Ep47: Deployment

Some games can be won or lost practically before they even begin- not by the army lists, but in mistakes (or strategic plays) during deployment. Deployment dictates how the whole rest of the game will play out and for the canny player, it offers opportunities to bait the enemy into following your plan even before the first turn happens. In this episode, we talk about some of the common mistakes we see during deployment, as well as ways to avoid them and the big considerations you should be thinking about when putting your units down. Can I get Seized on? Should my units go on the line? Do I concentrate everything in one area, or spread out? What factors during deployment will affect whether I pick first or second turn, and how should my deployments change when doing so? It's a subject with a lot of meat on its bones, and we do our best to dig in deep.

Ep46: Non-Tournament Practice

Playing at tournaments is an ideal way to practice and improve your 40K skills, but what about when you're stuck in non-ideal situations? This week our three hosts talk about ways to get better at the game when you don't have that option- for example, if you are confined to your house due to pandemic, locked inside due to murderous clowns, or if it turns out that the floor outside is lava. We talk about deployment practice, studying battle reports, doing your homework, and other fun and interesting things that normal people spend their free time on as well as multitudes of other ways to while away the hours when you have nothing better to do. Stay safe out there, wargamers.

Ep45: Move Blocking

One of the things we take for granted in 40K is the ability to move around the battlefield- you can move your units wherever you'd like, within the limits of their range. Being able to selectively deny the enemy that freedom is a powerful tool, and one that can completely change the course of a game when used right, whether by ensuring control of objectives, denying charges, or keeping the enemy boxed up in their deployment zone. In this episode, we talk about the ways you can block your opponent's movement- what units to use, where and when to do it, and even how to control units with Fly or similar abilities that may seem like these strategies might not work on. And, of course, we also look at ways to counter your opponent's move-blocking, as well as how to use it in phases apart from the movement phase and how it differs from similar strategies such as screening or reserve-blocking.

Ep44: Playing Other Armies

When we start out playing 40K, most players will experiment a bit before finding a faction they like and settling into that, mostly building armies for that faction, perhaps spiced with a bit of allies. But what about moving beyond your home faction? In this episode, we talk about why expanding your experience with armies outside your norm can not only help you grow your knowledge of the game but also grow as a player and be better-prepared in general.

We also talk about how to choose your new faction, since not all armies are created equal, and how to get the most out of bringing it to events or practice games as well as ways to avoid burnout and tricks for getting the most out of your games.

Ep43: Things Bad Players Say

Let's be frank here: there are some players out there who never really seem to get any better at the game, no matter how much they play or which army they switch to. They're the guys who are constantly complaining about how bad their luck is, how OP everyone else's army is, how they just needed to make one charge, and so on and on and on. These aren't "bad players" because they lack skill at the game, they're bad because they refuse to learn and because they've put up mental blocks for themselves that prevent them from being able to confront their failures.

In this episode, we discuss some of the most common versions of these mental blocks that we see, why they can hold you back in your growth as a competitive player, and how you can learn to move past them. Also featuring special voice appearances from the members of our Patreon group!

Ep42: Jargon

40K, like every hobby, is filled with jargon- backfield, alpha strike, WAAC, wysiwyg, mech, soup, etc, etc. Why do we use terms like this- it is just to confuse outsiders to the hobby, or does it serve some real purpose in communication? In this episode, we talk about the reasons jargon exists as well as some of the terminology and shorthand you're likely to encounter in the hobby, touching on a number of the most common ones as well as our mutual (or sometimes not) understandings of their meaning.

Ep41: Assessing Mission Packs

We are back! After a bit of a hiatus, Finest Hour is up and recording new episodes again, now with our brand-new cohost Ben Jurek. We dive right back into the thick of things, talking about how to approach a mission pack that you're unfamiliar with- what to look out for before the tournament when writing your list as well as little things to keep an eye on during your games as well as some of the gotchas that we find often ambush players who aren't careful enough.

In the second half of the episode we also talk about the new ITC mission packs for the 2020 season in particular, taking the things we've learned from the first part and applying them specifically to the new missions as well as hitting the highlights of what has changed in the new format and what we think the biggest shifts in the missions will be in terms of affecting the meta.

Ep 40: Goalmaking

Joined by special guests Eleanor Byler and Jeffrey Hanson, Shaylynn leads a discussion about the tool of goal making, achieving, and failing process and how it relates to your growth as a 40k player. Using examples and inspiration from outside sources- you get to see more about the struggle of goals and why struggle is necessary and important part of the goal making process. 

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You can find out more about DOTS RPG here.

Music: Dankmus
Art: Rylan Woodrow
Our Patreon: In the Finest Hour
Website: https://www.inthefinesthour.com/
Directed by: Sean Morgan
Edited by: Shaylynn Allen

Ep39: The Hunter

The Hunter has, up until now, gotten a very bad rap- possibly because it was in fact a bad vehicle. However, with the update to the Space Marine codex and the addition of many new rules, a lot of possibilities have opened up for it and we're seeing more Marine players look to take advantage of the things the chassis can bring. In this episode, Josh talks about why he chose the Hunter for his list, how it helped him get the 5th place finish, and why other players looking to Space Marines might want to consider using it- because certainly, he's not the only one eyeing the Hunter.

Ep38: The Allies Debate

Are allies a good thing, or not? This week on the show, we do something a little different- Shaylynn and Josh go head-to-head in a discussion about how allies affect the game as well as influence GW's game design philosophies, the internal balance of codices, and more. With Sean morderating, both of them stake out a position and go at it, and only one can be victorious! (Just kidding, it's actually very civil and nuanced discussion on the matter.)