Preferred Enemies

It's time for a narrative review double-header! As the end of Tenth Edition draws closer, Games Workshop is rolling out narrative sets to highlight some of the hotspots in the galaxy, and in this episode, we look at the first two releases. In part one, we delve into the 500 Worlds set, featuring the Ultramarines trying to reclaim the lost worlds of Ultramar, as well as a sprawling map-based campaign system. Does this sector-wide campaign system scratch the itch for high-level strategic play, or is it too complex for the average group? Then, in part two, we dive headfirst into The Maelstrom, home of the pirate tyrant Huron Blackheart and his Red Corsairs. How does its notoriety-focus campaign compare to the 500 Worlds system? And does the Crucible of Champions answer all our prayers for opening up a toybox of character options? Listen to find out! Midwest Conquest 2026: https://www.midwestconquest.com Arbitor Ian's The Badab War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_lqsI04Q6w Support Preferred Enemies on P

In this episode, we wrap up our Faction Focus series with a look at the various forces of the Imperium. Well, all the ones that aren't Space Marines. Well, maybe one force that is made up of Space Marines, as a treat. From the most elite genetically modified super-soldiers, to religious zealots of various stripes, to the rank-and-file soldiers in the trenches, we cover the various forces that defend the Imperium from threats without and within. Bodyguards, nuns, robots, hobbits - there's something here for everyone in the mish-mash that is the Imperium of Man. Is there something for you? Listen to find out! Support Preferred Enemies on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PreferredEnemies Buy Preferred Enemies merch: https://www.preferredenemies.com/merch Preferred Enemies on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/preferredenemies.com Music: "The Whip" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your

Continuing with our Faction Focus series, we move from the forces of Chaos to the various non-human species that populate the galaxy of the 41st millennium. From ancient robot empires to newly-arrived hungry hive minds, from ascetic space elves to capitalist space dwarves, from coalition-building technophiles to brutal and cunning green mobs, the Warhammer 40K universe is full of weird, fantastic, and terrifying aliens, all of which are playable on the tabletop. What are those factions like, what's their lore, and how does it play on the table? Listen to find out! Support Preferred Enemies on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreferredEnemies Buy Preferred Enemies merch: https://www.preferredenemies.com/merch Preferred Enemies on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/preferredenemies.com Music: "The Whip" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adcho

Our Faction Focus series continues as we take a look at the forces of Chaos. From the four Chaos Gods themselves, to the Space Marines that turned traitor in their service, it's spikey and evil all the way down. What do the Chaos Gods want? How do the Chaos Marines differ from their loyalist brothers? Which Legion has the most tragic backstory, and which ones absolutely don't? And how many forces can you combine into one ravening horde? In this episode, we examine the lore and the mechanics of all 9 traitor legions, as well as some mechanical and daemonic counterparts that have joined them in the Long War. Support Preferred Enemies on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PreferredEnemies Buy Preferred Enemies merch: https://www.preferredenemies.com/merch Preferred Enemies on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/preferredenemies.com Music: "The Whip" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your a

It's time to kick off our Faction Focus series with a look at the most iconic force in Warhammer 40,000 - the Space Marines. If you've seen anything about Warhammer, you're probably familiar with Space Marines, but what exactly are they? Where do they come from, lore-wise? Why are they the most well-rounded force in the game? And how many different armies are built off of the framework of one codex? In this episode, we take a look at the history, the gameplay styles, and the various variants of the Adeptus Astartes. Also, a brief discussion of the World Championships Warhammer preview, and the different experiences those of us at home had compared to those of us at the event in person. Links: Arbitor Ian on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArbitorIan Support Preferred Enemies on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreferredEnemies Buy Preferred Enemies merch: https://www.preferredenemies.com/merch Preferred Enemies on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/preferredenemies.com Music: "The Whip" Kevin M

The lords of war have led their factions, the stories are told, the armies are packed away - and now it's time for our coverage! Kevin and Dennis were at the Warhammer 40K Grand Narrative in Atlanta, and they've got their own tales to tell. For the first time, they're both on the same side, playing the same faction, and in the same battle group. Listen to our hosts' tales from Battlegroup 16 as they take their Leagues of Votann armies across the webway to various battlefields, get into discussions of logic versus faith, face off against some tabletop titans, and learn the hazards of finishing an army without doing any playthroughs first! Links: Tabletop Titans on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-3TjY277uBsBl8VU8C4nqw Draco Mac - Deathwatch Armor maker - https://www.instagram.com/draco_mac/ Rachel Strouhal - The Vessel - https://www.instagram.com/rachel_paints_minis/ Dave Gormley - Best Theme Winner - https://www.instagram.com/grinnialvex/ Douglas Dunn - Khornecorn Army - https://www.instagram.com

It's a new era for the show, and that means it's a good time to talk about getting started! In this episode, Rob and Kevin discuss getting started in the Warhammer 40,000 hobby. We walk you through tips on everything from where to find your inspiration, how to go about picking an army, ways to buy that army you just chose, and getting those first games in, as well as a bit of hobby advice for first-time miniature builders and painters. If you or someone you know has been thinking about getting into the Warhammer 40K gaming hobby, think of this as a general guide on how to get started from scratch! Preferred Enemies on Patreon Preferred Enemies Merch Store Preferred Enemies on BlueSky Music: "The Whip" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s been a lot of new releases and announcements since our look at characters, so it’s time to catch up with the updates! First off, we’ve got a big announcement for the podcast that should be a sign of great things to come. Then, we dive into the seven new holiday battleforces announced, and examine which are good buys and which will probably sit on shelves. After that, a look at the various Space Marine characters released, including the latest version of Marneus Calgar. Finally, we look at the new Faction Pack releases and see what GW has done right with this digital initiative, and what they could improve upon. Link: Pickaxe Network Support Us: Preferred Enemies on Patreon Theme: Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/II ‘No Need to Reload’ by RoeTaKa, courtesy of OCRemix. The post Episode 337: Catching Up with 40K Updates first appeared on Preferred Enemies - A Warhammer 40K Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If there’s one thing that Warhammer 40,000 is loaded with, it’s unique characters who are often pivotal to the story. But how have those characters been reflected on the tabletop? In this episode, inspired by the new Warhammer 40,000 Character Encyclopedia, we dive into all things character-related! In part one, we look back at the history for rules for characters, especially special named characters from Rogue Trader through 10th Edition. Then, in part two, we look into the Encyclopedia and each pick five of our favorite characters. Come join us as we pick through 38 years of rules, discover some interesting bits of lore, and maybe even learn a new word or two! Thank you to DK Books for sending us a copy of the Character Encyclopedia for review! Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on Patreon Sponsor: KR Multicase Sponsor: GameMat.eu Theme: Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/II ‘No Need to Reload’ by RoeTaKa, courtesy of OCRemix. The post Episode 336: The History of Characters and the Character Encyclopedia first app

The time is finally upon us – the final codex (or at least, the last index to become a codex) of 10th Edition is here! In this episode, we delve into the new Drukhari codex, to see what the dark spiky cousins of the Aeldari are bringing in their new book. How is Power from Pain getting reworked? Who made the cut into the codex and who didn’t? Why did every single unit get an update? And which detachments bring their particularly poisonous flavor to the tabletop? Also, we delve into the most recent balance dataslate and see who got the biggest buffs and nerfs this time around. Thank you to Games Workshop for providing copies of the codex and miniatures to review! Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on Patreon Sponsor: KR Multicase Sponsor: GameMat.eu Theme: Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/II ‘No Need to Reload’ by RoeTaKa, courtesy of OCRemix. #AdWIP #New40k #WarhammerCommunity The post Episode 335: 10th Edition Drukhari first appeared on Preferred Enemies - A Warhammer 40K Podcast. Learn more about your ad choice

It’s time to talk narrative events again! This year, we’re joined by two guests – narrative loremasters Chris Stover and Rachel Strouhal. Both have been involved in multiple narrative events over the years, including the NoVA Open Narrative and the Warhammer 40,000 Grand Narrative, where you may have seen them on Warhammer Community. In this episode, Kevin and Dennis chat with them about how they got involved in narrative events, the differences between narrative and competitive play, cosplaying for narrative events, how narrative events can help grow the hobby scene, and their upcoming Stella Solataris narrative event in Dallas! Link: Stella Solataris Loremasters 40K Narrative Link: Rachel Paints Minis on Instagram Link: Sensei Swag Mini Art Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on Patreon Sponsor: KR Multicase Sponsor: GameMat.eu Theme: Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/II ‘No Need to Reload’ by RoeTaKa, courtesy of OCRemix. The post Episode 334: Narrative Play 2 with Chris and Rachel first appeared on Preferred Enem

We’ve covered the spiky evil giant stompy robots of the Chaos Knights a few episodes ago, and so now it’s time for their less-spiky loyalist cousins, the Imperial Knights! We delve into the new codex, examine the changes between it and the index, and talk through the new detachments included. Did they somehow make Code Chivalric even better? Does the Knight Defender do what it says on the tin? Did they tone down the most pushed knights? Is it worth it to fight over a line in the sand? And can this book make people who don’t care for knights want to play them? Also, we make a brief dive into Kill Team as Rob reviews the new Tomb World box! Thank you to Games Workshop for providing copies of the codex and miniatures to review! Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on Patreon Sponsor: KR Multicase Sponsor: GameMat.eu Theme: Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/II ‘No Need to Reload’ by RoeTaKa, courtesy of OCRemix. #AdWIP #New40k #WarhammerCommunity The post Episode 333: 10th Edition Imperial Knights first appeared on Pref

We are two years into 10th Edition, and it’s time for our yearly scoring of how the game is delivering on various promises. With 12 more codexes, 2 more narrative campaign books, a new tournament mission pack, 30 extra detachments, and 4 quarterly balance updates released since last time, there’s a lot of change. Has the game continued on a solid trajectory? Is faction balance still steady? Is the game’s streamlining delivering the increased ease and speed of play? Has codex quality been solid, or are we still seeing power and quality discrepancies? And is the game accessible, both to new players and to veteran wargamers? Let’s break it down and find out! Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on Patreon Sponsor: KR Multicase Sponsor: GameMat.eu Theme: Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/II ‘No Need to Reload’ by RoeTaKa, courtesy of OCRemix. The post Episode 332: Tenth Edition’s Second-Year Gradecard first appeared on Preferred Enemies - A Warhammer 40K Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/

We may be down two hosts, but that doesn’t mean we’re coming up short this episode – it’s time to delve deep into the new Leagues of Votann codex! In part one, we look at the new Votann models and dig into the updated lore of the Kin. Then, in part two, we look at the completely reworked army rule and all the datasheets to see what’s changed in what the Votann models do on the tabletop. Finally, in part three, we examine the codex’s five detachments. How do Yield Points play in a way that Judgement tokens did not? How will those new tallboy Ironkin play on the tabletop? And is there any reason to play the Grotmas detachment anymore? Listen to find out! Thank you to Games Workshop for providing copies of the new codex and models for review! Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on YouTube Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on Patreon Sponsor: Preferred Enemies Merch Store Theme: Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/II ‘No Need to Reload’ by RoeTaKa, courtesy of OCRemix. #AdWIP #New40k #WarhammerCommunity The post Episode 331: 10

Not one, not two, but three things to discuss! First off, we talk about the latest Summer previews, including the surprise Votann drops and the new Space Marine characters and combat patrols. Then, it’s off to the first of two codex reviews with a look at the new Black Templars codex supplement. How do these overly zealous crusaders fare in this new book? Which of the new Templar Vows are worth taking? Why are there so many repeat datasheets? And who blobs up better – Black Templars or World Eaters? Finally, we look at the second codex – the Grey Knights! What is the dark secret of the Sons of Titan? Are their teleporting shenanigans still on point? Have they gone from defense to offense? And where is Kaldor Draigo, anyway? Listen and find out! Thank you to Games Workshop for providing copies of the new codexes for review! Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on YouTube Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on Patreon Sponsor: Preferred Enemies Merch Store Theme: Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/II ‘No Need to Reload’ by RoeTa

It’s time to finish catching up with all the things we’ve put off due to Midwest Conquest and multiple new codexes, so as promised, it’s time for our look at Crusade: Armageddon – but that’s not all! In part one, we dive into the balance dataslate, points updates, and new detachments released both before _and_ after the Chaos Knights codex. Will the Lord Discordant finally make it back onto the tabletop? Are T’au finally fixed? Did GW go too far with the Knight updates? Then, in part two, we examine Crusade: Armageddon from both narrative and gameplay viewpoints. Does the Imperium get a win for once? How many mechanics can you layer on top of a mission? And does this book contain the least-readable Crusade chart yet? Listen to find out! Link: Arbitor Ian’s Coverage of the Fourth War of Armageddon Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on YouTube Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on Patreon Sponsor: Preferred Enemies Merch Store Theme: Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/II ‘No Need to Reload’ by RoeTaKa, courtesy of OCRemix. The

The Year of Chaos continues, and this installment stomps in with giant robotic feet! In this episode, we take a look at the new Chaos Knights codex. In the past, we’ve been pretty firm that Knights aren’t the most fun army to play against, and Chaos Knights in particular have been pretty one-note with the “Oops, All War-Dogs” build. Does this new codex address these issues? Are the big spiky knights making a comeback? Are the War Dog players left in the cold? And how will it feel to play against this army of evil metal giants? Listen to find out! Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on YouTube Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on Patreon Sponsor: Preferred Enemies Merch Store Theme: Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/II ‘No Need to Reload’ by RoeTaKa, courtesy of OCRemix. The post Episode 328: 10th Edition Chaos Knights first appeared on Preferred Enemies - A Warhammer 40K Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Another year, and another Midwest Conquest is in the books! Like last year, Kevin and Dennis ran the Narrative event, and this time it’s bigger than before. Escalating game sizes, heroic and villainous tracks, assist characters – listen to find out how they ran the event, and what Rob’s experience was like playing in it. Also, we discuss the winners of the 40K GT, the painting competition, the results of the army raffle, and our Friday Preferred Enemies host games! Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on YouTube Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on Patreon Theme: Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/II ‘No Need to Reload’ by RoeTaKa, courtesy of OCRemix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The release schedule is fast and furious now, just like the army we’re looking at today! In this episode, we dive into the new Space Wolves codex supplement. The viking-themed fighters from Fenris return, and we take a look at how well they’ve managed the conversion from index to codex. Did they finally get sagas right? Are the new Space Wolf terminators worthy of the tabletop? Are Wulfen swinging for the fences again? And how much difference does a chapter keyword make? We discuss this and more! Also, a look at the new Chapter Approved mission deck, with its anticipated Asymmetric missions and Challenger cards. Thank you to Games Workshop for providing us a preview copy of the new book and mission deck! Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on YouTube Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on Patreon Theme: Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/II ‘No Need to Reload’ by RoeTaKa, courtesy of OCRemix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just as planned, the last of the four god-specific legions has made their appearance! In this episode, we delve into the new 10th edition codex for the Thousand Sons, the masters of chaotic magic. In an edition where psychic powers aren’t really a thing, how has Games Workshop made a psychic army function? How will the new version of Cabal of Sorcerers change things up for Thousand Sons players? Are Sekhetar Robots the new hotness, or an odd add-on? How do daemons play in the new book? And which detachments do we see having the most potential? And did Magnus, in fact, do anything wrong? Listen to find out! Thank you to Games Workshop for providing us preview copies of the new book and battleforce! Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on YouTube Sponsor: Preferred Enemies on Patreon Theme: Metal Slug 2: Super Vehicle-001/II ‘No Need to Reload’ by RoeTaKa, courtesy of OCRemix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices