Grown Men Playing with Toys

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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