Grown Men Playing with Toys

35 - Nobody Told Me the Dice Hit Back

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2528461/fan_mail/new] 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 -except this time his own son quoted 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://gmpwt.blog/] | https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys [https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys]

34 - Pantheon of Woe: Population.....Me

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2528461/fan_mail/new] 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/ [https://gmpwt.blog/2026/05/12/necrons-awakened-dynasty-vs-ultramarines-blade-of-ultramar/] Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ [https://gmpwt.blog/] https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys [https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys]

33 - There Is Only War... and Middle Child Syndrome

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2528461/fan_mail/new] 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://gmpwt.blog/] https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys [https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys]

32 - Be Excellent to Each Other

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2528461/fan_mail/new] 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://gmpwt.blog/] https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys [https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys]

31 - Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2528461/fan_mail/new] 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://gmpwt.blog/] https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys [https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys]