As the barricades of denial broke down, so did I, and it was good.

When Alexander broke the news of Christina’s passing to Kamil and me on Sunday night, it was like everything stopped. How could it be that the woman I had talked to just a few days earlier was dead? It seemed like everything was going the right way and then this hits us all from out of the blue. Everyone on the show knew of Christina’s health-issues, but I don’t think any one of us actually thought she would actually die.

So as I got to work on Monday morning I informed my boss of what had happened, and he was understanding (one of the benefits of having a boss that is also one of your friends). I’ve never been very good at handling my emotions, so I chose not to tell anyone else. When I checked my phone at lunch, the news was all over the community and I felt I had to sit down and respond to some of the comments on our Facebook page.

That’s when it hit me, like a ton of bricks. The finality of it all. I would never again play Dawn of War with her, I would never be able to talk to her, hear her laugh. As the barricades of denial broke down, so did I, and it was good. As I wiped away my tears I felt I could really start to cherish everything she had done for me.

As the latest addition to the podcast, I didn’t get to know her as well as the others, but I still took her passing like it was a close family member. I didn’t know about all her problems until I heard Tina’s Voice. At first I put off listening to it. I felt I wasn’t ready for it, but after talking a lot with her friend Rebecca on Facebook I realized that my picture of Christina was incomplete and  listening to the recording would make me better understand why she meant so much to so many.

I didn’t cry. In fact I was smiling most of the time. I was just awestruck at how she dealt with her situation, despite everything that had happened. While it made the loss feel greater, at the same time I was left with the feeling “I got to know this woman, and she has shown me how to be a better person.”

Now I feel there are only three things left to do: Spread the word and get as many people to download and listen to Tina’s Voice as we can, record episode #60 of DSR where we have Carl from The Independent Characters and Jason from The Overlords visiting for a Remembrancer Special, and help people remember Christina for everything she was to us and to the community. As long as we remember her, she will never truly be gone.

Deepstrike Radio has lost a voice, the Adeptas Sororitas has lost a champion, and the world has lost an amazing woman.

Fly high Tigress.

Before I begin the rest of my post, I would like to thank the 40k community for the outpouring of support for both Christina’s loved ones and Deepstrike Radio. We have lost a member of our family, and words cannot express how much it means to me to see that she was just as loved by the rest of the community as she was by us. I would ask all of those who have memories or stories about their time with Christina to share them with the community on our Facebook page, or in the comments section here. It is extremely important to me, and i’m sure all of those who were close to her that she be remembered as she should.

When you spend as much time together as we do, working on a podcast, you begin to form ties that are surprisingly strong. To be honest, I had never really taken the time to think about what Deepstrike Radio, and indeed, my fellow hosts meant to me until after Christina’s passing. Deepstrike Radio is a family, just as dysfunctional and ridiculous as your real brothers and sisters, and just as close. We may have lost our sister, but I will never forget how much Christina impacted my life in the all too brief time I knew her.

When I grew up, I spent most of my time looking after my older sister, who is learning disabled and auditory processing impaired. I did not understand the feeling of being looked after by an older sibling, because I spent my time doing the looking after. However, as I grew to know Christina and spent time with her, I like to think that I learned what that feeling felt like. Christina was so compassionate and strong, and she would message me every day, to check up on me and see how I was doing. Not a day went by that I did not give a progress report on my life to my surrogate older sister, and not a day goes by that I don’t wish I could still be doing so.

What struck me most about Christina, was how compassionate and strong she was. She was always more concerned about others, and always looking out for people she could help. She sheltered those who needed it, and helped those who sometimes did not know they needed help themselves. Christina lived a more difficult life than I can possibly imagine, and yet she never let it show. She was always laughing, always joking, always talking, and always strong. There is no way living a life as she did, that it did not affect her, but to her, it did not matter. She always put the welfare of others before herself, and she was always strong for those who needed her.

Funnily enough, when I first met her, my first impression was less than favorable. I was doing a routine check up in the chatbox of our forum, when I came across a conversation about the Emperor’s Children. I saw some person called “Flying Tigress” espousing the virtues of their beliefs, and how great they were, and immediately I prepared for a throw down. In this business, I have spent so long doing what I do, it is not often I find someone who has the nerve and the knowledge to engage in the argument that her and I got into that night.

Christina did not back down, she did not resort to brushing things off or making things up. She came at me full steam, and I left that conversation both irritated and impressed. That this random woman had the nerve to stay in the fight long past where most would have conceded impressed me in a way I could not quantify. As our conversations continued I was not disappointed with their direction. Christina was prepared every time, and every time I walked away more impressed. When we put out our Casting Call, I encouraged her to try out, and I view at as one of the best decisions I have ever made in my oh so short time on this world.

Christina once told me she loved the Emperor’s Children because she loved what they stood for. No one is ever perfect, but that does not mean one should not always be trying to be more perfect. In this light, I have come to appreciate them and that ideal more than I believed I could. One of the sticking points about the Emperor’s Children for Christina was that they turned traitor, and took their pursuit of perfection into the unnatural. This disappointed her, though it did not stop her from following their story and being able to see it for the worthwhile quest it was.

I can say with full confidence however, that if Fulgrim had ever had the chance to talk to Christina, he would have adopted her as a surrogate member of his legion. Despite all of her experiences and hardships, she never stop striving to improve herself with a dedication that I’m not sure even the Primarch himself could match. If there was any individual who could have convinced Fulgrim to remain loyal, or of the validity of his ideal, it would have been Christina. Fulgrim had an eye for beauty, and no one had a more beautiful soul than Christina Campbell.

There are a thousand more things I could write about Christina, a thousand more stories I wish to share, but I will save them for our recording and close out my post here. Rest in peace, Sister. You are with the Emperor now. We will ring the Bell of Lost Souls for you, as they do for all Imperial Saints, because you would have qualified in a heartbeat.

Again, I encourage all of you to share your memories of Christina with us on our Facebook page, or on the comments section here. Tomorrow we will be recording a special tribute episode to Christina with all of us, as well as a few other individuals who Christina impacted greatly. We will release the episode as soon as we are able, and encourage all of you to listen in.

I will carry you in my heart with me always, Christina. As long as I still draw breath, you will not be forgotten.

-Chase

Lately I find my self struggling within the confines of 40k gaming. For far too long I have pigeon holed myself into playing 40k almost exclusively. While I enjoy 40k a lot there are so many great games and genres to game out there, I am ashamed of myself for my 40k obsession. There is an enormous gaming world out there and I desire to be a participant in more of it!

Now don’t get all worried I am quitting DSR or 40k, because it ain’t happening. I just won’t be playing 40k exclusively any longer. In the past few years the only time I game anything non-40k related is on my Dad’s yearly visit; which I am in the middle of right now.

I have been submersed in pure gaming bliss for the last 2 weeks and have played not a single game of 40k. I hate to say it but I have not enjoyed gaming this much in years. It’s not 40k’s falt, it is the fact that I have until the past 4 years been a multi-genre wargamer; playing multiple games, genres or systems keeps things fresh. I need a dose of fresh to remain with me throughout the year; if I am being honest I am beginning to feel a lil burn out on 40k. I love and will always love 40k, but vanilla ice cream all the time is boring.

They say variety is the spice of life and I am on Arrakis and needs me some spice!

There are also lots of new games on the horizon that harken back to my youth, and I must strike a balance before they all drop.

So I now embark on a new struggle, balancing my wargaming between genres. This could prove to be a real challenge as I have drifted away from a lot of my non-40k gaming contacts. I will share my story with you over the next 12 months in a bi-monthly update.

Until next time, Big Jim signing off!

Co-host Snorre here.

I’ve been trying to hammer together a post for a while, but the topic turned out to be surprisingly hard to write about, so I’ve decided to give you a tour behind the scenes of DSR for now.

While DSR has been “on the air” for a few years now, I’ve only been involved since Kamil and Christina came in to replace Chris, and that’s as far back as I can go with this post. How things were done before then is mostly unknown to me.

Ok, let’s get into the time-machine. We’re heading back to the Saturday when the Fearsome Foursome (Chase, Jim, Kamil and Christina) was trying to record Episode 51. Up until that point DSR was recorded through Skype, but for some reason it was impossible to get all four in the same conference-call without major sound drop-outs and people disconnecting from Skype all the time. I was sitting on my PC when I got a pretty desperate call from Chase asking if I could help them out. After a few minutes of texting the hosts on Skype we managed to move them all onto my Mumble server, and they were good to go. I was welcome to “hang out” and listen to the show, so I also recorded it to give show-editing a try. That’s how the current “sound” of DSR got started, and that’s all the time-travel I feel we need for now.

So let’s start looking at the business-end of recording and producing DSR.

The recording-room

Since we’re all from different parts of the world (USA, Canada, Germany and Norway) we can’t get together is a proper studio to record the show (it would be awesome if we could do that once though). If you go back and listen to the first episodes of DSR you’ll notice that the sound-quality has improved drastically over the years, and I’d say most of this is actually not from changes in equipment. In the first 5-6 shows (at least) you can hear some of the hosts had sound problems. It was at times really hard to hear what people were saying because of reverb and microphone-issues.

One of the biggest improvements in the early shows (in my opinion) was when Chris put a rug on the floor of his recording-room. How can a simple rug improve quality? Chris was sitting in a room with a stone floor and bare walls. There was nothing to absorb sound, so echoes took forever to die out and this made it hard to hear what he was saying. After the rug was installed, sound was absorbed in the rug and stopped bouncing around the room, and it became much easier to hear what Chris said.

The room I use for recording has a big open wardrobe, long, thick  curtains and a big couch, so if I clap my hands in here I don’t hear any echo at all. With Kamil for example, there is some reverb but not much. As long as the reverb doesn’t feel intrusive it’s ok.

Hardware

Finally we get to the cool gizmos and the tech-specs! Time to show off! Well, actually no. Until recently, Jim used the laptop microphone on his MacBook to record the show. Christina uses a gamer-headset. You don’t need fancy equipment to record a podcast, just try to avoid the really cheap stuff that makes you sound like the drive-through at some fast-food place. The recording “medium” (like Skype) has a lot to say too, and can easily negate the benefit of a quality microphone (I’ll talk about this later). So the current situation in DSR is that Jim, Chase, Kamil all use a Samson G-Track, I use a Røde Podcaster and as previously mentioned, Christina uses a headset.

Software

To make DSR happen we use three pieces of software. Recording is done using Mumble, editing is done in Audacity and final assembly is done by Chase using GarageBand.

Let’s begin with the recording end. For a small podcast, Skype is great. It’s decentralized nature makes it cheap (free), but it has its problems. The problem comes when you start adding more people to a conference, and some of these don’t have a great Internet connection. The solution is very simple, but can also cost money.

The solution is to use a voice client/server solution like Ventrilo/TeamSpeak/Mumble. In our case, I host the Mumble server myself, so it’s free (love the Free/Libre/Open Source Software movement)! Since the three aforementioned solutions are client/server based, as long as the server has the bandwidth, everyone will have an easier time, and sound-quality will in general be much better than Skype.

The way we record the show is to record each segment in order, in FLAC (to preserve quality during the editing process), using multi-channel recording (that is, one channel per host). This makes it much easier to edit the show later. Muting one person if two people talk at the same time, removing one person’s background-noise etc. is a breeze.

Once the recording is complete, it’s time to start editing. Actually it’s time to go to bed, because we usually finish recording sometime between 01:00 and 03:00 (that’s 1-3AM) my time, and recording a show usually takes at least an hour longer than the finished episode.

Once I’m done counting sheep I take each segment into Audacity and start “polishing”. The process is simple, but quite time-consuming. I remove (silence or cut) “aah”s and “uhm”s where I can, shorten silent periods and cut out flubs (where possible). Unfortunately this step takes 2-3 times the time it took to record the segment, but in the end it’s all worth it. So the next time you listen to a 2+-hour episode, remember that I probably spent 5-7 hours editing. The last steps are to “Normalize” the recording (maximize the volume of each host so they are all easy to hear, not to be confused with dynamic range compression) and add a stereo effect so that it sounds a bit like we’re all sitting around a (virtual) table.

The final step is to send the finished FLAC-files to Chase, he adds intro-music and ads, saves it as an MP3-file, uploads it to the Internet and then you get to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Feature-image: Vintage Microphone Vector by Mattsaling.com

One of the great looking armies at last years FoB.

The Gobbo: So Chandler, welcome to the Deep Strike Radio Blog. Can you tell me what is the Feast of Blades?

Chandler Lee: Feast of Blades is an annual gaming convention and tournament circuit, consisting of a qualifying local tournament held by your local store and a Convention held on Oct 11-13 2013.

TG: What kind of events is FoB offering this year? Are they just 40k?

CL: Goodness, NO! This year expect to see great amounts of growth in Warmachine/Hordes as well as Infinity. We have packed the schedule with tons of “side events.” Feast of Blades isn’t only about the 40k Invitational. For example, we have approval from Corvus Belli to print life size foam cutouts of their artwork. We will use these along with some literally giant D20′s to play “life size infinity.” Yes, that means that you will be playing infinity in the atrium of the hotel with actual pillars, bystanders, and live plants for cover. It’s going to be great fun! We also have “saturday card night,” which is a relaxed Sat night where we will break open dozens of games like munchkin and Evil Baby Orphanage and let you and your friends play for hours for free. We also have the fan favorites coming back this year including “club Feast of Blades,” which is the party-like atmosphere of Friday night. And the super popular geek-bar-trivia on Sat night. We have also added a “feast at feast,” which is an all-you-can-eat-buffet Sat night where you can sit down with games designers and all the ‘geek celebrities,’ as well as friends and catch up on all the latest news.

TG: Who do you have as Sponsors this year?

CL: As always we have a lot of great sponsors and Vendors this year. Included in this list is: Corvus Belli (Who are sending out their lead rules and fluff designers, a rare honor!), Privateer Press, KR multicase (Who is the best bag provider in the business (in our opinion), Spikey Bits, Dark Matter Games, Mekanika Studios, Blue Table Painting, Freeblades, Next level painting, On the Lamb Games, Kreator hobbies, Hobby quest games, Steve Jackson Games and many, many others. We are very excited because we sold out all of our vendor spots in 8 months in advance! And we have a waiting line of others.

TG: I understand most of your events are going to allow Forge World?

A fantastic looking Chaos Army from FoB 2012

CL: Not quite true, The Invitational doesn’t allow Forgeworld. The Open GT (which is a completely separate tournament) does allow “40k approved,” forgeworld. The reason for this is that we want the tournaments to be completely different. We don’t like the Open GT to be the “I didn’t qualify for the Invitational,” tournament… We want it to have it’s own attraction and benefits that are separate from the Invitational. As such it allows FW and is 2000 pts with double force org (but is only 6 rounds to allow longer games). The only other event that allows Forgeworld is the Narrative, which is a weekend long mega battle with killteams mixed in. What fun would a mega battle be without Titans!? and lots of them!

TG: The Open I see is a 2000 point tournament with double Force Org… What made you go with that as the format?

CL: I dove into this a little in the Forgeworld question, but I’ll expand a bit here. Our Open GT TO, Allen M., has been really great! Early on in the creation of the FOB OPEN GT he decided that the Open GT should be the whole hobbyist’s tournament and that it should have a completely different appeal to it than the Invitational. To this end he wanted people to play with all their toys. It isn’t about balance or power gaming, it’s about “MAN, THAT MODEL IS SICK!” If you want to go be a power gamer and min-max the Invitational is for you. But if you want to be a part of a “Golden Age GT,” where sportsmanship is more important that victory points play in the Open GT. Long story short, the Open GT is where we want to see great armies with lots of background and beautiful paint jobs with army lists that may be a bit “unconventional.”

TG: How would one go about getting into the Invitational event?

CL: There are 3 ways 1- Qualify at a local store (if your local store isn’t hosting a qualifier then tell them to! www.feastofblades.com) the top 3 players from each store qualify. 2- Qualify by previous performance: If you win the Invitational you qualify for life, also the top 8 of the previous year’s invitational (Bracket 1) auto qualify, as well as the top 2 from the Open GT. 3- This one is rare, but possible: Get a personal invite from me. I rarely give these out, and if you have to ask then you likely won’t get one.

TG: What is the cost of the event?

CL: Costs vary per event, the best place to go is this URL http://s248757724.onlinehome.us/FeastOfBlades/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=130&Itemid=113

TG: Where is the event being held this year?

CL: This year we have moved to the Beautiful Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center. 7800 East Tufts Ave Denver CO 80237. Rooms are a very affordable $89 a night, and remember that getting a room at the hotel is how you ensure that we can host this event year after year. Please don’t stay at another hotel for cheaper because we have to pay tons and tons of money if we don’t fill the promised amount of rooms.

TG: What makes this event different from other 40k events?

CL: Our goal is to put on the best gaming event in the world. At Feast of Blades we believe in the amazing spectacle of gaming, we believe that gaming and the gaming community is a glue that defines many of our lives, we celebrate and glorify that community. We have two sayings within the staff at Feast of Blades: 1. “If you aren’t jealous of the players, you’re doing it wrong!” 2. “turn it up to 11!” We don’t run a tournament, or side events… We run a celebration of gaming!

TG: What is the Spoils of War event… and did I read that right… a Forge World Titan is the prize?

CL: That is new this year. It’s a great idea! $15 entry 1500 points, 1.5 hr rounds, Single Elimination, and yes…a FW TITAN for the winner! The single elimination may sound harsh at first but the first round will be over before the team tournament starts and if you get knocked out you can jump into the Team tourney or the Narrative FOR FREE! Pretty amazing stuff, and little-to-no-risk.

TG: How many people were at last years event and how many are you going to be able to accommodate this year?

CL: 312 attended last year, we are expecting 600 this year. Mostly due to us adding more great events to Warmachine, Infinity and Magic the Gathering.

TG: Thank you for your time Chandler, I know you must be very busy. Is there anything else you would like to pass on the the Deep Strike Radio community?

CL: We strive very hard to make an amazing event for all kinds of gamers, not just tournament 40k. I know it can seem “expensive,” to travel to events like this, but to anyone who is thinking about it come to Feast of Blades and I promise we will show you a great time and you will look forward to attending every year! I love meeting first year people, if it’s your first year, come find me and let me know!

TG: Where can our listeners/readers go to get more information and get their tickets to the event?

CL: Find us on Facebook we are VERY active there (And we will give a free hotel room night and ticket to ANY event once we reach 1000 followers!!!). Our website is www.feastofblades.com for information about events and dates. For tickets: click the “Buy Tickets,” tab or follow this LINK

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

I want to give a HUGE thank you to Chandler for taking time out of setting up the event to chat with me ab out the event and give me a little information on the event.  If you have the time and can be in Denver on October 11-13, please come down for this great event.  I will be there and maybe we can even get a game or 3 in.

The Gobbo

The Hobby (00:00:50)

This Episode Jim has made his triumphant return! The hosts welcome him with open arms, and Chase justifies Christina’s not so mysterious whereabouts!

News In a Flash (00:09:15)

The hosts talk Kickstarters with Secret Weapon Miniatures and Powered Play offering two interesting kickstarters of their own and Chase expresses his glee over the Puppets War Barbarian Armour sets!

Contest Alert (00:19:29)

Christina elaborates on her show stopping contest for the audience!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by krmulticase.com & modelbits.co.uk

The Librarius (00:24:49)

The Librarius kicks the door in with a rant from Chase about the changes to Chaos in recent years, what a way to begin! The hosts buckle down to delve into the mysterious chaos god Tzeentch, Changer of Ways. Headaches and mind-bending discussion abound as DSR does its best to get a grasp on the Lord of Sorcery!

The Armoury (01:21:07)

Chase and Kamil rock in the Armoury with an all Chaos Daemons Tzeentch list and try to conceptualize their devious Skyshield Landing Pad maneuver! Not to be outdone, Snorre and Jim bring their guns to the table with a Thousand Sons list featuring the one and only Ahriman himself!

The Briefing Room (01:32:21)

This Briefing Room Christina moderates a no-holds barred rumble in Mumble! Jim and Chase plot a future How to DIY fluff episode right out of the gate, and are quick to express the Emperor’s Wrath when a RAW vs. Intended rules debate rears its head! Lore questions are not to be undone however, as Chase has to search the depths of his knowledge to discover the scheme of the Ember Wolves, Christina lays down the law with the Sisters of Battle Grey Knights debacle,  and Snorre asserts the Emperor’s Will by denying the Tau sanctuary!

Links

The Custodes

modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

Horse hockey.

We’re all competitive.  If we weren’t, we wouldn’t keep coming back.  There’s no way the time, money, and effort involved could persist otherwise.

“No” I hear some of you protest, “I’m really not competitive – I don’t care if I win or lose the game.”  And maybe you don’t.  I say that myself.  I try to win, but I’m not wrapped up in it, and don’t feel bad about myself if I lose.  But that’s a very different thing than being competitive or not.

And I am competitive.  But what many, especially many players who DO seek out the win and get upset by losses don’t understand, is that for me, and for many others, the person across the table isn’t who we’re competing with.

When we put our models forward for painting competitions, we’re not competing with the other painters.

Who am I competing against then?

Myself, of course.  Or, myself in the context of an idea I’m competing against, a challenge I’m seeing if I can overcome.

I don’t look at a beautifully painted model and think about if I can do better than that; I think about if I can do better than I currently am.

I don’t build lists to be the most efficient; I build stuff I like, and see how well I can do with it.

I want to do well – in games I generally try to win, but that may not be my main goal.

I’ll let that sink in a bit, as it may be a shocking thought to some.

My primary goal may be something else, with winning the game a side effect.  I may have had trouble killing a particular character or unit, and have challenged myself to take it out this time.  Or maybe my goal is to see if I can claim all six objectives.  Perhaps I want to see how a particular unit does, so I focus my attention on that.  Sometimes I’m in an especially cinematic mood and want to see dramatic things happen, like big characters throwing down with each other, or bikers using a wreck as a ramp to assault into another unit, and try to arrange that in-game.

And really, the tournament types are the same way, they just have a different focus.  How many times have you said or heard them say something like, “I want to place this time” or “I went 2-1-1 last time, my goal is to go 3-1 this time” or “My goal is to not make major stupid mistakes”?  It’s another way of competing with oneself.  It’s setting a challenge for yourself, and seeing if you can overcome it.

So in my mind there’s really no such divide as competitive and non-competitive players.  We all just set different challenges for ourselves.

to attend the Feast of Blades tournament here in Denver Colorado. It is running October 11th-13th and it has a ton of great stuff going on. In 40k alone we have the following events going on:

• Invitational
• Open GT
• Doubles Tournament
• Narrative
• Last Chance Qualifier
• Open Gaming

I am going to try and hit one or 2 of the Qualifiers, but even if I fail to qualify at this point, I will be participating in the 40k Open event. Held this year at the beautiful Hyatt Regency (Denver Tech Center). There will be lots of space for play and a ton of great after event activities. There is always a Trivia Pub challenge

This was my conversion from the last FoB.

and last year there was a Conversion/Speed painting contest hosted by Blue Table Painting, whom I hope to see there again this year! There were a lot of great vendors there last year including “Spikey Bitz” and “Battlefoam”, as well as many local [to Denver] stores and vendors.

So… What does this all mean?

Well, since I don’t have a fully painted army yet and the event takes place in October, this means I have about 6 months to decide on an army, build what I don’t have for it and get it all painted. Now I just need to decide if I want to do Sisters of Battle [least prepared for and needing most models for], Tau which will take a lot of work as well, or do I finish up some of my Deathwatch army that will

require a lot of building still, but I have almost everything I am going to need? So, if I make it in to the Invitational, that is an 1850 point tournament, but the Open is a 2000 point with double Force Org and Forge World “40k approved”

I just got a set of the  Legion MkIV Outrider Squadron and am in the process of making some extra bits from the kit to fill out my SM army. I am use them as vanilla Marines with a Captain on bike, or I can do a Dark Angels Raven Wing.  Not sure which yet, but they will be painted up as Deathwatch either way.

I will be starting a post on the forum to show my project and keep me motivated as well as make sure you all see what is going on with it. So, let me hear from you on your opinion as to which direction you think I should go. I have about one month to figure out what army to play and design and test it to get the build done in time for the Feast!

Until next time… see you on the forums!

The Gobbo

The Hobby (00:00:50)

This Episode we’re down Jim and Christina so Kamil, Chase, and Snorre hold down the fort! Eldar reading abound, and Tau, Tau everywhere!

News In a Flash (00:06:05)

Forge World throw down with even more releases including Imperial Armour 12 and what’s that? SAMURAI IN SPACE?!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by krmulticase.com & modelbits.co.uk

The Librarius (00:20:20)

The boys break down the Executioners, sons of Dorn and head-lopping experts! From the Death Speakers to heated debates over matters of honor, the Executioners make for one heck of a ride!

The Armoury (01:06:19)

Snorre and Kamil bring in the Armoury with a combined arms approach to the close range fire fights the Executioners are known for! Chase is blown away by their combo and does his best to close out the librarius with a showing from Thulsa Do- I mean Kane!

The Briefing Room (01:26:26)

In this Briefing Room, we get some high octane questions! Chase brings out his Primordial Annihilator theory, Christina returns for a quick debate on Inquisitor Accountability, and Kamil and Snorre weigh in on the geography of Terra in the 41st millenium!

Behind the Scenes on Deepstrike Radio (02:42:11)

This episode closes with more behind the scenes efforts and conversations of the hosts! Jim has asserted his supreme authority over the DSR lawn once again!

Links

The Custodes

modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

The last installment of The Loresmith’s Shop dealt in length with introducing the series and the backstory of Kamil’s quest to redefine the lore behind his army. This week’s overdue posting finally gets to the meat of the matter: Fleshing out his initial thoughts and results. No more fluff, let’s get to the crunch (of the fluff)!

This post is actually somewhere between a description of what I have nailed down so far in terms of army background, and a number of suggested influences to factor in I came up with in that process, deriving a set of suggested guidelines from what I actually did. You see, in my quest to retroactively redefine my Codex Space Marines, I’ve come across a number of factors to consider, and every single one can be an approach in itself- It’s up to your personal taste how to weight them against each other, in which order you consider them, and ultimately, what to focus on and what to ignore. I for my part will present them in a chronological fashion, according to my own creative process, but as I mentioned before: Feel free to find your own priorities. Also, please take note that a lot of this sounds very Space Marine specific, but transfers to most other armies nicely- you can mostly substitute some terms and apply it to any faction, because GW made sure to build in similar sub-faction-concepts into most army backgrounds, be it Imperial Guard regiments, Dark Eldar Cabals, Tau Septs or Tyranid Hivefleets.

As well as Demon… creative direction… color… scheme… things. (Image courtesy of eternalvillainypainting.com)

I. The Name Game

First things first (in my case), I needed a name, and I needed it quite urgently, because calling them “Not-Star-Phantoms-anymore” got annoying and impractical pretty fast. Honestly, this is something that fits in during any part of brainstorming and writing, be it inspired by traits, roots, notable deeds, or urgency (because people start thinking that you’re just lazy). It’s pretty much up to you when exactly creative lightning strikes and gifts your subfaction a name.

Personally, I went with kind of an in-joke, without things getting stupid. Quite early on, I brainstormed some stuff with Chase via Skype, and this one is already golden: It’s just more fun to do it in a conversation with a friend, be he or she 40k-savy or not. Having another person’s input and talking ideas as they come is always at least more fun, if not even more rewarding, than sitting around and thinking real hard. In this case, my existing chapter logo and admittedly already present themes I wanted to incorporate, plus a healthy amount of well-humored spite, led us to go through some close substitutes for the words “Star” and “Phantoms”. If you ask yourself why Star Phantoms, to the corner with you, and be ashamed while you read up on my previous post.

Things like “Space” (oh god, the cheese), “Sun” and “Void” got thrown around, as well as “Spirits”, “Wrights” and “Ghosts”. Taking similarities to existing names and terms, as well as the inevitable coolness factor into account, I settled for “Astral Spectres” in the end.

With “Space Nazgul” coming in as a close second.

II. Noblesse oblige

The next (and what I felt most important choices) I had to make was to pick which legion’s successor chapter they are. Of course, there’s the quite valid possibility of this information being lost in time, a well-guarded secret, and/or having the chapter disconnected from their roots. I for my part decided right away that a clear progenitor is an exciting influence and bit of lore, and honestly, “geneseed: unknown” is a bit of a cliché by now. Speaking of clichés, I didn’t want to even hint at traitor geneseed either- Even in the shape of vague hints and rumors, this should be an extremely rare concept, and it was just too special-snowflake-y for my taste. The lesson here is to pick your perks well and not overload your homebrew lore.

Now, there’s quite a lot official successor chapters where you couldn’t tell which geneseed they belong to if you weren’t told, but I prefer to make myself seem smart in hindsight and pick up on elements that tie in to aspects of my existing army. So for starters, I checked what I had: A dreadnaught and some more underway (having three Black Reach models at my immediate disposal helped), and I’m a sucker for Dreadnaughts, so a tech-heavy chapter close to the Mechanicum was one of the ways this could go- Iron Hands, for example. My Scout conversions on the other hand, especially the head swaps I thought up on a whim, turned out surprisingly awesome and got me some great publicity and feedback, especially after making BoLS’ pic of the day. Those suggested a SpecOps theme (I also enjoyed painting the camo patterns on the cloaks). What I mean by that is a knack for highly independent units performing behind enemy lines with unorthodox methods and special equipment- So what I mean by that is Raven Guard. What about weaponry? The army was mostly assembled during 5th edition, so for starters, lots and lots of melta, and a good stock of Thunderhammers for future use where ever I could… Sounds an awful lot like Vulcan’s boys, doesn’t it?

At this point, this sounded like a composite force of the Isstvan V Dropsite Massacre an awful lot, and no matter how hard I tried to focus on the 41st Millenium, the impression stuck. Which turned out to be… perfect, actually.

No. Not THAT kind of “perfection”. GTFO of my blog post, other army I have in the works.

Connecting the dots, Iron Hands came out on top, for a whole lot of things they have going for them. Not only are they obviously one of the less popular Legions, not only do they offer an explanation for lots of cool mechanical stuff and weapons as well, they also went through a period of guerilla warfare against traitor forces between the Dropsitce Massacre and the retreat to the Eye of Terror. In which they operated in concert with equally bent, but unbroken elements of the Salamanders and Raven Guard legions- hell, it would be a curious thing if they didn’t pick up a lot of tricks and tactics during that time. Maybe the Astral Spectres were founded during one of the earliest foundings with an Iron Hands guerilla warband at their core? I loved that idea, and love it still.

The Astral Spectres, an Iron Hands successor chapter! So far, so good, but that’s far from all. More dot connecting in the next blog post in less than a week’s time- Until then, enjoy a pic of my recently painted, half-assed (it’s been a very rough three weeks…) Attack Bike.

SET COURSE FOR THE CAR WASH

Make sure to check out next week’s post, when Kamil snaps back into his schedule and delivers some more bullet points on background writing! Until then, why not post a comment or shoot King Schultz an email via deepstrikevox@gmail.com, calling him out on the whole Django joke having overstayed its welcome?

So on the last show someone mentioned Anvil Industries.  I had never heard of them and decided to take a look and see what they are all about. I went over to http://www.anvilindustry.co.uk and found a well designed site.  Not as flashy as the GW site, but perfectly usable and well laid out.  To my surprise, they had Space Marines…

Siege Steam Lords

Robed Knights

Renaissance Steam Lords

Raven Guard Anyone?

Lots and lots of different Space Marine ”like” figures.  These appear to be about the same quality is Forge World [and slightly better than some Finecast I have purchased] To my even larger surprise, they are not that expensive.  They run £13.50 [or about  $20.72 USD] for a squad of 5 troops of the same type.  Now these are great looking figures as sets, but I started looking around the site and found that there are many options for the “Steam Lords/Knights” as well as many other options for use as Imperial Guard platoons. The more I looked the more cool things I found.  There is even an option to put together your own figure sets. You get to choose the

Want Elysian Drop Troops, but don’t have $ for Forge World…

Head/Helmet, the type of Torso, Shoulder pads and legs, Even the type of back pack and cloaks/Robes you may want to add to the set and they put them all together for you as a set of 5 starting at £9.90, the set is called the ”Exo-Lord Customized Body Set” and comes with 5 Figures in each set and you can mix and match anything.  So this got me looking at some of the Forge World Pre-Heresy Legions and the prices on them.  A set of 30 of the Legion Tactical Squad will run you £160.00 [or $245 USD].  Six sets of 5 from AI will run you £59.40 [or $91.14 USD]. One small note here.  This does not include Weapons or Arms, it is Head, Torso, Back Pack, Shoulder Pads and Legs. you can add a set of arms and weapons for A few pounds more and still keep it well under the same price as the Forge World equivalent.  Or if you are like me… you have several hundred arms and weapons in you bitz bin to use. They also do Free Shipping world wide for any order over £50.00.

Next Payday, I will be ordering a Tactical squad [30 Marines] for my 30K Legion and see what the in hand quality is and how they scale to the GW/FW Marines. I plan to do a whole force of them for playing the Heresy Games.  Now if I can just get a friend of mine to jump in on it with me and learn the 30k rules, this could be awesome!!!!

The background.  The lore.  The f****.  Whatever you call it, it’s at the heart of Deepstrike Radio.

In the beginning, there was the Rogue Trader book which introduced Warhammer 40K, Space Marines, Orks, Eldar, bolters, chainswords and the like to the world.  White Dwarf articles, compendiums, and over time more rulebooks, spinoff games, stories and novels followed that have continuously expanded (or in some cases, contracted by omission) the 40K universe.  More things, more races, more weapons, more events, more layers to events, more detail.

With each new codex, GW has introduced new units, often unheard of before.  Thunderfire cannons, specialized veterans, librarian dreadnoughts, fancy land raiders, dreadknights, storm talons, storm ravens, defilers, innumerable Forge World creations, etc.  Things that have never been heard of before are suddenly, and usually retroactively, part of the canon and can make older sources seem out of place by their omission.  Why didn’t the Blood Angels use Storm Ravens or librarian dreadnoughts in any of these old stories?  Probably would have been handy on Armageddon.  Why don’t we hear about any Thunderwolves in old Space Wolf stories?

As a fan of the universe, there’s no way I can keep up.  I’m not as fanatical about getting things like Chase, but I doubt that even he can really keep up with everything and keep it straight.  I worry a bit about the day when it moves too fast and gets too in depth and I can no longer recognize it.  As a player of the game, the universe is a big draw, and the more I see on the table that doesn’t fit with my understanding of that universe, the more it pulls me out of the immersion I’m looking for.

Will it get to the point someday that it drives me away?  Perhaps.  It’s not the prices, it’s certainly not that I don’t think many of the individual things are cool, but at some point I worry that I will show up for a game where my opponent says he’s playing Space Marines and I have no idea what all his strange stuff is.  I used to buy a ton of comics, and still do sometimes, but what I buy nowadays are mostly back issues and collections.  There was a time when you could buy one, two, maybe three books and the occasional odd guest appearance elsewhere and you could pretty much follow a character.  This was a time when you could buy The Uncanny X-Men, New Mutants occasional limited series and have the whole X-story.  Then came multiple spinoff series, gigantic crossovers followed by more gigantic crossovers, more spinoffs, biweekly instead of monthly schedules, and it gets ridiculous.  That sort of thing drove me away from trying to keep up with particular characters and universes in comics, and I worry that it may someday drive me away from 40K.

So what do you think?  Can there be too much background?  Can they tie things together too tightly, provide too much detail?  Does the removal of mystery and the filling in of blank spaces on the maps and the blank pages of history make the overall story, while more complete, less compelling?  Or is more always better?

The Hobby (00:00:50)

This Episode we welcome back Big Jim and boy is he eager to get down to business! Jim doesn’t miss a stride as he reasserts his authority and proves to everyone just who runs the show around DSR!

News In a Flash (00:08:58)

Tau releases galore! Snorre makes Chase eat his words as the Tau discussion takes off. Then, the hosts discuss Forge World, bikes, and faceless Mechanicum constructs!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by krmulticase.com & modelbits.co.uk

The Librarius (00:36:13)

The crew sit down to discuss a new Imperial Guard Regiment, the Maccabian Janissaries! They might be religious zealots of an unparalleled degree, but their greatest strength is making the hosts flub the pronunciation of their title! Maccabian? Maccabeus? Who knows!

The Armoury (01:03:24)

The hosts divide up the coverage this week, Christina and Chase bring down the authority of the Ecclesiarchy with some Sisters of Battle allies, while Jim and Snorre stand firm with a horde of highly elite Storm Trooper squads!

The Briefing Room (01:15:03)

In this Briefing Room, Chase finally shares his Rune Priests rant, the hosts discuss the disappearance of Leman Russ and Vulcan, and Chase reveals an embarrassing plan for a long-forgotten army!

The Index (02:06:55)

The second half of the first two part Index, the hosts sit down with the help of the returned Jim to discuss working with other game systems to make background related gaming more exciting!

Behind the Scenes on Deepstrike Radio (02:26:02)

This episode closes with more behind the scenes efforts and conversations of the hosts! Jim has asserted his supreme authority over the DSR lawn once again!

Links

The Custodes

modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

Hello everyone! Welcome to a new post by your one and only Chase. The idea for this post (And what may become a series of posts depending on the feedback I get from you, my dear audience) actually came from a conversation between Christina and I about a week ago now. I don’t recall what specifically drove our conversation in this direction, but we ended up discussing how new people can get into Black Library as its a rather daunting prospect and not everyone wants to launch face first into the ocean that is 40k literature. This shall also serve as a helpful tool for those of you who want to get friends into 40k via the novels over the game itself.

Thus, we have this post right here which shall function (I hope) as an attempt to provide a launching point for those interested in 40k literature to get started without being overwhelmed. I’m going to structure this by points of interest, provide what I think is the best starting novel for said point of interest and a brief summary of the novel. Note that this isn’t going to be a matter of: Interested in Tau read X. If that’s requested at a future date, I would be happy to do a faction related Welcome to the Stacks. This is more about interests and genres.

1. The Military Fan- Recommended Novel: Gaunt’s Ghosts: The Founding by Dan Abnett

Summary: My recommended novel for those interested in war games, shows like Band of Brothers, etc., The Founding is the beginning omnibus for the well known Gaunt’s Ghosts series. The Founding follows the first steps of the Tanith First and Only regiment of the Imperial Guard, under the command of their Commissar, Ibram Gaunt. Considered by many to be the magnum opus of Black Library’s best writer, Mr. Abnett, I recommend this highly to anyone who likes to follow the story of soldiers in the trenches of war (With just a dash of political intrigue). If you’re interested in the struggle of the common man in war, in-depth combat, and detailed military strategy, this is the novel for you.

2. The Video Gamer – Recommended Novel: The Fall of Damnos by Nick Kyme

Summary: This novel is intended as a bridge for those who have played the Dawn of War Games (Or Space Marine) and wish to get into 40k background in a similar vein. I know some people might say “But Chase, there’s an entire series about the Blood Ravens, wouldn’t that be more appropriate?” To that I would say, are you out of your mind? While CS Goto’s Dawn of War series of novels does provide some interesting insight into the Blood Ravens themselves, you’d find better writing quality and story flow in a third grader’s classroom. The Fall of Damnos details the struggle of the Ultramarines under Captain Cato Sicarius (A bombastic commander in the vein of Davien Thule and Gabriel Angelos) against the Necrons. Not only does this invoke strong echoes of Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, but it is a novel about battle and the logistics of such, and thus a good segway from the 40k video games.

3. The Spy – Recommended Novel: The Eisenhorn Omnibus by Dan Abnett

Summary: For those of you who like the intrigue of spy novels and are into the realms of political intrigue and backdoor machinations, Eisenhorn is the novel for you. Following the journey of Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn (And later his apprentice, Gideon Ravenor), these novels seek to immerse you in the dark shadowy realms of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. From assassinations to political schemes to bargaining with demons, you don’t have to look much farther than Eisenhorn if you’re accustomed to the likes of James Bond or Daniel Silva.

4. The Best Seller – Recommended Novel: Horus Rising by Dan Abnett

Summary: You all knew this had to be in here at some point. This is the novel for those of you who want the best Black Library has to offer, or have a friend who reads off the Best Sellers list of the New York Times. Detailing the beginnings of the Horus Heresy, the event which has set the stage for the Warhammer 40,000 universe, this novel follows the struggles of Captain Garviel Loken of the Luna Wolves. This is perhaps the most well-written novel in the arsenal of Black Library, and the standard to which all other Black Library novels aspire to. If you or your friend want the best Black Library has to offer, look no further. I guarantee it won’t be long before you too are embroiled in the story of the Horus Heresy, and the ups and downs of the heroes and villains of the saga.

5. The Casual Reader – Recommended Novel: Ciaphas Cain, Hero of the Imperium by Sandy Mitchell

Summary: There’s a reason why I use Ciaphas Cain as my internet handle, and not just because he’s hilarious. The Ciaphas Cain novels are some of the most important yet overlooked pieces of literature in the 40k universe. These novels do an excellent job of balancing light-hearted humor with the tense pace of battle, and are the dream of the casual reader. With amusing anecdotes provided by Amberley Vale and quick-witted humor inserted by the main character himself, these novels are a true gem. They also serve the purpose of providing a look at the life of the average imperial citizen, and goings on of the average imperial planet. Not only that, but they also provide insight into the inner workings of the Imperial Guard, Inquisition, and Mechanicum in the 41st Millenium. One day, i’ll do a post explaining just why these novels are as important as they are, but if you’re looking for a fun, interesting read, look no further than here.

Well, I hope this post has helped those of you looking to get further into 40k literature chose a place to start your journey. This was a surprisingly enjoyable exercise for myself as well, so please leave your feedback here if you enjoyed it or would like to see me do another post  for other points of interested or factions. Welcome to the Stacks ladies and gentlemen! We have fun and vocabulary.

-Chase

You might want to read the official document before watching the video, but I feel you don’t have to, as MWG’s Matthew summarizes it objectively and to the point- In my opinion. So for starters, I’m asking you for almost half an hour of your time, in case you didn’t watch this yet. It doesn’t matter if you know or care about the MiniWarGaming Store, the whole of their business, or hobby manufacturer policies in general. The inescapable discussion is on for a few days now, and honestly, this is such a good educational baseline for everyone who wants to drop a even single word about this (or decide not to), that I can’t help complying Matthew’s request to spread the link. It offers a lot of insight and perspective, and doesn’t veer off the rules of a good dialectic disquisition too much. I appreciate the calm and effort that is being brought into this recording.

Now, don’t get me wrong: It’s still a case made by a very involved party. Which makes the presentation all the more remarkable.

Now that you got the issue served in a nutshell and some extra perspective, no matter if you actively discuss it with your on- and offline peers, no matter what consequences this might have or not have for you as a consumer and hobbyist, here’s another thing I ask from you: Don’t ignore it. It doesn’t matter to me if you consciously decide to continue untouched by this, admitting that you are enjoying the way you handle your hobby too much to let this influence you. If you boycott or still support GW, actively discuss it or try to keep it out of your precious free time. Simply take note and be aware of how you handle this. I wouldn’t ever judge you for whatever decision you make at this point, as long as you do it consciously.

Me? I’ve talked at length about why I’m sticking to 40k not too long ago, and will continue to do so. But I’m also not closing my eyes to how, in my opinion, GW constantly shifts its policy to maximize their appeal for investors in utter disregard of basic public relations etiquette towards the larger community and their long time supporters. You can retrace those steps leading up to this, and boy, this is a steep one. Make no mistake- And this is where I disagree with Chase, for example- They are oh so very aware what they are doing and don’t need to be made so. The Powers That Be are aware to the point where they hardly make excuses or display any subtlety nor cunning. This is their latest turn of a game of checking out how much they can risk for corporate short-term success in the eyes of their stockholders, and how much their consumers are ready to swallow.

This is a big move. This post, on the other hand, isn’t. It’s a link to a video and a few thoughts. It’s not a rallying call for protesters, no announcement of boycott, no passionate decleration of loyalty, but nethertheless a statement that I feel this is important. And so should you.

Next week during the recording, I’ll be back to my passion and focus for 40k lore, and I’ll refer back to this post when the topic comes up: We all should take note of this. This is what I feel is the most important thing to say about the whole issue. This is where I might want to influence you as a reader. Everything else is just one guy’s opinion, and mine will most likely be too understated for your taste. But that’s not the point here.

Thank you for paying attention to this. That is all- For the moment.

(In case you’re wondering: I for my part fear for the future of the wargaming mainstream popularity of Warhammer 40k, for the first time in all my many years of hobbying. A bridge too far, Games Workshop. Feel free to call ma a slowpoke, but I’ve just gotten to the point of actively caring and worrying again if my armies have a future on my local game store battlefields.)

The Hobby (00:00:50)

This Episode kicks off with Chase getting roused over perceived injustices done to his Blood Angels, and the other hosts doing their best to wrangle the rant train!

News In a Flash (00:16:10)

New Forge World releases herald the news section of this episode and the hosts chatter of fancy schamncy Necron releases. Rustling things up, Kamil and Chase debate the preference of Luna Wolves over Sons of Horus

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by krmulticase.com & modelbits.co.uk

The Librarius (00:43:00)

This episode the crew sits down to talk about one of the more obscure Eldar Craftworlds, Altansar! Sister world to Ulthwe and most important home to the baddest of Phoenix Lords, Maugan Ra! Heroics exploits and an interesting debate over Chaos Eldar and the nature of Kaela Mensha Khaine and Khorne ensue in this Librarius!

The Armoury (01:18:32)

Christina and Snorre’s Killzone list demonstrates that the ins and outs of Eldar are fickle indeed, and Chase and Kamil do their best to bring home the stalwart Altansar Eldar feel!

The Briefing Room (01:30:09)

In this Briefing Room, Chase shares some interesting info on the topic of Tyranid space travel (Slingshots!), we get a question from his doppelganger, and Christina informs everyone on the nature of Oaths of Moment!

The Index (02:18:32)

A new segment featuring this time on Deepstrike Radio, the host sit down to cover the topic of including background into your games of 40k. Kamil runs the show and doesn’t fail to measure up as the hosts present as many ideas as they can think of for this index!

Behind the Scenes on Deepstrike Radio (03:06:16)

This episode closes with more behind the scenes efforts and conversations of the hosts! Chase hates Facebook and his Majesty King Schulz makes a return! MURICAH!

Links

The Custodes

modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

I have been playing a lot of 6th Ed lately. The reason for this is all of us at my local store  (Legion) and across the several game shops in the Birmingham Alabama area have have realized a few things about 40K. Here is a little of what we have Groked with regards to 40K and 6th Ed.

1. In order for 6th Ed to be fun you must actually play it the way it was designed. Trying to give 6th Ed a 5th Ed make over, something you are seeing at virtually every major event in 40K these days, simply ruins the game. To start with 6th Ed is a 2000 point game, more is better. You need the multiple Fortifications and expanded FOC to balance the game and absorb the way flyers have been implemented in the game. Tourneys hate this because large games cannot play fast enough. Competitive players will give all sorts of reasons 1500, 1650, 1750 are all better. The truth is that when played at low point levels it means several key elements of the new game design do not come into play. The result is that min max tourney players can play fast games, exploit codex problems and get efficient kills if they only implement key part and concepts of 6th Ed’s design. They have the ear of the internet and they are doing a great job at brain washing but there is a growing part of the 40K Nation that is realizing the con job they have foisted on us.
2. 6th Ed and 40K in general are not designed to hold together in a min max environment. By this I mean that the game system, whether by design or sloppy implementation, cannot survive the rigors of gamer exploitation. While playing true 6th Ed as intended, resolves many many of the issues with the game, there are still many min max exploits that can cause problems. This is a community problem. Rarely do Min Max armies look like the armies they are supposed to be. 40K is as much a world of incredible background as anything else. When players come to the table with armies that do not look anything like what they are supposed to be we need to try and educate the player or simply have the moral fortitude to say “No”. Ask yourself. “Why do I want to spend the next 3 hours of my life getting my brains pounded in by an army that does not even look like it belongs in this gaming universe?”. No one does and no one should. You do not have to be an asshole about it. Nor does it make you an asshole to cry foul. Ask yourself how some one in your community even thought it was ok to build and play an army like this. None of us exist in a vacuum. I will mention what is perhaps the best tournament in America later. The reason for this will be obvious. Stop being the Polly Anna afraid of even a little confrontation nerd and grow a pair. Sorry girls, just and expression.
3. Like all gamer communities that are large, and Birmingham is a hot bed of gaming believe it or not, we have just exited a period where some well intentioned fellow gamers created a lot of conflict in the community. No it was not me…I swear….(Insert smilie face here) As a result we are going through a bit of a 40K Renaissance. We have a monster store in Birmingham called Legion and because of the gamer politics there was a period where people were sorta fractured. Well that finally ended, Legion is getting ready to build its new 10,000 sqft location and the 40K community is returning to its hallowed game tables. To be honest I might write a blog post just about my decades of watching gamers and their internal politics. It is an interesting topic.
4. Perhaps the biggest reason we are now playing and enjoying 40K again is that we stopped caring about playing “The Game of 40K”. By this I mean we fully embraced Forge World, changing rules we think are ridiculous and really really focusing on the hobby and background side of the game. It may seem a strange path back but when 40K fell out of favor we played a lot of other games instead. We still are. The result was that a lot of players came to realize that in reality the game mechanics of 40K are just horrible. It really is just not the best game. HOWEVER, and this was counter intuitive in a way, we also came to realize that what we love about 40K is not the game but the “Idea of the Game”. Ask yourself this question. “I love 40K for these three reasons…” Unless you have not played many other table top miniature games the one reason you will almost never see among those three is “ I love 40K because it is the best designed and balanced game system.”  You will get many many answers such as “ I love the background.” “I love the miniatures.” I love Space Marines, Chaos, Imperial Guard, etc…” “I love painting models and converting them.” “I love hanging with friends.” “It is the one game I know I can play anywhere because so many do.” “ I love the novels.” The list goes on and on. How can it be that we all love a game so much but do not actually “Love” the game? I think the reason is that we love the “Idea” of 40K far more than we love 40K as a “Game”. Think about that for a while and get back to me…..Do not knee jerk respond.

So you see, some very interesting things are happening in the 40K Community right now. Well my 40K Community at least but from the many people I talk to nation wide and world wide we are not alone.We might be seeing what happened to the competitive Ancients Community in Historical Gaming 20+ years ago now starting to happen to 40K.

We are in a moment of tremendous flux in the 40K community. Forget about things like the prices, model quality and the behavior of the company. Lets just think about the game itself. Sure, a lot of people have left the game and will never return. I Lost my two best friends in 40K this year and I know for sure they will never return. They still draw breath but they lost all love for the game. There is a slow trickle of new players but if we are honest we all know the community is shrinking. BUT BUT BUT!!! This is not necessarily a bad thing. Those who are left tend to make up two very dedicated camps in the community. A) The Hardcore Tournament Types B) The Hardcore Universe types.

Now I do not think 40K is about to be supplanted immediately as the single largest game being played. However it is disingenuous not to acknowledge the total of the other game systems people are playing are by far a larger percentage of the table top miniatures community. This is a profound change and as an old gamer who owned a store in the 90’s, when GW really came into its own, I can tell you it is a paradigm shift in reality.

Let me make sure you understand what I am saying. GW’s 40K game, heck the company itself, no longer even makes up half the games most commonly being played in any given environment. It has been close to 20 years since that last happened. It is still far away the single largest game system but all the others combined are far more than half the active player base now.

That is not going to change. GW has become the gaming equivalent of Microsoft. Most people still have to use the system at work for the moment but when they get home they are more likely to be sitting in front of a Mac or an Android/IOS device than another Windows Machine.

GW and 40K, well 40K at least, is not going to go away. However they will become just another player among the many. The biggest for a time to come but not the king maker they used to be.

Back to the split of the community. I know this is not unique in gaming nor is it exact. Most people fall all over a spread of these two general camps. However there are two very distinct camps emerging. You can really see it in the podcast community. Even the most popular shows like Independent Characters are finding it necessary to slid one way or the other to maintain their listenership. Mostly it is just a reflection of the natural desires of the host. The shows that are failing to identify with one philosophy or the other are struggling. Perhaps one will emerge that truly blends the two but for now the podcast community seems to be a good microcosm of the community as a whole.

I think there are two Podcast that really typify those two attitudes.

The 11th Company and Deep Strike Radio (Disclaimer, I am not using DSR because this is their blog. It is because they most represent the diametrically opposite culture of tourney gaming)

I listen to both podcast because I am just a HUGE fanboy and really want to understand what is happening in the 40K gamer community.

The 11th Company is truly only interested in how you maximize your army list to beat opponents and win tournaments. Boil away all the chitter chatter and that is what the show is. That is not a bad thing. It just is what it is. It is what interest the guys there. I know many people like that and sometimes I feel that way. They are such a great representation of what I was saying above because really they could care less about the background of the game. It has been so long since they mentioned anything about the background nature of a codex or 40K Faction that I cannot remember it ever happening. To be perfectly honest I am not sure they know anything about the background or care to know anything. In fact the few times I have heard them mention stuff it is usually wrong. You will hear them rant about Forge World because they do not get why anyone would buy the models. Forge World is a great divining rod of the two schools of thought. One of my best friends in 40K, before he quit, was that way. He never read a background piece on a single unit for a single army. He hated the novels. He was ONLY interested in the building of the list and what it could do. Conceptually he could not even understand why you would not exploit all the advantages you could find in a codex. To him that was the game and surely the company knew what it was doing. He was the personification of The 11th Company Podcast. Min Max and beat face. You can dress that pig up any way you want but in the end it is still a pig. That is just a saying, it does not mean tournament players or The 11th Company are Pigs. Replace Pig with Super Model.

Deep Strike Radio is the complete polar opposite of that. I cannot remember the guys, and now Gal, on DSR ever having what I would call a competent talk concerning maximizing the effectiveness of a codex army list. In fact the few times I have heard them talk about it they were about as effective as the few times 11th Company talked background. I am not sure their head space would even allow for recognizing and building armies just for min max exploitation. Now they build army list and such in the one segment dedicated to it but no one who has played the tournament scene would ever call those good list. They are fluffy list. They are intended to give you a happy 40K, background oriented, experience at the end of the day. If you were to tell Jim or Chase to build a Necron Airforce you have better call an ambulance at the same time because a seizure would ensue. The very idea of not building a Necron army the way it should be would not seriously be considered. Heck it took months for Chase to recover from the background destruction GW did to the Necon codex. Now they will try to make it a good army but it will always look like something that sprang forth from the Necron Background. Neil on the other hand took one look at the codex and spent hundreds of dollars building a Necron Air force list that looks as much like the Necron background as an Ork resembles a Tomb Spider. I doubt it ever really occurred to him that this might be something wrong. It’s in the codex, you can do it, it beats face, so why not? If GW did not want you to they should not have made the codex that way.

Once again I mention this because the two podcast so well represent the two camps the 40K community is dividing into. Not perfect but close enough

So back to the over all point of Groking 40K. What does it have to do with anything? I think it is this. The tournament community is trying to make the new edition into something it is not. They may successfully modify it and its play environment to meet their needs but they will never be able tot do so in a way that looks anything like the game universe the rules were written for. Just like we saw here, between the politics and everything else, the real problem was that we as players had not fully embraced what the new way of playing 40K was going to be.

This is not the same game. This is by far the biggest conceptual change in 40K since 3rd ED. We have been playing a version of 40K since 3rd Edition that was essentially the vision of one guy. Alessio Cavatore. That means that for the 8 years prior to 6th Ed, when most of the current gamers came to 40K, we were playing what I think is a profoundly different version of this game. It is no mistake GW stopped supporting tournaments. It is no mistake the new rules book does not have a section on running competitions. It is no mistake that flyers were introduced at the same time that the rules allowed for expanded FOC choices at 2000 points. It is no mistake the rules talk narrative over and over. There is a very clear narrative running through each and every page of the 6th Ed rules book and much of the new codex releases. it is, This is a hobby, this is a game based on a universe, this is a game between friends and this is intended to be a story and not a competition.

I will tell you the number one reason that the tournament scene is not the way 40K was intended to be played. You do not have time in their format to enjoy and get to know your opponent. You might be spending 12 hours with 3-4 other players. At the end of the day, if you did not know them coming in you will leave still not knowing them. You cannot have a social experience with a fellow 40K player when you are rushing to finish 5-7 turns in a compressed 2 hour game so you can turn in results pack your army and get to the next table as fast as you can.

What makes table top miniatures wargaming such a great experience is the chance to spend time with people who have passion for the same things you do. If 40K is having to be altered to fit into a compressed time situation then you are no longer playing 40K.

THAT IS THE POINT!!! THAT IS THE GROK!!!!

That is why so many people have become frustrated and felt themselves losing their passion for the game. What makes 40K a great game is not the game but the universe and the experience. The current tournament model and press to play games fast and in a min max fashion is leaving people empty.

My friends and I have re-ignited our passion by abandoning that attitude and playing the game 6th Ed 40K is supposed to be. Respecting the universe and really having a nice casual day with friends who share the same passion as we do.

Just to drive home how true the desire for the 40K experience is. The “Idea of 40K” There is a tournament held each May in Huntsville Alabama. It is called “The Kalm” It was founded by George Flowers. A name many in the community will recognize. Originally it was intended as a warm up for The Big Waghhh!!! in Memphis. several years ago he re-envisioned the event. Here is what he did.

He rented out a large Sports Grill Bar for the tournament to be held in. He announced in no uncertain terms that this was a chance to just have fun, be with friends, be a “little” competitive but you had better make sure you do not bring any crazy list.

You have to be 21 or older to play because drinking is allowed. The grill is open the whole time, we take a break to eat together and every aspect of the experience is about loving the game and universe of 40K. All the list are looked at ahead of time. It is not comp but if you tried to bring a Necron Air Force or a 3 Fire Drake list you would politely be told no. This is not that kind of event.

How popular is this event? People reserve spots a year or more in advance. Fly in from other countries and across the USA. This year they have actually made the even smaller because it got too crowded last year when it hit 80+ participants. You might say “Well that’s not too big”….That is because it is capped. If The Kalm were opened up in a huge environment with the same philosophy you would have hundreds in attendance. As it is registration opens and closes in a matter of hours. After that there is a huge wait list of people.

The Kalm is exactly what all 40K tournaments should aspire to be. It is a reflection of what until recently most British style events were. A great chance to get together and talk and BS while playing a game and having a few beers with old friends. It is possible to have competitive events that are a reflection of what makes us all really stick to this game.

Lets all re-think how we view the game we spends hundreds, thousands even tens of thousands of dollars to play.

Lets all try and Grok 40K 6th Edition.

-STUCARIUS-

The first step in creating my regiment began with where they come from. A person’s home, in a large way, defines their past experiences. Think back to your own youth, and your own home. The values you were raised with, the country you were born in, the city. Where you a devout church-goer, or were your parents very atheistic, with little ties (or perhaps even disdain) for organized religion? Did you attend a large public school, with many hundreds of students in a cultural melting pot? Or was it a small urban educational facility, with perhaps only a handful of same-aged children? Was your country a relatively free, peaceful democracy? Torn apart by war? Did your city have a strong sports team with another sports team close by? Were they champions? Some of these circumstances are smaller than others, but every single experience leaves its mark on our hearts and minds, and shapes who we are. The history shapes the future. In 40k, the planets, by and large, define the regiments, and play an important part in the tactics, ethos, and makeup of the armies that they spawn. Krieg. Valhalla. Vostroya. Cadia. Catachan. By and large, these planets are less planets and more characters.

Orbel Quill

For every Catachan and Krieg in 40k, there are dozens, hundreds of world only barely mentioned. Sometimes these planets provide an amazing jumping off point. one such example I found was Orbel Quill, mentioned in the Dark Heresy core rulebook.

Here is the entry for Orbel Quill, which I have borrowed from Lexicanum, so as to not quote directly (plagarise) directly from the book. And yet, it’s still word for word from the book… so… YAY LOOPHOLES!

• Orbel Quill is an oddly serene, pastoral world of shepherd flocks and herding where, curiously, no one lives beyond the age of forty years standard. Often thought to be a rumour or a joke, the “death threshold” of Orbel Quill is quite real. Visitors and travellers must beware, as often they are far above the age of forty in sidereal term. Anyone forty or over is stricken with a terminal decline and dies within thirty-six hours, even visitors who have amassed their years in ship-time. Many speculate that the planet is governed by some deep-seated system that combs out what it perceives to be the elderly.Certain facts are evident: though no one has managed to identify what it is that kills the over-forties on Orbel Quill, it does so without exception.Xenos ruins in the southern hemisphere of the planet have never been properly explored.It seems likely that it is also no coincidence that Eldar have been regularly sighted in the empty quarters of this planet.

There are so many wonderful things about this passage. So many things to wonder about. Namely, the fact that the planet’s population dies at forty. Here are the questions that I decided needed to be answered to create Orbel Quill. Questions are essential. Try to ask yourself the questions anyone would answer seeking new information, and see if the questions you’re answering based on this passage are the questions I’ve asked. Answer them. See if you come up with the same answers I do next month!

I’ll ask them now, and join me next blog to see what my answers were.

• What kind of planet is it?
• What major features define this planet? Is there anything significant about the system in which it’s located?
• Are there significant variances in its features compared to our own? Gravity, atmosphere, climate?
• What are its significant resources?
• Are humans the native population?
• What other apex (dominant predators) do they compete with, if any?
• Are there other dangers?
• What about other flora and fauna?
• What is the Imperium’s interest in the system? Why was it colonized?
• How long ago was it colonised?
• What is the planet’s government?
• What causes the population to die at forty?
• How does the local population feel about it?
• Does the Administratum have problems with installing planetary governors and officials to deal with the problem?
• Is the local population aware of life in the larger Imperium?
• Are the Eldar ruins a red herring, or are they a legitimate threat?
• Does the mortality at forty stop when the local population (ie. Guard regiments), leave planet?
• If it does, how do people view it? A blessing, a curse?

It’s by no means an exhaustive list of questions, but for a one or two page write-up of a planet, we probably have more than enough to go on.

Join me in two weeks with your own ideas, and see how our conclusions line up, as I present my opinions and Orbel Quill write-up!

While they’re at it, they spend time training these new recruits with weapons that they will NEVER USE AGAIN once they become full marines – sniper rifles and shotguns.  Why not exclusively focus on bolters and bolt pistol with knife or chainsword?  Having the new guys use sniper rifles seems especially silly – a precision weapon that like their recon missions often requires exercising good judgment is not what I want to hand to the relatively untested recruits.

OK, so you’ve survived and are now a full marine, congratulations!  Now forget all those lessons you learned about stealth, ditch that fancy cloak and sniper rifle and prepare for direct assaults from drop pods.  Huh?

Some of the variant chapters handle things in a more logical way to my thinking.

The Black Templars bring their neophytes along with the full battle brothers.  They still have poor armor, but they are involved in the regular work of the tactical squad and can learn the actual trade they’ll graduate to.

But the Space Wolves seem to do it best.  Their trainees, who are long on enthusiasm and psycho- (in more than one sense of the word) surgery but short on experience, are sent into front-line, regular combat.  They’re even given actual power armor to help them survive and sometimes even get specialist equipment that regular marines would use, like meltaguns and power weapons.  They throw them into a dangerous job, and actually equip them to handle it.

And the Space Wolves don’t stop there.  No, they still have Scouts – but they actually take more experienced marines who show the inclination and make them scouts – marines who have the kind of experience and the judgment it brings to actually do a good job in the kinds of sensitive missions scouts would engage in.  Imagine that!

Guilliman may have been a tactical genius in some respects, but his ideas about training seem pretty lacking.  That’s one area where I think he should have taken lessons from Russ!

A day in the life has never looked so sweet

So, this beginning post will mainly serve to explain what exactly Special Operations Killzone is for those who do not know, as well as help me introduce the armies and such involved in the games I’ve so far been a part of. Special Operations Killzone, to my best understanding is a supplement to the game of Warhammer 40,000, designed to mimic the intensity and scale of small inter-team engagements across the battlefields of the 41st millennium.

For those who find that sentence a bit too flowery (as per my usual modus operandi), essentially Killzone is a supplement that’s there to help you stage small scale fights between say, a Space Marine Squad and a Tau Fire Team. I’m not entirely sure that was any more clear than what I previously stated, but I never claimed you all wouldn’t be subjected to my ramb

lings in any case.

Killzone makes use of a clever system of rules that are a mix of both 40k rules (Such as Opportunity Fire, a variation on the old school Overwatch rules) and homebrew (I loath this word – It implies a certain amount of.. Commonality? A sense that it perhaps wasn’t intellectually done? Something of that nature) rules such as Reactive Assault.

There is also a special force organization system, delineating any model as a unit of its own, in game terms, an Operative. As an example, you purchase two tactical marines, they’re each a unit of one. There are various other restrictions such as no HQ choices, as well as weapon type limits and so on. It’s a rather cleverly designed system that I found myself impressed with before I had even met Jim. For more details, you can hit up his blog, Galaxy in Flames.

Operative Sir “You Seen These Power Armour Abs” in action

So, now on to a bit of explanation as to the others involved in these games. There’s myself, serving as both ring leader and player, making use of Space Marines (Raven Guard, specifically), Pat using his World Eaters, Connor and his Orks, and Steven and his Eldar. These gentlemen have been my gaming and play testing group for almost a decade now, and will serve as my opponents as I regale you all with tales of my Killzone expertise and skill as a player of the game of Warhammer 40,000 (I totally didn’t lose the first three games in a row of our series or anything, nope).

Look forward to another post of the series within a month or so, with the tales of one, perhaps two games of Killzone with as much in depth commentary as I can provide as well as rosters of the forces and mayhaps, tactical maps as well. I hope you’re all as excited for the ride as I am, as otherwise this will be a rather pretentious exercise in self-gratification (Though, as my co-hosts will tell you, i’m no stranger to those either).

If you have anything you would like to see me talk about specifically, whether it be certain aspects of games, or about an aspect of the Killzone rules specifically, feel free to throw me an email at deepstrikevox@gmail.com and i’ll be happy to discuss it in a future post!

This is my paint scheme [a WIP]

FOR THE GREATER GOOD!

So, rumor has it that Tau are next on the docket for a revamp!  ABOUT BLOODY TIME! I have always been a  bit of a fan of the Tau. I grew up on shows like Robotech and Voltron and the looks of the Tau have appealed to the anime fanboy in me.  So I wanted to go over a few of the rumors I have heard and also discuss where I hope my Tau force will go.  The reason I am sure this is likely to be the case is that I ordered about $60 in Tau add on’s to my already sizable Tau force and was told by my FLGS that they were unable to order any Tau at this time as GW did not have ANY of them available at this time. So…

1] Tau Dreadnight Style Walker – I would LOVE this. Anything that can come close to the suits in White Dwarf a couple years ago [designed and built by one Fil Dunn [See right]] I am all about them. Now rumors abound about this bad boy. Some say Monstrous Creature, others say Walker and there are about 12 different sets of “stats” online. This means we likely won’t really know until we see the book.

2] Tau Fliers – PLEASE!!!!!!  I hope we get a plastic Barracuda kit! That would make me so happy.  I would also like to see Tetras added to the line up and maybe even Remora Stealth Drones.  I know this may be asking a lot, but it has been 8 years since we got a book!

3] Kroot Monster – Heck yeah! Maybe we can even get an upgrade to Kroot and Vespid as well? I would love for a Kroot Merc force to be viable again.

4] Human Auxiliary - Lets get these guys back too.  Rumor has it, they may just be “Battle Brother” IG, but then another I read said they will be Humans with Pulse Rifles and Tau armor!  I am pretty good either way, but would prefer the latter over the former.

Tau got a pretty good boost from the 6th Edition, but I would like to see them brought up to the level of the other 6th Ed Codices [and yes, that is the word for more than one Codex!!!!].

]]> http://www.deepstrikeradio.com/?feed=rss2&p=1029 8 http://www.deepstrikeradio.com/?p=1000 http://www.deepstrikeradio.com/?p=1000#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 09:48:25 +0000 Kamil http://www.deepstrikeradio.com/?p=1000

Welcome to another blog series launch! After a riveting tail of Only War fluff writing from our very own Christinaraptor, and seeing that none of the recent episodes filled me with the right esprit d’escalier, I finally feel like launching this one. Another reason would be my Space Marine army building efforts coming to fruition, with a lot of games played and units being slowly and steadily added towards my 2k points goal and beyond… without a single line of fluff actually written out for that. Can a Deepstrike Radio host seriously let this stand? Of course not, and as with that novel you’ve been waiting to write forever now, having it all in your head doesn’t make you a writer. I’ve been waiting to do this for a long while (as Chase could tell you), and the time has come. Actually, it’s one of my hobby commitments for this year… I just didn’t blog about it because I made fun of that cliché in the past. (Actually only because the Tigress beat me to it. Not unline this one. You’re my favorite Nemesis by now, really.)

Now, why would I even be required to write anything down, why is this a big deal for me, and how’s that supposed to be something worthwhile to blog about? Ah, finally getting to the gist: Indulge me while I unfold the story of how this army came to be, what it originally was, why I had to rethink and rebuild my view of them in between, and where this road shall take me. Enough of this introduction-for-an-introduction-lameness: The Loresmith’s Shop will be a series of articles about writing, adapting, loving and hating one’s  army’s  backstory, cataloging my thought process, progress, and showing off how it fits in with my narrative games and the greater lore. In short, a fluff-focused army progress log! But first, some project history, and a whole bunch of answers to questions you never asked. You’re welcome, fans.

This is what you are to me. This is also the lamest pun I could come up with. You’re welcome for THAT, too.

Once upon a time, when Bell of the Last Souls was still publishing awesome player-made supplements and generating great custom content for 40k, something beautiful happened. While working on a Badab War campaign book (yes, that’s a download link) long before Forgeworld came along and did the same, the Fly Lords of Terra ran a contest for a Star Phantoms color scheme and chapter badge, and George “Eldanesh” Miller’s submission (which ultimately won the vote) made me want to paint and collect boring old Codex Space Marines. George is a great hobbyist and, for me, one of the big names in the community, so this might be a good place to give him ALL the credit as the creator of the chapter logo and schematic displayed in this post, which I deeply fell in love with. He was also deeply involved with 40kRadio at that point in time (back when I sealed the bonds of brotherhood with two guys you might be vaguely familiar with, Ciaphas “Chase” Cain and Chris AKA Sladie) so I had the pleasure to actually talk to the man a few times, but I already digress. Suffice to say those were golden times for me, a revival of my interest in 40k which influences me till this very day.

TELL HIM YOU LIKE HIS BEAK. Also, dat color scheme.

What also had happened at this point was me having to sell my Pre-Heresy World Eaters (link to my old Warseer project thread, in case you just can’t get enough of plogs), now intent to take it easy, have a break from the hobby. But still had tons of Space Marine bits and models left. And so, I just started building and painting Star Phantoms out of nowhere. Here’s a an Ammobunker thread documenting the first thousand points, back when I really was into painting logs. I even rounded off the milestones with battlefield pics, as I had done it before with Angron’s boys. Anyway: I made good and comparably fast progress, loved BoLS’ fluff and representation (before they came along, there were only written mentions of their existence and exploits in a few official sources) of them, even joined a Tale of Gamers type of project (where I met minor painting deity Khoranis, whom you in turn can meet in our Custodes forum), and successfully built/painted a playable force with future expansions planned.

Sounds like all was well, doesn’t it? So, what happened?

Forgeworld happened.

If you don’t hear it ringing in your head right now: Congratulations on having successfully drunk away any recollection of the prequels. I’m getting there.

Now, let me not dramatize this any further: So, FW delivered a splendid book, chronicling the now “official” version of the Badab War and the involved chapters so far almost untouched by GW. Along came fluff, rules, a chapter badge, and a color scheme for the Star Phantoms. Fluff that didn’t blow me away, rules I didn’t care for, and an admittedly badass badge and color scheme, but oh so very very different from mine- Hell, after this release, my Star Phantoms suddenly looked more like their archenemies, the thrice-damned Astral Claws. And I sure wasn’t going to repaint anything.

And… what gives, right? I still had a cool-looking army, and nobody would have complained if I still called them Star Phantoms, even used the Forgeworld rules if I cared to, just carried on as if nothing had happened. Hardly anyone cares about FW stuff locally. Nobody would have given a damn. No one besides me.

Let me NOT go on a tangent of how much of a lore-oriented player I am, and back then, I still very much believed in something like a 40k canon- Plus, my urge to fit my hobby and gaming exploits into the lore-as-it-is hasn’t changed in the meantime. So it was and remains out of question. Actually, after some initial frustration, it became sort of an exciting prospect, a challenge: Suddenly, my beloved Marines needed a rebranding, fresh lore, a new foundation, while keeping with what lazy me had so far: A color scheme, a badge, and a few units. I couldn’t help myself to make a full blown project out of this, and I was fully intent to pull it off… at some point.

“some point”, AKA “the End of the Universe”, credit goes to sqthreer on DeviantArt

Obviously, life happened. I moved on from 40k for another while, life priorities shifted, other games and projects came and went. I didn’t lose touch like I did before… but stopped pouring time into my Space Marines. That was what feels like years ago, and actually, it was years ago, if you’re not too picky with your plural forms.

And yet, here I am again, and now it’s finally due time. Last year, after spending some time on some more models (you can have a look over here and here, if you care) for the army again, I’ve had some rather intense brainstorming sessions with some Chase guy from some kind of 40k podcast, but we didn’t get past that stage. In my mind, though, fresh ideas took root. This year, I am a co-host on some kind of 40k podcast, and a really preachy one in terms of lore and how it can enhance your games, inspire yourself and your peers, if not even the community at large. And that Chase person is still around, along with that old guy for additional inspiration and input, also a hot chick who doesn’t know yet that she’s about to enter the painful world of editing a german’s attempts at creative writing in English. It’s just not enough anymore to have all those tidbits in my head- It needs to be turned into visuals and written word. So you, dear readers, are hereby invited on this exciting journey of walls of text, only interrupted by semi-regular pseudo-funny captions and some lore-infused gaming/hobby progress.

Actually, you know what? This could be good.

Until next time, enjoy a shot of this week’s hobby progress… What do you mean by “hey, this caption isn’t funny”? BACK INTO THE CORNER, FAN.

Next time on “The Loresmith’s Shop”: Unveiling a new chapter name, history essentials, roots of the geneseed, characteristic and historical tidbits, hobby and gaming tie-ins. Plus: Kamil promising far too much, not unlike this time around. Until then, why not post a comment or shoot the token foreigner an email via deepstrikevox@gmail.com, telling him to stop drawing out his blog stuff so much?

The Hobby (00:00:49)

Starting off the Hobby we have an introduction by his Majesty King Schulz, throwing down with two games using his Space Marines. Bringing it on through, Christina discusses the realities of creating an Only War regiment featuring the 42 year old senior general with survivor’s guilt! HOLO-DRAMA!

News In a Flash (00:11:40)

DAEMONS – EXPLOSIONS! GW has released Daemons and His Majesty and Christina are sufficiently meh! Chase and Snorre approve, and Chase can’t help but control himself when gushing about the new Garviel Loken model from Forge World!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by krmulticase.com & modelbits.co.uk

The Strategium (00:29:37)

And so begins Part 2 of the Dark Angels Codex Review! In the new segment, the Strategium the hosts make use of a new baseline system to compare and contrast the new Dark Angels Codex. Do Company Veterans matter? Will anyone ever use Chaplains over Interrogator-Chaplains? Could the Banner of Devastation get any more broken? FIND OUT, THIS EPISODE!

The Armoury (02:31:55)

King Schulz brings down the hammer on Chase for using -wing suffixes, proving that German judgement is both harsh and swift! Christina admits that her Dark Angels are really Blood Ravens, and Chase rolls out with Ravenwing.

The Briefing Room (02:46:49)

In this Briefing Room, Chase loves Corswain, Kamil lectures about the use of Fallen and proper counts-as, and the hosts debate about the potential success of Lion’s attempts to take over the Imperium!

Behind the Scenes on Deepstrike Radio (03:20:50)

With this episode we’re introducing a look at the behind the scenes efforts and conversations of the hosts! Enjoy responsibly

Links

The Custodes

modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

Only War  is no different. The newest 40k game system from Fantasy Flight Games sees the players taking command of the rank and file grunts of the Imperium, the Imperial Guard. It’s a little bit different than your standard RPG; instead of the players coming from a diverse and eclectic mix of backgrounds, by and large, they are drawn from the same world, and fight in the same regiment. The Only War core rulebook provides several of these regiments, most of them already well-established and fleshed out, from the abundant Cadians, to the Death Korps of Krieg, to the Tallarn Desert Raiders.

The problem is, the established regiments are all so… established. For the most part, their legacies are set in stone. They’ve made names for themselves, Imperial citizens galaxy-wise sing their praises. The only really non-established regiment in the core rulebook is the Maccabian Janissaries, an army hailing from a Calixis shrine world. While certainly interesting, I found the idea of making all my characters hail from a deeply devout shrine world, playing characters in a deeply devout regiment, a little restrictive.

So, I’ve taken a look at the regiment creation rules listed in the Only War rulebook. They provide an interesting foundation from which to create a near limitless array of armies, from a near limitless array of worlds. The wealth of options is so deep, it provides a very intriguing way to create even a custom army for a tabletop game. If you want to create a custom army, look no further. All you need is the models.

I’ve decided to take you step by step through the process from which I’ve built this regiment, which I’ve titled the 9th Orbel Quill “Blood Locusts.” I’ve decided to break this up over several blog posts, beginning with world selection and background writing, the regiment creation and background writing, integrating the ideas into the Only War rules, and lastly, creating the supporting NPC’s that will form the comrades, officers, and enemies of the PC’s.
Throughout the process, I will try to go into in-depth detail as to how and why I’ve made certain decisions. I’ll try to adapt my own creation process into some sort of guide that may or may not help other people trying to write up their own fluffy 40k stories, as I guess the point of all of this is to help players take a microscope to their own methods.

I’m not going to sit here and say this is the only way to write fluff. That would be absurd. For every great idea, there’s twenty terrible ones. Some things I will completely miss the boat on. These following posts highlight an aspect of my RPG sessions that are in their very basic infancy. Pretty much everything I will set forth will be created ad hoc. The ideas are there, but I haven’t done much more than make point form notes.

Going from concept to concrete is a terribly subjective process, and I’m so unsure of myself that half the time when I type, I spend more time holding down the backspace than typing.

But bear with me, and contribute your own writing concepts as we go.

If you have any questions or comments or something you want covered in this five or six part series, let me know and I shall endeavour to address it! And, as always, feedback can be posted here or emailed to:

flying.tigress.dsr@gmail.com

I get this a lot nowadays, almost whenever I step in and criticize GW in front of a certain kind of crowd. Maybe because I carry my hobby outside much more, as I’m turning from a secluded hobbyist-type who very rarely gamed, mostly a handful times a year with old friends, to a store gaming regular who meets new players on a weekly basis. Maybe because I feel a new kind of relationship with the game and community thanks to the podcast, and thus am less prone to keep my mouth shut for the sake of a peaceful time around the table. No, don’t get me wrong concerning the latter: I’m not the guy who starts arguing with you about how GW is worse than the Stalinist Purges out of nowhere, while all you want is to have a good time at your gaming place. What I can’t do though is nodding to loudmouth GW paladins white knighting the company’s business decisions and corporate culture, mostly while spreading plain lies about other manufacturers and outdated arguments supporting the company’s every move. I’m up for a quick debate nowadays, and also ready to go in-depth as long as nobody gets his precious hobby time wasted, and here’s the gist: It always boils down to “why don’t you just quit then, buddy?” in the end.

Now, besides the obvious- If you’ve gotten to a point in such a discussion where this is the only thing to say you can think of, you lost, thank you- it’s still a question worth answering in some detail. And especially in our current, very critical hobby climate, it’s good to take a deep breath and remind yourself of the things that do keep you in what they like to call “the GW hobby” from time to time. So, without further ado- Let’s get positive! But beware: Some of the reasons I’m going to state are custom-tailored for my situation, and thus, very subjective.

SPOILER: “picking up chicks” isn’t one of those reasons.

First of all, the obvious- The ever-expanding, evolving and changing lore of Warhammer 40k keeps me engrossed. If you know a bit about my gaming background, you know I’ve had a very rough start into the hobby at a young age, and that much of what kept me in the game was the enormous scope of the fragmented, dark gothic background, larger than life and with a taste of the forbidden and arcane. But even if you don’t, you do know that I love the lore enough to podcast about it in my free time. I’m still in love with that particular, crazy blend of influences and story elements, and there’s nothing else like it out there that wouldn’t pale in comparison. I feel like I could spend a lifetime “studying” 40k fluff, and still wouldn’t be able to catch every little factoid in the end, even besides keeping up with Black Library’s release schedule. Nowadays it’s so easy to forget what recent a development it is that we get fresh GW-themed literature on a monthly basis. A great time to be a lore enthusiast! Especially as we’re currently  being served the most fluff-friendly edition of 40k, with allies opening up whole new worlds of counts-as and combo possibilities for the creative modeler and painter, enabling us to translate a lot of colorful grimdark craziness onto the actual tabletop with intuitive ease.

Speaking of release schedules- No miniature company can match GW’s sheer output on mostly okay-to-great quality miniature product, and although I only directly relate to a fraction of it, I’ve always loved looking at the latest shiny stuff, staying up to date, discussing it with friends, and looking out for new bits to trade. Even among systems and factions I don’t actually care about, there’s those eye catchers and moments of brilliance that let me eagerly look through the latest releases for 15 years, now, and GW still more often impresses than disappoints me. Call it a matter of taste, but other manufacturers just don’t do the same for me. Beyond that even, there’s Forge World, showing off a different angle and even more brilliance I love to ogle, no matter if I buy something or not. The models continue to inspire me.

Case in point: I’ll never own this model. So far, I’ve stared at it for about 180 minutes of my life.

Another big advantage of 40k is the popularity and spread. And this is one I can’t emphasize enough. A hobby like this is a big commitment, and as opposed to basically every other game system and modeling range, I can safely say: Where ever I move in my lifetime, if there’s a tabletop wargaming community there, there’s gonna be 40k players. Obviously this refers to Germany, but as far as I can tell, it works for many other countries, too. It’s simply reassuring and makes me feel better investing time and money into the game I love, and it extends to the internet community, too. There’s multiple big online communities I can visit anytime, and there will always be dozens new threads to pick up, showing people’s 40k-themed creative work, partly of outstanding quality. If I wanted to be specifically inspired to paint my, let’s say, CSM army right in this moment, I could instantly find pictures of some astonishing high-quality-project I haven’t seen before to be awed by within seconds. That’s how big 40k is, and it’s unmatched.

But wait, there’s more: 40k also always seemed to be here to stay, and it hasn’t failed me for 15 years, as opposed to other systems I invested in (here’s looking at you, Rackham. You had my trust!). Yes, there have been developments that are worrying in regards to GWs long term success, but judging by my gut feeling, things won’t change that much for the next 15 years. Honestly: Games Workshop, as a geek niche company, has had a shitty rep since I’m on board. Back when I started what feels an eon ago, there were already plenty of older geeks pronouncing them a heartless, cold mainstream company killing their player base with horribly inappropriate pricing, bad rules, and lack of respect for their loyal long-term customers. Sounds familiar to you? And I’m not even disagreeing! What I’m saying is that it’s funny how each new generation of GW hobbyists seems to pronounce things going downhill from “now on”, but for some reason, GW seems to consistently grow, evolve, and dictate the market.  Like it or not (and I don’t like it too much)- Doing what they do, they seem to somehow be doing it right.

Displayed: The good old times, before everything went downhill.

Speaking of dictating the market, of course there’s no denying that especially GWs latest releases are ridiculously priced. There’s nothing to sweet-talk here, and instead, I’m gonna drive this even further: All high-quality miniature manufacturers are ridiculously priced. The whole segment lives off collector’s, luxury pricing, and if you want miniatures that are a lot cheaper, you have to aim for real low-quality stuff. Yes, GW are more expensive than their competitors, but they are still very much comparably priced. Seriously, there’s no manufacturer of similar quality that makes me go “awww, I wish I played their system, because I could get double the amount of minis which are just as cool and full of options for the same price.”  This just isn’t happening, provided you don’t compare apples to oranges and start figuring in necessary army size. Seriously, don’t play dumb:  “But you need much less miniatures to play!” is a non-argument. We’re all grown up and pick our gaming system according to the scope of tabletop wargaming we like, and I happen to prefer army-sized engagements to skirmish battles after excessively trying both. Add in the enormous secondary market and my personal, blessed position of having the choice to go to an indie store where nobody would ever sneer at me using third party bits and models, and in the end, the price point is softened a lot as long as you properly put things into perspective.

You wouldn’t believe how cheaper a tabletop game D&D is. You can get gamin’ with a single player character model!

In summary, 40k and me, we’re here to stay, no matter how critical I may sound from time to time. The lore is great, alive and ever-expanding, their output of new quality product is consistently great, it’s big, popular and reliable with an online and offline community seemingly infinite in scope, it stood and still stands the test of time, and the pricing isn’t actually as horrible as people make it out to be- They’re a luxury manufacturer within a luxury niche market. (Except for Australians. It’s exactly as bad for Australians as they make it out to be. Poor fuggers.)

So, those are my reasons for holding my ground- What are yours?

Feel free to shoot the token german any feedback, thoughts, opinions and insults via deepstrikevox@gmail.com. 

The Hobby (00:00:49)

With Jim on hiatus until late March, the crew has recruited Snorre from the previous episode to aid in covering the one and only Dark Angels! On hobby updates, Kamil talks games, Christina loves Only War, and Chase continues to make excuses. RIVETING!

News In a Flash (00:11:45)

Games Workshop releases a new rulebook covering flyers and Chase rages! The hosts also get into an indepth discussion of the legal and moral issues surrounding the recent space marine copyright issue brought up by GW. Four hosts butt heads, and throw down in the verbal legal battle of the CENTURY! And by century, we mean week.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by krmulticase.com & modelbits.co.uk

The Librarius (00:41:55)

And so begins Part 1 of the Dark Angels Codex Review! In this lengthy librarius the hosts discuss the moral obligations of the Dark Angels as Space Marines, weird naming conventions on Caliban, and poor people skills. Is Luther a traitor? Does Cypher still live? Will the Lion ever overcome his awkwardness and ask Corswain to the Primarch Prom? Find out on this episode of Deepstrike Radio!

The Briefing Room (02:29:26)

A heated debate ensues in this briefing room over the Emperor’s treatment of the Primarchs? Bad Father? Good Emperor? DRAMA! The crew also decides who to send back in time to save the future, and Chase, of course, picks a Blood Angel. SURPRISES!

Links

The Custodes

modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

 A special shout out to Snorre, for doing a spectacular job helping me edit the show! Give him some feedback on his editing if you get the chance!

The Hobby (00:00:49)

Two hosts are down and out this episode, leaving Chase and Christina to captain the show with help from special assistant Snorre!

News In a Flash (00:07:18)

Forge World release FAQ’s for Betrayal and IA 1 2nd ed, Legion heavy support models for Mk II, Mk II and Mk IV armor as well as new sets for Missile launchers, Multi melta, Lascannon and plasma cannon. They also have extended the HH bundles and added new ones.

Black Library releases Dark Heart (A WB short story featuring Marduk), Battle Brothers (A DA short story) and Yarrick, a novel about Commissar Yarrick on Armageddon, as well as putting up The Death of Antagonis (A Black Dragons Space Marine battle novel), and Path of the Incubus up for preorder

Micro Art studios release some interesting Foam sci-fi buildings.

Puppets War release some great side mounted vehicle weapons and post discount deals for their demons and zombies

Kromlech release Kneeling legionary legs to compliment their standing and running ones

Victoria Miniatures preview new Praetorian IG style heads and groovy looking penal legion arms, that would be great for cultists.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by krmulticase.com & modelbits.co.uk

The Librarius (00:22:26)

Get ready folks, as Christina, Snorre, and Chase dive into action covering the galaxy spanning Rogue Traders! Swash-buckling, intrigue, and exploring the final frontier abound!

The Armory (01:08:35)

Due to the impromptu nature of the show we did not do an on air 1000pts build this time.

Chase 1000 pt List

HQ

-Legion Auxilia Command Detachment – 115 pts

-Tribune

-Flamer

-Meltagun

-Carapace Armor

-Power Sword

-Melta Bombs

Elites

-12x Renegade Marauder Squad – 200 pts

-Hereteks

-2x Brutes

-2x Flamers

-Demolition Charge

Troops

-20x Legion Auxilia – 80 pts

-2x Grenade Launchers

-10x Auxilia Armsmen Cadre – 100 pts

-Meltagun

-8x Shotguns

-Carapace Armour

-Krak Grenades

-Bolt Pistol

-10x Auxilia Armsmen Cadre – 100 pts

-Grenade Launcher

-Carapace Armour

-Krak Grenades

-Power Weapon

Fast Attack

-1x Legion Sentry Gun Battery – 45 pts

-Multi-Melta

Heavy Support

-1x Artillery Barrage – 70 pts

-Basilisk Strike

-1x Maelstrom Fleet Naval Detachment – 145 pts

-Lightning Fighter

-1x Maelstrom Fleet Naval Detachment – 145 pts

-Lightning Fighter

Christina’s 1500 pt List

HQ

Lord Commissar – 115

- plasma pistol, power weapon, carapace armour, camo cloak, melta bombs

Company Command Squad – 242

- bolt pistol, regimental standard, vox-caster, heavy flamer, medi-pack

- Regimental advisors: Astropath, master of Ordnance, Officer of the Fleet, 2 bodyguards

ELITES

5 Ministorum Priests – 255

- 3 shotguns, 2 Eviscerators

2 Techpriest Enginseers – 350

- meltabombs

- 10 servitors (2 heavy bolters, 1 plasma cannon, 1 multi-melta)

TROOPS

Platoon Command Squad

Platoon Command Squad – 67

- bolt pistol, heavy bolter, meltagun, plasma gun

2 Infantry Squads – 130

- 2 heavy weapon squads (2 missile launchers)

50 Conscripts – 200

FAST ATTACK

Scout Sentinal – 50

- lascannon

Scout Sentinel – 50

- lascannon

Scout Sentinel – 40

-autocannon

Kamil 2000 pt List

HQ1: Lord Castellan Creed (90); Company Command Squad (50); Astropath (30); Master of Ordonance (30); Officer of the Fleet (30); Vox-Caster (5)- 235

EL2: Ratling Squad x7- 70

EL 3: Psyker Battle Squad (60) + 2 Sanctioned psykers (20)- 80

HS1: Deathstrike Launcher (160), extra Armor (15)- 175

HS2: 2 x Basilisk (250), extra Armor (30)- 280

FA1&2: 2 Vendettas (260)- 260

TR 1&2: Veteran Squads (140), each 3xPlasma (90)- 230

DARK ELDAR

Baron Sathonyx- 105

Hellions x10, Helliarch, Agonizer- 185

2 x 10 Wyches (200)

2 x 2 sharnet and impalers (40)

2 Raiders w. Nightshields (140) – 380

The Briefing Room (01:26:59)

Snorre gets a chance to run the briefing room as we cover some esoteric questions from the fans and Chase gets medical discussing the ups and downs of Primarch physiology!

Links

The Custodes

modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

In the Future, All Space Marines Will Be Warhammer 40K Space Marines

In mid-December, Games Workshop told Amazon that I’d infringed on the trademark they’ve claimed for the term “space marine” by titling my original fiction novel Spots the Space Marine. In response, Amazon blocked the e-book from sale [original post and update]. Since then, I’ve been in discussion with Games Workshop, and following their responses, with several lawyers.To engage a lawyer to defend me from this spurious claim would cost more money than I have, certainly more than the book has ever earned me. Rather than earning money for my family, I’d be taking money from them, when previously my writing income paid for my daughter’s schooling. And I’d have to use the little time I have to write novels to fight a protracted legal battle instead.

In their last email to me, Games Workshop stated that they believe that their recent entrée into the e-book market gives them the common law trademark for the term “space marine” in all formats. If they choose to proceed on that belief, science fiction will lose a term that’s been a part of its canon since its inception. Space marines were around long before Games Workshop. But if GW has their way, in the future, no one will be able to use the term “space marine” without it referring to the space marines of the Warhammer 40K universe.

I used to own a registered trademark. I understand the legal obligations of trademark holders to protect their IP. A Games Workshop trademark of the term “Adeptus Astartes” is completely understandable. But they’ve chosen instead to co-opt the legacy of science fiction writers who laid the groundwork for their success. Even more than I want to save Spots the Space Marine, I want someone to save all space marines for the genre I grew up reading. I want there to be a world where Heinlein and E.E. Smith’s space marines can live alongside mine and everyone else’s, and no one has the hubris to think that they can own a fundamental genre trope and deny it to everyone else.

At this point I’m not sure what course to take. I interviewed five lawyers and all of them were willing to take the case, but barring the arrival of a lawyer willing to work pro bono, the costs of beginning legal action start at $2000 and climb into the five-figure realm when it becomes a formal lawsuit. Many of you don’t know me, so you don’t know that I write a business column/web comic for artists; wearing my business hat, it’s hard to countenance putting so much time and energy into saving a novel that hasn’t earned enough to justify it. But this isn’t just about Spots. It’s about science fiction’s loss of one of its foundational tropes.

I have very little free time and very little money. But if enough people show up to this fight, I’ll give what I can to serve that trust. And if the response doesn’t equal the level of support I would need, then I still thank you for your help and your well wishes. For now, step one is to talk about this. Pass it on to your favorite news source. Tell your favorite authors or writers’ organizations. To move forward, we need interest. Let’s generate some interest.

I am available for questions for anyone who has them; you can reach me at haikujaguar at gmail. Thanks, everyone.

***

I am here to make some observances on a subject that has come up at my FLGS a few times. I have had a few, lets just call them discussions, in the past with some of the 40K players who were giving one of the players at the store a hard time about the fact his army was not made up of Games Workshop figures. His army was from a company called Mantic games [you may have hear of them] and he had done a fine job of making them as WYSIWYG as possible for the army he was playing.

Is it wrong to use alternative figures? Is it not acceptable to have a unique looking army? Was he wrong to use these figures for his game?

The answer to all of these is NO!

We all know that GW charges a LOT for their Miniarutes. We also know that there are some fantastic looking alternative figures out there that are completely appropriate for use as almost any of the 13 armies in the 40K universe. So why were these guys upset about him using these alternate figures? Why would it matter if you were playing them in a friendly game or a tournament? I mean GW doesn’t even have any “sponsored” or “Official” tournaments, so why is there an issue. The Fantasy players at the FLGS never get upset or refuse to play against people who bring in “Counts As” armies, is it just some of my local players or is this a common problem?

I would like to know what you all think. Comment below or post on the forum.

The Gobbo

Segment one (00:00:47)

Chase and Jim discuss the Bay Area Open Narrative event coming up in March. They discuss the ongoing narrative running through all of Jim’s events.

Segment two (00:58:15)

This segment focuses on Special Operations Killzone, which Jim will be running day one of the Bay Area Open Narrative event in March. We cover the background of this skirmish supplement and some of the rules introduced to make it a fast, furious and fun way to play 40k.

Segment three (01:35:41)

Chase and Jim interview Reece from Team Zero Comp, Frontline Gaming and the head Pooh-Bah for the Bay Area Open GT.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Check out the Bay Area Open, where Jim will be running the Raid on Persiet V BAO website

Links

The Custodes

Krmulticase.com/

Modelbits.co.uk/

So, if you happened to listen to my audition you prob have a decent idea of my gaming background.  But if not…I’ve been in 40k since mid 4th edition.  Playing Fantasy for a year or two longer than that. (Yep, got my start as a square-baser).  I mainly played Black Templar’s, 1k Sons, and Emperor’s Children in the past.  But wound down for a while. The age of the BT and previous CSMs books, on top of the “late 5th ed blah’s” took its toll. I have also dabbled in Eldar, Tau, Tyranids, and Necrons.   Now, as I am excited about 40k again (yay 6th ed!), I am working on Minotaurs (FW IA 9-10 Badab War is awesome!) and Word Bearers (as I loved First Heretic and Know No Fear).  Plus I am trying to decide which 30k army I want to build/play!  I have several 40k and Fantasy armies in various stages of completion and frequently suffer from army A.D.D.!  (as perhaps you can tell) Which can be both good and bad, it seems.  I read a lot of the Black Library collections.  I have an extensive RPG background and currently play in a Black Crusade game.  I’ve dabbled in the Specialist Games arena and play several other non-GW tabletop wargames.  I feel I’m fairly well rounded in my gaming background.  While not a tourney player or an expert at the game, I am in it for the fun and the story of the game and the rich background.  My armies are chosen due to their stories and the lore first and foremost.  The models are second.

I also love to convert and theme the armies I build.  So this is where I hope to add something of interest to the community.  I learned to resin cast to further my conversion projects.  I’m a huge fan of 3rd party manufacturers (especially after GW stopped their bits service) and I  use a lot of 3rd party bits to modify my models and have extensively used Scibor, Max-mini, Kromlech, Chapterhouse, and more…so again this is where I hope to be able to inform the community of my views, reactions, and reviews of such items. As well as Forge World.

Also, some of the people that I game with and I enjoy playing cool narrative games.  Coming up with cool missions and stories.  That kind of thing.  Actually, one of the games I played since 6th ed came out was a year 2012 highlight of Geoff’s, of the IC’s podcast.

So enough of me rambling on.  If you made it this far, many thanks!  If not, well then this doesn’t matter because you aren’t reading this.

I look forward to presenting some of my current themed/conversion projects, some tips for resin casting bits for conversions, and whatever other ideas come to mind.  Hopefully it will be at least mildly interesting to the DSR community and I don’t totally fall flat on my internet face.

Till next time

JR

“No! Another of the Emperor’s sons falls to the wiles of Slaanesh!”

- Try not to buy any more models without painting what I’ve got. Seriously, since I broke into the hobby, I’ve gone way nuts with collecting and not even assembling what I’ve got. It’s le terrible. Now, since I’m wanting to add to my Sisters of Battle with the new Dark Angels codex, and new stuff is always good, I’ve made myself this resolution. I can buy whatever I want, but I must paint double what I buy, points wise. Example, I’d like to get some DA terminators and Belial. If I get… say, 500 points worth of DA, I have to paint 1,000 points of stuff before I can buy more models. Exceptions: Hobby supplies (brass etch, shoulder pads, guns, etc).

- Attend another tournament. I’ve only been to one, last year. I got horribly maimed. I did win a codex of my choice, and went with Necrons. See above resolution, and associated picture on how that turned out.

- Actually run an ongoing Warhammer 40k RPG campaign with a dedicated group of roleplayers. The tabletop game is keen, but nothing bits sitting around a table with a pad and paper and getting down to some interactive, character-driven adventures. The cinematic feel of a well-run roleplaying game just can’t be beat, and not everyone has the money needed to get into the tabletop game. That and I have literally binders full of adventures I’ve drawn up. Luckily, Only War has been released!

- Build or paint three pieces of terrain to use in my home tabletop games. I have some grey plastic terrain, but painted scenery adds a lot to the narrative experience.

- Spruce up Jim’s Killzone rules into a fancy, professional document that’s pretty. I have an undergrad in layout and design, and language and editing. I enjoy Big Jim’s Killzone rules, they are fun it’s easy to see the love and effort he poured into his rules. I’d really like to bring my meagre abilities as a layout and design person and spiffy up the great product he has going on.

- Come up with some bitching campaign rules for an upcoming map-based campaign. None of that bare-bones Planetary Empires/Crusade of Fire hokum. Also, make it pretty, as above.

- Paint an entire 1500-1750 pt. army. This seems like it would be easy, but you’d be surprised. As I mentioned last blog, due to my head injury, I’m blind in one eye and I get the shakes something fierce, which limits my abilities to paint well, or quickly. Luckily, with the release of the Dark Angels codex, fielding a huge army has never been easier… unless you love Grey Knights. Which I don’t. So Deathwing will probably be it.

It begins!

- Get controversial. I’ve been playing it safe so far. Shit’s gotta stop. I want to say something about the hobby that’s controversial, and pisses someone off. But I won’t force it. When it happens, I’ll have meant it, and if you don’t agree, I won’t give one steaming pile. So there.

The Hobby (00:00:49)

The hosts discuss what they have been up to the past fortnight and an explanation about the tone of Chase’s rants in the last episode.

News In a Flash (00:15:27)

- Forgeworld releases the Cerberus Heavy Tank Destroyer as well as new Deathshroud Terminators

- Puppets war has Death Korps Zombies. 30 Zombies for 96 euros

- Kromlech releases more of their legionnaire legs

- Games Workshop releases their Dark Angel Preorders, including the Deathwing Set, Belial, Asmodai, the Darktalon/Nephilim Air Superiority Fighter, the Land Speeder Vengeance/Darkshroud, the Ravenwing Command Squad/Ravenwing Knight box, as well as three bundles, the Deathwing Assault, the One-Click Launch Bundle, and the Hunt for the Fallen Set. Also rereleased the DA Battleforce

-Black Library finished their Advent Release Calender, as well as launching Ahriman Exile, the first in a three book series about Ahriman by John French

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by krmulticase.com

The Librarius (00:42:25)

Strap on your seatbelt for a lengthy discussion of the rise and fall of the Emperors Children Legion. If you have not read all the Horus Heresy novels about the Emperors Children then be warned there are spoilers within.

The Armory (02:29:54)

Due to the length of the show we did not do an on air 1000pts build this time.

Kamil & Jim’s 1850 List
HQ (305pts)
Lucius the Eternal
Total: 165pts

Sorcerer of Slaanesh
MoS, Lvl 3, dark glory
Total: 140pts

Troops (758pts)
9 Noise Marines
CCW
Champion PW and Doomsiren
Total: 193

10 Noise Marine
5 Sonic blasters, 1 blastmaster, 10 CCW, Icon of excess
Total: 265pts

10 Noise Marine
5 Sonic blasters, 1 blastmaster, 10 CCW, Icon of excess
Rhino
Total: 300pts

Fast Attack (540pts)
Heldrake
Baleflamer
Total 170

Heldrake
Baleflamer
Total 170

5 Bikers
2 Melta guns, MoS, Icon of excess
Champion Combi-melta, Power weapon
Total: 200pts

Heavy Support (245pts)
Land Raider
Dozer blade and extra armor
Total 245pts

Chase & Christina’s 2000 pt List

HQ
-Fulgrim – 380 pts

Elites
-5x Palatine Blades – 175 pts
-5x Jump Packs
-5x Power Swords

-3x Apothecarion Detachment – 145 pts
-1x Artificer Armour

Troops
-5x Legion Terminator Squad – 190 pts
-Cataphractii Armour
-Plasma Blaster

-10x Veteran Tactical Squad – 270 pts
-2x Missile Launchers with Suspensors
-Flakk Missiles
-Tank Hunters
-Artificer Armour

-10x Veteran Tactical Squad – 240 pts
-2x Heavy Bolters with Suspensors
-Outflank
-Artificer Armour

Fast Attack
-5x Jetbike Skyhunter Squadron – 220 pts
-Plasma Cannons

-2x Legion Landspeeder Squadron – 130 pts
-2x Graviton Guns

Heavy Support
-5x Legion Heavy Support – 245 pts
-5x Lascannons
-Artificer Armour

The Briefing Room (02:55:57)

We answer some more esoteric questions from the mail bag. We had a blast discussing these questions! Keep ‘em coming!

The Hobby Trenches (03:19:14)

Christina and Kamil give us an in depth look at modeling and painting Preheresy and post-heresy Emperors Children.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Check out the Bay Area Open, where Jim will be running the Raid on Persiet V BAO website

Links

The Custodes

Krmulticase.com/

We all know that there are a lot of really awesome units out there that just don’t see the table that much.

Chaos Possessed.  Flash Gits.  Ogryn.

It’s the same with a lot of upgrades that could be fun but we leave off.

I’m looking at you, plasma pistol!

Why is this?  Points of course.  Either as individuals or as a community we have decided that X just isn’t worth the points.  It’s just a little too expensive.  Y can do the job for less.

Of course you can find “better” things to spend the points on.  But are you really that strapped for points?  Unless you’re headed for a major tournament you expect to place at, does it really matter?  Even then, does it really matter?

I say that we should all try to find a little room in our lists for some pizzazz.  A long time ago I read an article by Dennis O’Neil that talked about the Japanese artistic concept of wabi; roughly that something imperfect can be beautiful because, not in spite, of that imperfection, like how a leaf that has been nibbled on a bit by a caterpillar can be more interesting than a supposedly perfect, untouched one.

We should bring a little wabi into our army lists.

I’m not saying go crazy.  But surely we can find a few points to “waste” in most lists.  After all, when we look at these inefficient units and upgrades, for the most part they’re not total wastes, worth zero points.  Instead we say that they’re overpriced – if they were X-3 points each instead of X we would use them.

Let’s give a little bit, and accept that extra price.  Do you think Possessed are four points too much?  So a unit of ten is 40 points too much?  In a 2000pt army, that’s 2% of the list.  Would that really break you?  I’d wager that if you like the idea of Possessed, you’ll be happier in the long run with them instead of the extra Spawn or ten zombies or whatever you would have bought instead.

Set yourself a goal, or if you prefer, a limit as to how much you’ll “waste” in a list to make it more enjoyable for yourself.   Could be 1%, could be 10%, whatever you’re comfortable with.  Then see how overpriced you think the things you like are, and see if you can fit them under your threshold.

Try it out.  I think that you’ll enjoy your armies and games more, and you may even surprise your opponents.  For myself, I know that I’ll be trying to cram some plasma pistols into the new Chaos Marines I’m making.

I just wish there was a way to add them to Possessed.

When it comes to feelings about GW you can divid the community into pretty much three groups. Oh, there will be some some that say they do not fit these categories but they are just living in the margins.

1. The Polly Anna’s
2. The Naysayers
3. The Mouth Pieces

In many ways the GW community is a lot like a College Football fan base. Very passionate, often vocal and not inclined to simply abandon their team for another just because things are not going well.

The Poly Anna fans, just like ours, will support their team, coach and administration no matter what is going on. They really do not care about winning etc…its their team and that’s all that matters. If you do not like their team, even if they cannot win, players are getting arrested and coaches are getting DUI’s well you can just find yourself another team because in their minds you are not a “Real” fan anyway. The Polly Anna’s acknowledge there are problems but its not their place to be negative and “hurt the Team” as a result. For them the idea of both criticizing and supporting is as foreign as breathing water.

The Naysayer Fans, like ours, say…” We support and love our team but hey if we cannot win, our players and coaches are getting in trouble and the team is costing more money to have than it generates for the university maybe we should take a closer look and make changes.” This group tends to be the enemy of all others because they are generally a smaller group and in modern culture it is simply not possible to criticize or point out flaws with out it being an act of “Hate” or being labeled a “Negative” person. It is really a funny turn of events because traditionally through out human civilization Naysayers have been highly prized as possessing the unique ability to be loyal while still being able to see flaws. You can always tell in history when a King is going down hill when he starts killing the Naysayers among his Councilors. That said it is very important that Naysayers not criticize just for the sake of criticizing. When things really are going bad like a failing football team or GW at the moment it is a fine line that Naysayers must walk.

The Mouth Piece Fans are a truly interesting group. In some ways they are simply radicalized Polly Anna’s. However in other ways Mouth Pieces are simply people who cannot conceive the possibility that a large organization could be wrong. More often than not they have “Self Identified” with the football team or company and have lost the ability to separate themselves from this authority figure. By so closing allying themselves with it emotionally they feel like they themselves become a integral part of that greater entity. You find mouth pieces all over the Web. They attack and viciously defend their chosen object with extreme prejudice. It is not possible to sway them off of this point no patter how much evidence you might present to them. This is because their support is not based on how worthy the focus of their passion is but what that association makes them feel about themselves. Ironically this group will more often than no consider themselves the reasoned defenders of an entity which may not have anyone actively defending it officially. Thus they become, the football coach or in the case of GW they literally see themselves as the online champion of Games Workshop since GW is not performing that task themselves.

So why exactly have I gone through the exercise of profiling these common fan archetypes? I have done so because I think it is time that we as fans of GW games and 40K in particular put aside our online personalities to talk honestly about this game we have so much passion and yes even love for. Right now we are not able to do so because every time some one expresses a problem they are jumped on by a vocal subgroup of the population who considers their comments to be very literally “Hate” speech directed toward a company.

 Chase’s comments during DSR episode 51 are a really great example. Chase made very very mild complaints about The up coming DA Codex, The Legion of the Damned background and commented he was concerned about the direction Black Library was taking some of the background. Now I have formal training in Rhetoric, Debate and Speech. His comments were far closer to warm milk than cold water. Yet he received a stream of complaints that he was negative. The show was too negative. One ridiculous comment even suggested he needed to step back from the hobby because he disagreed with some of GW’s recent moves.

Now this is a person who has shown the following level of dedication to the hobby:

1. A host on one of the top 5 podcast for the 40K community
2. Spent weeks getting the format and website for said show reorganized after much neglect.
3. Found, along with Jim, two new co-host
4. Spends untold hours compiling background and making sure all the shows notes and host are on the same page.
5. Spends hours every week searching the net and talking to other fans about 40K and the 40K universe.
6. Is currently organizing a new and exciting online community for the fans.
7. Has many many thousands of dollars in 40K minis and game accessories
8. Reads every word written about the universe.

To me, and I could be totally off base here, this is a person who seems to be passionate about this hobby. This to me seems to be a person who could say “Hey, I think GW might be getting off base on a few items…” with out being attacked, criticized for daring or worse yet told to “Step Back from the Hobby”. As if to say “Step back until you have the same perspective as me because your perspective must be wrong…”

Can some one out there please explain to me how people like Chase, Jim and many other highly passionate and dedicated fans of this game and company can be so worried about expressing their “honest” opinions? I know for a fact that Chase held back. I also know that many many other passionate lovers of this game will not say anything that might be critical for fear of the wall of hate that comes their way every time they do. You see Chase was dead on about his comments. Everyone of us has been part of conversations about the not so great path GW has been heading down pretty much since the release of the Imperial Guard Codex.

 Is it a “Failure to Communicate” that is going on here? Lets all stop with that ridiculous come back of the mentally challenged. “Its just a hobby…if you do not like it stop playing…”

 40K is not just a hobby. It is a passion, a pursuit, and a very large investment. 40K is a hobby controlled by a single company. If all of Golf were controlled by a single company do you think golfers would for one second sit passively by if that company started ruining their hobby with bad decisions that did not take into account the needs of the golfers? Of course not. To even entertain the idea is ludicrous. So why do we act in this ludicrous manner?

There are no other options when it comes to playing with and making use of the monstrous investment 40K represents in money and time. As such the only truly intellectually honest way of looking at our situation is that we are held hostage by the decisions and whims of a corporation run by a group of men who do not even participate in our hobby. Are we going to let 40K go the same route as Fantasy? A game that is literally on life support because of greedy marketing decisions.

You know….the more I think about it the more I think the GW fan base looks like a room full of hostages suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.

When someone like Chase says “hey there is a problem here…” The last response should be to tell him he is just a hater who needs to step back from the hobby. You should all be wondering why such a dedicated fan is concerned.

-STUCARIUS-

The second part is a little more difficult and why I decided to make my first official blog posting an introduction. I have been playing Warhammer 40k, off and on now since the 1^st Edition of the rules [Rogue Trader].  My first army consisted of Squats [space Dwarves for those newer to the hobby] on hover boards, in squads of 10 heavy weapons with Suspensors that allowed them to move 18 inches as a normal move and still fire all weapons in the team and at all different targets.  I have a good founding in the 40k lore as well as all other 40k related games that GW has done over the years. I have not played every race, but have played a good chunk of them [and against them all]. I am a hobbyist as well as a gamer and do love the Black Library and building and painting models [see my Deathwatch Army postings in The Foundry on the Custodes forum], conversions as well as “fluffy” theme lists.

I use a lot of 3^rd party products so expect some reviews and articles on these products as well as conversion ideas and other W40K news as I get a hold of it from friends who work in the industry. You may also see a few battle reports as well as some conversion and painting videos.

Happy Holidays to everyone and may your dice always roll high [when making Ld tests against me]!

- Gobbo

The Dark Side or How I Learned to Stop Hating and Learned to Love the Emperor

Pictured: The very, very, very wrinkly face of evil

If you’re expecting a post about the glories of the Emperor of Mankind, you’ve arrived at the wrong post. I know that’s what you’re thinking when you see me use the word “Emperor” in relation to 40k, but that’s not the connotation I’m going for today. Rather, I’d like to talk about Emperor Palpatine (AKA Darth Sidious) of Star Wars fame, and why we need to see more of him in Warhammer 40,000.

Some of you, of course, are surely wondering “Since when was Palpatine involved in 40k?” and to that I will say, buckle your seat belts, because it’s time for the rant train. When I refer to the iconic villain of Star Wars fame, I am not referring to him in the sense of his person directly, but rather, of his character. To be frank, Warhammer 40,000 needs more of Palpatine and a whole lot less of Darth Vader.

It seems to be in vogue as of late (And by as of late, I refer to the last few years) in 40k literature to weave a story of sympathetic villains and tragic heroes. To show that even a great man can fall to unfathomable depths if the situation is right. To show to us that in the worst situations, even angels can fall. I’m here to tell you that this needs to stop.

Some of you are going to disagree, you’re going to tell me that “Chase, this adds depth to the villains, you don’t want two dimensional characters do you?” To this I say, you forget yourself, and here’s why. There was a time, long, long ago in literature (especially sci-fi and fantasy) where introducing a sympathetic villain was a thing of impact. When you learned that Darth Vader was once Anakin, and fell only because the Emperor had manipulated him so, it was a stark emotional blow to Star Wars fans the world over.

In reality, Bob the marine has a very tragic story involving puppies and apple pie. Now stand still while he stabs you

The thing that seems to have been forgotten by the 40k writers most recently is that the fact that such sympathetic villains were rare is what gave them impact. The fact that Darth Vader was the lone villain with a tragic story among an empire of evil; this is what gave his story gravitas.

Now however, 40k resides in a world where nigh on every villain has some tragic story or another. Abaddon only fell because he wanted to save his father, Lorgar because he was shunned by the Emperor, Magnus because there was no other choice. Even more traditional villains such as Kharn, Angron, and Mortarion have a tragedy or circumstance that explains their malevolence.

This isn’t to say that such things aren’t necessary, but I am here to say that the degree to which it has been taken is quickly approaching ludicrous speed. What is so wrong about having a villain who is evil, simply because he or she is evil? Implying that this would give them a lack of depth is a flimsy excuse at best; anyone who knows the story of Palpatine can tell you that he is a fully fleshed out and well done villain, with motives and drives that are meaningful in their own way.

I am aware that this is partially a necessary fact of the universe. The Imperium is supposed to be the “good guys” only by virtue of the fact that there is no other choice. Warhammer 40,000 is a setting whose very nature is characterized by shades of grey and there is nothing wrong with that. However, is it so hard to have more of characters like Fulgrim?

It’s very probable that I will receive flak for using Fulgrim as my example here, but this is merely my personal interpretation on him as a character. You’ll get a more in depth view on my feelings about Fulgrim when we cover the Emperor’s Children roughly two episodes from the point of my writing this, so I shall move on to my explanation.

We could all learn a thing from Lucius. Like proper drug use.

Fulgrim, currently, is the single best villain in all of Warhammer 40,000. There, it has been said. It’s not because Fulgrim has done the worst things, or because he is the most “evil” in a story book sense. Rather, it is because he is an unrepentant villain who made decisions for selfish desires and that is the end of the matter.

Where there other circumstances that affected his decisions? Yes, there were, but on the whole, they were Fulgrim’s own, and they were “bad”. For the sake of spoilers, I shall avoid elaborating, but those of you who have read Fulgrim and its successor stories will understand to what I am referencing.

Using Fulgrim as an example isn’t even the point of this post. Rather, it is to draw the line in the sand for Black Library, at least on my part. That’s enough Talos, and Argel Tal, and Abaddon, and Aximand. There are enough sympathetic villains in 40k that the combined “poor them” factor could tear a hole in the fabric of reality. Instead, give us more Palpatine, give us more Fulgrim. Give me my Fabius Bibles and Lucius’ Black Library, let’s bring some irreconcilable bad guys to 40k and give us that empire of evil so the Darth Vaders of 40k mean something again.

Infuriated? Think I’m talking out of my rear end? Post a comment below or email me at chase@thecustodes.com, I welcome the debate. Strike Fast, Play Hard!

-Chase

Go from this…

We all got our start in 40K at some point.  As with so many other things, first impressions are powerful, and early experiences can really influence if you stick with something like a game or hobby.  I had some good early experiences, and I’m still here.  I imagine that most of you reading had good early experiences as well.

I first discovered 40K as a young teen in the local game store I spent most of my Saturdays at in those days.  Rogue Trader was brand new, and I loved the book.  Lots of great stuff, influences pulled from everywhere, and very British.  It was far from the only game we played then, and wasn’t even the only sci-fi skirmish game.  But the background and the miniatures made an impression.  As a poor kid at the time I wasn’t able to really get many minis of my own, but I played plenty of games using other people’s figures.  Not only 40K and games like it, but also big historical games that folks from out of town brought in (notably the Triangle Simulation Society and game designer Larry Brom) that helped cement the miniatures gaming bug in my soul.  Rather than being snobbish or looking down on someone who wasn’t bringing their own figs to the table, they were happy to have another player and gladly gave me aliens or a battalion of grenadiers to push around.

Later on I went off to college, and left those miniatures and 40K behind, or so I thought.  The local gaming club was mostly centered around role playing and board games, but one day someone brought in Space Marine (Epic, Titan Legions, whatever you want to call it – little teeny 40K) and I was hooked again.  He had several extensive armies, and a group of us happily played tons of games using his collection.  We started up forces of our own and gradually got them into the mix, but without his willingness to front the whole thing at first and encourage the rest of us it wouldn’t have happened.  I stuck with Epic after college and that interest eventually led me back to “full scale” 40K.

That’s all basically a long way of saying that I wouldn’t still be into this game and this universe without some very helpful, welcoming people along the way.  I try to pay it forward nowadays, now that I’m the more experienced guy, with lots of figures on hand.  I talk to people that show an interest, try to help new players, run little demos and walkthroughs and so forth.

…to this.

I hope that you will too.  Today’s kid looking interested at your figures or the new guy with his unpainted starter-set army could be your next regular opponent and a lynchpin of your local community.  Give ‘em a break, give ‘em a hand, give them some time.  Someone did for you once.

Christina here, Flying Tigress on the various 40k forums, including our favourite home away from home, the Custodes. When I got the nod to join the gruesome twosome, Chase and Jim, in hosting the show, imagine my surprise when I was told “oh yeah, you’re not just a host, you’re a blogger, too! Be interesting!”

Hrm. Well, since I float through 40k space and people don’t know much about me, I figured I’d add some elucidation. Why exactly am I so eminently qualified? What gives me the right to go on the already cluttered and crowded webbernetz and add my voice to the oversaturated 40k blogosphere, the faceless masses? What do I have that the average 40k fanboy/girl doesn’t?

The straight answer is, nothing. I ain’t got bleep (that’s PG for “do-do.”)

I’ve only been in the hobby a short time. Possibly, a year and a half, all told. Two and a half if we count the Fantasy Flight Games RPG. There are people that know more than I do, there are people that play the game better, there are people that know the rules better. There are better painters, there are more sporting opponents. There are old farts that have played the game almost as long as I’ve been alive (looks in Jim’s general direction). Heck, there’s 25 years of history with 40k. There are also newcomers that attack the game with more zeal than I’ve attacked just about anything in my life. This Christmas I looked at my 12-year old nephew open his over $400 of new Chaos and Forge World presents with such excitement that I said to myself, “self, by the time Matty is my age, if he’s half as passionate then as he is now, HE’s going to be podcasting. Better. Or holocasting. Actually, 3Dcasting, because holocast sounds suspiciously like something less pleasant.” Point is, enthusiasm-wise, I think in fifteen years he’ll have eclipsed and blown me out of the water.

But I digress. Follow me back onto the path towards a thesis.

When I first started thinking about how I’d go about introducing myself to the listenership, I really struggled. I’m a bit… wordy. I guess I’ll go with the big question. It really is the elephant in the room. It’s the question I get asked most often, and I suppose from a certain perspective I can understand the curiosity. I guess I shall tackle it with my first blog, and then move on to bigger and better things.

How did you (a woman), get involved in the hobby?

We really aren’t.

I suppose I’ve talked about this before. I’ve done a couple of interviews on OTHER shows (ominous music), and anytime I meet somebody in the LGS, it comes up. There aren’t a lot of US (women) in the hobby. Yet.

The truth of the matter is, I would never in a million years have assumed I belonged here. Three years ago, if someone tapped me on the shoulder and said “hey, guess what? By Christmas, 2012, you’re going to be speaking on the Internet about a table game involving plastic miniatures, complex rules, you’re going to have to paint, and oh yeah. Everyone is going to call you a geek and a nerd,” well, I probably would have shrugged and went back to my beer.

Well, take a walk with me, and learn just how fickle the tides of the Warp can be, and how ordinary people can fall in love with things quite outside their experience though extraordinary circumstances.

In 2010, I was a miserable, inconceivably naive and insular person. Through a serious of unfortunate events, I shut myself off from people. Didn’t go out, didn’t really appreciate my friends and loved ones nearly as much as they deserved. Maybe I drank a bit too much. If you wanted to label me, each and every one of you, within five or ten minutes of speaking to me, would have called me a bitch and written me off. And I deserved it.

Long story short (or not so short by now, the point is upcoming), couple drinks too many and my legs give out, and the side of my head hits the side of a solid marble countertop. My skull takes exception, and decides to shatter, and shrapnel my brain.

Without going into too much gory detail, down I go, and with the blessed miracle workers that are the health care professionals, nurses, surgeons, and EMT’s, and the wonder that is brain surgery, up I wake some time later. Blind in one eye, unable to place faces to names, unable to walk, talk coherently, read, grasp cutlery, all that stuff. I don’t know if you’ve ever pooped in a bag, but for a 20-something woman, it’s a little bit of a distressing experience.

Anyhoo. Rehab. I was a bit of a hopeless case. Here I was, feeling entitled and sorry for myself. “I’ll never be as good as I was, why bother? Might as well just be an invalid, because waah.” (The Waagh comes later).

Enter 40k.

It started with reading. Lying in a hospital room with machines is all at once disturbing, frightening, and above all… BORING. Not being able to read was excruciating. We take a lot of things for granted in this life. The ability to absorb and understand language is one of our most basic gifts, and going from a Master’s Degree in English to not being able to read Curious George is… disheartening. My friends brought me in Harlequins. No thanks. They all read the same, and they have about as much depth as a kid’s wading pool. Crime, fiction, drama novels, they’re all too… real for someone confined to a hospital bed. I don’t want to read about someone else’s problems, I have enough of my own.

Spolier Alert! This hurt.

I was aware of 40k through the FFG RPG’s (still… LOVE them to death). I wasn’t really aware they had novels, or even that there was a game. I was a fan of the setting in the RPG. Women played an important part of the universe. Eldar, Sisters of Battle, Inquisitors, starship captains. It is a refreshing, empowering setting full of strong female characters. So, I asked for science fiction, and my husband brought me in Horus Rising.

I had a miserable time reading it. Not because it was bad, but because my brain couldn’t process what my eyes were seeing. At first, he or my best friend read to me, then, as I healed and worked the pathways back to connecting, I read on my own. A page a day, then a few pages, then a chapter. Before I knew it, Horus Rising was the first book I managed to read all on my own. Except… except I fell in love with the characters. What happens to Horus? Euphrati is interesting, there’s more to her than one can assume. How will the legion deal with the fallout of the stolen sword? BAM. False Gods.

As I became more cognizant and aware of the world, my desire to regain some semblance of control of my life, and my body took over. Imagine now, if you’ll indulge me, learning how to use cutlery again. Grasping, fine finger control. Being able to inject my own insulin. Again, we are a miracle of evolution. Not being able to use my fingers was infuriating. Enter painting. The fine motor control necessary to paint a miniature is really quite intriguing. Consider the next time you paint. Grasping the base in one hand, subtly turning your wrist ever so slightly, while grasping a paint brush and using your eyes to coordinate with both hands how you will apply the brush to the model. You are doing something that no other animal on the planet can do with any degree of skill. The next time you sit back and look at your painted mini and say “damn, this looks like crap,” consider: you are a miracle of biology.

So it began: basecoating my husband’s miniatures. He was using me for cheap, boring labour, sure. But the fact I could paint blue on a model was, at the time, astounding to me. I became invested in the activity. While I was rehabbing the rest of my body and attending therapy, with every basecoated Ultramarine (blecch, sorry Rovert), my confidence grew.

Next came the rules. Just what the hell do these little plastic bastards do when they’re on the table? Where the heck do you go once a week to play this silly little game? Teach me.

Starting slowly, the tabletop 40k helped me regain some critical thinking skills. The higher-function brain capacity that sets us apart from the birds and the bees. Thinking four or five steps ahead. If. Then. The game is a complex and dynamic creation. If I want to shoot this at this, I need to be this distance away. Do I think I am that distance away? (This was pre-pre-measuring 6th). If I am, what are my odds to hit? Math. Percentages. I mean, I could have cracked open a text book and probably grasped more quickly, but dammit. Killing things is FUN.

So it was that the damaged, near brain-dead invalid found Warhammer 40k a constant source of inspiration, and recovery.

It’s a bit long winded. I don’t think I’m special, I don’t think I’m unique. Everyone has a reason they’re drawn to this hobby of ours. Everyone has a story. Mine is, I suppose, more long winded and circuitous than some.

Again, there’s a lot of people that have played longer, loved the game longer, and know more about the background. But I guess I’ll think of this show as my love letter. My thanks to the hobby, Games Workshop, Black Library, Forge World, my LGS friends, the podcasters that kept me company all those nights. The forum members that never once made me feel like an outsider. My way of passing on what I’ve been given as a gift to others, to share my journey as they share their journey with us on the show.

To my Custodes, my Deepstrike Radio family, thank you for your support. I hope I do you all proud. If not, well. Blame Chase and Jim. That’s what Kamil and I do. They’re kind of like our podcasting parents. Always blame the parents.

This babbling offends Slaanesh!

Now that all the sappy, there and back again crap is out of the way, buckle up. It’s brass tacks time, kiddies.

So that’s my 40k story. And some personal shit. It does explain why I was painting Sisters of Battle at 3 a.m. after a seizure though.

What’s your 40k story? How did you get into the hobby?

flying.tigress.dsr@gmail.com

Tina,

The Flying Tigress

Here in an oldie but a goody from my Galaxy in Flames blog; it is timeless and still useful today.

This pose conversion was something I had wanted to have forever; it looked like it could be relatively easy if I could figure out the correct arms for the task. So I began the task of clipping one set of each of the six different pairs of Marine Bolter arms three Imperial and three Chaos.

I found the perfect arms for this task; they are the bolter arms holding the gun at an upward angle. I don’t have a spare set of the uncut Chaos arms to take a pic of, but they re the easiest to distinguish. It is the set of arms with the spikes in the back if the hands.

Here’s a pic of the Imperial marine arms they are much more difficult to identify. I found it easiest to test fit them to a built chest.

Now that we’ve chosen the correct arms we need to cut off the hands at the wrists for repositioning. Carefully cut the hands as strait as possible at the wrist joint

Next we need to pin the hands back on the wrists. For this I use lead floral wire because it’s easy to cut and bendable incase you need a little repositioning.

I temporarily mounted the arms to the chest using Hobbytac it’s very thick PVA glue. This will enable you to correctly position the hands while you pin and glue them in place.

I started with the right hand this being the most important hand to get correct. I glued it in position then checked it with a bolter to see if it was relatively leveled. Once I was happy with the position I added the left arm to the model, again checking the position with a bolter.

Once the glue is dry on the hands we are ready to fill in the spaces left from our repositioning. I took a small ball of green stuff and carefully filled the right wrist. I made sure the green stuff was smooth then I created that soft armor look that you see in the hip and knee joints.

For the left hand the gap was relatively small so I opted to just fill it and make it smooth. It in an obscured location I doubt anyone will notice

Now you’ve got yourself a marine who’s aiming to smite his foes!

So, enough of the things this blog post is not about, right?

L’esprit de l’escalier or l’esprit d’escalier (literally, staircase wit) is a French term used in English that describes the predicament of thinking of the perfect comeback too late.

Yes, that’s quoted from Wikipedia. That’s just how lazy I am. And this is my first series of blogs in a nutshell: Hopefully, it won’t actually be about my wit failing me on air and me having to deliver comebacks in blog form (but I’m using this expression anyway because that’s just the self-deprecating humor you can expect from me, ask Chase about it), but rather, expanding on issues and discussions from our episodes, in a format where I’m freed of the reign of the clock. Seriously, our first episode as a frownsome foursome could have been easily split in two parts, it was crazy. Trust me when I say that at some points, I was consciously holding back some rather opinionated points and random tidbits, and I’m sure so did the others. Except for Chase. “Holding back” is a locked blank page on his Wikipedia is what I’m saying. Love you, bro.

Picture unrelated. OR IS IT?

With this part out of the way, let’s talk about “canon”, how Games Workshop and as of late Black Library treat it and always have, and how you, as a consumer and lore-interested hobbyist, feel treated by it. I’ll try to not go into further encyclopedic detours now, not for the term of canon itself, and neither for the punny title of this feature (and the TVtropes article I derived it from, and if you don’t know TVtropes yet, don’t go there, because it will ruin your life and make you talk funny). Let’s just say that by canon, people refer to the official lore of 40k, and that every background in fictional media facing circumstances similar to our beloved grimdark universe- A long history of expansion, tons of different authors, and multiple companies using it as a license- has a slightly or dramatically different take on how to handle it. From Star Trek’s rather straightforward take of “everything from the TV shows and movies is canon, everything else is not, except if we feel like stealing ideas from it and canonizing them on-screen”, to Star Wars’ rather bureaucratic rating scale.

By now you most likely realize that this calls back to the short, but heated bit where we discussed things being “retconned” to the warp and back between GW and BL, and how we feel about it. Let’s summarize that we all feel strongly about it. But before you get to enjoy my strongly opinionated and, conveniently, officially backed view of this issue, I can’t help to quote a rather lengthy explenation from former head of Black Library, Marc Gascoigne, via Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s blog. I was going to post excerpts of it, but it came across like convenient, biased quoting, so indulge me:

“Keep in mind Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 are worlds where half truths, lies, propaganda, politics, legends and myths exist. The absolute truth which is implied when you talk about “canonical background” will never be known because of this. Everything we know about these worlds is from the viewpoints of people in them which are as a result incomplete and even sometimes incorrect. The truth is mutable, debatable and lost as the victors write the history…

Here’s our standard line: Yes it’s all official, but remember that we’re reporting back from a time where stories aren’t always true, or at least 100% accurate. if it has the 40K logo on it, it exists in the 40K universe. Or it was a legend that may well have happened. Or a rumour that may or may not have any truth behind it.

Let’s put it another way: anything with a 40K logo on it is as official as any Codex… and at least as crammed full of rumours, distorted legends and half-truths.

I think the real problem for me, and I speak for no other, is that the topic as a “big question” doesn’t matter. It’s all as true as everything else, and all just as false/half-remembered/sort-of-true. The answer you are seeking is “Yes and no” or perhaps “Sometimes”. And for me, that’s the end of it.

Now, ask us some specifics, eg can Black Templars spit acid and we can answer that one, and many others. But again note that answer may well be “sometimes” or “it varies” or “depends”.

But is it all true? Yes and no. Even though some of it is plainly contradictory? Yes and no. Do we deliberately contradict, retell with differences? Yes we do. Is the newer the stuff the truer it is? Yes and no. In some cases is it true that the older stuff is the truest? Yes and no. Maybe and sometimes. Depends and it varies.

It’s a decaying universe without GPS and galaxy-wide communication, where precious facts are clung to long after they have been changed out of all recognition. Read A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M Miller, about monks toiling to hold onto facts in the aftermath of a nucelar war; that nails it for me.“

This may or may not have canonically happened.

Now I can hear a lot of you calling shenenigans and laziness. And my beef with the vocal part of the community demanding to draw a clear line is not that they don’t like this. You are entitled to feel about this in any way to like, and voice that opinion as strongly as you feel like. Many of us are deeply engrossed into the lore. Some of us go as far as podcasting about it. Nope: My issue with how those discussions usually go is that this is official shenenigans. That this is your clear red line, the official statement you’re getting, and the modus operandi of all who forge our beloved lore. You can’t just go assume that your definition of canon applies to 40k, and righteously call them out on being lazy and writing wrong fluff for your favorite faction, because that’s you applying rules you prefer for something that operates under different rules. You’re making sh…tuff up according to your liking. Bit of an irony, isn’t it? And, for Throne’s sake, be a little more careful to throw around the word retcon. Don’t make me slap you with encyclopedic herrings again, I’m not even looking this up: Retcons are about the rewriting of established facts of a continuity to accommodate new stories told within it, oftentimes done by new authors putting their own spin on it. Sounds appropriate?

But there are no facts.

All we get is biased, anecdotal, subjective, sometimes just plain wrong, oftentimes propagandist, or even all of the above. What we do is piece it together into a continuity and judge those facts and how they overwrite others. According to the above statement, there is no GW/BL/FW continuity we can passionately worry and complain and spit venom about, there’s only the continuity we make up as we get those tidbits served. And passionate we all sure are. Once again, I’m not telling anyone to like this- I’m just asking you to consider it before throwing down. Because your clean, encyclopedic “canon” is wishful thinking, and in the grim darkness of the 41^st millennium, there is only war and the laughter of uncaring authors.

Especially him. Fug that guy.

And (mark this as the beginning of the heavily opinionated part, because so far, I’m comfortably backed up by official statements) I love it. Maybe it’s my inner history student (I sold out by the way and went on to study something that gets me a job) loving this approach and the work involved in piecing it all together. Maybe it’s an acquired acceptance of the ever-shifting nature of the lore, being on board for the ride since 2^nd edition, owning and reading even earlier tomes of lore- I bought my copy of Rogue Trader in pristine condition, now it’s held together by tape and faith in the God-Emperor of Mankind. And thus being grim and grumpy about those changes even being seen as a new trend- The “You don’t see me demanding Space Marines being turned back into the imperiums worst dirty scumbag conscripts again” approach. Or both, or a combination of other factors. Whatever it is, I savor their approach.

Now here’s where I like to criticize them myself: They’re not playing it up enough. How are people supposed to feel that whole approach when they just throw the lore to us, while most hobbyists will never really grasp the whole spectrum of secondary materials they could read from over 25 years of 40k? I sure don’t claim to have, just a whole lot of it. But sometimes, all those contradictions are either too subtle, or the publications involved so far apart, that this whole discussion is left to us passionate, lore-focused guys and gals. And when a singular issue does pop up into what I call the mainstream consciousness of the 40k community, it seems like bollocks and errors and someone not doing their homework. Surely, GWs licensing and canon watchdogs must have failed? Nope, their watchdogs actually just make sure that GW likes what they’re reading and let sink into the greater pool of the lore and background. But why isn’t there so much more of it? I want more inconsistency. You have a radically different approach to “canon”, so please, convey it to us, lest most of us perceive it as a lazy excuse for you losing track and goofing up! And people are entitled to their feelings and perceptions. Here’s me debating mine. You’re welcome.

Another quick anecdote for you: During the nineties and early twokays, GW tended to reuse the hell out of staged battle photos of studio miniatures for Codex and WD use. You’d more often then not find the same picture in two different Codizes, with radically different captions: For example, showing an Ork horde coming at a Dark Angel outpost, with one subline stating that “The heroic defenders of outpost XY repel a ravaging ork horde in the name of the emperor and delicious pie”, and the other being “Waaagh Ghazderp overruns some fences with beakies between them, a great time is had by all” ^{(citations needed)}. We made fun of those back in the day, but there was a lesson to be learned there, and it wasn’t exclusively about saving on time and money. It was also GW messing with us with a scumbag smile and a wink.

Now here’s a tough question I’ve heard people asking- If there is no actual continuity, doesn’t that make discussion of the lore redundant? Why do you even bother to commit to the lore if it all can be changed on a whim, and arguments can be killed by “well, one can assume that’s a lie, then”? Why podcast about it, gatherand look it up in huge encyclopedic wikis, why bother?

And the way I see it, those aren’t reasons stay away, but quite the contrary- Those are the reasons to do it. That’s why I wouldn’t ever be too interested in getting into a Star Wars lore discussion- All debate can be reduced to either “Oh, your example is from S-Canon, while mine is clearly G-Canon, so shut up”, or pure personal preference and opinion. With 40k, there’s so much more to it: You carefully factor in all kinds of related sources and can actually debate what happened and what didn’t, even if it’s written on paper. What’s fact and what’s fiction, even within official stories. Why bother with the actual, real-life history of mankind, when all we got is mostly propaganda by scholars serving kings and governments and nations, and still full of holes, not to mention the contradictions? That continuity sucks! Have they never heard of canon? Okay, the Vatican clearly has, but the point is: Besides the relevance for our future, it’s still fun and interesting as hell.

Depicted: Fun!

So much for my opinionated stance. Feel free to join me and have cheerful and heated debates, pretend to be a scholar, another game within the game. Do it all in good fun, because we know that in the end, no matter how well your point is made and backed, it’s still not the end of it: Not the final, written truth. There never will be. Just as you can feel free to throw down with me on the tabletop, have a great game, and in the end, still most likely not know who of us is the factually better general, because of dice rolls and shrewd codex balance and what we had for breakfast that day. What we will have had though is a good time, loads of fun and banter, and a story to tell. A new piece of living lore, telling of great battlefield glory, cowardice and honor, blades and bloodshed.

And your account of it will definitely be different from mine.

Feel free to shoot the token german any feedback, thoughts, opinions and insults via deepstrikevox@gmail.com. And have a happy New Year!

The Hobby (00:00:49)

Chase and Jim are joined by Kamil and Christina for the inaugural 4 host episode of Deepstrike Radio! Insanity ensues!

News In a Flash (00:16:27)

GAMES WORKSHOP
- Not a lot of news from GW, unless you’re into Hobbits. The biggest news is that GW have entered into a partnership with SEGA and Creative Assembly to produce Warhammer games. This is the company behind the wildly successful Total War series. This probably doesn’t mean much for 40k games, and THQ still have the license for 40k. But you never know, because THQ has recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

FORGE WORLD
- Forge World have released the revised Imperial Armour volume one – entitled Second Edition. This is basically a reprint of the first ever Imperial Armour book, with updated rules for Sixth Edition, including an updated army list for the Imperial Guard Armoured Battlegroup. Retail on the FW website is £55.
- Forge World have also revealed their annual holiday jigsaw puzzle. Deathshroud Terminators. Thoughts on the model?
- There’s also some new Heresy stuff available for pre-ordering on the FW website. This will all be available to pre-order and will ship on the 4th of January.
- Voss Pattern Lightning Strike Fighter
- Justaerin Terminators
- Justaerin Weapon Arms
- Legion mk. IV power weapons arms
- Emperor’s Children Brass Etch

BLACK LIBRARY
- Black Library has kickstarted their advent month. For those people that don’t know the score, in the month of December, leading up to Christmas, Black Library releases a new short story every day, hence the name. This is basically an advent calendar of sorts. Now, there’s no specific rhyme or reason to the stories released, they could be either Fantasy, or 40k, but there’s a plethora of snippets in 40k focusing on a variety of facets, both Horus Heresy related and the more traditional 40k feel.
- There also some advance orders up for sale. The first is Ravenwing, a novel by Gav Thorpe. As you can guess by the title, this one is about the Dark Angel’s Second Company, and more specifically, a new inductee into the company.
- The next is Bloodquest: Prisoners of the Eye of Terror, by Ben Counter. It sees Blood Angels going on a quest to recover a lost Chapter relic on a daemon world.

SCIBOR
- Scibor has released what they’re calling “Knight Angel Motorcycles.” Now If you’ve bought the Dark Vengeance starter set, it’s not hard to see what these could be used for. They’re a little pricey at 23.00 euros each. There’s three different moulds, and you can buy a set of all three for 57.50 euros.

MAXMINI
- Maxmini has a new Ork figure, called Urguth the Jungle Fighter. He’s posed with two big knives and a fairly dynamic pose. He seems a bit like a cross between Marbo or Straken and a warboss.

KROMLECH
- Kromlech have a new set of shoulder pads, called 10 “Sons of Thor” shoulder pads. These are quite stylish, and would fit quite nicely with any… shall we say “dog themed armies.”

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by krmulticase.com

The Librarius (00:34:57)

The hosts get into a lengthy and sometimes heated discussion of the Fire Hawks Space Marine Chapter. Are they the Legion of the Damned or what? We still aren’t sure! Beware there are some minor Legion of the Damned spoilers contained within the libarius.

The Armory (01:28:36)

The crew has a great time as they discuss and build a 1000 point Fire Hawks list off the cuff. Then they discuss their takes on the chapter; Jim and Chase build a 1750pt list right out of the Codex Space Marines and Christina and Kamil goes for the 2k building a themed list to go hand in hand with our Book Review of Legion of the Damned at the end of the episode.

The Briefing Room (2:10:48)

We answer some more esoteric questions from the mail bag. We had a blast discussing these questions! Keep ‘em coming!

The Review (2:39:21)

Spoiler warning

We discuss some of the finer points of the Black Library novel Legion of the Damned. If you have not read LotD and do not want to be spoiled do not listen to this segment.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Check out the Bay Area Open, where Jim will be running the Raid on Persiet V BAO website

Links

The Custodes

Krmulticase.com/

The Hobby (00:00:49)

Chase and Jim discuss their lack of hobby progress, due to a combination of illness and working on plans for the future of DSR.

News In a Flash (00:05:30)

-Forgeworld release Betrayal bundle packs, MK II Legion Assault squad, Autocannon and heavy bolter, Volkite Chargers and Calavers, plus the Legion Champion and Master of the signals

-Kromlech: release Leathery wings and Stygian doors

-Puppets war: Preview their Vindicator like full tank kit

-Maxmini: release generic human heads.

-DSR NEWS!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by krmulticase.com

The Librarius (00:24:45)

We discuss the Marines Errant the closest chapter to the Legio Astartes since the days of the Great Crusade.

The Armory (00:56:55)

The guys take a second shot as they discuss and build a 1000 point Marines Errant list off the cuff. Then they discuss their takes on the chapter; Jim builds to 1750 right out of the Codex Space Marines and Chase goes for the 2k IA 9 the Badab War part 1.

Charity Announcement (01:21:43)

Stucarius aka Jeff Stuckey provides a short explanation of a Toys for Tots 40k Tournament called Grots for Tots! The event takes place at 10 AM on December 16th at Legions in Birmingham, Alabama. For more information, contact Jeff at stucarius@gmail.com or call the Legions game store at 205-970-0999

The Briefing Room (01:27:23)

We answer some really esoteric questions from the mail bag. We had a blast discussing these questions!

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Check out the Bay Area Open, where Jim will be running the Raid on Persiet V BAO website

Links

The Custodes

Krmulticase.com/

Welcome to the Deepstrike Radio Casting Call Interviews

We want to thank everyone that sent in an application, we were shocked at how many we received in the end. With over 25 potential candidates there just was no way to interview everyone, so we chose the ten that had the most experience or interesting resume. Although we ended up with nine interviews, due to someone not showing up.

Here are the 9 candidates that we chose for interviews. We are releasing these in two recordings.

So please give them a listen, then tell us who you think would make the best third host via the DSR email. deepstrikevox@gmail.com

Voting will be open until 12PM pacific standard time on Saturday the 1st of December.

We would like to thank the interviewees again, for making this a fun and inclusive way of making Deepstrike Radio awesome. We really enjoyed talking to everyone a lot.

Welcome to the Deepstrike Radio Casting Call Interviews

We want to thank everyone that sent in an application, we were shocked at how many we received in the end. With over 25 potential candidates there just was no way to interview everyone, so we chose the ten that had the most experience or interesting resume. Although we ended up with nine interviews, due to someone not showing up.

Here are the 9 candidates that we chose for interviews. We are releasing these in two recordings.

So please give them a listen, then tell us who you think would make the best third host via the DSR email. deepstrikevox@gmail.com

Voting will be open until 12PM pacific standard time on Saturday the 1st of December.

We would like to thank the interviewees again, for making this a fun and inclusive way of making Deepstrike Radio awesome. We really enjoyed talking to everyone a lot.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to some recording issues, our last audition will be released tomorrow. Please be sure to give our last auditioner a fair shake as well.

Welcome to the Deepstrike Radio Casting Call Interviews

We want to thank everyone that sent in an application, we were shocked at how many we received in the end. With over 25 potential candidates there just was no way to interview everyone, so we chose the ten that had the most experience or interesting resume. Although we ended up with nine interviews, due to someone not showing up.

Here are the 9 candidates that we chose for interviews. We are releasing these in two recordings.

So please give them a listen, then tell us who you think would make the best third host via the DSR email. deepstrikevox@gmail.com

Voting will be open until 12PM pacific standard time on Saturday the 1st of December.

We would like to thank the interviewees again, for making this a fun and inclusive way of making Deepstrike Radio awesome. We really enjoyed talking to everyone a lot.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to some recording issues, our last audition will be released tomorrow. Please be sure to give our last auditioner a fair shake as well.

The Hobby (00:00:49)

The boys talk about what they have been up to in the hobby; Jim gets the blessings of Nurgle in honor of the Death Guard, while Chase tests out some more Legion lists from Betrayal

News In a Flash (00:03:35)

- Games Workshop releases the Wall of Martyrs terrain kit (Sold out!), and separate Wall of Martyrs pieces, their edge painting set, the Crusade of Fire Campaign book (Meh), and individual basing kits

- Forge World releases two legion Contemptor Dreadnoughts, the Death Guard and World Eaters, as well as Command Upgrade sets (Featuring nuncio voxes and helmet crests) for Mk II, III, and IV armor

- Black Library has a slew of new releases, the Sword of Truth Garro audiobook, the Flesh of Cretacia (Flesh Tearers) and Siege of Castellax (Iron Warriors) Space Marine Battles novels. Also released the Tome of Fire Salamanders Omnibus and the Stromark Massacre audio drama set – From the Blood (Flesh Tearers) and Terror Nihil (Angels Encarmine)

- Hitech Miniatures new Terrorizer/Mutilator counts-as

- Kromlech releases their Legionnaires Running Legs (6 for 10)

- Tale of 6th Edition Gamers – Suspended until further notice

- Forum upgrades incoming over the next two months or so

- Auditions end Friday the 23rd

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by krmulticase.com

The Librarius (00:29:42)

We pick at scabs as we discuss the Death Guard Legion; from the creepy beginnings to their blessings from Nurgle.

The Armory (01:28:10)

The guys take a second shot as they discuss and build a 1000 point Death Guard list off the cuff. Then they discuss their takes on DG lists; Chase builds to 1750 Legion list from Betrayal and Jim goes for the 2k of plague ridden goodness from the Codex CSM.

Hobby Trenches (02:07:06)

Chase and Jim talk about ways to model Death Guard and Nurgle marines.

The Briefing Room (02:25:52)

We take a retrospective look at the Chaos Space Marine codex a month in. Our opinions are honestly expressed here.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Krmulticase.com/

We are looking for a replacement for Chris on the podcast and it very well could be you! Below you will find seven things that are required in a candidate.

1: Must be actively participating in the 40k hobby; playing games and other hobby related stuff.

2: Must have at least 2 years of 40k hobby experience

3: Have a respectable knowledge of the 40k Lore.

4: Must have an enthusiastic attitude and the ability to think on your feet.

5: Must have the time to dedicate to the show. This requires at least 3-4 hours for recording every other week, it will also require a few more hours for show prep on the off weeks.

6: Must be available to complete non-recording tasks as well. Things like topic research and forum moderation for example.

7: Must have the ability to be honest with the other hosts. If you have a problem, have the guts and say something.

Now that you have gone over the list, if you feel like you match these requirements; send us your 40k resume. Within explain to us how you fit each of the seven requirements above. In addition explain to us why you are a better candidate than everyone else.

Send your resumes to deepstrikevox@gmail.com

Once we receive your resume we may ask you to do a test recording with us. To see how well you mesh and flow with the hosts.

We will accept resumes until the 23rd of November and announce the winner on episode 50 of the show.

Cheers,

Chase and Jim

Jim and Chase push forward as Chris leaves the show, best of luck buddy!

The Hobby (00:00:49)

The boys talk about what they have been up to in the hobby; Jim has been converting up a bunch of new models and trying to wrap his head around the new CSM codex. Chase has 30k fever and has played some games using the Legion lists from Betrayal.

News In a Flash (00:13:17)

- DSR Website Improvements, shout out to Kamil, new email deepstrikevox@gmail.com

-Announcing the DSR Casting Call, try outs for the third host position details on the website (details to follow)

-Games Workshop: Warriors of Chaos announced for this month and a box of 5 snap-fit cultists

-Black Library releases Angel Exterminatus and With Baited Breath (A Raven Guard audio drama)

-Forge World releases the Space Marine Legion Fellblade, new Realm of Battle Cityscape tiles, and Rhino & Land Raider doors for the Death Guard, Emperor’s Children, and World Eaters

-Puppets War releases their new Praetorian shoulder pads (For Cataphractii) and the Imperial Infantry Heads (IG?)

-In the spirit of Chaos, Studio 38 is releasing futuristic guitar bits for those classic noise marine fans

-Kromlech has released a set of Technomancer Staves, and Ork Anzac heads

-Hitech Miniatures releases the Xyster Pattern Jetbike (An equivalent of the Scimitar FW pattern), and a squad of Terrorizers (A Mutilator equivalent)

-Fantasy Flight Games releases The Outer Reaches, a Deathwatch Supplement, and announces the Navis Primer, a Rogue Trader Supplement

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (00:27:23)

We jump into a rousing discussion about the Blood Angels Space Marines. Be warned if you have not read the novel Fear to Tread there will be spoilers in here.

The Armory (01:17:03)

The guys try something different this week in the armory, as they discuss and build a 1000 point list off the cuff live during the recording. Then they discuss their ideas for BA lists; Jim builds to 1750 and Chase goes for the 2k point list.

Table Trends (01:48:56)

Chase and Jim shake up the format a bit, dropping the Hobby Trenches for a new bi-monthly segment that discusses what the hosts have been seeing going on in the 40k community.

So what trends are you guys seeing? Shoot us an email and let us know!

Also feel free to email us if you have any questions pertaining to 40k, for addition to a future segment on DSR.

The Briefing Room (02:22:41)

We take a quick look at and discuss the Horus Heresy coverage that Forge World is currently doing.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Please vote for our buddies Carl and Geoff from the Independent Characters Podcast in the 8th annual Podcast awards, lets get 40k some notice in the Podcast world!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

Galaxy in Flames: Jim’s hobby blog

Format Change notice

Due to the length of this episode we have totally changed the tried and true DSR show format. Part 1 has the Librarius and Briefing room. Part 2 will contain a very special Armory and Hobby Trenches.

The guys are still filled with Chaotic enthusiasm and have noticed a few new things to bring them back to reality since their initial look at the new codex.

News In a Flash (00:49)

We jump into the news excitedly discussing the release of Codex Chaos Space Marines errata!

GW adds Chaos psychic cards to the psychic card app for an additional cost.

Black Library has a swath of news this time around including hardback book format and Angel Exterminatus deals.

We discuss tons of third party releases from the likes of Table top art, Scibor, Blight Wheel, Titan Manufactorum, Mantic, Ranging Heroes, Maxmini and Hitech

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Armory Part 1 (36:14)

The boys each create a 1000 point starting point for 3 different takes on the Chaos Marines. Chase goes Thousand Sons, Jim gets bloodthirsty with the World Eaters and Chase gets his Black Legion on with the most awesome of the 1k lists.

The Armory Part 2 (1:03:26)

Each one of the hosts lays out their initial list for the DSR Tale of 40k gamers armies. Chris rocks in with 1850 of terror filled Night Lords, Chase gives us 2k of Alpha Legion trickery and Jim goes big and does it his own style with 2500 points of Soul Reapers.

The Hobby Trenches (1:39:26)

We take a look at the new Chaos models giving our opinion of them. Then we look at lots of 3rd part upgrade parts to enhance your miniatures.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

Format Change notice

Due to the length of this episode we have totally changed the tried and true DSR show format. Part 1 has the Librarius and Briefing room. Part 2 will contain a very special Armory and Hobby Trenches.

The guys are bristling with Chaotic enthusiasm! Everyone is finally painting for the DSR Tale of 6th ed gamers!

News In a Flash (00:49)

We jump into the news excitedly swooning over the release of Codex Chaos Space Marines!

We discuss third party releases from Puppets War and Raging Heroes,

Black Library releases Pariah in ebook format.Plus Angel Exterminatus announced.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (26.00)

We get into the Librarius this week discussing the general nature of the traitorous Chaos marines. Including brief overviews of each of the legions and a few notable renegade chapters.

The Briefing Room (1:11:19)

We take an in-depth look at the new Chaos Space Marine Codex. Looking at the changes to the army in general and what got better in our opinion.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

The guys have had a busy few weeks and are still struggling to get their Tale of Gamers commitments fulfilled, that said the new Chaos Codex has all three of the fired up with new vigor!

News In a Flash (00:50)

We jump into the news talking about the imminent long awaited release of Codex Chaos Space Marines!

We talk about the big changes to White Dwarf.

Forge World releases the Betrayal the first book in their Horus Heresy coverage.

Black Library has Pariah up for preorder.

We discuss some great third party releases from the likes of Puppets War, Dragon Forge bases, Maxmini and Kromlek

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (38:07)

The boys cover the Eldar threat for IA 11 talking about craftworld Mymeara and the Eldar Corsairs.

The Armory (1:00:56)

The boys up their game in the Armory this week, lore driven lists that all have more bite than is usual for the crew; Chase builds 1000pts of ranger filled Mymeara, Chris does 1850 vile Corsairs and Jim rocks 2k of Mymeara footdar doom!

The Hobby Trenches (1:26:55)

The boys ask Jim questions and discuss the release of the Killzone 6th edition beta rules set.

The Briefing Room (1:41:13)

We take a look at some of the options a few older codices have for dealing with flyers.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

Killzone at Galaxy in Flames

The guys have had a busy few weeks filled with hobby despite real life challenges.

News In a Flash (00:50)

We jump into the news talking about Games Workshop gives us Dark Vengeance, the new 40k starter set. They also drop tons of new finecast models.

We talk about whispers of big changes coming to White Dwarf.

Forge World releases the Demios Predator Infernus.

Black Library releases another novella this time focused on the White Scars.

We discuss some great third party releases from the likes of Puppets War, Scibor, maxmini, Kabuki models and Kromlek

KR releases the Warhound titan Prestige case.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (39:05)

We get hydrated by the water of life as we visit Tallarn the home of the Desert Raiders.

The Armory (58:48)

There is a lot of fun in the armory this week as each got crazy from the heat; Chase builds 1000pts, Jim does 1850 and Chris rocks 2k of raiding goodness!

The Hobby Trenches (1:14:23)

We Jump into a fun discussion of basing talking about finding a good balance of basing material to suit your army

The Briefing Room (1:44:22)

We take a look adapting your army with an imminent new codex release looming; giving our advice from years of experience.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Also Big Jim would like to thank everyone for their condolences during this tough time.

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

The guys are all busy working on the DSR Tale of 6th ed players and playing more 6th while we are at it!

News In a Flash (00.49)

We jump into the news talking about Black Libraries new and up coming releases

Games Workshop drops a great Daemons update in the White Dwarf

We discuss some great third party releases from the likes of Puppets War, Scibor, maxmini, Table top art and Kromlek

Forge World puts up preorders of some new Necron models.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (24:52)

We get all blinged out and discuss the Bad Moons Ork Clan in the Librarius this time around.

The Armory (42:03)

There is a lot of Snazzguns in the armory this week. Jim does an interesting 1000 point list, Chris goes crazy with Dakka Jets and Flashgits at 1750 then Chase goes 2000 points of all Weirdboy footslogging goodness.

The Hobby Trenches (1:02:00)

We discuss the Orkifying terrain and orky conversions in the Trenches this week.

The Briefing Room (1:13:56)

We take a look at how allies have been coming along since their inclusion in 6th edition.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Also Check out Big Jims Narrative event at CelestiCon in September.

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

The boys are all getting in some 6th edition fun and ramping up for the tale of 6th ed gamers.

News In a Flash (00.49)

We start the news with Forgeworld announcement for a Horus Heresy book series

Games Workshop reveals a Daemons update in the new White Dwarf

There are a ton of great third party releases from the likes of Puppets War, Scibor, and Kromlek

Black Library does a summer of reading including a Crimson Fists novella.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (32:20)

We dive into the Lore of the Mantis Warriors chapter of space marines and their very Asiatic warrior monk vibe.

The Armory (1:04:11)

There is a lot of fun in the armory this week. Chase does an interesting 1000 point list, Chris goes for some Mantis Warrior Killzone action then Jim goes 1850 points of all comers’ goodness.

The Hobby Trenches (1:17:58)

We discuss the Tale of 6th ed gamers including disclosing our army choices.

The Briefing Room (1:41:09)

We take a look at the inclusion of Forge World rules in the 6th edition landscape.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

The boys are reveling in 6th edition heaven!

News In a Flash (00.49)

We dig into the news and discuss some great new Forgeworld is on fire bringing us some great new stuff.

There are a ton of great third party releases from the likes of Puppets War, Scibor, Blight Wheel and Kromlek

Black Library gives us a couple of new audio dramas and some new books including Angel of Fire, Priests of Mars and the choose your own adventure book Herald of Oblivion.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (21.44)

We delve into the Ordo Xenos of the Imperial Inquisition including their chamber militant the Deathwatch.

The Armory (49.53)

There is a lot of Ally shenanigans in the armory this week. Chris does an IG hoard action at 1000 points, Chase goes for a Coteaz and Blood Angels team at 1750 then Jim cannot resist the urge to go unconventional at 2000 points!

The Hobby Trenches (1.03.30)

We talk about fortifications in 6th edition and whether they are a good addition to the game.

The Briefing Room (1.25.43)

We discuss some of the underused units in 5th edition that have gotten a real boost in 6th.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

The excitement for the release of 6th ed seems to have cause a bit of a lull in activity for the boys, but Chis did go to a farewell to 5th tournament which was interesting to say the least.

News In a Flash (00:49)

In the news we discuss some great new third party releases. The real standout this episode is the release of Raphael from Hitech miniatures.

Forgeworld release a Mk IV command squad set.

KR multi-case release Dropzone Commander trays for the up and coming game.

GW teases us about 6th edition!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (26:57)

We jump into part two of our coverage of the Badab War, where things get crazy after the Carcharodons show up!

The Armory (62:19)

Marine on Marine shenanigans abound in the armory this week. Jim does a boarding action at 1000 points featuring the bloodthirsty Carcharodons, Chris goes for 1500 points of Mantis Warriors goodness and Chase cannot resist the urge to go 2000 points with the Tyrants Legion!

The Hobby Trenches (85:45)

We discuss the various supplements to 40k that have been released during 5th edition.

The Briefing Room (109:57)

We discuss the explosion of the 40k bloggoshpere during 5th edition and what it may mean for 6th edition.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

Full crew this week as Jim is back! All the of boys are excited to see the release of 6th ed and are buzzing about it.

News In a Flash (00.50)

We dig into the news and discuss some great new third party releases.

GW have dropped lots of new stuff this fortnight. From flyers to Digital codices and the removal of the 5th ed rulebook we discuss it all!

KR multi-case releases the half size Aluminum case and is sponsoring the Nova Open.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (33.19)

We jump into part one of our coverage of the Badab War, with everyone’s favorite heretic Luft Huron!

The Hobby Trenches (87.25)

We discuss the added content that GW has been offering up to us lately. Pros and cons of more viable 40k content to WD and the release of digital content in the near future.

The Briefing Room (107.12)

We have a rousing discussion about the new flyers released by GW; we take a look at their rules and talk about them.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

This week the boys are down a man as Big Jim has fallen to Father Nurgle. Chris finally comes over to the Chase side as he admits he has yet to finish a model in weeks, and Chase once more rants and raves about Black Library books, don’t mess with Papa Space Wolf!

News In a Flash (00.49)

We roll into the news and discuss some third party products (Including a Thudd Gun stand in), more Space Marine Finecast and has Chase finally had enough of Forgeworld?!

More Titan Forge neckbrace releases are afoot, and Scibor is once more on Chase’s Do Not Want list

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (30.57)

Chris and Chase speed into the Librarius this week covering Saim-Hann, Sam-Hainn.. Gaelic Space Wolves Biker Eldar! Are they a deep existential race? Are they crazy Biker Eldar from Mars? It’s a host and host combo as the boys give Saim-Hann the once over and see if they stand up to their Space Elf brethren!

The Armory (49.05)

Once again the crew laments the state of old codices and inappropriate point values as they get run down by those awkward 2 and 3 point values. In an eerie twist, Chase leapfrogs on Chris’ 1000 point list in an attempt to put the rider of Saim-Hann to the test.

The Hobby Trenches (60.54)

In the trenches this week the boys sit down to discuss working with resin and finecast! Dos, don’ts, proper care and treatment and more! From bending giant panels to file detailing, you won’t want to miss the shenanigans in the trenches!

The Briefing Room (81.40)

The hosts have a pointed discussion about the forgotten rules of 5th edition as even Chase fails to remember them all. Chris raises some points about building on building assault action, and Chase laments over the lack of Frost Blade combo breakers.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

Chris is still painting like a Boss while Jim is back in the painting saddle again and Chase is again reading like a librarian because he heard reading was fundamental!

News In a Flash (00.26)

We dig into the news and discuss Games workshops Necron second wave!

Black Library release the electronic version of ‘The Primarchs’ a month early, they also release the download for Butchers Nails.

We talk about tons of third party releases from Puppets War and Kromlech, as well as the acrylic paint rack system from Back 2 Base IX.

KR multi-case releases the half size card case and new Tyranid trays as well.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (27.45)

We delve into the controversial side of the Ultramarines Lore. As we look at the evolution of the Chapter through the 5 editions of 40k.

The Armory (59.56)

Themed shenanigans run amok  in the armory this week. Chase tackles 1000 points covering the Assault on Black Reach, Jim goes for 1750 Battle for Macragge goodness and Chris launches head long into the Ultramar battle from the novel Chapters Due.

The Hobby Trenches (81.27)

We outline how the DSR Tale of Gamers will work after 6th ed drops.

The Briefing Room (95.40)

We have a rousing discussion about if the Rumors are true about 6th ed being more like fantasy; what would we like to see from Warhammer Fantasy brought over to 40k.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

Chris shares his ongoing painting nirvana while Jim is working on Commissions for the IC’s and Chase is up to his ears in Black Library literature!

News In a Flash (00.49)

GW is up to their limited run production shenanigans again, silly GW!

FW is wowing us as usual with the realase of their Apothecary set and the Demios Executioner kit.

We talk about tons of third party releases from Puppets War, Max mini, Scibor, Titan Forge and Pig Iron Productions

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (30.47)

We delve deep into the Lore for the Poster Boys of 40k this time as we present part one of our coverage for the Ultramarines chapter. Warning this episode contains spoilers from many Black Library novels including the most recent book Know no fear.

The Hobby Trenches (107.43)

We cover some various ways to paint the boys in Blue, including the new Games Workshop scheme using the new paints.

The Briefing Room (124.19)

We look into the evolution of the Vanilla Space Marine codices over the editions there is plenty of old school greatness in here.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

It’s just Chris and Jim this week Chase is away on holiday.

News In a Flash (00.49)

We jump right into the news discussing KR Multi-case giving away 250 cases at Salute!

We talk about a slow fortnight from the 3rd party products, but then zoom to the wealth of releases from Forge World!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (24.07)

We have a redux of sorts as we delve deep into the sinister world of the Dark Eldar. Many praises got out to the masterminds behind the new lore!

The Armory (65.04)

Dark Eldar shenanigans abound in the armory this week. Chris tackles 1000 points and Jim goes for 1850.

The Hobby Trenches (88.32)

Normal 40k getting a bit stale even after using all the supplements? We discuss our favorite non 40k games that we play just for a change of pace.

The Briefing Room (127.44)

The boys talk about the sleeper hit of April’s issue of White Dwarf; Battle Missions: Death Worlds! What a fantastic treat this 40k supplement is.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

We open with our hobby exploits; Chase has some painting fail and is still bored with power armor. Jim explains how he did not do much hobby to keep from burning out. Chris is a beautiful hobby butterfly!

News In a Flash (00.49)

Gw releases the new 145 range of paints!

Forge World drops lots of resin this time the Chaos Decimator, rapier laser destroyer and Minotaur Charactors.

Black Library release the new short stories Kraken and Flesh.

Not much in the way of third party products this time:
Puppet’s War release Cyber Anthropod Squad and VSE Motorcycle Squadron.

Scibor release a mechanised Paladin.

Back 2 base ix are working on a modular painting storage system. Keep your eyes peeled on their facebook page.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (33.04)

Winter is here as we bring you coverage from Valhalla the land of ice and fire. The topic is obviously the Valahallen Ice Warriors IG regiment!

The Armory (54.01)

This week we dust off out IG codex to make some wintery horde armies. Jim comes in first at 1000points followed by Chase and his 1500pt list and Chris brings up the rear with his take on a tank company! Wait didn’t I say infantry hordes!?! Tune in to find out how he pulled it off!

The Hobby Trenches (67.04)

We discuss the release of GW’s new paint range, going over the new types of paints and what each is meant for. We also discuss some of the other major brands of paints.

The Briefing Room (100.19)

Jim discusses the Bay Area Open Narrative event and shares ideas to make your own fun event for your friends or an upcoming convention or GT.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

We open with our hobby exploits; Chase played a few games and is bored with power armor. Jim tells of his success running the Bay Area Open Narrative event. Chris is having some serious painting ADD and has confessed to be fantasy curious!

News In a Flash (00:49)

We channel surf right into the news reporting on the new DSR Youtube page.

Gw releases new Space Wolf and Tyranid plastic kits and they are Fantastic!

Fantasy Flight announces Honour the Chapter for Deathwatch.

Black Library release the ‘25’ short story collection.

We also talk about lots of great third party products from: Quantum Gothic terrain is back with a great new website, Raging Heroes release an impressive Ork Warboss!, Secret Weapon releases the Gothic generator, HiTech releases their final Terrorizer and offer a great deal on all three, other companies mentioned Maxmini, Kromlech, Puppets War and Scibor.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (37.20)

Welcome to our coverage of the Silver Skulls chapter of Space Marines. They are an extremely unique Chapter of Marines; some might even call them creepy!

Spoiler warning: If you have not read the Gildar Rift novel by Black Library and intent to do so, you may want to skip this Librarius until you have done so.

The Armory (69.50)

This week we attempt to make the Codex Space Marines work for Lore based Silver skulls, but only one of us makes a legal list. Sometimes you rock the codex and other times it rocks you!

The Hobby Trenches (85.34)

We jump into a rousing discussion about Gw versed 3rd party products. Oddly I think this is the first time we all really vary in opinion, similar in some cases but totally opposed in others.

The Briefing Room (113.02)

This time we have a treat for you guys. Chris and Jim did a fantastic interview with Black Library writer Nick Kyme!

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

We open with our hobby exploits, Jim is building more terrain and playtesting missions for the Bay Area Open Narrative event, Chase is trying to keep up with Jim playing 6 or so games since the last show and Chris is painting like a Boss!

News In a Flash (00.45)

We jump into the news reporting on the imminent release of the Necron Battleforce and more 40k 25th anniversary products from GW.

Black Library announces a new Dark Angels trilogy for 2013.

We also talk about tons of great third party products from: Puppets War release ‘Cerberus’ heavy weapon platform, Kromlech releases fantastic Chaos Marine shoulder pads, Secret Weapon releases some new base enhancing foliage, some new 120mm bases and previews a Gothic generator, HiTech releases their Terrorizers great subs for Obliterators, other companies mentioned Maxmini, Blight Wheel, Anvil Industries and Broken Egg Games.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (39.18)

Welcome to the Jungle as we cover the Catachan Jungle Fighters this time. We talk about all the various aspects of this great Imperial Guard army that is often overlooked or mocked by the fans.

The Armory (66.02)

This week we work hard this week to make good lists that ooze with Catachan flair! Chris springs an ambush on us with his 1000pt list, Jim then performs a search and Destroy mission at 1750pt on those that escaped the ambush of Chris’ list. Chase clanks in for the kill and takes the show title way too seriously and burns any stragglers with is 2000pt list

The Hobby Trenches (87.18)

This time we review all the great Secret Weapons miniatures products that Jim has been using a lot.

The Briefing Room (98.36)

We discuss starting a new army from the ins and outs of concept, preparation, and painting to remaining motivated.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

The boys discuss their progress in the 40k hobby, including Chase explaining his quest thread on the Custodes forum.

News In a Flash (00:43)

The 25th anniversary of 40k is almost upon us and GW have a killer new model to commemorate the event!

Forgeworld have release some groovy new Necron scarabs and Ork weapons.

Black Library release Know No Fear as an eBook, and it is excellent. They also announce a few other upcoming titles.

We also highlight plenty of great third party products from: Puppets War, Dark Arts Kromlech, but the real stand out here is the Litko Game accessories “reanimation” counters.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (21.37)

This time we dive into everyone’s favorite stealth marines the Raven Guard. We discuss all the awesome ways that they stand apart from other ‘codex” chapters; also touching on notable characters and campaigns.

The Armory (68.16)

This week we try something a little different with Chase offering up a 1000 point list to help the beginner bring the Raven Guard to life. Jim rocks the 1500 point mark with an assault themed list, Chris puts forth a 2000 point list that utilizes the IA 8 Raven Guard list!

The Hobby Trenches (91.48)

This week we dive into tournament preparation, we touch on what to bring, painting and proper etiquette.

The Briefing Room (118.05)

We are joined by Reece from Frontline Gaming and the Bay Area Open GT in Northern California to discuss the event and the great things being offered up by their storefront.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

Chase makes his return this episode and the boys discuss how they are all on a serious 40k hobby high.

News In a Flash (10:09)

We jump into the news discussing the possibly “leaked” 6th edition rules, we give our opinions and suggest everyone remember that 6th is still six months out.

We also highlight plenty of great third party products from: Puppets War, Maxmini, Chpterhouse and Ratguard miniatures.

Closing the news out with the haps over at Black Library.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (22:55)

The boys look into the mysterious ways of Craftworld Ulthwe, discussing their hate for all things Chaos. We decide the Eldrad is a Jerk, but forgive him cause he needs to be for the Eldar to live.

The Armory (53:08)

This week the boys dive into ways to make Craftworld Ulthwe come to life on your 40k tabletop. Chris rocks the 1500 point mark with guardians galore, Jim puts forth an 1850 list that the other hosts think is a great list for elder beginners, Chase rounds things out with 2000 points rocking some IA 11 goodness!

The Hobby Trenches (1:15:35)

We give ideas on how to cope with a new edition change of the rules.

The Briefing Room (1:28:10)

We discuss the ins and outs of DIY Space Marines. The boys give personal examples of things that have worked for us in the past.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

This episode Chris and Jim discuss how they have ended 2011 on a 40k hobby high.

News In a Flash ()

It’s total pandemonium in the news with so many great products dropping over the holidays! Games workshop gives us a peek at 2012’s Games Day model, holy retro fever this mini is outstanding!

Forgeworld does it again as they pre-view/release IA 11 the Doom of Mymeara, the Deimos Pattern Predator and Macharius Omega.

The third party products are working overtime with these highlights: Hitech Miniatures release Archfather Lionheart, Kabuki Models release a ‘Celtic knight’ miniature and Back 2 base-ix drop a range of brushes with metal handles that you can unscrew the brush and store it inside handle. There are even more releases from the likes of Scibor, Armorcast and Puppets war.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Briefing Room (24.23)

We have a little retrospective of the year that was in 40k the good the bad and the ugly, then we hop into our hopes for 40k in 2012.

The Librarius (65.04)

The boys head into deep space for coverage of the Gothic War, with conversations about how much of a monster Abaddon is. He truly lives up to his title the “despoiler” in this war!

The Armoury (89.00)

This week we explore different ways of representing space battles into your 40k games.
Jim materializes in with a Terminator attack via Killzone, while Chris unleashes his inner reptile using the boarding action rules from the Forgeworld Badab war books.

The Hobby Trenches (104.32)

The guys discuss their hobby plans for 2012, from finishing armies to building terrain it’s all there!

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Krmulticase.com/

This episode it’s just Chris and Jim, Chase is taking some time off for the holidays. We slam into the show like a drop pod making landfall with our hobby talk.

News In a Flash (00.45)

It’s like steel rain in the news with so many great products being dropped since our last outing! Games workshop gives us some great deals on a couple of Megaforces; and they are offering some great grass tufts to make your bases pop!

Forgeworld never fails to please as they release the armored Proteus and the Graia pattern laser destroyer.

The third party products are cooking with gas. We cover offerings from Maxmini, Puppets war, Kromlech and Secret Weapon Miniatures.

The news is rounded out with the release of the new Necron trays from out new Sponsor KR Multi-case.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and krmulticase.com

The Librarius (25.32)

The boys cover everybody’s favorite video game chapter of Space Marines the Blood Ravens. We discuss everything from their mysterious founding to the major campaigns that they have participated in. So grab your Psychic hood and get empowered by the Librarius!

The Armoury (56.46)

This week we bring the lore to life for the Blood Ravens. Chris brings us a 1500 point all comers foot marine list from Codex Space Marines and Jim brings the Steel Rain at 2000 points using the Blood Angels codex.

The Hobby Trenches (116.05)

Big Jim digs into Killzone, his fan made kill team replacement game that will make its return to Adepticon 2012 for a second year. He talks about the changes made for this second edition of the rules and errata.

The Briefing Room (127.15)

To close out the show Chris shares his experiences being the TO for this years Queensland Masters event. He discusses some armies along with what goes into the event.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

KR Multicase

Bonus Content!

This week, in leiu of a regular episode, we are proud to provide you with the first of our bonus content episodes – The Ultimate Primer, Volume 1.  This marks the start of a regular bonus content section, which will be made publicly available for the first four episodes. After which time, this content will be exclusive to paying members of our Forum, The Custodes. This week, Chase, Jim and our good friend Kamil provide a brief overview of the 40k universe from a lore perspective. A great way to introduce your friends to the 40k Universe, if we may say so ourselves.

The Bonus Content also marks the start of the show going ‘clean’ as it were. From now forward, Deepstrike Radio will no longer feature swearing and (hopefully) no naughty jokes. Whilst it’s a different direction for the show, we really want to provide you with content that you can share with all your friends – regardless of their age.  We hope you enjoy!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, and www.krmulticase.co.uk

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

www.krmulticase.co.uk

News In a Flash (1.06)

The episode hits the ground running as GW has spilled hobby supplies everywhere for the holidays as we dig into the news. There is a heavy Orky theme to the news this week as Maxmini drops their scrap tank and Puppetswar release their Ork Warbus! Chase gets excited over Tabletop-Art’s new “crystal tech” base set.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (26.05)

The boys wing into action the episode with the Elysian Drop Troops We explore their Aircav super elite strike hard and fast nature, they are the most elite of all the Imperial Guard in the galaxy. “Tanks we don’t need no stinking tanks!”

The Armoury (44.31)

This week the Lore is strong in the Boys and all tabletops should take notice! Big Jim brings us a 1500 point rapid response force, Chase wings in with his IG codex 1850 list with plenty of shenanigans, with Chris bring up the rear with an Aircav horde.

The Hobby Trenches (69.52)

The guys dive into painting camouflage, talking about types of camo, unorthidox colors and many other aspects of creating camo; each host shares their tips and tricks. To airbrush or not to airbrush that is the question.

The Briefing Room (80.37)

To close out the show the guys dive head first into the various ways of introducing new people to Warhammer 40k, covering the ins and outs of converting the non-hobbyist into a member of the 40k community.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

News In a Flash (1.06)

The episode hits the ground running with a rather interesting introduction by Gabriel Angelos, and the boys dive straight into the news! Kromlech continues to impress, Ork style, Chris gets excited over some old folk rhinos, and Black Library rocks some Iron Warriors. Contest Announced! Leave a DSR iTunes review and get a chance to win the new Necron codex! Contest ends Sunday, November 13th!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (23.20)

The boys rock, metal style this week as they get down to talk Necrons! Laying out the full on history of the Necrons the crew walk through the long and twisting history of the Necrons from start to finish. The War in Heaven, a very angry C’Tan Ginger, grouchy robots, and the Necrons give the Eldar a run for their money as Trolls of the galaxy!

The Briefing Room (73.33)

In the Briefing Room the hosts get animated discussing the Necron army! Reanimation shenanigans, scarabs touch tanks in inappropriate places and Chase can’t stop gushing over clackity-clack Wraiths. Best codex ever?

The Armoury (99.59)

This week the boys run wild with Necron lists! Chris has some hilarious fun with Trazyn the Troll and his Night Scythe fleet and goes gaga over Annihilation Barges – Jim goes full on pirates robot island in space with Thaszar the Invincible and Chase works dark magic to bring Anrakyr the level 20 Necron Paladin to life!

The Hobby Trenches (146.10)

The boys close down the show with a quick rundown of Necron painting and modeling tips! Favorite paint schemes, conversion part shenanigans and more! Painting tubes – non-crouching warriors and FW.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

News In a Flash (04.05)

The episode gets off to a rough start this week as the off topic train comes railing on through for the ever lovable undying Tomb Kings in Spa- I mean Necrons! Exciting news for listeners of Deepstrike Radio, The Custodes Forum is now free for all listeners! New of the fate of the ever infamous chatbox and bonus content may or may not also occur.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Briefing Room (30.24)

In celebration of DSR’s one year anniversary the boys sit down to hand out laurels and reminisce like the old men they are! Magilla Gurilla gets a shout out, Evil Ed gets some sucking up, and Chase laments over the quality of his previous endeavors, such a drama queen! But the real question is, who the heck is that Dave guy?

The Librarius (45.45)

The boys bounce into action this episode with a redux of the Luna Wolves! Having now learned how to produce not horrible shows DSR revisits the best of the best, the one and only 16th Legion! Traitorous Horus, fancy philosophy discussion, and rampant Chase Rage Train rails right on through! We’re also accepting members to the Garviel Loken Fan Club at any time!

The Armoury (98.12)

This week the boys debate over Sons of Horus semantics – Jim takes a rhino rush with everyone’s favorite Tarik Torgaddon, Chase tries to get everyone involved in a Great Crusade reenactment Loken Style, and Chris has a secret love affair with Abaddon the Love Machine! Is that heresy I hear?

The Hobby Trenches (123.00)

The boys close down the show with a quick rundown of Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus conversion possibilities before making a move on a product review! The hosts sit down and take a long look at Maxmini hammers, heads and terminator pads (A personal favorite) and debate the virtues of picking and choosing your orders before moving onto some interesting Kromlech possibilites! Jim gets technical with some Khopeshes, Chris talks Warbosses and Chase just can’t get over them Orks, is another WAAAGGGHH in store?

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

News In a Flash (1.08)

News hits close to home this week when our ever lovable hosts talk Thunder Wolves, Kromlech and some radical changes to Forge World acceptance thanks to Imperial Armour Apocalypse 2nd Edition! Is Forge World now legal by word of GW? Who knows? The hosts sure don’t!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (37.30)

Jim and Chase are ridin’ solo this week to talk about the Age of Apostasy your one stop shop for heresy, warp storms, and executions! Political machinations, an assassin rebellion and more, ah I love the smell of burning promethium in the morning oorrah!

The Armoury (83.41)

This week the boys sit on opposite sides of the fence, Chris marches to war with the Black Templars and Jim has some Frateris Templars of his own! Meanwhile Chase is deadset on going out in a blaze of glory in proper Fire Hawks fashion.

The Hobby Trenches (107.26)

The boys really get down in the trenches this week when they talk siege design and terrain! World War project books, sand bags of doom, Forge World terrain and more! And of course a good terrain piece is nothing without some good make u- I mean weathering powder!

The Briefing Room (121.28)

Closing out the episode the crew talks Games Day Australia! Chris adventured down to Sydney as DSR ambassador to the world and gives us his blow by blow of the first Games Day to grace Aussie soil in years! Dreadwallet, Phil Kelly, AI’s fury and more!

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed and Facebook Page. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

News In a Flash (01.08)

Land ho! This week Big Jim returns with a splash! Black Library shenanigans causes a site failure, Forge World has a surprise for them old men and Dreadwallet a-hoy!

NEW CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT: Portable Warfare contest! Decided on the name for the new PW orange bag (No copying licensed names) and win yourself a sergeant bag with all the foam included! Entries must be in before 1 October.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (25.08)

This week the crew sits down to talk Bolter Babes – The Sisters of Battle are in the house! The boys talk history, inconsistencies, and Chase has a power armor fueled hissy fit in true Deepstrike Radio fashion!

The Briefing Room (47.10)

Changing up the order this week – The boys sit down for a codex review! Is it going to be a good one? Roll for those faith points and see! Seraphim vs. Dominion, which shall leave the mudpit as the dominant woman on the battlefield?

The Armoury (88.10)

This Armoury, Chris rolls out enough Death Cult Assassins to get the tournament organizers a runnin! Chase has a sit down with Saint Celestine and some Dominions Squads and Jim just can’t get over Seraphim! Uriah Jacobus takes the cake this episode – Crusty old man with a shotgun? Yessir! Also announced, a mini contest – Submit a 1500pt Foot Sisters list to us for a chance to win some Maxmini goodies!

The Hobby Trenches (115.15)

In the trenches this week the boys sit down with some paint brushes! Black, white and red – which color suits the crew the best? Release disappointment, codex standards – And hey does this paint match my eyes?

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

News In a Flash (3.02)

Man down this week – Big Jim is taking a break this week after he inherits Chase’s luck and is taken down by an errant grandpa driver. A storm of news this week – the boys discuss new Forge World releases, sweet max mini and and Wargames Factory releases and more!

NEW CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT: Portable Warfare contest! Decided on the name for the new PW orange bag (No copying licensed names) and win yourself a sergeant bag with all the foam included!

CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT: The Deepstrike Radio T-Shirt contest is over! Praise abound! The winner of our contest is the one and only Ithmaril, and the runner up is Kenstorm989 – Email me for your prizes! See below for the winning entries!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (37.52)

This week the Chris and Chase Rok it out Ork Style! The boys dive into the Death Skullz Orks – Loota and Mek extraordinaires! These Orks can build and loot anything – From Stoopas to Lifta Droppas and Fighta-Bombas! It’s time for da WAAARGHHHHH!

The Armoury (51.10)

This Armoury, Chris rolls out da Nobz for some wound allocation fun! Broken much? And Chase brings it up the rear by trying to break the game with a sweet Forge World list and some highly questionable units! Ethics not included

The Hobby Trenches (78.03)

In the trenches this week the boys sit down with a Sergeant bag to give it the DSR rundown! We put the bag to the test and put it on the examination table! Pluck foam, point shenanigans and more. Will it stand the test? Listen in and find out!

The Briefing Room (100.12)

The Episode closes with a bang as Chase and Chris talk through Chris’ first tournament with his Angels Encarmine. Smack down with the Dark Eldar, a savage fight with some Space Wolves and more! What lessons have we learned this week, Aussie?

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

News In a Flash (4.42)

Fancy Scibor product inbound! The boys discuss fancy power fists and banners and Chase disapproves of the man-woman guardsmen!

CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT: The Deepstrike Radio T-Shirt contest continues! Design a t-shirt of any kind featuring Deepstrike Radio and send it to deepstrikeradio@gmail.com! The winner will receive 1 Black Library Audiobook OR 2 Black Library Audiodramas. Second place is 1 Black Library Audiodrama! You have one month from now to give us your all!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (22.49)

This week the crew go for a strictly exotic feel as they discuss the angry, angry Xenos of the Biel-Tan Craftworld. The Sword Wind goes to war this episode of Deepstrike Radio as Jim, Chris and Chase discuss the most savage of the Eldar and their desire to protect Eldar pool parties. Orks, Maidens, Macha and Gabriel Angelos drop the hammer this week!

The Armoury (47.08)

This Armoury, Chase rolls out his Eldar from days gone by (totally missing the point of Biel-Tan), Jim demonstrates that the Wraithlords are back in town and Chris wins the armoury!

The Hobby Trenches (96.38)

Creepy vines in your pants! Chase drops out of the Hobby Trenches (Licking his wounds after Chris’ snipe) and leaves Jim and Chris to discuss all the ways to rock your Biel-Tan. Go go green and white!

The Briefing Room (123.00)

The Episode closes with a bang as Jim and Chris discuss negativity in the game – Grumpy old men, whiny customers and overboard dissenters close out the episode this week!

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

News In a Flash (1.06)

The episode this week starts with a bang! Space Marine info, The Heroes of Armageddon raise the bar, Aurelian is on the horizon and the Sisters of Battle march to war! (Is that some secret PW info??)

CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT: This week launches the Deepstrike Radio T-Shirt contest! Design a t-shirt of any kind featuring Deepstrike Radio and send it to deepstrikeradio@gmail.com! The winner will receive 1 Black Library Audiobook OR 2 Black Library Audiodramas. Second place is 1 Black Library Audiodrama! You have one month from now to give us your all!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (32.52)

This week the boys (minus one) are trolling the Imperium to the max with the Bearers of the Word! Kor Phaeron, Erebus rants and the Emperor’s glorious, glorious mistakes abound this episode. Chase roars with fury, Chris goes along and Erebus cackles at the ensuing mayhem!

The Armoury (74.27)

This Armoury, the boys discuss how to troll your opponents on the battlefield! Chris is caught in a storm of list shenanigans, Chase almost busts a lung laughing and much Word Bearers madness abound!

The Hobby Trenches (93.44)

Getting deep into the Hobby Trenches, the boys look at how to deal with hobby ADD and how to learn to love what you play! Chris hands down his tips, Chase throws in an opinion or two and the off topic train rails right on through

The Briefing Room (114.44)

The Episode ends in a storm of hilarity – Jim makes a glorious return from his adventures at the Bay Open! Tournament overviews, list discussions and the glory of the Sons of Sanguinius shines right on through!

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

News In a Flash (2.53)

The episode this week starts in a flash! Black Library announces new books and audiodramas, and demonstrates that the Ultramarines Know No Fear! Scibor and Secret Weapon Miniatures make a strong showing with some impressive new models and Forge World brings up the rear with the one and only Bray’Arth Ashmantle.

CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT: This week launches the Deepstrike Radio T-Shirt contest! Design a t-shirt of any kind featuring Deepstrike Radio and send it to deepstrikeradio@gmail.com! The winner will receive 1 Black Library Audiobook OR 2 Black Library Audiodramas. Second place is 1 Black Library Audiodrama! You have one month from now to give us your all!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (27.42)

This week the boys are burning for you with the Sons of Vulkan! The Warriors of Nocturne come to the show as the crew discusses the history, tactics, and practices of the Emperor’s 18th Legio Astartes. Fires, Hammers, and Meltas – UNTO THE ANVIL AND INTO THE FLAMES OF WAR!

The Armoury (62.48)

This Armoury, the boys discuss how to represent the Salamanders on the table from the many angles of their history. Chris and Vulkan scout ahead with a 1500 pt Scout Company list, Jim welcomes us to the Jungle and Chase tries to bling up the Sons of Nocturne!

The Hobby Trenches (81.18)

Getting deep into the Hobby Trenches, the boys look at some ways to convert the Salamanders! Chapterhouse Studios, Forge World goodies, oh my! The crew sits down and debates paint schemes, from neon rave green to jungle fighting ass kicking glory!

The Briefing Room (93.00)

The Episode ends in a blaze of awesome with this week’s Briefing Room! The hosts discuss how to write narrative missions and games! Theory, rules writing and objectives for your very own story driven games!

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

News In a Flash (1.36)

This episode begins with a bang! KR backpacks, Secret Washes, and Chase has a fit over the Contemptor Dreadnought and it’s ability to “hunt them b****es down”! Also featured is an INN Interview Special featuring Ghazkull Thraka and Commissar Yarrick!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (27.25)

Renegades abound this week in the Librarius! Marines, Guard, Chaos and not so Chaos, all the various types of renegades are up for grabs this episode! Huron and his Corsairs, those silly Soul Drinkers and the ever vicious Blood Pact under the command of the one and only Urlock Gaur! Jim and Chase also have a rant about the Eye of Terror TSA the bane of any marine not willing to serve the Emperor. No Razorbacks or Hammers for you!

The Armoury (57.22)

This Armoury, the boys discuss how to represent the various notable traitor forces on the table. Chris talks Huron and his Corsairs, Jim has a fit over the Relictors and drop pod chaos, and Chase plans out a Blood pact assault featuring Stalk Tanks, Death Brigades and more!

The Hobby Trenches (82.38)

Getting deep into the Hobby Trenches, the boys look at some ways to convert Chaos forces, highlighting some kitbashing techniques, forge world modifications and some awesome third party products for the ambitious who wish to convert the Blood Pact and other traitor Guard forces!

The Briefing Room (91.48)

Kicking in the doors of The Briefing Room, the episode swings in for a close with some heated discussion about Forge World and the ettiquete for use of Forge World rules in regular games, and how to make it more popular with the masses!. Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard! Links The Custodes Modelbits.co.uk

News In a Flash (1.07)

The boys kick off this episode in Style! Duke Nukem references, melting Finecast and ‘Celtic Sci Fi Vets’, this News has it all. Oh, and Chris does an Oprah impersonation.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (18.30)

They don’t come any harder than the soldiers of the Imperial Guard Armageddon Steel Legion! This week the boys look at another IG army that gives Krieg a run for their money in the toughness stakes.. and the toughest SOB in the galaxy, Commissar Yarrick!

The Armoury! (33.27)

This Armoury, This time in the Librarius, Chase and Jim truly fail to surpass the very, very low expectations of clean content as they discuss the role of ‘fluffers’. Chris forgets how to write lists. We look at tanks, tanks, and then maybe even a few more tanks as the boys examine how to represent Steel Legion on the tabletop.

The Hobby Trenches (56.43)

Getting deep into the Hobby Trenches, the boys look at some ways to bring the Steel Legion to life on the tabletop with modelling and conversion tips. Chris again pleads the case for Dave Taylor’s brilliance and the boys also discuss shiney, shiney Forgeworld.

The Briefing Room (69.28)

Kicking in the doors of The Briefing Room, this Episode Chase and Jim reanimate (get it?) Chris’s desire to bring new people into the hobby by interviewing him on his beta Left 4 Dead 40k ruleset. They discuss the game’s mechanics, the characters, and a few little nasties packed in just for funsies.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed.

Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

News In a Flash (1.52)

The boys roll out the episode this week with an announcement of their mission statement! Then, of course, Games Workshop continues to prove its genius with the news this week and Aussie Fury is abound! Finecast, Trade Embargos, and Dark Eldar – we cover it all! To close out the news this week DSR announces its new bonus content, and the new mini-show, This Week with Stuie!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (32.03)

Magic tricks and jazz hands are the focus of the episode this week as the crew presents the second half of the Prospero Burns special about the Thousand Sons! Chase rages about Magnus, Jim gets deep on Ahriman and Chris waves his hands in the air like he just doesn’t care!

The Armoury! (65.39)

The cast gets down and dirty with recreating the sneaky tricksy-ness of the Thousand Sons this week, providing lists from three different codices and laying down the options when it comes to fielding the Sons of Prospero. Chris talks Grey Knights, Jim runs around with some Ravens of Blood and Chase brings up the rear with a heaping helping of the Chaos Codex and Ahriman the beat stick!

The Hobby Trenches (104.47)

Rounding out the middle of the episode this week is the hobby trenches! Chase and Jim discuss converting and painting options – Khopeshes, fancy snake headdresses and fancy metallics are the topic of this week’s hobby trenches. Of course, Chris garners all the intention with his plans for the Thousand Sons to close out the Trenches!

The Briefing Room (129.34)

Closing out the episode this week is our new segment, the Briefing Room! The center for all your tactics and TCP info is here to stay! This week the boys talk TCP news with two of the codices currently available for playtesting, the Night Lords and Raven Guard! Chase gets the willies over the Night Lords and Jim talks tactics with the Ravens of Deliverance and Chris only makes things worse!

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed.

Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

News In a Flash (01.06)

The boys begin this most massive of episodes with a foray into sexy wraithbone bases, Jim’s favorite furs and some sweet new Forge World. Chase foams over the Strongpoint expansion and Chris just can’t get over the Wraithseer!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (17.29)

Knights of the Shiny Pants abound! The crew overviews the Grey Knights from origin to M41 itself, everything from training, geneseed and their fancy fancy Feast Halls! Chase rants about Ahriman Abuse, Malcador is a boss, and those darn Grey Knight mind wipes!

Main Topic (58.59)

Onto the main topic, DSR talks Grey Knight Tactics and heroes. Psykers – Psykers everywhere! Sweet Librarian powers, sneaky sexy Inquisitors and bad ass Ghost Knights of awesome! Then – The Nemesis weapons of Win, Orbital Strike Relays and the Ammo of justice!

The Armoury! (153.23)

Finally we have a name! First, Chris schools us in the ways of the Inquisition, Jokaero, Acolytes and Flagellants oh my! Jim talks Purifiers, Castellan Crowe and the infamous Vindicare Assassin of Death! And Chase brings up the rear (as usual) with a Librarian – Terminator list, packed with enough Orbital Strikes and 2+ saves to scare the Deathwing!

The Hobby Trenches (176.54)

Bringing the episode on home is the ubiquitous hobby trenches! Kit-bashing, black painted grey knights and glorious nickel paint! And we conclude the episode with a review of Stabby TMP’s fantastic flying bases!

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed.

Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

News In a Flash (02.24)

Starting off this weeks episode the boys discuss Grey Knights rage, Corax being a total boss, and Chris has a rant of his own! DSR also introduces a new host, the Foxy Grandpa himself and bids Dave a fond farewell as he goes off to traumatize poor Australian youths.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (41.54)

This week DSR attempts the tactical reach around – Trench Warfare style. The Death Korps of Krieg, masters of stoic behavior and smelly trenchcoats everywhere roll onto the scene. Linguistics, nuclear warfare and there may be mention of some off topic train!

Main Topic (56.28)

This episode Chris steers the boys onto a new topic – Fluff in gaming and the use of special characters for the creation of awesome lists. Fabulous Sanguinius makes an appearance or two, Chris rages at Vulkan and Dave expresses his disappoint with the Sanguinor.

New Segment! (93.54)

Continuing the new trend, the crew sits down to discuss a Dark Mechanicum list in the List analysis segment (Still not calling it “Tau you doin?”). Dave is not amused, and chaos ensues (literally!)

The Hobby Trenches (108.28)

Sliding into home plate DSR finishes out with a discussion of internet blogs – the useful, the not so useful, and the down right nasty.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed.

Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

News In a Flash (0.47)

This Episode the boys dive into yet another opinionated news segment with updates on Games Day Australia 2011, updates on your favourite indy hobby suppliers, and Chase’s rant returns with vengance!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (26.43)

This week DSR gets consumed by the great devourer as the boys discuss the Tyranid threat – their progress across the galaxy, their many opponents over time, the key hive fleets and current threat to the universe in their drive to consume all living things.

Main Topic (53.32)

This episode the boys discuss their opinions on the Tyranids in 5th edition under the new codex. How their play style has changed, opinions on upgrades, favourite units and a few tips and tricks to maximise the strengths of the army and how to suck it up and admit that carnifexs are adequately priced. Just kidding! Or maybe not.

New Segment! (85.39)

What better way to celebrate reaching 10 episodes than to introduce a new segment! This week the boys delve into a new segment where each episode, a fluffy list submission will be rated based on competitiveness and fluff strength, and how the armies could be improved or altered without sacrificing fluff. First off the cab, a ‘heresy era’ Imperial Fists 2000pt list. Don’t forget to step right up and name the segment!

The Hobby Trenches (104.24)

Bringing the episode to a close, the hobby aspects of collecting a Tyranid army are discussed in this week’s Hobby Trenches. Colour schemes, hints, tricks and conversion sources are all discussed.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed.

Thanks for listening, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

Hi Everyone,

Today, our forum The Custodes was subject to a brute force hack attempt. Whilst we were able to stop the problem before it erased the forum entirely, we have lost our entire aspirant usergroup, and all associated members.

Unfortunately, there is no way to simply reinstate everyone. So, if you are here to let us know that you can not access your account, could you please email

deepstrikeradio at geemail . com

With your username, desired password and if you can remember it, your post count. Please bare with us as we attempt to recover from this event.

Cheers,

Chris

DSR Host

News In a Flash (02.48)

Storm Turkey products abound! This week the boys kick off the news with some interesting developments. The Outcast Dead and the Keeler Image are announced by Black Library, and new Forge World? Bust out your magnifying glass as the crew attempts to discuss the new GK pictures and an Auscon trip to Adepticon? Awesome!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (37.56)

Purge the Xenos! This week your favorite crazy hosts discuss the history and rise of the Ordos Militant of Ordos Xenos, the Deathwatch! The best of the best, the Alien Hunters and all around tough guys in black power armour, there’s not an alien around that can stand up to the Deathwatch. Archeotech, special tactics and epic monster punching stories all around!

Main Topic (64.59)

Lists? Tactics? Silly DSR, you can’t talk about that, you’re a fluff podcast! Just kidding. The boys continue the discussion of the Deathwatch with tactics and list building suggestions. Chapter Approved and the rise of Sternguard, Deathwatch scouts, and Blood Angel Deathwatch? That’s Extra Heretical!

The Hobby Trenches (85.20)

Bringing the episode to a close with all the fury of the Emperor himself, the crew talks Role Playing with the Deathwatch RPG from Fantasy Flight Games. Funky voices, fabulous Sanguinius and the Wrath of Chase, the Game Master of Doom. Those poor players, they have no idea what they’re in for now!

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed for updates regarding our Flood Appeal.

Please bid on the Flood Appeal Armies if you can, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

DSR Flood Appeal

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

The Codex Project

News In a Flash (02.37)

This time in the News, the boys discuss Secret Weapon Miniatures’ new productions, Night Spinners, Graham McNeill and the details of the DSR Flood Appeal armies. That’s right, armies!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius (36.15)

Not everything mechanical can be shiny and clean. This episode the boys get down and dirty to discuss the Dark Mechanicum, Mechanidrites, Chaos, and the effects of porn spam on Techpriests!

Main Topic (53.06)

Terrain! TERRAIN EVERYWHERE! The main topic for this week covers all the ways and mean terrain effects your game! From cover to infiltration and dangerous terrain mishaps the crew discusses the myriad ways you can use the terrain to your advantage and your enemy’s dismay. And there may or may not have been some mishap jokes. Maybe.

The Hobby Trenches (92.13)

To bring the episode to an absolutely faaabulloouuuusss end (Bet you can’t guess who wrote this post!) DSR talks Space Hulk! The history, the fluff, and the game itself, Chase regals us with the tale of Space Hulk (And fails miserably), Calistarius gets a makeover from Hunchback to Fabio and Brother Claudio pimps it out with some genestealers, Lightning Claw Style!

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed for updates regarding our Flood Appeal.

Please bid on the Flood Appeal Armies if you can, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

DSR Flood Appeal

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

The Codex Project

The DSR Flood Relief Appeal Special Edition. Dedicated to those who have suffered in the 2010/2011 Queensland Floods.

News In a Flash (01.11)

This time in the News, the boys discuss the confirmation of the Grey Knights release, GW’s new FAQ’s and a few other bits and pieces from other companies. More importantly, Chris discusses the Deepstrike Radio Flood Relief Appeal, our very first charity auction to help those who have been severely impacted by the recent flooding in Queensland, Australia and touches on the sheer size of the problem at hand and how you can help! The boys also announce that they have some books signed by Dan Abnett and Graham McNeill to give away to the person who donates the highest amount.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius(37.49)

This week in The Librarius the boys lose the plot. Seriously though, after the boys regain their composure, they do the robot – literally. DSR jumps into the mystery and fluff of the Adeptus Mechanicus and talk about all things from the very disturbing Servitors to Titans and all in between.

Main Topic(79.49)

This week in the main topic, the boys  discuss Terrain in 5th edition. The finer details of the rulings are discussed as well as some personal opinion thrown in regarding True Line of Sight.

The Hobby Trenches (105.08)

To round out Episode 7, the boys interview Big Jim and Stucarius about their super secret project ‘The Codex Project’, an evolution in community playtesting that will provide a platform for fandex and character development to gain their rightful place in the 40k community.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed for updates regarding our Flood Appeal.

Please give generously to our flood appeal if you can, and don’t forget – Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

DSR Flood Appeal

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

The Codex Project

Maxmini

Deepstrike Radio is back with the first episode for 2011, and this time the boys are mixing it up and going casual!

News In a Flash

This time in the News, DSR thanks all those within the community, podcasters and listeners alike  for their help in 2010. The boys discuss Dave breaking the internet, and the new Stormraven picture. The boys also talk DSR developments, including the announcement of our 2011 Motivational Painting Challenge and Chris’s Left 4 Dead 40k ruleset.  The boys also discuss the line up for the Black Library over the next few months, and GW suing Chapterhouse Studios.

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

Topic One – The Douchebags of 40k

DSR takes a slightly more casual approach to the first episode of the new year, with three topics for round table discussion. The boys are joined by Big Jim from Galaxy In Flames and The Custodes for the first topic – the douchebags (AKA Dicks) of the 40K universe. Who you hate, who you should hate, and what’s this? The Emprah himself is one of them? Heresy!

Topic Two – What we miss

For the second round table discussion the boys are joined by Starminer from The Custodes to discuss the things that are missed from the 40K universe and hobby. Gather your hearing aids and zimmerframes as Starminer and Chase reminisce on the “Good Old Days” of Dark Millennium and 2nd Edition. The boys also cover off the joys of VDR, and the White Dwarf of old.

Topic Three – The year ahead and day dreams..

For the third and final round table discussion the boys are joined by Rancor709 from The Custodes to discuss both the year ahead, and what the boys hope to see from Games Workshop in the future. Chase loses it over the Grey Knights release and is not kind as he succumbs to the Black Rage. Stay tuned as the boys also discuss GW’s erratic release schedule, and what it means for 40K players in 2011 and onwards, and their hopes and dreams for the future of the hobby.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed

We hope you enjoy the change up. Dont forget to sign up to The Custodes, and Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Modelbits.co.uk

We here at Deepstrike Radio would like to wish all of our listeners a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

For all who have listened, on behalf of all three hosts we thank you for your support. The three months or so since we started this has been a very crazy, very intense time. From our first episode, to establishing The Custodes Forum, to the Dark Eldar review we have learnt lots. Know that 2011 will be a very big year for DSR – we will have some HUGE guests, more competitions, our first Games Day coverage, and much more. Stay tuned for more!

For those who don’t know, we encountered significant techincal problems during our Live Call In Show. Skype and Ustream problems prohibited us from having the show we wanted. We hope to resolve these problems in the next few days, but if we don’t we will provide you with a ‘year wrap up’ show within the week.

Please continue to tell your friends and fellow gamers about DSR – we would love to continue to grow and ever little bit of suppoort helps.

Speaking of support, we must thank those in the Community that have supported us this year. Jeff Carrol from Podhammer and Pat from the 11th Company mainly, but also honourable mentions go to Big Jim from the Galaxy In Flames blog.

So for now, have a great festive season, and we look forward to bringing you many more podcast shenanigans in 2011.

Cheers,

Chris, Chase and Dave.

Infections, Incitements, and Infotainment

Welcome to Episode Five of Deepstrike Radio! This week the crew discuss Boils, Bikes, and the Bro-Code! (Just kidding)

News in a Flash

This time on the News, DSR talks big goings on. Inquisitors, Space Marine Gravy, Ciaphas Cain’s Christmas Special, Moto Challenges and more! Oh, and be sure to join us for the Christmas Call in Show on Wednesday the 22nd. We’ll be holding two call in sessions at 3-4:30 AM GMT, and 9-10:30 AM GMT, so look out  callers, DSR wants you!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius

This week in The Librarius Pappy Nurgle, the Lord of Decay himself lumbers in for a vist. The boys talk rot, disease, and hugs all around!

Free Plug – Gale Force 9

The Free Plug for Episode Five goes to Gale Force 9, an awesome site for terrain, hobby tools, and the best green stuff ever!

Main Topic

DSR rides off into the sunset in style! Bikes, bikes, and more bikes on the Main topic this week. Everything from Jetbikes, to Rough Riders to KHAAAAAAN, the boys talk tactics, styles and more!

The Hobby Trenches

Rising up from the darkness of the Interwebs the crew close out this week with the all important 40k Vidyah Games! Chris obsesses over Chaos Gate, Chase just can’t get over his Dark Millenium rage, and Dave has a headache!

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed

Thanks for listening, and Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Gale Force 9

Modelbits.co.uk

It’s Tauriffic!

Welcome to Episode Four of Deepstrike Radio! This week the boys cover a wide range of topics, from the absolutely taurrible to the taurrific (Tired of these puns yet? TOO BAD!) In the Librarius the boys cover the expansionist behavior of the Tau to point levels and bringing up the rear is our hobby tools workshop!

News in a Flash

This time on the News, DSR talks big developments! New Forge World (Achilles! That thing is dead sexy), Black Library Live, Battlefoam trays, the flying brick that is the Stormraven and dirty cheaters. Also, big announcement this week, the launch of The Custodes, DSR’s community, and our forum! (Free to join for the first week!) And what’s this? DSR at Australia Games Day 2011? Madness!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius

This week in The Librarius the boys take a look at the manipulative and expansionist nature of the Tau! From secret plots to shiny new pieces of tech, the boys cover it all!

Free Plug – Back to Base-ix

The Free Plug for Episode Four goes out to Back to Base-ix – an sweet site that provides awesome bases, terrain, and some sweet modeling supplies!

Main Topic

DSR takes a look at point levels! How the varying point values affect your game, how to adjust lists and themes based on point values and more! Oh, and Chase can’t seem to control his rants this week, so stay tuned!

The Hobby Trenches

And to finish out the episode, the boys talks shop – literally. DSR talks hobby tools, suggestions, usage tips, and personal recommendations from the hosts. Simple Green, glaze medium, scalpels and more!

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed

Thanks for listening, and Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

The Custodes

Back to Base-ix

Modelbits.co.uk

Live, from the Haemonculi Labs!

Welcome to Episode Three of Deepstrike Radio! This week the crew explores every nook and cranny of Commoragh and the Dark Eldar! Come along with us as we explore the life and times of the immortal pirate perverts themselves. Out of the gate, the boys sum up their 40k activities since the last show, including tournament lessons, some Dark Eldar play testing and a few important announcements.

News in a Flash

This time on the News, DSR talks shop – new Forge World kits and Chapterhouse Studios’ most disturbing model yet. The hosts also explore the discuss of the annals of the Black Library like the nerds they are, and puzzle over their lack of rage. Not to mention, someone wins a contest by guessing the obvious!

Sponsor Alert

DSR is brought to you by Modelbits.co.uk, the ultimate resource for all your bits needs. Rogal Dorn approved!

The Librarius

This week in The Librarius the boys take a look at the history and evolution of the Dark Eldar. DSR gives you the gruesome details of Eldar biology, more than anyone wishes to know about the birthing of Slaanesh, and the disturbing goings on of the Pleasure Cults. The boys examine the fluff in the new Dark Eldar codex and their progression from third edition to fifth edition. Oh, and they may or may not cackle over the fate of some innocent Tau.

Free Plug - Wayland Games

The Free Plug for Episode Three goes out to Wayland Games – an awesome site that provides everything from foam, to paint to models from all ranges and sizes.

Main Topic

Continuing along in the Dark Eldar mega-sode DSR dives into the rules and tactical applications present in the new Dark Eldar codex. They travel through every tier of Commoragh along the way, mentioning favorite units, tactics, and advice for playing Dark Eldar in Fifth edition. DSR also provide some lists for the audience to look over and enjoy while following along in the main topic.

The Hobby Trenches

And to finish out the episode, the boys talks shop, exploring conversion and painting suggestions for Eldar of all types, from Dark Eldar to Exodites to the Craftworld boys themselves. DSR talks kit bashing, fancy paint jobs and over complicated sigils to round out this massive installment of Deesptrike Radio.

Don’t forget to check out our twitter feed

Thanks for listening, and Strike Fast, Play Hard!

Links

Lists Download

Dark Eldar Fighters

Modelbits.co.uk

Wayland Games

LUPERCAL!!

Quick Note: We are aware of a sound quality issue within the Librarius that affects the podcast from the 25 to 60 minute mark. We apologize for the length of the issue, however we re recorded the entire second half of the show for your enjoyment, so please stick with it, and enjoy the rest of the show. Thanks for Listening.

Thanks for tuning in for Episode Two of Deepstrike Radio. This week, the boys dive deep into the Legion of the mighty Warmaster Horus himself – the Luna Wolves. Join us to Kill for the Living! Kill for the Dead! First up, the boys round out their recent hobby activities, including Chris’s preparation for his first tournament using a Space Marine Bike army.

News in a Flash

This week in News in a Flash, DSR take a look at GW’s new monster carry case. The boys also take a look at some of the new scenic bases to hit the market, and include a rant or two as well.

The Librarius  (40K Lore’s new title)

This week in the Librarius the boys take an in depth look at the favoured Legion of the Luna Wolves, pre heresy style. We examine the fluff behind this inspiring Legion, from the Mournival to the individual characters and their varied personalities.

The boys also discuss the various colour schemes throughout the Heresy, and include a 1750pt list to show how you could put the Luna Wolves on the table if you were so inclined.

The Main Topic – How to select your new army

For Episode Two, the boys decided to dive head first into the difficult topic of selecting a new army. They give consideration to some key points that can shape your decision including fluff vs competitiveness, painting and modelling and above all else, playing what you love.

Free Plug - www.chapterhousestudios.com

The Free Plug for Episode Two goes out to Chapterhouse Studios – a great online store providing a vast range of conversion options for various projects – from Tau Superheavy Walkers to Pre-Heresy Jump Packs to Tyranid Tervigon conversions.

The Hobby Trenches - Building and painting a Pre-Heresy/Heresy Army

Following on from the discussion in the Librarius regarding the Luna Wolves, the boys follow the ‘pre Heresy’ theme through to the Hobby Trenches.  Included in this discussion are possible conversion paths, colour schemes and how they may vary from a current chapter as well as suggesting some places that you may be able to utilise to find existing tutorials or resin bits to make your pre Heresy army ‘pop’ on the tabletop.

In wrapping the show up, the boys announce the show’s very first contest! Up for grabs is a Dark Eldar Codex, with the winner being announced when Episode Three goes to air. But we won’t give it all away, you will have to listen to podcast for that!

Thanks for listening.

The time has arrived, and so must we.

Episode One of Deepstrike Radio will give you a taste of what is to come. With around 25 years hobby experience between us we are aiming to deliver a Podcast unlike others out there – a podcast that caters for the hobbyist in all of us. In our first segment, we introduce the show’s hosts – Chris, Dave and Chase, and explain a little of our background and the type of gamer we are. We also include a bit of chat about what we have been up to during our week in the hobby. Following this, we step blindly into the Warp and deliver the following segments.

Regular Segment – News in a Flash

Each episode will contain a brief overview of recent news in the hobby. We promise that we won’t spend hours discussing things you can already read on the internet, but here we aim to provide our opinion on recent developments within the hobby, and perhaps a few things you may not otherwise be aware of.

Oh, and we squeeze in a rant or three as well.

Regular Segment – 40k Lore

40K Lore will be a topic each episode we will evaluate a portion of fluff from the vast universe that is Warhammer 40,000. This episode we crack open the Horus Heresy Collected Visions and compare the book with the Black Library Horus Heresy series – and as how they differ, and where you should start if you are new to the hobby or just seeking inspiration for a new project.

Free Plug – www.modelbits.co.uk

As we are new to the scene and as yet without sponsorship, each episode we will provide a Free Plug to a website or company that we think you should check out. These are not paid sponsorships – any recommendation we make here is based on our previous history in dealing with the related company, or just somewhere we really think you should check out.

Episode One’s Free Plug goes to www.modelbits.co.uk. A great bits website based in the UK, with great service and low prices.

Regular Segment – Main Topic

Each week, we strive to bring you an interesting topic that we have observed in the community, the game itself, or the companies involved. This week, we’re covering Forums – The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly of the Online Community.

Regular Segment – The Hobby Trenches

And to round out our cast, comes the Hobby Trenches – Getting down and dirty with your Hobby. This is the average gamer’s hobby section, where we bring you everything from paint suggestions, to roleplaying games, and 40k related items outside of the game itself.

Thanks to all of the great people who have made this possible, especially Perpetual End, who are responsible for our awesome show music!