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TitlePub. DateDuration
53 - Remember Your Nerd Belt: Pacing and Turn-by-Turn Decisions in Warhammer 40K24 oct. 202601:07:27

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Steve can name his win condition and his lose condition, but he admits that from turn to turn he mostly shoots from the hip. Fresh off his first 11th Edition World Eaters game, Erik walks through it one turn at a time while Steve translates each decision into pacing strategy based on his experience as a runner. Along the way, the guys find a structure for assessing the game state every turn and how to determine when to increase or decrease the pace.

Along the way they cover:

  • Turn-by-turn condition — Steve’s question about what happens between the long-term plan and the decision in front of you, and Erik discovering he has a hidden process after all
  • Set your pace — why knowing whether your army wants to speed the game up or slow it down gives you a mile marker to check against every turn
  • Stay in their pocket — Erik’s Berserker Warband vs. the Salamanders Forgefather's Seekers, from the staging turn to the probe to the go turn, with Steve mapping each one to a race tactic
  • Know the course — reading the secondaries you haven’t drawn, the primary points still on the table, and the CP left in the bank before you decide when to kick
  • Remember your nerd belt — your codex, stratagems, and army rules are the gels and electrolytes, and confidence matters more than comfort when the panic sets in
  • Burning too bright — Erik’s downhill-first-mile race disaster and why reps are the only way to find the pace you can actually sustain

Whether you’re here for the turn-by-turn decision-making or just want to hear Erik admit there’s a personality for every army living in his head, this one’s for you.

📖 Read Erik’s battle reports at gmpwt.blog
📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

52 - It’s a Trap!: Stress-Testing Lists and Knowing Your Lose Condition19 oct. 202601:02:32

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The last balance update dropped Necrons Canoptek Court to 2 Detachment Points and Cousin Josh was ready to celebrate. Erik saw it and called it fool’s gold before the ink was dry on the update. The guys use that disagreement as a case study in how to stress-test a list before you fall in love with it and why knowing your lose condition matters just as much as knowing your win condition.

Along the way they cover:

  • Two DP, two opinions — why Josh and Steve saw new detachment pairings and a Necron revival, while Erik saw a trap
  • The lose condition — Erik walks through the Space Marine play pattern that hard counters Canoptek Court: use Hidden to shut down your long range shooting and then call Assault Doctrine, Charge, and tag everything
  • ER or PR — why boom-or-bust detachments make for great highlight reels but risky games
  • Commit to the bit or pivot — Erik’s two fixes: go all in with a Canoptek Court and The Phaeron’s Armoury pairing or swap to Starshatter Arsenal with The Silent King
  • Swinging from the heels — Erik rebuilds the new Canoptek list live on air and talks himself into actually wanting to play it

Whether you’re here for the list-building lessons or just want to hear Cousin Josh relitigate The Little Scarab That Could, this one’s for you.

📖 Read Erik’s battle reports at gmpwt.blog
📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

51 - Show Me the Doctrines!: Breaking Down the New Space Marine Codex05 oct. 202601:12:50

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The Space Marine codex is here and Erik is more excited than he's been about anything not named Emperor's Children. With Cousin Josh along for the ride, the guys dig into how swapping Oath of Moment for combat doctrines changes the way Erik builds and plays his Space Marines' lists, as well as what he is worried that his opponent will do to counter those lists.

Along the way they cover:

  • Tops down list building — Erik walks through how he starts list building with a play style and win condition in mind and then how he chooses detachments, Force Dispositions, and units to align to that macro strategy
  • Goodbye Oath, hello Doctrines — why trading a point-and-click mechanic for turn-by-turn doctrine increases army flexibility but risks decision overload, and how Erik builds his lists to avoid it
  • Elite and expensive — why Space Marine lists keep drifting toward a handful of Death Stars and why your favorite models might not make the cut anymore
  • Sample list 1: Ironstorm — Erik walks through his Assault Brethren, Ironstorm Spearhead, and Gauntlet Task Force list and the guys debate two ways to beat it: a recon scoring machine that dances around it or a stat check that meets it head-on
  • Sample list 2: Stormlance — Erik's all-gas, no-brakes melee build, and why without Oath of Moment, a well-placed screen or minus one to hit can bounce his big Assault Doctrine turn
  • Ideas on how to beat them — Erik shares the matchups that worry him most and Steve closes with his key to facing Space Marines: pick your tactic and commit with confidence

Whether you're here for the list-building or just want to hear Steve get tricked into admitting he enjoyed a Space Marines episode, this one's for you.

📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog
📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

50 - Hold On to Your Butts: Riding the 11th Edition Codex Rollercoaster27 sept. 202600:59:20

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Erik opens with a feeling of the day that turns Steve's stomach. With the Orks codex out, Space Marines days away, Custodes about to be on preorder, and balance updates coming fast, 11th Edition feels like the top of a rollercoaster's first hill. The guys dig into why 15-detachment codexes and rapid balancing can cause analysis paralysis and how to get your footing back, both as the player and as the opponent across the table.


Along the way they cover:

  • The Ork paralysis problem — Erik explains why he hasn't put the new Orks codex on the table despite it dominating the meta and why he expects whatever list he builds to get nerfed this week
  • The identity crisis — Steve argues that Orks have too many viable identities, which sparks a light-bulb moment for Erik: his favorite ways to play Orks are the weakest options in the new book
  • Calling your shot on hobby — why Erik stopped letting list-building drive his hobby backlog and how he's picking a play style (melee, Terminators, Rhinos) to paint toward before the Space Marine codex lands
  • The shape-shifting list — Steve lays out his 11th Edition mission: a take-all-comers list that can change its strategy mid-game, which earns high praise from Erik
  • Snowflaking for advantage — the guys discuss why 11th may reward lists your opponents have never seen before and how to use the complexity of 11th responsibly

Whether you're here for the list-building theory or just want to hear Steve get dragged onto a rollercoaster he hates, this one's for you.


📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog
📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

49 - Michelangelo vs. the Assembly Line: Three Perspectives on Painting in Warhammer 40K21 sept. 202601:22:30

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Cousin Josh joins Erik and Steve for a full hobby episode on the painting side of 40K. Erik sits at the assembly-line extreme, Steve at the masterpiece extreme, and Josh in the middle, where the guys hypothesize that most of the community lives. Walking through their process step by step, they find that how you paint depends less on skill than on what you think the point of the hobby is.

Along the way they cover:

  • Michelangelo vs. the assembly line: Erik frames the three approaches, with Steve painting his Sistine Chapel, Erik cranking out the Model T, and Josh somewhere in between
  • Five stages of painting: Steve's framework of prep, base coating, layering and detail, washes and effects, and finishing touches, with each host explaining what they do and what they skip entirely
  • Painting to play: Erik never buys a model until it's in a list, gets his kids to assemble for a couple of bucks, and leans on contrast paints and shades to get a battle-worn look that gets his models to the table quickly
  • Chore or passion?: Josh calls painting a chore, Erik throws the challenge flag, and Josh explains how leaving models off their bases keeps him from rushing to play with them
  • Precision and prep: Steve makes the case for sanding mold lines, airbrushed base coats, zenithal priming from one direction for coherency, and dry brushing with his wife's old makeup brush
  • Tools, tips and no wrong way: The hosts debate super glue vs. plastic glue and how to varnish. Steve makes his pitch for a couple of good brushes and all three land on "find what you enjoy."

Whether you're here for the painting tips or just want to hear Steve wince at Erik's paintbrushes, this one's for you.

Blog: https://gmpwt.blog
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@grownmenplayingwithtoys

48 - Burning Bright: Playing as the Underdog in Warhammer 40K14 sept. 202601:03:47

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Cousin Josh joins Erik and Steve again as they break down a game between Erik and his oldest son that turns into a masterclass on underdog strategy. Erik's son, fully back into 11th Edition, decides he can't beat his dad's Custodes in a straight fight, so he doesn't try. Instead, he turns the game into a race to 100 points, trades units for board position instead of value, and nearly pulls off the upset. The guys turn it into a full discussion of playing as the underdog versus the overdog and how knowing which one you are should change your win condition.

Along the way they cover:

  • The boat race strategy — Erik's son writes off killing Custodes entirely and instead sprints for 100 victory points, forcing Erik to play a perfect final three turns just to survive
  • Trading for board space, not points — why sacrificing Fuegan and five Fire Dragons on a bad points trade made total sense once you realize he was trading for tempo and secondary pressure instead
  • Cousin Josh's quadruple C'tan callback — the guys connect the dots between Erik's son's plan and Josh's own C'Tan spam overdog strategy from a prior Necrons game
  • Overdog vs. underdog theory — Erik and Steve build out a framework for identifying which one you are before the game starts
  • Strategy vs. plan — Cousin Josh admits he never plans while the guys work through the difference between a rigid tactical plan and a flexible overarching strategy
  • Next Barnhammer teaser — Erik pitches deliberately assigning underdog and overdog roles at the next event, while Steve makes his pitch for a hobby-focused episode

Whether you're here for the underdog theory or just want to hear a kid race his dad to a nail-biter finish, this one's for you.

📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog
📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

47 - Shake the Snow Globe: A Check In On Some Of Our Favorite Factions05 sept. 202601:16:07

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Cousin Josh joins the chat (literally) for the first time, heckling Erik and Steve from the sidelines while they take a step back from the week-to-week to talk macro direction of where their favorite factions are headed.  The guys trade perspectives, Erik on rules and direction, Steve on models and aesthetics, and work through their factions to figure out who's cooking, who's stalled, and who just needs someone to "shake the snow globe".

Along the way they cover:

  • League of Votann's identity crisis — Steve likes where the rules are going but isn't sold on the trench coat aesthetic, and the guys agree "Rock and Stone" should just be the whole pitch
  • Space Marines get elite — why adding toughness granularity across armor types and pointing marines to be more elite could speed up games and make Phobos, Tacticus, and Terminators feel different from each other
  • Guard's too-many-cooks problem — Steve is not feeling Guard right now and Erik argues it is because Guard has an identity problem where it is split across several aesthetically different regiments all competing for the same design space
  • CSM needs a shakeup — Erik loves the new models and lore flexibility but is bored of Defilers being the correct way to play.  The guys really just want the balance team to shake things up a bit
  • Death Guard's redemption arc — Steve declares Death Guard back on the menu and commits to bringing them to the next Barnhammer game weekend
  • Necrons and Tyranids, the calm ones — Erik hopes the Necron Warriors get left as chaff instead of also getting buffed up with Space Marines and both guys are cautiously optimistic waiting on a Tyranids codex

Whether you're here for the faction deep dive or just want to hear Erik lose a bet to Cousin Josh when Steve is able to make it an hour without mentioning wings, this one's for you.

📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog
📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

46 - The Nerfing Eye of Sauron: Erik's Favorite Factions Take One on the Chin30 août 202601:13:07

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A balance update dropped this past week and several of Erik's favorite factions got hit with nerfs. Steve declares it a "feelings podcast" and the guys work through Erik's frustration before landing on the real point: how to pivot a list instead of just complaining about it.

Along the way they cover:

  • The nerfing Eye of Sauron comes for Slaanesh — why Erik's strongest lists in Emperor's Children and Chaos Daemons ate the biggest points hikes in the update and how he is pivoting as a result
  • Custodes lose their combo — Lions of the Emperor jumps from 2DP to 3DP and can no longer pair with Might of the Moritoi, why the change was well-designed, and how it introduces additional detachment options even though it stings
  • The Balance Update upset — Steve catches a rules change before Erik does for what he swears is the first time ever and Erik has to admit it on air
  • Force disposition shuffling — small, targeted swaps like Huron's Marauders and Aspect Host switching to new Force Dispositions quietly open up entirely new ways to play old favorites and why Erik's oldest son is thrilled about one of them
  • Crusher Stampede vs War Dog spam - Erik's youngest son challenges him to a game of bug vs robot and proceeds to blow up all of his Norns on the way to a ton of fun

Whether you're here for the balance update postmortem or just want to hear Steve's victory lap for catching a change before Erik, this one's for you.


📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog
📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

45 - Finding Your Nemo: Faction vs Force Disposition Specialization22 août 202601:15:41

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Team USA won WTC and Steve blindsides Erik by admitting that he has fanboyed over it a bit.  The guys break down how a Guard player ground out key tournament-clinching wins and why "keep it simple and execute flawlessly" beat out other teams that tried to cook up secret-sauce lists. Somewhere in there it turns into a full discussion of force disposition specialization vs faction specialization.

Along the way they cover:

  • WTC's grind — how a Guard player known for playing a grind it out, death-by-a-thousand-cuts list sealed the WTC title for Team USA and why the tactic was more genius than luck
  • Team USA's "keep it simple" strategy — why the winning approach wasn't secret tech or off-the-wall lists, but trusting elite pilots to execute simple, proven lists better than anyone else in the room
  • Faction specialist vs. force disposition specialist — the theory Erik and Steve build out live, that your favorite army might not be the reason you win or lose, it might be whether that army's best force disposition actually fits how your brain plays
  • The kid outplays the dad — Erik's son builds a 30-point lead against him, hangs on to win despite getting outscored in the later rounds, and then calmly explains why Erik was playing the wrong force disposition the entire game
  • The Blood Angels pop quiz — Erik reads Steve a Take and Hold list cold and Steve's "board control, board control, board control" read is close enough to the list's design philosophy to be awkward

Whether you're here for the WTC postmortem or just want to hear Erik's son casually call his Dad out for self nerfing via a Force Disposition mismatch, this one's for you.

📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog
📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

44 - My Other Army Is a Flowchart: The Deliverability Problem15 août 202601:13:16

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Erik is back on Orks and built a "just for fun" Da Big Hunt list that somehow tabled a CSM Defiler heavy army despite calling the Waaagh! in Round 1.  This has Steve's attention and the guys dive into why this strategy might have been the correct move, not just dumb luck, and what they can learn from it to help with future games.   

Along the way they cover:

  • The defensive Waaagh! — Erik calls the Waaagh! turn one, but instead of using it for damage, he uses it to tag and pin two Defilers against terrain.
  • Deliverability, durability, damage — the three-part framework from top tier competitive players that Erik leans on to explain why his Ork list worked and why his CSM list did not. 
  • The engineer's flowchart — Erik distills 11th Edition mission design into four questions every list has to answer every turn and can confirm that it is kid-approved by his son
  • Archetype vs. identity — why "my faction's lore says it shouldn't play this way" isn't a real excuse and why playing the mission matters more than playing the vibe
  • Cousin Josh's callout — the "Orks are an army with no plan" jab that kicked off the whole experiment and Erik's very smug rebuttal
  • Knights Thunderdome, coming soon — Erik and Steve pencil in a cross-faction deployment breakdown using Chaos Knights and Imperial Knights, protractor optional but strongly implied

Whether you're here for the tactical deep dive or just want to hear Erik's horror that Steve wants to bring a protractor to a tabletop game, this one's for you.

📖 Orks vs CSm game discussed: https://gmpwt.blog/2026/08/14/orks-da-big-hunt-vs-chaos-space-marines-pactbound-zealots/

📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog
📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

43 - Are You Not Entertained?: Why Playing 40K at Your LGS Hits Different07 août 202601:10:03

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Erik and Steve were supposed to sneak out for a game at the Local Game Store (LGS) this week and instead got stuck at home, so naturally they spent forty-five minutes turning that disappointment into a full breakdown of why playing 40K at the LGS hits different than Barnhammer, Officehammer, or TTS ever will. Somewhere in there it also becomes a card game vs. tabletop philosophy seminar, and Erik accidentally reveals that he has no interest in running clubs and only exercises to "not be fat".

Along the way they cover:

  • The LGS effect — why playing on neutral ground in front of an audience of strangers and excited store owners adds something Barnhammer and TTS just can't replicate
  • Cards vs. minis — Erik's hot take that he thinks trading card games are more one-dimensional than 40K and why it hits a nerve with Steve harder than either of them expected
  • The "I don't want to be fat" tangent — an endurance-sports rabbit hole that somehow explains why community matters more than either of them wants to admit
  • Deck stacking, but make it transparent — how WTC's first defender/attacker pairing system turns the thing that would ruin a casual LGS game into the actual point of the tournament, while somehow still also being open and transparent
  • WTC list geek out — a Squighog Boyz Waaagh built entirely to run people over, a Slaanesh Daemons alpha strike, and a Blood Angels Sanguinary Guard charge out of a Land Raider that neither of them saw coming
  • The next LGS attempt — Erik and Steve pencil in a rematch and its definitely not just an excuse to buy more models

Whether you're here for the "are you not entertained" energy of playing at your local shop or just want to hear two grown men overanalyze why cardboard hits different than plastic, this one's for you.

📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog
📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

42 - I'm Not Dead Yet: 40K's First Balance Update31 juil. 202601:13:31

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Steve is fighting off a Nurgle infection, Erik is fighting off bad habits with Cursed Legion Necrons, and everybody on the internet is convinced their faction is dead. Spoiler....they're not dead yet. 

Erik and Steve are back to discuss 11th Edition's first balance update, dig into what's really going on across Erik's now ten-army tour of the new edition, and somehow turn the whole thing into a conversation about Agile development methodology.

Along the way they cover:

  • The first balance update — why this wasn't a major Nerfing Eye of Sauron event and why the guys think GW is running what amounts to a data normalization exercise disguised as a balance patch
  • Agile Warhammer — Steve connects the dots between sprint planning, backlog management, and how to actually play your secondaries in 11th Edition and neither of them can quite believe the conversation they're having
  • Ten armies, every force disposition — Erik's running observations from playing across the full breadth of 11th, including why he's not sure he's a great Purge the Foe player despite being one of the most aggressive players in the room
  • The Cursed Legion problem — why Erik keeps going back to a list he can't quite make work, what he's getting wrong, and why he's pretty sure it's a him problem and not a list problem
  • WTC roster hot take — the rosters are out, the lists are coming, and Erik has a cautionary tale about why "everyone at WTC is playing X" doesn't mean X is the best way to play that faction
  • Papa Nurgle weighs in — Steve sounds like a Muppet, Erik recommends the Emperor's Children approach to cold medicine, and somehow they end the episode with a Death Guard game on the calendar

Whether you're here for the data engineering deep dive or just want to hear Steve suffer through forty minutes of podcast while visibly dying, this one's for you.

📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog
📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

41 - Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho: Barnhammer's First Taste of 11th Edition21 juil. 202601:07:27

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Erik is back from vacation to find that Barnhammer has been played without him.  He's definitely not feeling jealous, FOMO, or left out and DEFINITELY is not punishing Steve for organizing it without him by making Steve lead the episode as a result.

Along the way they cover:

  • Barnhammer 11th Edition recap — first impressions from the play group, why the missions kept every game close, and what it felt like to finally get 11th on the table with friends
  • Steve's surprise Votann list — Needgaard plus Hearthguard Covenant, deep striking Einheryr, and a brand new way to play an army that had been frustrating him for all of 10th Edition
  • The Champion, the Dunce Hat, and the Ones — some things never change, and Steve's Votann Champion remains aggressively, historically bad at his job
  • Cousin Josh goes full aggro — why watching a naturally defensive player come out swinging with Cursed Legion Necrons was the highlight of Barnhammer and what it says about what 11th is encouraging players to do
  • The Pink Pony Club — Steve teases his fourth army and talks about how he thinks about Imperial Knights like a modern military tactician defending Helm's Deep
  • Guard, Death Guard, and what's next — why Imperial Guard is calling Steve's name, why Death Guard isn't, and Erik drops a closing bombshell about what he's most excited to play

Whether you're here for the Votann deep strike, here to see Cousin Josh channel his inner snapping turtle, or just want to hear Steve put a dunce hat on his champion, this one's for you.

📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog
📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

40 - I Feel the Need...The Need for 11th29 juin 202601:14:52

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Erik is back from the tabletop trenches with a full debrief.  He is two games deep into 11th Edition, has played four factions, and is ready to hype Steve up for an upcoming week of Barnhammer gaming. 

Along the way they cover:

  • First impressions of 11th Edition — Erik's surprisingly enthusiastic early verdict and why going from 10th to 11th feels nothing like the chaos of 9th to 10th
  • Asymmetrical missions and force dispositions — why playing two different missions at once makes the game feel more dynamic, more narrative, and a whole lot harder to just list-hammer your way through
  • Raven Guard vs. Grey Knights — Shadowmark Talon meets Hallowed Conclave, Terminators and Paladins finally get their moment, and Erik discovers mid-game that the scoreboard doesn't care how well the Grey Knights are playing 10th Edition. Read the full battle report here.
  • Emperor's Children vs. Necrons — Fulgrim goes absolutely feral on turn one, crosses the entire board, and the Necrons win anyway. Read the full battle report here.
  • Recalibrating your instincts — The autopilot moments, the ingress rule surprise, and why the thing that wins you the game is rarely the unit or combo you built your list around
  • Rapid fire observations — the new charge rules, activation economy is a thing, lethality, hidden, and why the "and then" moments are alive and well in 11th

Whether you're here for the hot takes on Force Dispositions or just want to hear Erik chastise his own Grey Knights, this one's for you.

📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog
📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

39 - Thanos-Snapping My 10th Edition Lists: Erik Gets a a Clean Slate for 11th19 juin 202601:10:29

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve dive headfirst into the early days of 11th edition.  Fresh off the MFM drop, deep in terrain mechanics, and (for one of them) staring down a freshly nuked wasteland of 10th Edition lists, the guys approach the discussion from a perspective of "there's a green field of list-building possibilities".

Along the way they cover:

  • The Hidden Mechanic That Isn't — a deep dive into terrain's new Ballistic Skill penalties, the "hidden" rule and why it may not be as good as it looks
  • Run and Gun, Move Shoot Move — how cover changes are about to reward fast, mobile armies, and punish anyone who can't find a re-roll
  • Thanos-Snapping the App — app crashes, the gut-wrenching decision to delete 40 lists, and why starting from a clean slate turned out to be a blessing in disguise
  • Carnival of Excess, Reimagined — Erik breaks down his rebuilt Emperor's Children list and how losing his old lists led him somewhere he never would've gone otherwise
  • Surprise! Steve Built a List — Steve unveils a Votann Death Star list built around Einhyr Hearthguard deep strikes, double Land Fortresses, and a dare to come take his objectives
  • To Infinity and Beyond — Erik's list-building bender reaches an absurd, slightly concerning number and Steve has thoughts

Whether you're rebuilding your own army from scratch, still mourning your favorite 10th edition list, or just want to hear two grown men argue about whether Purge the Foe is actually the best Force Disposition or just the most comfortable.....this one's for you.

Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ | https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

38 - Where's the Beef (List)?: Playing Beefy Armies and Force Disposition Theory12 juin 202601:10:04

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve take a hard left turn from their planned agenda and end up somewhere much more interesting. The cliffhanger from the All-Star Game has been rattling around in Steve's head, Erik has been 3D printing armies at an alarming rate, and somewhere in there "we lost Dad".

Along the way they cover:

  • Pedal-Down Erik Strikes Again — two armies printed and painted in three weeks, a third in progress, and a theory about force dispositions that has already consumed most of his waking hours
  • Where's the Beef (List)? — how a single offhand comment at the All-Star Game unlocked Steve's entire 10th edition play style and why he's been accidentally playing stompy robot armies this whole time
  • The Wonder Mode Manifesto — why the space between editions is the best time to be a 40K player and why both hosts are fully, unashamedly in their feelings about it
  • Force Dispositions: The Good — agency, modularity, different targets for the Nerfing Eye of Sauron, and why "2DP plus 1DP" may be Erik's new favorite term
  • Force Dispositions: The Itchy Parts — deck stacking at the table, potential staleness in tournament play, and 3DP detachments getting counter intuitive Force Dispositions
  • The Army Reveals — three new armies are coming in hot and Steve is already buying paints for a model he doesn't own yet

Whether you're deep in your own 11th edition wonder mode, still processing the end of 10th, or just want to hear two grown men figure out that they've been playing the same list archetype for an entire edition without realizing it.....this one's for you.

Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ | https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

37 - You Had One Job: The Dramatic Conclusion of Our 10th Edition All-Star Game04 juin 202601:20:25

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, the GMPWT 10th Edition All-Star Game gets its dramatic conclusion. The lists are built, the terrain is set, the store owner has been recruited as celebrity dice roller, and absolutely nobody is ready for what the Einhyr Champion is about to do to Steve's blood pressure.

Along the way they cover:

  • Roll For Initiative, Lose For Free — why who was going first felt like a gift to both players and why only one of them was right about that
  • Turn One: Steve the Rhino Hunter — two transports dead, two Deadly Demise rolls courtesy of your guest celebrity roller, and a Winged Hive Tyrant who showed up, looked scary, and then embarrassed everyone involved
  • Bile and the Chosen: Still Not Your Problem Until Suddenly It Is — why Fabius Bile with 10 Chosen in a Rhino is Erik's favorite unit in 10th edition and Steve's least favorite thing to look across the table at
  • You Had One Job — the Einhyr Champion and Steve's endless love/hate relationship with him.
  • The Void Dragon Cleans Up — Cousin Josh's Necron Warriors twiddle their thumbs on their home objective while the C'tan does literally everything
  • MVP and Magnus Awards — the heroes, the zeros, and one very expensive model who functioned primarily as a Distraction Carnifex with better hair
  • The 11th Edition Cliffhanger — Steve's MVPs reveal a pattern and a new army might be on the horizon heading into the new edition

Whether you're here for the dice fails, the end-of-edition nostalgia, or just want to hear a store owner get genuinely invested in two grown men's war dollies.....this one's for you.

Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ | https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

36 - Our 10th Edition All-Star Game29 mai 202600:59:11

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik emerges from his mad science cave with an idea to help Steve with the end-of-edition doldrums. The result is the most creative thing they've attempted yet.....the GMPWT 10th Edition All-Star Game.

The rules are simple. 

  1. Pull from up to three factions within the larger groupings of Imperium, Chaos, and Xenos
  2. Faction 1 units get access to their army rule but no detachments rules, stratagems, or enhancements
  3. Faction 2 units get access to a single detachment's rules, stratagems, and enhancements
  4. Faction 3 units get access to a single wild-card stratagem from any of their detachments. 
  5. Build your team not around what's strongest, but around what has a story. that reminds you of 10th edition. 
  6. Put it all on the table and see what happens.

Along the way they cover:

  • Hold Our Dice, One Last Time — why the end-of-edition doldrums are real, and why the best cure is the silliest possible idea executed with full commitment
  • The All-Star Game Format — how Erik built a three-faction list structure that keeps things competitive, legal, and just chaotic enough to be fun
  • Team Chaos — Fulgrim, Fabius Bile, Cultists with a grudge, and a Knight Rampager with a stratagem that makes him everyone's problem even after he dies
  • Team Imperium — Whoopsie Daisy the Grand Master who cannot make a five-inch charge, Crowe and his Purifiers, and enough tanks to give Steve Ironstorm flashbacks
  • Team Xenos — Necron warriors that refuse to stay dead, dwarves coming out of their box of shame for one last shot at redemption, and Tyranids that all blow up
  • The Dating Show — Steve picks his team live, on mic, and pretends it was a difficult decision

Whether you're in the end-of-edition doldrums, a die-hard fan of models that have Deadly Demise, or just someone who wants to hear two grown men get genuinely enjoy a silly but strangely nostalgic idea.....this one's for you.

Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ | https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

35 - Nobody Told Me the Dice Hit Back: Why We Sign Up for Hard Things, On and Off the Tabletop18 mai 202601:09:46

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik shows up to record still licking his wounds, this time from a rough road race. Only this time his own son quote the podcast back at him like a tiny, devastating life coach.  

Steve is delighted. Erik is not sure how to feel about that.

What follows is an off-the-cuff deep dive into one of the most underrated reasons we play this game in the first place — the test. Not the winning. Not the math hammer. The test and what it says about you.

Along the way they tackle:

  • Hold My Dice — why we voluntarily sign up for hard things.....on the tabletop, behind the mics, and on the pavement
  • The Bags Don't Hit Back — what list hammer and math hammer can't prepare you for and why that's actually the point
  • Dice Gods, Dice Demons — the completely irrational and deeply relatable ritual of switching dice mid-game and blaming the French judge when it still doesn't work
  • Concede or Commit — what a Votann vs. Chaos Knights blowout taught one of us the hard way about why staying in the hard thing is a part of the test
  • The Clock Is Also Your Opponent — time as a resource, a weapon, and an excuse all at once

Whether you've ever switched dice out of pure superstition, rage-conceded on turn three, or just needed someone to remind you that showing up to the starting line is already passing the first test — this one is for you.

Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ | https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

34 - Pantheon of Woe: Population.....Me: Autopsy of a Necrons vs. Ultramarines Collapse14 mai 202601:23:06

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik confesses to a crime against his own hobby — being a grouch for two days because he played poorly in a game that he was playing against himself.

Steve holds it together long enough to let Erik tell the story......Barely.

What follows is a full autopsy of a Necrons vs. Ultramarines battle report that had no business being as close as it was.....until all of the sudden it wasn't close anymore. Erik walks us through every decision point, the impulsive miscalculations, and every moment where the Necrons had the Space Marines exactly where they wanted them before snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Along the way they tackle:

  • Quicksand — why some games don't go wrong all at once but instead feature a slow build up of mistakes that can bury you
  • The CP Economy is Undefeated — one impulsive re-roll and a cascade of consequences that would make an accountant weep
  • Deathmarks: Gone But Not Forgotten — the minor unit that haunted an entire game from the comfort of strategic reserves
  • Split Personality at Its Finest — the unique psychological torment of losing and knowing exactly whose fault it is
  • A formal apology to Cousin Josh — this one's real

Whether you've rage-quit a game, tilted at a tournament, or just love watching a perfectly laid plan unravel one CP at a time, this one is for you.

Formal Battle Report of the game in question: https://gmpwt.blog/2026/05/12/necrons-awakened-dynasty-vs-ultramarines-blade-of-ultramar/

Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

33 - There Is Only War... and Middle Child Syndrome: Sorting Every 40K Faction by Birth Order04 mai 202601:21:11

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve do something they probably should have seen a therapist about first — they apply the science of birth order psychology to the entire Warhammer 40K universe.

The guys break down the stereotypes of oldest, middle, and youngest children and then systematically sort every faction in the game into one of those three buckets. Spoiler alert: some feelings may have been hurt in the making of this episode.

Along the way they tackle:

  • The Big Three — why the Imperium, Chaos, and Xenos super-factions map almost perfectly onto the birth order archetypes, and why it works both in lore AND on the tabletop
  • Daddy's Best Boy — The unambiguous oldest child of 40K and why everyone else is basically wearing their hand-me-downs
  • The Forgotten Middle Children — They're here but didn't think anyone noticed
  • Youngest Child Energy — They're trying so hard to outshine their older siblings while also enjoying (expecting?) being babied by GW.
  • Lore vs. Tabletop — why several factions have a split personality depending on whether you're reading the books or rolling dice
  • A formal apology to Cousin Josh — just kidding, there isn't one

Whether you're a firstborn who color-codes their army list, a middle child who plays Orks while munching on a choice crayon or two, or the youngest who expects GW to buff your faction at every dataslate — this one is for you.

Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

32 - Be Excellent to Each Other: What Learning Age of Sigmar Taught Steve About Faction Identity27 avr. 202601:03:56

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve do something a little different — Steve takes the wheel while Erik rides shotgun, and together they explore what happens when you step completely outside your comfort zone and learn a brand new game from scratch.

While Erik was on away, Steve spent the weekend with Cousin Josh diving headfirst into Age of Sigmar — a game he had never really played before. What started as a casual hobby weekend turned into something surprisingly meaningful. Together they explore:

  • The power of Faction Identity — why understanding what your army wants to do is the first and most important step when learning anything new
  • Macro before Micro — how applying a strategic framework to an unfamiliar game can get you immersed and competitive faster than you'd think
  • Playing with Intent — why being transparent about what you're trying to do makes the game better for everyone at the table, and how it turns every mistake into a learning moment
  • The Joy of Discovery — why the feeling of learning something for the first time is one of the best things about this hobby, and how Steve found it again in the most unexpected place
  • What all of this means for 11th Edition — and why the upcoming rules shake-up might be exactly what we all need

Whether you're feeling burnt out on the current edition, intimidated by a game you've never played, or just needed a reminder of why you fell in love with tabletop gaming in the first place — this one's for you.

Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

31 - Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads: A Crusade League Retrospective and First Look at 11th20 avr. 202601:12:06

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve do something a little different — they look backwards and forwards at the same time, connecting the dots between the past seven months of Erik's Crusade League and the most anticipated edition change in years.

Erik is approaching the finish line of his local game store's Crusade League and has thoughts — a lot of them. Steve, meanwhile, has been deliberately avoiding 11th Edition previews, which means you're getting his completely unfiltered reactions. Together they explore:

  • The Crusade League retrospective — the highs, the lows, and the moment Erik just let go of the rope on all that bookkeeping
  • Why "narrative" and "competitive" have never actually been opposites — and why 11th Edition might finally admit that
  • Detachment mixing and the 3-2-1 point system — game changer or balance whack-a-mole waiting to happen?
  • Force Dispositions — and why Erik and Steve will never have to do the awkward mission chicken dance again (we hope)

Whether you've ever shown up to a casual Crusade game only to discover every unit across from you is a hard counter to your army, argued uncomfortably over the pregame board setup, or just wanted your hobby to feel a little more narrative and balanced - this one's for you.

Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

30 - I'm Terribly Sorry Sir. I'm Afraid You Are Mistaken: Scouting Our Own 40K Mistakes13 avr. 202601:14:09

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve do one of the most uncomfortable things in 40K — they turn the camera on themselves and ask the question: what kind of mistakes do I actually make, and why do I keep making them?

Erik spent the downtime between episodes doing what any self-respecting 40K nerd would do — combing through every battle report he's ever posted and building a full scouting report on himself. What he found wasn't pretty. Steve, meanwhile, discovers that he's been living inside his own set of mistakes without ever naming them. Together they explore:

  • The macro strategy mistake — why building the "meta list" can be the worst thing you do if it fights your natural play style
  • The micro strategy mistake — why the most exciting moment in your turn might also be the one that costs you the game
  • The emotional tells that every player has — and why knowing yours is half the battle
  • Rules mistakes — why they're inevitable, why they sting differently than every other kind, and why the community sometimes loses its mind over them
  • Whether there's ever a good way to resolve a rules dispute when it's just you, your opponent, and a barn full of painted plastic

Whether you've ever rage-rolled into a Repulsor Executioner, burned your entire CP budget on a unit that was already going to win the fight, or found yourself in a tense standoff over whether a rule means what you think it means — this one's for you.

Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

29 - Mo' Models, Mo' Problems: Impulse Buys vs. Going All-In on an Army02 avr. 202601:06:41

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve tackle one of the most common experiences in the Warhammer 40K hobby — the impulse buy — and discover that they couldn't possibly approach it more differently.

Steve is the guy who walks into a GW store for a battle line unit for his current army and walks out with a flashy monster for a faction that he has never played. Erik is the guy who spends months talking himself into a new faction but then goes "all in" to collect the entire army once he is committed. Somewhere in between, they manage to explore:

  • What even is an impulse buy and do you have to be standing in the store for it to count?
  • The good, the bad, and the "I paid to paint an entire army I gave away"
  • How nostalgia and pop culture fuel some of the hobby's best (and worst) financial decisions
  • The impulse that lives inside the game — and why "I choose violence" is a completely valid tactical framework
  • What happens when your impulse collides with everyone else's at the table?

Whether you've ever fallen in love with a model you'll never field, talked yourself into yet another army, or just stood in a GW store knowing full well you're about to make a terrible decision — this one's for you.

Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

28 - No More "And Then.....": Rating 40K Keywords and Abilities on Pure Fun27 mars 202601:22:42

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve do what grown men do best — argue about made-up words on plastic soldiers and ask the question no Warhammer 40K content creator has been serious enough to tackle: are the game's keywords and abilities actually fun?

The guys work their way through the most common keywords and special abilities in the game and rate them on pure enjoyment, covering things like:

  • Does the ability create interesting decisions or memorable moments?
  • Is it fun to use, fun to play against, or neither?
  • Does it add to the drama of the game or just make your brain hurt?

Whether it's the satisfaction of calling the Waaagh! or the soul-crushing experience of watching your opponent Reactive Move out of Charge range, the guys break it all down with the seriousness the topic absolutely deserves.


The full Tier List can be found HERE.


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27 - List Hammer, Math Hammer, Feelings Hammer: The Stages of Grief After a Balance Dataslate14 mars 202601:12:06

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve discuss the community’s negative reaction to a recent Warhammer 40K Balance Dataslate. The conversation frames players’ reactions as a progression thru the steps of: 

  1. “Slate Hammer” - establishing pre-slate expectations that a Dataslate needs to meet to be "good"
  2. "List Hammer" - having fun through list building and optimizing your list through mental reps
  3. "Math Hammer ” - using various resources to calculate and optimize the power of your list into various opponents based on "statically average dice rolls"
  4. Warhammer - actually playing the game where variation comes from various sources: dice variance, Invulnerable Saves, Feel No Pains, Re-rolls, terrain formats, and misunderstood rules 

They encourage assessing your play environment and close by reinforcing the importance of communicating, trying games before doom-spiraling, and experimenting with lists/opponents/terrain.


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26 - We've Forgotten What We're Fighting For: Tempo and Trade vs. Stage and Push in Warhammer 40K26 févr. 202601:01:26

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve discuss being intentional about monitoring the pace of a game of Warhamer 40K.  They share a framework for breaking pacing into two approaches—“tempo and trade”  versus “stage and push.  They then explore how codex rules and lore can nudge armies toward one style while sometimes creating traps or opportunities for the player to slip into autopilot play. They connect tempo awareness to list building, matchup selection for close practice games, and in-game adjustments when an opponent disrupts expected pacing.   They close by framing micro-strategy as a tempo tool and discussing some of their favorite micro tools related to game tempo.


Content Mentioned in this Episode:

Erik's Grey Knights vs Harlequins Battle Report


Check out our blog for more content:

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25 - I Think I C'Tan: Steve vs. Cousin Josh's Pantheon of Woe19 févr. 202601:13:55

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve recap their recent Tabletop Simulator game of Warhammer 40K, where Steve took on Cousin Josh. They talk about how the matchup was setup as a "Steve faces the Boogeyman" where he would play against the current meta menace - Necrons C'Tan spam in Pantheon of Woe.  The guys summarize the game, talk about how Steve stayed composed during the game, and end with an "after action" of the game that names the over-performing and underperforming units from the game.


Check the lists being discussed and weigh in on matchups that you want to see HERE.


Content Mentioned in this Episode:

Tactical Tortoise - TTS Installation and Army Creation

Tactical Tortoise - TTS Tips and Tricks


Check out our blog for more content:

https://gmpwt.blog/

24 - How Our Gorilla Got His Groove Back: Finding Practice Matchups That Make a Good Game13 févr. 202601:09:32

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In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve delve into what constitutes a 'good game' in their Warhammer 40K sessions. They emphasize the importance of immersion, challenge, and long-term strategic value. Erik discusses his writers block with choosing "good" practice matchups for his various army lists, including Blood Angels, Emperor's Children, Harlequins, and Necrons.  Steve then helps him work through it as the guys brainstorm potential matchups to provide a balanced yet challenging experience. They also highlight the role that pre-game communication plays in ensuring that both players gain experience and enjoyment from the game.


Check the lists being discussed and weigh in on matchups that you want to see HERE.


Content Mentioned in this Episode:

Recent Chaos Daemons vs Shadowmark Talon game

Discussing Erik's 40K "Jenny"


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23 - He's a Peacock, You Gotta Let Him Fly!: Steve's Tier List of Warhammer Models with Wings06 févr. 202601:15:15

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Join Erik and Steve from the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast as they dive into an entertaining and detailed discussion about Warhammer models with wings. The episode features a "wing tier list", where Steve passionately evaluates models from various factions based on their aesthetic appeal and painting potential. From angelic figures to terrifying demons, this episode has it all. Whether you're a painting enthusiast or just love Warhammer, this episode offers a fun look into the world of model aesthetics.


The Final Tier List


Content Mentioned in this Episode:

Chaos Primarch Cool or Not Cool

Erik's Winged Daemon Princes

Erik's Fulgrim


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22 - One is a Genius, the Other’s Insane: Why "Competitive vs. Casual" Doesn't Describe 40K29 janv. 202600:58:41

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Join Erik and Steve from the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast as they dive into the ongoing debate within the Warhammer 40K community about "competitive" versus "casual" play. They discuss the two stereotypes and why they don't think they adequately describe the beauty and complexity that is Warhammer 40K. They highlight their own experiences blending competitive and narrative elements in games, emphasize the value of different play styles, and encourage transparency as a way of creating a positive, inclusive environment in the hobby. Lastly, the episode explores how to articulate expectations and find common ground to ensure enjoyable gaming experiences for both players.


Content Mentioned in this Episode:

WarpHammer: "Casual 40K" versus "Competitive 40K"


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21 - Death by Snu Snu: Surviving the Flood of New Detachments and Model Releases21 janv. 202601:04:55

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Join Erik and Steve from the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast as they discuss how to deal with the potentially overwhelming influx of new detachments and model releases in Warhammer 40K recently. Erik shares his mixed feelings about the recent surge in game updates, expressing both excitement and a sense of being overwhelmed. The guys then discuss how they prioritize new model purchases and new detachment choices, how they balance staying competitive without burning out, and explore strategies to manage this "good problem" within the hobby. 


Content Used for Determining Prioritization:

Art of War 40K - January 2026 Update

Art of War 40K - 500 Worlds Space Marines

Art of War 40K - 500 Worlds Necrons

Court of the Phoenician

Serpents Brood

Rage-Cursed Onslaught

Poorhammer New Models and Detachments Review

Poorhammer December Balanced Dataslate Review

Stat Check - Court of the Phoenician

Stat Check - Rage-Cursed Onslaught


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20 - Wax On, Wax Off: Our Six Pillars for Leveling Up in 40K in 202615 janv. 202601:14:18

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Join Erik and Steve from the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast as they talk about their Warhammer 40K goals for 2026.  The guys will define a structure for how they are thinking of improving their Warhammer 40K gameplay. The episode explores six categories of: 

  1. Macro Strategy
  2. Micro Strategy
  3. Flexibility
  4. Tenacity
  5. Positivity
  6. Transparency

They discuss how each category contributes to overall gameplay improvement and how to balance between them. Lastly, they share personal goals and practical tips, emphasizing a blend of strategic planning and enhancing the gaming experience for themselves and their opponents.


Content Mentioned in this Episode:

EC vs GK Battle Report

Sam Pope 40K - Playing By Intent

Sam Pope 40K - 2 Types of 40K IQ


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19 - Guess Who's Back, Nurgle's Back: A Barnhammer Recap and Playing to Your Win Condition10 janv. 202600:57:50

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Join Erik and Steve from the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast as they discuss their recent Barn Hammer session, featuring a variety of Warhammer 40K armies and a pseudo crusade event that they put Cousin Josh through. The guys reflects on key takeaways and the significance of understanding win conditions for your army and the mission being played. They share details from multiple recent games where playing to the "win condition" influenced the outcome of the game and provide insights into how mission dynamics can influence game outcomes. Lastly, they explore the challenges of using niche or skew detachments and how they may be "bad" because of hard to mitigate "lose conditions".


Content Mentioned in this Episode:

I Taught My Peacock to Write a List - Part 1

I Taught My Peacock to Write a List - Part 2

Leagues of Votann vs CSM Battle Report  

Chaos Knights vs Custodes Battle Report

Grey Knights Brotherhood Strike vs Orks War Horde Battle Report

Gauntlet Storyline, Mission Details, and Lists Mentioned in the Episode


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18 - Size Matters Not: A Leagues of Votann After-Action and Our "OP" Framework Stress Test24 déc. 202501:12:19

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Join Erik and Steve from the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast as they reflect on a recent practice game featuring the Leagues of Votann list crafted in prior episodes. The guys delve into a holistic after-action discussion, analyze what worked vs what didn't, and share other lessons learned from the game. They talk about the need to make in-game adjustments based on what the primary mission and/or secondary objectives are and how to do that effectively. Lastly, the episode wraps up with the guys litmus testing their framework for "OP" against some of the more impactful moments of this game to see if it still applies.


Content Mentioned in this Episode:

I Taught My Peacock to Write a List - Part 1

I Taught My Peacock to Write a List - Part 2

Leagues of Votann vs CSM Battle Report  


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17 - The Nerfing Eye of Sauron: Defining "Overpowered" and Testing It Against the December Dataslate17 déc. 202501:26:40

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Join Erik and Steve from the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast as they dive into how they define "overpowered" (or OP) units in Warhammer 40K. The guys will establish rough criteria for how they differentiate OP vs powerful /splashy but not OP vs "The Highway to the Danger Zone" units in the game. They will then analyze the December 2025 Balance Dataslate updates and test their definition against multiple units from the armies they play to see if they correctly predicted what would attract the "Nerfing Eye of Sauron". Lastly, their discussion also covers the potential fixes for overpowered combos, the importance of maintaining faction identity while applying nerfs, and how to be aware of when "those who nerf" may be watching you for the next dataslate. 


Content Mentioned in this Episode:

Art of War 40K Dataslate Review

Vanguard Tactics Dataslate Review 

Stat Check Dataslate Review

Poorhammer Dataslate Review


Erik's Battle Reports  


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16 - I Taught My Peacock to Write a List, Part 2: Optimizing for Play Style and Spending New Points12 déc. 202501:07:50

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Join Erik and Steve from the "Grown Men Playing with Toys" podcast as they dive into the importance of marrying the optimization of a list to different play styles. After receiving listener feedback, the guys discuss the importance of building lists that align with personal gameplay preferences, whether aggressive or defensive, and how that impacts list optimization.  They'll once again use Steve's Leagues of Votann list as an example and, in addition, the guys will go through a set of options on how to spend the recent Balance Dataslate and Munitorum Field Manual points updates.   Lastly, they'll conclude by emphasizing the values of having confidence in one's play strategy and list working together.


Content Mentioned in this Episode:

I Taught My Peacock to Write a List - Part 1

Defining Different Playstyles in 40K

I Taught My Gorilla to Paint

Erik's Battle Reports  


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15 - I Taught My Peacock to Write a List, Part 1: Building a Votann List Around Your Play Style05 déc. 202501:12:06

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In this episode of the Grown Men Playing With Toys podcast, hosts Erik and Steve dive into building a strong foundation for a Warhammer 40K list. They explore how to align your play style with the optimal detachment and units by using Steve's beloved Leagues of Votann faction as an example. Key points include the importance of starting with a familiar play style, focusing on critical strategies and combos, and then evaluating units for their role / efficiency in gameplay. 


Content Mentioned in this Episode:

Stat Check: Episode 163 - Grotmas Featuring Sam Pope

Sam Pope 40K: The 3 Pillars of Competitive 40K

Erik's Battle Reports  


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14 - Command Points, a Codex, and Chores: Balancing 40K Goals with Adulting26 nov. 202501:15:22

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Adulting is hard and life gets busy.....especially if you are a try-hard who gets over-invested in their hobbies like Erik and Steve.

In this episode, the guys will talk about balancing their 40K goals with life's challenges and how they fit it all in.  They'll compare how Steve prepared for his recently completed marathon and how it oddly mirrors Erik's approach for staying current and up to date with Warhammer 40K.   They'll discuss how both activities require a consistent amount of effort, a level of insanity to get into seriously, and not a small amount of time investment to do well.   

Listen in to hear how Erik pulled practiced habits from Steve's running and applied them to get better at 40K, as the guys share how they work dedication to a thing (be it running a marathon or playing toy soldiers competently) into their busy lives, and, most importantly, how they are preparing for the upcoming Winter Barn Hammer Session.   


Content Mentioned in this Episode:

6+++ Podcast - What Are the Hardest Armies to Play in 40K?!

Erik's Battle Reports  


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13 - Bad to the Bone: Cool or Not Cool with the Chaos Leaders13 nov. 202501:23:09

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In this episode, Chaos reigns as the guys play a game of Cool / Not Cool with the various Chaos Primarchs or sub-faction leaders.  They'll talk about about the story arc of each Chaos leader, discuss the ascetics of models (when they exist), and summarize the in game rules and competitiveness of each of the models (when they exist).  


Characters to be discussed include:

  • Horus - Luna Wolves
  • Abaddon (not Primarch but current Warmaster) - Black Legion
  • Lorgar - Word Bearers
  • Perturabo - Iron Warriors
  • Konrad Curze - Night Lords
  • Alpharious / Omegon - Alpha Legion
  • Huron Blackheart (not Primarch) - Red Corsairs
  • Fabius Bile (not Primarch) - Creations of Bile
  • Angron - World Eaters
  • Magnus - Thousand Sons
  • Mortarion - Death Guard
  • Fulgrim - Emperor's Children


Check Out Our Favorite Additional Chaos Propaganda:

Poorhammer Chaos Space Marines Propaganda

Adeptus Ridiculous Episodes:


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12 - Optimizer Prime, Heresy in Disguise: When Optimizing the Hobby Causes Friction06 nov. 202501:11:19

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This is bound to be the most optimal episode as the guys are going to break down the latest subject that they have been bickering about.  Listen in as Erik and Steve talk about how feeling passionate about doing your favorite parts of the hobby "right" can lead to friction and how to be transparent about your need to optimize differing aspects of your 40K experience.  

Topics covered include:

  • Progress update on “I Taught My Gorilla to Paint” blog series
  • Discuss our latest bickerfest over how best to paint Erik's favorite army and our disagreement over what "good enough" means
  • Define what is optimization in 40K
    • Benefits?
    • Friction Points?
    • What are the various areas where people can "optimize"?
    • What do you do "when optimization goes wrong?"


I Taught My Gorilla to Paint:

https://gmpwt.blog/category/i-taught-my-gorilla-to-paint/


Check out our blog for more content:

https://gmpwt.blog/


Engage with us on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/gmpwt25?igsh=NThkeHpmdXp3MXdv&utm_source=qr

11 - I Love It When a Plan Comes Together: How Team 40K Changed Our Approach to the Hobby30 oct. 202501:07:41

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It’s time to talk about team 40K!  In this episode, the guys walkthrough what is the teams 40K format, why they think it is so interesting, and the way it has impacted how they approach the hobby.

Topics covered include:

  • What is Team 40K and how is it different from singles?
  • 8 player vs 5 player teams 40K?
  • How do we win and what is Differential Scoring?
  • How to build a 40K team roster?
  • The pairings process and how it ties to Hitters and Blockers?
  • How do terrain layouts impact the pairings process?
  • What is a matrix and how is it used?
  • How teams 40K has influenced our approach to list building?
  • How teams 40K has influenced how we define "success" in match play?


40K World Team Championships Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/live/-U5JDuidngQ?si=UWEhCBK_1H083S0p

https://www.youtube.com/live/PCmkMqvLa58?si=dv6lsg72IPRv4vBY

https://www.youtube.com/live/u6w9qZXlDGY?si=ZXvxTVVgejV_FGVq

https://www.youtube.com/live/rpJ6-3d2ZgU?si=6h_QmAf8mLn3FBJo


Check out our blog for more content:

https://gmpwt.blog/


Engage with us on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/gmpwt25?igsh=NThkeHpmdXp3MXdv&utm_source=qr


10 - 10 Things I Hate About You: Our 10th Episode Q&A on Making a 40K Podcast26 oct. 202500:57:04

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Time flies when you’re having fun!  This is the 10th episode and the guys are back to answer 10 questions about their podcast.  Listen in to see how they answer and chime in with your wants and ideas for future content.  


10 Questions for the hosts:

1.  What’s been the best part of doing the podcast?

2.  What’s been the worst part?

3.  What would you have done differently?

4.  What do you want to change going forward?

5.  Finish this sentence.  In 6 months, the podcast will be successful if…..

6.  Why are you the particular animal shown on the cover art?

7.  What’s your favorite episode so far?

8.  What are some episodes you want to do in the future?

9.  What’s an episode that we should do that you are dreading?

10.  If you had one “ask” for the listeners, what would it be?


Check out our blog for more content:

https://gmpwt.blog/


Engage with us on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/gmpwt25?igsh=NThkeHpmdXp3MXdv&utm_source=qr



9 - The Thrill of Victory, the Agony of Defeat: Recapping the 2025 Fall Barnhammer Session17 oct. 202501:17:05

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We just finished our fall Barn Hammer session.  Join us as we relive it by talking about who did well, who rode the Struggle Bus, and who was some feelings to talk through.

Share Feedback and Interact with us on our website:  

https://gmpwt.blog/




8 - Houston, We Have a Problem: How Hubris Nearly Cost Erik a Game Against Orks09 oct. 202501:09:32

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It’s story time again.  This time the guys will relive a recent Table Top Simulator (TTS) game that Erik played against Orks and how a combination of his hubris and inattention almost resulted in the game going horribly wrong for him.


Share Feedback and Interact with us on our website:  

https://gmpwt.blog/



7 - Strike First, Strike Hard, No Guilliman!: Finding Your Playstyle02 oct. 202501:15:24

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Join the guys as they discuss play styles and how they can impact how you approach the game.  Are you a Big Hitter swinging aggressively or an uber defensive blocker?  Tune in to find out. 


Share Feedback and Interact with us on our website:  

https://gmpwt.blog/


6 - Friends Don’t Make Friends Play T'au: Erik's Reluctant T'au Game Recap25 sept. 202501:05:32

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Steve is a bad person who makes his friends play T'au for his entertainment.  Join the guys as Steve revels in Erik's suffering  and they collectively relive the game.  Spoiler alert, maybe Erik didn't hate it completely? 


Share Feedback and Interact with us on our website:  

https://gmpwt.blog/


T'au Content Mentioned:

https://youtu.be/UsWdMuY3Aqg?si=M6Bx-aiBw6f1HhnK

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/art-of-war-the-competitive-40k-network/id1592144900?i=1000716830997

5 - What is Love? 40K Don't Hurt Me: A Game of "Yes, No, Maybe So" on All Aspects of the 40K Experience18 sept. 202501:06:07

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In this episode, Erik and Steve discuss play a game of "Yes, No, Maybe So" as a way to explore the various aspects of the Warhammer experience.  They'll make light of how differently each approaches Warhammer and tease each other for the areas that they take too seriously (or not serious enough).  There may even be a "that guy" story or two. 


Share Feedback and Interact with us on our website:  

https://gmpwt.blog/


Erik's Favorite Content:

WarGames Live: 

https://www.youtube.com/@WarGamesLive


Poorhammer Podcast: 

http://www.youtube.com/@thepoorhammerpodcast


That 6++ Podcast: 

http://www.youtube.com/@6PlusPlusGaming


Stat Check: 

http://www.youtube.com/@StatCheck


Adeptus Ridiculous: 

http://www.youtube.com/@Adeptusridiculous


The Art of War 40K: 

http://www.youtube.com/@ArtofWar40k


Forge the Narrative: 

http://www.youtube.com/@forgethenarrative


Warhammer Meta Chasers: 

http://www.youtube.com/@warhammermetachasers


The Vanguard Tactics Podcast: 


4 - Silly Necrons. Tricks are for Aeldari!: Our First Experiences in 40K11 sept. 202500:49:39

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In this episode, Erik and Steve discuss their first experiences in Warhammer 40K.  They relive the good, the bad, and the Aeldari and talk about what about those experiences stuck with them. Lastly, they discuss why they both had such different experiences joining a Warhammer group.


Share Feedback and Interact with us on our website:  

https://gmpwt.blog/


Content used in this episode:

Vanguard Tactics - The Limits of Sportsmanship in Warhammer: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-limits-of-sportsmanship-in-warhammer-40k/id1447379449?i=1000603044582




© My Podcast Data · Independent project · Data from Apple & Spotify