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. 36 - Our 10th Edition All-Star Game

    18h ago

    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

    59 min
  2. 35 - Nobody Told Me the Dice Hit Back

    May 18

    35 - Nobody Told Me the Dice Hit Back

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik shows up to record still licking his wounds, this time from a rough road race -except this time his own son quoted the podcast back at him like a tiny, devastating life coach.   Steve is delighted. Erik is not sure how to feel about that. What follows is an off-the-cuff deep dive into one of the most underrated reasons we play this game in the first place — the test. Not the winning. Not the math hammer. The test and what it says about you. Along the way they tackle: Hold My Dice — why we voluntarily sign up for hard things.....on the tabletop, behind the mics, and on the pavementThe Bags Don't Hit Back — what list hammer and math hammer can't prepare you for and why that's actually the pointDice Gods, Dice Demons — the completely irrational and deeply relatable ritual of switching dice mid-game and blaming the French judge when it still doesn't workConcede or Commit — what a Votann vs. Chaos Knights blowout taught one of us the hard way about why staying in the hard thing is a part of the testThe Clock Is Also Your Opponent — time as a resource, a weapon, and an excuse all at onceWhether you've ever switched dice out of pure superstition, rage-conceded on turn three, or just needed someone to remind you that showing up to the starting line is already passing the first test — this one is for you. Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ | https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

    1h 10m
  3. 34 - Pantheon of Woe: Population.....Me

    May 14

    34 - Pantheon of Woe: Population.....Me

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik confesses to a crime against his own hobby — being a grouch for two days because he played poorly in a game that he was playing against himself. Steve holds it together long enough to let Erik tell the story......Barely. What follows is a full autopsy of a Necrons vs. Ultramarines battle report that had no business being as close as it was.....until all of the sudden it wasn't close anymore. Erik walks us through every decision point, the impulsive miscalculations, and every moment where the Necrons had the Space Marines exactly where they wanted them before snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Along the way they tackle: Quicksand — why some games don't go wrong all at once but instead feature a slow build up of mistakes that can bury youThe CP Economy is Undefeated — one impulsive re-roll and a cascade of consequences that would make an accountant weepDeathmarks: Gone But Not Forgotten — the minor unit that haunted an entire game from the comfort of strategic reservesSplit Personality at Its Finest — the unique psychological torment of losing and knowing exactly whose fault it isA formal apology to Cousin Josh — this one's realWhether you've rage-quit a game, tilted at a tournament, or just love watching a perfectly laid plan unravel one CP at a time, this one is for you. Formal Battle Report of the game in question: https://gmpwt.blog/2026/05/12/necrons-awakened-dynasty-vs-ultramarines-blade-of-ultramar/ Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

    1h 23m
  4. 33 - There Is Only War... and Middle Child Syndrome

    May 4

    33 - There Is Only War... and Middle Child Syndrome

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve do something they probably should have seen a therapist about first — they apply the science of birth order psychology to the entire Warhammer 40K universe. The guys break down the stereotypes of oldest, middle, and youngest children and then systematically sort every faction in the game into one of those three buckets. Spoiler alert: some feelings may have been hurt in the making of this episode. Along the way they tackle: The Big Three — why the Imperium, Chaos, and Xenos super-factions map almost perfectly onto the birth order archetypes, and why it works both in lore AND on the tabletopDaddy's Best Boy — The unambiguous oldest child of 40K and why everyone else is basically wearing their hand-me-downsThe Forgotten Middle Children — They're here but didn't think anyone noticedYoungest Child Energy — They're trying so hard to outshine their older siblings while also enjoying (expecting?) being babied by GW.Lore vs. Tabletop — why several factions have a split personality depending on whether you're reading the books or rolling diceA formal apology to Cousin Josh — just kidding, there isn't oneWhether you're a firstborn who color-codes their army list, a middle child who plays Orks while munching on a choice crayon or two, or the youngest who expects GW to buff your faction at every dataslate — this one is for you. Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

    1h 21m
  5. 32 - Be Excellent to Each Other

    Apr 27

    32 - Be Excellent to Each Other

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve do something a little different — Steve takes the wheel while Erik rides shotgun, and together they explore what happens when you step completely outside your comfort zone and learn a brand new game from scratch. While Erik was on away, Steve spent the weekend with Cousin Josh diving headfirst into Age of Sigmar — a game he had never really played before. What started as a casual hobby weekend turned into something surprisingly meaningful. Together they explore: The power of Faction Identity — why understanding what your army wants to do is the first and most important step when learning anything newMacro before Micro — how applying a strategic framework to an unfamiliar game can get you immersed and competitive faster than you'd thinkPlaying with Intent — why being transparent about what you're trying to do makes the game better for everyone at the table, and how it turns every mistake into a learning momentThe Joy of Discovery — why the feeling of learning something for the first time is one of the best things about this hobby, and how Steve found it again in the most unexpected placeWhat all of this means for 11th Edition — and why the upcoming rules shake-up might be exactly what we all needWhether you're feeling burnt out on the current edition, intimidated by a game you've never played, or just needed a reminder of why you fell in love with tabletop gaming in the first place — this one's for you. Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

    1h 4m
  6. 31 - Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads

    Apr 20

    31 - Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve do something a little different — they look backwards and forwards at the same time, connecting the dots between the past seven months of Erik's Crusade League and the most anticipated edition change in years. Erik is approaching the finish line of his local game store's Crusade League and has thoughts — a lot of them. Steve, meanwhile, has been deliberately avoiding 11th Edition previews, which means you're getting his completely unfiltered reactions. Together they explore: The Crusade League retrospective — the highs, the lows, and the moment Erik just let go of the rope on all that bookkeepingWhy "narrative" and "competitive" have never actually been opposites — and why 11th Edition might finally admit thatDetachment mixing and the 3-2-1 point system — game changer or balance whack-a-mole waiting to happen?Force Dispositions — and why Erik and Steve will never have to do the awkward mission chicken dance again (we hope)Whether you've ever shown up to a casual Crusade game only to discover every unit across from you is a hard counter to your army, argued uncomfortably over the pregame board setup, or just wanted your hobby to feel a little more narrative and balanced - this one's for you. Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

    1h 12m
  7. 30 - I'm Terribly Sorry Sir. I'm Afraid You Are Mistaken.

    Apr 13

    30 - I'm Terribly Sorry Sir. I'm Afraid You Are Mistaken.

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve do one of the most uncomfortable things in 40K — they turn the camera on themselves and ask the question: what kind of mistakes do I actually make, and why do I keep making them? Erik spent the downtime between episodes doing what any self-respecting 40K nerd would do — combing through every battle report he's ever posted and building a full scouting report on himself. What he found wasn't pretty. Steve, meanwhile, discovers that he's been living inside his own set of mistakes without ever naming them. Together they explore: The macro strategy mistake — why building the "meta list" can be the worst thing you do if it fights your natural play styleThe micro strategy mistake — why the most exciting moment in your turn might also be the one that costs you the gameThe emotional tells that every player has — and why knowing yours is half the battleRules mistakes — why they're inevitable, why they sting differently than every other kind, and why the community sometimes loses its mind over themWhether there's ever a good way to resolve a rules dispute when it's just you, your opponent, and a barn full of painted plasticWhether you've ever rage-rolled into a Repulsor Executioner, burned your entire CP budget on a unit that was already going to win the fight, or found yourself in a tense standoff over whether a rule means what you think it means — this one's for you. Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

    1h 14m
  8. 29 - Mo' Models, Mo' Problems

    Apr 2

    29 - Mo' Models, Mo' Problems

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the "Grown Men Playing With Toys" podcast, Erik and Steve tackle one of the most common experiences in the Warhammer 40K hobby — the impulse buy — and discover that they couldn't possibly approach it more differently. Steve is the guy who walks into a GW store for a battle line unit for his current army and walks out with a flashy monster for a faction that he has never played. Erik is the guy who spends months talking himself into a new faction but then goes "all in" to collect the entire army once he is committed. Somewhere in between, they manage to explore: What even is an impulse buy and do you have to be standing in the store for it to count?The good, the bad, and the "I paid to paint an entire army I gave away"How nostalgia and pop culture fuel some of the hobby's best (and worst) financial decisionsThe impulse that lives inside the game — and why "I choose violence" is a completely valid tactical frameworkWhat happens when your impulse collides with everyone else's at the table?Whether you've ever fallen in love with a model you'll never field, talked yourself into yet another army, or just stood in a GW store knowing full well you're about to make a terrible decision — this one's for you. Check out our other content: https://gmpwt.blog/ https://www.youtube.com/@GrownMenPlayingWithToys

    1h 7m
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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
    36
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Grown Men Playing with Toys
  • Show Website
    Grown Men Playing with Toys

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