Preferred Enemies - A Warhammer 40K Podcast

11th Edition is almost here, with less than a week before its official release! In this episode, we discuss the releases in the last two weeks, including the core rules, the faction packs, and the event guides. We delve into what's included, what's still missing, the first pre-launch errata, and our thoughts on the app-centric nature of the new edition. 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 ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We now know what's in the box! The full contents of Armageddon have been revealed, and we have thoughts. In part one, we go through all the contents and discuss what's included, what's not included, the surprises, and which faction got the best minis (spoiler - it's the Orks). Then, in part two, we dig through the first week of Faction Focuses, look at the new detachments for 6 different armies, and see if we can figure out how much the edition is changing from the bits of info inside. Midwest Conquest 2026: https://www.midwestconquest.com 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 ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

15 years ago today, we released our first episode on the internet. That's been 350 episodes ago, and we've come a long way since then, but every journey starts with a single step. That inaugural episode was all about getting started! Rob, Dennis, Richard, and original host Jon tackled the subject of how to get started in Warhammer 40K. We discussed how we got started in the game, and various aspects of getting into the game for the first time - picking an army, getting the minis, and learning to play. Things were vaguely complicated by recording during a thunderstorm, but we managed to hit all the bases without getting electrocuted. The equipment was primitive, and the sound quality is rough, but everything that came after is because of this little episode. 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 ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

11th Edition was officially announced at Adepticon, but details on the rules changes are still sketchy - until now! In a seemingly-unlikely series of events, what appears to be a legitimate copy of the text of the next edition has made its way into our hands. With that, it's time to peel back the curtain and discover what changes are on the way for the next edition. We'd be fools not to give you the 4-1-1 on all the details, so strap in - two hours of an 11th Edition deep dive await (well, give or take 90 minutes)! Midwest Conquest 2026: https://www.midwestconquest.com 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/ "Loopster" 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 to cover over the past couple of weeks, and it's time to play a bit of catching up with news and new releases. With the upcoming return of Apocalypse, a new class of Knight, a new trio of character datasheets, and a balance dataslate of sorts, we've got a lot to discuss in part one. Then, in part two, we talk about the part of The Maelstrom we didn't discuss in our review - the detachments! Do these six different detachments for pirates, renegades, and mercenaries bring interesting ideas to the table? Listen to find out! Midwest Conquest 2026: https://www.midwestconquest.com Richmond Open - The Reticulae Ordax Anomaly: https://tabletop.events/conventions/richmond-open-2026/schedule/150 The Se'Ataculum Awakening: https://www.bestcoastpairings.com/event/lAJhqqXN0Ra7 ATC 2026 - https://whatc.org/atc-june-2026-tickets 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 ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 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/adchoices

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/adchoices

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 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

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

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 appeared on Preferred Enemies - A Warhammer 40K Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Enemies - A Warhammer 40K Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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/adchoices

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 RoeTaKa, courtesy of OCRemix. #AdWIP #New40k #WarhammerCommunity The post Episode 330: Triple Feature – Previews, Templars, and Knights first appeared on Preferred Enemies - A Warhammer 40K Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices