In the Finest Hour Podcast

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.