In the Finest Hour Podcast

Ep: 27.5 Cross-Talk #02- Running Your First Event (Part 1 of 2)

Eleanor returns!

And with her is the conundrum of running your first event (an RTT) and a total unawareness of the pitfalls and tricks needed to be successful. Thankfully Shaylynn is the Head TO of the Razor Valley Tournament Series out of Corvallis, OR and has already dealt with this conundrum many a time. Knowledge is shared and nuisances are discussed. (Also Shaylynn was super sleepy which is why she gets a tad bit repetitive). 

Episode Music: Dankmus
Icon Artist: Rylan Woodrow
Sponsored by: Mindtaker Miniatures
Our Patreon: In the Finest Hour
Website: https://www.inthefinesthour.com/
Directed by: Eleanor Byler
Edited by: Shaylynn Allen

Ep31: Heroic Interventions

We get real specific this time as we buckle down and talk about just one singular rule from the core book and its implications- but one that a lot of players misunderstand, and a rule that a lot of people don't take advantage of (or get caught by.) Heroic Intervention is a rule that didn't really exist in previous editions, so even veterans of the game can get caught off guard by it, but at its core it's actually a very simple rule. That doesn't mean it's an unimportant one, however, as it has myriad applications across a variety of different armies.

The hosts talk about the many ways you can use heroic interventions- whether simply joining a combat or bypassing overwatch, or more esoteric applications such as controlling sections of the board, dictating movement, or even escaping from fights you want to avoid. We look at when and how it activates, when to use it and when not to, and even who gets access to it- a broader swath of models than you might think! Even armies like Tau can make good use of heroic interventions, so it's not a topic to be ignored by any general.

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

Ep30: List Archetype: Ork Horde

When it comes to horde armies, you're hard-pressed to find one more powerful and influential on the meta these days than Orks. Armed with a plethora of special rules from their many powerful characters (not to mention the many built-in abilities they have), Orks are a threat in all phases of the game and their aggressive pricing along with their excellent stratagems can be a danger to virtually any army in virtually any format.

They are not, however, unbeatable, and this week we take a look at the many factors that make them so strong and how they are likely to be used in a "typical" Ork army as well as what you can do to mitigate them. From baiting stratagems to managing morale to engaging in combat, there are a large number of tricks you can use to make the fight a lot easier; we also talk about the importance of their characters, high-priority secondaries in ITC, and the proper time to call a Waagh at a tournament.

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

Ep29: Mathhammer

"Everyone talks about, math, but no one ever seems to do anything about it."

There's a lot of misconceptions about mathhammer that tend to float around, whether it's not understanding how statistics work and how to apply them, or misusing math and statistics beyond their purposes or even simply distrust of the whole idea of using them in the game because "that's not how my dice roll" or "well, might roll less/more than that." So in this episode, we take sometime to clear up a few of these misconceptions.

Of course, if you're math-phobic, you might find this am intimidating topic, but rest assured- you won't get any lectures about exes squared or sums over integers in this podcast; instead, we look at how to apply the math and what it means for you as a general, rather than worrying so much about the practice of it. Indeed, why do out all yourself if you have tools that  can handle the number-crunching for you? As a bonus feature to go with the show, here are a couple of my favorites:

https://www.mathhammer8thed.com/

https://mathhammer.thefieldsofblood.com/

Ep 28.5: Gentlemen's GT Hottake

Exhausted Shaylynns are very slow on hottake editing occasionally. This is a view into the on-floor experience of the Gentlemen's GT. This episode was recorded after the ending of the event (again due to tiredness). 

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

Ep 28.5: Hooded Goblin Hottake

Exhausted Shaylynns are very slow on hottake editing occasionally. This is a view into the on-floor experience of the Hooded Goblin GT.

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

Ep28: Attacker or Defender

It's not 4th Edition anymore, so missions no longer have a formally-declared "attacker" or "defender", but the struggle is still real- which one are you? Identifying your role during a game is paramount, as it determines whether you need to play aggressively or try to conserve your forces, whether you need to hedge your bets or swing wide, whether you need to aim for the long game or try to blow the opponent out before they can do anything. Misassessing your role can lead to an ignomious defeat, so you want to make sure to know which side of the fence you're on during games.

In this episode, we look at what the attacker and defender roles mean, how to tell which you are, and when the roles can reverse themselves (as well as what to do when that happens.) We talk about the tactical and strategic implications of being on both sides and give some specific examples of different matchups and how to explain each of them within this framework.

Plus, standing in for Josh this episode we have a very special guest, Justin Whitton of the Northwest Mercs. We also have the first of our Patreon-exclusive episodes up, an interview with some TOs with tips for running your first event; this special episode will eventually be posted for public listening, but supporters of the podcast get it ahead of time as a special bonus.

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

Ep27: Playing Fast

Winning games is, of course, important if you're playing competitively, but before you get to that stage there's something else that you need to do- finish your games. 8th Edition tends to be significantly slower to play than previous iterations of the game and a lot of players are struggling to complete six turns these days, even to the point that tournaments have had to institute time policies. How do you dodge the enforcement on that sort of thing without finding yourself too rushed and making mistakes? These week, our hosts give you the strategies and tips you need to speed up your games while still maintaining quality play.

We talk about direct physical aids such as time clocks, of course, but also other tools you can use to speed things up such as measuring devices, trays, and more. We also discuss mental tools you can use to speed your play as well as ways to help you allocate the time you have more efficiently. Plus, a few asides on the worst time-wasting habits that we see in tournament players and why you should avoid them at all costs. If you're looking for a timely episode on a timely subject, look no further!

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

Ep26: Archetypes- Knights

Big, stompy robots; ever since the edition began, way back when we were still just little bitty babbies playing with the indices, Knights have been a boogeyman for players of all sorts, and following their codex release they have been a legitimate competitor on the tournament scene. But what is it that makes Knights so strong? In this episode, we go over the basics of a Knight army- be it pure Knights or the much more common mixed version that includes support from other Imperial factions. We talk about their options and stratagems that you should be aware of as well as some of the most common variants you'll see and why people run them.

More importantly, though, we talk about the weaknesses of the Knight list and how you can prepare yourself to beat them, focusing especially on their performance in ITC missions. From keeping pace with them on the primary to taking advantage of their tendency to bleed secondary points, we discuss the ways in which you can easily out-score a Knight army and even look to methods to wipe them off the table entirely if the situation permits. Being a hundred feet tall has its advantages, but it does make it miiiiiiiiiighty difficult to reach all the way down to the ground and tag Home Base, after all.

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

Ep25: Playing From Behind

We'd all rather win games than lose them, but sometimes things don't go as smoothly as we want. So how do you keep in when things start to go south, and how do you recover from mistakes or bad dice? This week In the Finest Hour looks at playing from a losing position and how you can maximize your score as well as your chances of pulling out that victory.

 

We also look at how to handle bad matchups, risk assessment, how to shift your priorities and playstyle, and more in this underdog episode.