what many of us started doing, and with the current situation its what many of us find ourselves doing again. We discuss how to get started, the benefits and drawbacks, and our plan for the future. We also discuss our upcoming Battlehosts Crusade campaign. Introduction Our experience with Garagehammer Why Garagehammer? It’s unlikely there will be any events soon, and the game is too fun to NOT play; there is only ..read more

In this episode, we talk about Crusade, the new narrative system for Warhammer 40K. We talk about how it works and how you can use it to easily run your next narrative campaign. Introduction Crusade is the new narrative system where the action happens between missions; what your army starts with is not what your army ends up with. In previous narrative systems, GW basically did a series of missions, or battlefield rules like “lava” or lightning, or more random stuff that, while fun, was not really balanced and the players had to work to create a narrative. The problem with all of these is tha ..read more

In this episode, we talk about the new Matched Play missions in Warhammer 40k. These were clearly designed to be a universal set of balanced missions for tournaments, so we want to cover how they work and how they might be implemented by your favorite event. Introduction NO more maelstrom missions, at least not in this book. The intent is to have everyone play the same matched play missions. Board Size The new edition has different missions and minimum sizes of tables depending on the size of the army, so each one is tailored to the kind of game you plan on playing: Combat patrol 500, 44” (3 ..read more