Grown Men Playing with Toys

41 - Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho: Barnhammer's First Taste of 11th Edition

Grown Men Playing with Toys

Show Notes

Send us Fan Mail Erik is back from vacation to find that Barnhammer has been played without him. He's definitely not feeling jealous, FOMO, or left out and DEFINITELY is not punishing Steve for organizing it without him by making Steve lead the episode as a result. Along the way they cover: Barnhammer 11th Edition recap — first impressions from the play group, why the missions kept every game close, and what it felt like to finally get 11th on the table with friendsSteve's surprise Vota...

More from Grown Men Playing with Toys

Oct 19, 2026

Send us Fan Mail The last balance update dropped Necrons Canoptek Court to 2 Detachment Points and Cousin Josh was ready to celebrate. Erik saw it and called it fool’s gold before the ink was dry on the update. The guys use that disagreement as a case study in how to stress-test a list before you fall in love with it and why knowing your lose condition matters just as much as knowing your win condition. Along the way they cover: Two DP, two opinions — why Josh and Steve saw new detachment pai...

Oct 5, 2026

Send us Fan Mail The Space Marine codex is here and Erik is more excited than he's been about anything not named Emperor's Children. With Cousin Josh along for the ride, the guys dig into how swapping Oath of Moment for combat doctrines changes the way Erik builds and plays his Space Marines' lists, as well as what he is worried that his opponent will do to counter those lists. Along the way they cover: Tops down list building — Erik walks through how he starts list building with a play style...

Sep 27, 2026

Send us Fan Mail Erik opens with a feeling of the day that turns Steve's stomach. With the Orks codex out, Space Marines days away, Custodes about to be on preorder, and balance updates coming fast, 11th Edition feels like the top of a rollercoaster's first hill. The guys dig into why 15-detachment codexes and rapid balancing can cause analysis paralysis and how to get your footing back, both as the player and as the opponent across the table. Along the way they cover: The Ork paralysis prob...

Sep 21, 2026

Send us Fan Mail Cousin Josh joins Erik and Steve for a full hobby episode on the painting side of 40K. Erik sits at the assembly-line extreme, Steve at the masterpiece extreme, and Josh in the middle, where the guys hypothesize that most of the community lives. Walking through their process step by step, they find that how you paint depends less on skill than on what you think the point of the hobby is. Along the way they cover: Michelangelo vs. the assembly line: Erik frames the three appro...

Sep 14, 2026

Send us Fan Mail Cousin Josh joins Erik and Steve again as they break down a game between Erik and his oldest son that turns into a masterclass on underdog strategy. Erik's son, fully back into 11th Edition, decides he can't beat his dad's Custodes in a straight fight, so he doesn't try. Instead, he turns the game into a race to 100 points, trades units for board position instead of value, and nearly pulls off the upset. The guys turn it into a full discussion of playing as the underdog versu...

See all episodes →