Grown Men Playing with Toys

Steve and Erik
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Games

Join us as friends (strategic, stoic “Erik” and observant, energetic “Steve”) discuss topics and experiences that surround their world of Warhammer gaming. Our goal is to explore the intersection of casual and competitive 40K thru a balance sharing stories about our funniest, most frustrating, or straight up craziest Warhammer experiences (Steve’s goal) with deep, analytical thinking about the game and how to improve at it (Erik’s goal).  Beyond that, it’s an excuse for two friends to talk and share how the lessons learned playing with our toy soldiers have enriched our lives and deepened our friendship.”

  1. 2d ago

    43 - Are You Not Entertained?

    Send us Fan Mail Erik and Steve were supposed to sneak out for a game at the Local Game Store (LGS) this week and instead got stuck at home, so naturally they spent forty-five minutes turning that disappointment into a full breakdown of why playing 40K at the LGS hits different than Barnhammer, Officehammer, or TTS ever will. Somewhere in there it also becomes a card game vs. tabletop philosophy seminar, and Erik accidentally reveals that he has no interest in running clubs and only exercises to "not be fat". Along the way they cover: The LGS effect — why playing on neutral ground in front of an audience of strangers and excited store owners adds something Barnhammer and TTS just can't replicateCards vs. minis — Erik's hot take that he thinks trading card games are more one-dimensional than 40K and why it hits a nerve with Steve harder than either of them expectedThe "I don't want to be fat" tangent — an endurance-sports rabbit hole that somehow explains why community matters more than either of them wants to admitDeck stacking, but make it transparent — how WTC's first defender/attacker pairing system turns the thing that would ruin a casual LGS game into the actual point of the tournament, while someone still also being open and transparentWTC list geek out — a Squighog Boyz Waaagh built entirely to run people over, a Slaanesh Daemons alpha strike, and a Blood Angels Sanguinary Guard charge out of a Land Raider that neither of them saw comingThe next LGS attempt — Erik and Steve pencil in a rematch and its definitely not just an excuse to buy more modelsWhether you're here for the "are you not entertained" energy of playing at your local shop or just want to hear two grown men overanalyze why cardboard hits different than plastic, this one's for you. 📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog 📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

  2. Jul 31

    42 - I'm Not Dead Yet: 40K's First Balance Update

    Send us Fan Mail Steve is fighting off a Nurgle infection, Erik is fighting off bad habits with Cursed Legion Necrons, and everybody on the internet is convinced their faction is dead. Spoiler....they're not dead yet.  Erik and Steve are back to discuss 11th Edition's first balance update, dig into what's really going on across Erik's now ten-army tour of the new edition, and somehow turn the whole thing into a conversation about Agile development methodology. Along the way they cover: The first balance update — why this wasn't a major Nerfing Eye of Sauron event and why the guys think GW is running what amounts to a data normalization exercise disguised as a balance patchAgile Warhammer — Steve connects the dots between sprint planning, backlog management, and how to actually play your secondaries in 11th Edition and neither of them can quite believe the conversation they're havingTen armies, every force disposition — Erik's running observations from playing across the full breadth of 11th, including why he's not sure he's a great Purge the Foe player despite being one of the most aggressive players in the roomThe Cursed Legion problem — why Erik keeps going back to a list he can't quite make work, what he's getting wrong, and why he's pretty sure it's a him problem and not a list problemWTC roster hot take — the rosters are out, the lists are coming, and Erik has a cautionary tale about why "everyone at WTC is playing X" doesn't mean X is the best way to play that factionPapa Nurgle weighs in — Steve sounds like a Muppet, Erik recommends the Emperor's Children approach to cold medicine, and somehow they end the episode with a Death Guard game on the calendarWhether you're here for the data engineering deep dive or just want to hear Steve suffer through forty minutes of podcast while visibly dying, this one's for you. 📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog 📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

    42 - I'm Not Dead Yet: 40K's First Balance Update

  3. Jul 21

    41 - Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off to 11th Steve Goes

    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 Votann list — Needgaard plus Hearthguard Covenant, deep striking Einheryr, and a brand new way to play an army that had been frustrating him for all of 10th EditionThe Champion, the Dunce Hat, and the Ones — some things never change, and Steve's Votann Champion remains aggressively, historically bad at his jobCousin Josh goes full aggro — why watching a naturally defensive player come out swinging with Cursed Legion Necrons was the highlight of Barnhammer and what it says about what 11th is encouraging players to doThe Pink Pony Club — Steve teases his fourth army and talks about how he thinks about Imperial Knights like a modern military tactician defending Helm's DeepGuard, Death Guard, and what's next — why Imperial Guard is calling Steve's name, why Death Guard isn't, and Erik drops a closing bombshell about what he's most excited to playWhether you're here for the Votann deep strike, here to see Cousin Josh channel his inner snapping turtle, or just want to hear Steve put a dunce hat on his champion, this one's for you. 📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog 📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

    41 - Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off to 11th Steve Goes

  4. Jun 29

    40 - I Feel the Need...The Need for 11th

    Send us Fan Mail Erik is back from the tabletop trenches with a full debrief.  He is two games deep into 11th Edition, has played four factions, and is ready to hype Steve up for an upcoming week of Barnhammer gaming.  Along the way they cover: First impressions of 11th Edition — Erik's surprisingly enthusiastic early verdict and why going from 10th to 11th feels nothing like the chaos of 9th to 10thAsymmetrical missions and force dispositions — why playing two different missions at once makes the game feel more dynamic, more narrative, and a whole lot harder to just list-hammer your way throughRaven Guard vs. Grey Knights — Shadowmark Talon meets Hallowed Conclave, Terminators and Paladins finally get their moment, and Erik discovers mid-game that the scoreboard doesn't care how well the Grey Knights are playing 10th Edition. Read the full battle report here.Emperor's Children vs. Necrons — Fulgrim goes absolutely feral on turn one, crosses the entire board, and the Necrons win anyway. Read the full battle report here.Recalibrating your instincts — The autopilot moments, the ingress rule surprise, and why the thing that wins you the game is rarely the unit or combo you built your list aroundRapid fire observations — the new charge rules, activation economy is a thing, lethality, hidden, and why the "and then" moments are alive and well in 11thWhether you're here for the hot takes on Force Dispositions or just want to hear Erik chastise his own Grey Knights, this one's for you. 📖 Read Erik's battle reports at gmpwt.blog 📺 Watch on YouTube at @GrownMenPlayingWithToys

    40 - I Feel the Need...The Need for 11th

  5. Jun 19

    39 - Thanos-Snapping My 10th Edition Lists

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve dive headfirst into the early days of 11th edition.  Fresh off the MFM drop, deep in terrain mechanics, and (for one of them) staring down a freshly nuked wasteland of 10th Edition lists, the guys approach the discussion from a perspective of "there's a green field of list-building possibilities". Along the way they cover: The Hidden Mechanic That Isn't — a deep dive into terrain's new Ballistic Skill penalties, the "hidden" rule and why it may not be as good as it looksRun and Gun, Move Shoot Move — how cover changes are about to reward fast, mobile armies, and punish anyone who can't find a re-rollThanos-Snapping the App — app crashes, the gut-wrenching decision to delete 40 lists, and why starting from a clean slate turned out to be a blessing in disguiseCarnival of Excess, Reimagined — Erik breaks down his rebuilt Emperor's Children list and how losing his old lists led him somewhere he never would've gone otherwiseSurprise! Steve Built a List — Steve unveils a Votann Death Star list built around Einhyr Hearthguard deep strikes, double Land Fortresses, and a dare to come take his objectivesTo Infinity and Beyond — Erik's list-building bender reaches an absurd, slightly concerning number and Steve has thoughtsWhether you're rebuilding your own army from scratch, still mourning your favorite 10th edition list, or just want to hear two grown men argue about whether Purge the Foe is actually the best Force Disposition or just the most comfortable.....this one's for you. Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ | https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

    39 - Thanos-Snapping My 10th Edition Lists

  6. Jun 12

    38 - Where's the Beef (List)?

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve take a hard left turn from their planned agenda and end up somewhere much more interesting. The cliffhanger from the All-Star Game has been rattling around in Steve's head, Erik has been 3D printing armies at an alarming rate, and somewhere in there "we lost Dad". Along the way they cover: Pedal-Down Erik Strikes Again — two armies printed and painted in three weeks, a third in progress, and a theory about force dispositions that has already consumed most of his waking hoursWhere's the Beef (List)? — how a single offhand comment at the All-Star Game unlocked Steve's entire 10th edition play style and why he's been accidentally playing stompy robot armies this whole timeThe Wonder Mode Manifesto — why the space between editions is the best time to be a 40K player and why both hosts are fully, unashamedly in their feelings about itForce Dispositions: The Good — agency, modularity, different targets for the Nerfing Eye of Sauron, and why "2DP plus 1DP" may be Erik's new favorite termForce Dispositions: The Itchy Parts — deck stacking at the table, potential staleness in tournament play, and 3DP detachments getting counter intuitive Force DispositionsThe Army Reveals — three new armies are coming in hot and Steve is already buying paints for a model he doesn't own yetWhether you're deep in your own 11th edition wonder mode, still processing the end of 10th, or just want to hear two grown men figure out that they've been playing the same list archetype for an entire edition without realizing it.....this one's for you. Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ | https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

    38 - Where's the Beef (List)?

  7. Jun 4

    37 - You Had One Job

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, the GMPWT 10th Edition All-Star Game gets its dramatic conclusion. The lists are built, the terrain is set, the store owner has been recruited as celebrity dice roller, and absolutely nobody is ready for what the Einhyr Champion is about to do to Steve's blood pressure. Along the way they cover: Roll For Initiative, Lose For Free — why who was going first felt like a gift to both players and why only one of them was right about thatTurn One: Steve the Rhino Hunter — two transports dead, two Deadly Demise rolls courtesy of your guest celebrity roller, and a Winged Hive Tyrant who showed up, looked scary, and then embarrassed everyone involvedBile and the Chosen: Still Not Your Problem Until Suddenly It Is — why Fabius Bile with 10 Chosen in a Rhino is Erik's favorite unit in 10th edition and Steve's least favorite thing to look across the table atYou Had One Job — the Einhyr Champion and Steve's endless love/hate relationship with him.The Void Dragon Cleans Up — Cousin Josh's Necron Warriors twiddle their thumbs on their home objective while the C'tan does literally everythingMVP and Magnus Awards — the heroes, the zeros, and one very expensive model who functioned primarily as a Distraction Carnifex with better hairThe 11th Edition Cliffhanger — Steve's MVPs reveal a pattern and a new army might be on the horizon heading into the new editionWhether you're here for the dice fails, the end-of-edition nostalgia, or just want to hear a store owner get genuinely invested in two grown men's war dollies.....this one's for you. Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ | https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

    37 - You Had One Job

  8. May 29

    36 - Our 10th Edition All-Star Game

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik emerges from his mad science cave with an idea to help Steve with the end-of-edition doldrums. The result is the most creative thing they've attempted yet.....the GMPWT 10th Edition All-Star Game. The rules are simple.  Pull from up to three factions within the larger groupings of Imperium, Chaos, and XenosFaction 1 units get access to their army rule but no detachments rules, stratagems, or enhancementsFaction 2 units get access to a single detachment's rules, stratagems, and enhancementsFaction 3 units get access to a single wild-card stratagem from any of their detachments. Build your team not around what's strongest, but around what has a story. that reminds you of 10th edition. Put it all on the table and see what happens.Along the way they cover: Hold Our Dice, One Last Time — why the end-of-edition doldrums are real, and why the best cure is the silliest possible idea executed with full commitmentThe All-Star Game Format — how Erik built a three-faction list structure that keeps things competitive, legal, and just chaotic enough to be funTeam Chaos — Fulgrim, Fabius Bile, Cultists with a grudge, and a Knight Rampager with a stratagem that makes him everyone's problem even after he diesTeam Imperium — Whoopsie Daisy the Grand Master who cannot make a five-inch charge, Crowe and his Purifiers, and enough tanks to give Steve Ironstorm flashbacksTeam Xenos — Necron warriors that refuse to stay dead, dwarves coming out of their box of shame for one last shot at redemption, and Tyranids that all blow upThe Dating Show — Steve picks his team live, on mic, and pretends it was a difficult decisionWhether you're in the end-of-edition doldrums, a die-hard fan of models that have Deadly Demise, or just someone who wants to hear two grown men get genuinely enjoy a silly but strangely nostalgic idea.....this one's for you. Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ | https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

    36 - Our 10th Edition All-Star Game
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Join us as friends (strategic, stoic “Erik” and observant, energetic “Steve”) discuss topics and experiences that surround their world of Warhammer gaming. Our goal is to explore the intersection of casual and competitive 40K thru a balance sharing stories about our funniest, most frustrating, or straight up craziest Warhammer experiences (Steve’s goal) with deep, analytical thinking about the game and how to improve at it (Erik’s goal).  Beyond that, it’s an excuse for two friends to talk and share how the lessons learned playing with our toy soldiers have enriched our lives and deepened our friendship.”

Information

  • Creator
    Steve and Erik
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Grown Men Playing with Toys
  • Show Website
    Grown Men Playing with Toys

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