Progress... whats that!

I spend far too much time listening to Podcasts. I started off with the now defunkt Fell Calls podcast. I believe this was the first gaming podcast and in many ways it is still one of the best. I listen to them while I am painting and it really helps pass the time. Painting is pretty boring when you get down to it. It really can become tedious and to help prevent this it is great to have something else to occupy your attention. I used to have a painting table where I could see my computer screen and I watch TV series while painting. In fact I think I watched the first three series of Battle Star Galactica this way. I found that this was really distracting though and I switched to Podcasts and audio books pretty quickly. Audio books are great especially as they are free from the local libraries. The best I have listened to so far has been Patrick O'Brians Master and Commander. Sadly its next to impossible to get the second and subsequent audio books... That would be a dream come true. Those books were made to be read aloud! Anyway with the profussion of Podcasts out there I thought I would list a few I like and let you know why.

Thaco Podcast
This is easily my favorite podcast. I have been listening to these guys for a few years now as they were the original makers of Fell Calls. This podcast is about a lot of things and most of them have nothing to do with Warhammer. It is mentioned occasionally though. I think Thaco originally was envisaged as a DnD podcast but it quickly evolved into a general gaming an geekdom one. There are even a few early episodes that feature some recorded play from one of their campaigns. It was really great to listen to and sadly they dropped the campaign. The podcast is humourous andas you never know what you are going to get it is always a pleasure to listen to. The presenters have real personality and it comes through. I recommend this one highly! There is no premium content at all for this podcast.

Podhammer
This was the second podcast I listened to. It was pretty strange for the first few episodes but Jeff really improve the quality. It does provide a lot more than just gaming, in fact it is pretty much like a soap opera. Still it has improved a lot over the last few episodes and I am once again a regular listener. The army reviews are a mixed bunch and there is almost no hobby discussion beyond what the guys are doing themselves. It does provide some interesting insights into what seems to be a vibrant tournament scene though. Its currently the best podcast for eight edition content though they admit that in six months a lot of it could be completely wrong.

Heelan Hammer
This is another quality podcast. It started off as more of a hobby style 'cast but it has changed somewhat. The hobby tips seem to again revolve around what the guys are doing with their own projects rather than anything actually informative. Sometimes it feels like Dan is just listing off his games during the previous week and then having a ramble about what GW are up to. Don't get me wrong its good to listen to but it gets repetitive. As it has gone to a two week schedule I don't find that I have the same habit for listening. If I have to hear them talking about dipping again... aaaaagh. That rally drives me nuts. I can't quote directly but those of you that have listened should be familiar enough with it!

So I always wonder about the premium content of these podcasts. I am curious as to what you actually get for your euros... I work in an industry based on a very similar premium model and its a pretty hard thing to get to grips with. I always found that you should cater for all players and not just those that pay but the more and more I get to understand things I have realised that you really should cater for the people that are paying. They really deserve the attention and I don't think this is what is done by podcasts out there. If I thought that there really was some golden content available I would sign up without a worry. I wonder is this because it is treated as a hobby project and not as a business? Anyway just my thoughts on some of the Podcasts I listen to regularly.

As for my army I am making slow progress. I figured out how to mount the cavalry riders so that I can paint them while not attached to the horses. At least I can get started on them soon. I am painting up more of the Chaos Steeds at the moment. The weekend was hectic and I only got one to a decent standard. The others are base coated washed and ready for detailing so I think this week may see them done. The weather will help as it is a usual grey day outside. I have signed up for two tournaments in October but the more I think about it I know I won't have my Chaos ready for then. I will pull out my Dwarves I think. They shouldn't need much of an update to be playable in eighth edition as I have pretty much everything in duplicate. Anyway I am trying to not think about it and get on with the painting. ho knows the Chaos could be ready...