The Samurai Gunslinger

Show Title: 40k Radio

Website: www.40kradio.com

Hosts: Spencer Harding, Phil Johnson

Format: Discussion of Warhammer 40k related news and issues.

Review:

This show has been a real joy to discover. As I have been slowly reviewing the various hobby podcasts I was very pleased to see 40k Radio come on the scene and had been waiting for them to reach the 5 episode mark so I would have a reasonable number of shows to judge from. I have been pleasantly surprised to discover the extreme care that Spencer and Phil take in researching the issues they discuss, as well as preparing for the guests they have on the show. The pre show prep is obvious and makes a real impact on a listeners enjoyment as the isssues discussed are covered in a concise and cogent fasion. Absent is the rambling and frequent non sequitors that frequently appear in the early episodes of any podcast, especially shows focused on a hobby.

The audio quality has steadilly improved and I was suprised to learn that all of the first 5 episodes have been done with little more than a pair of standard chat style headsets, a laptop and the free audio program audacity. For the show to shine with the level of audio and mixing quality it has with such limited hardware is a testimate to the level of dedication shown by the shows hosts who obviously spend many hours per show in the editing room.

This is not to say that you will confuse 40k radio with a network quality show, it does have some issues but they are minor given the format and by episode 5 nearly all issues relating to production quality have been resolved. The show does not go in for a tremendous ammount of fancy sound effects and music cross fading, but in a show that is designed to be informational first, that is more of a distraction than an addition in my opionon.
In just 5 episodes the show has allready drawn two guests including One of the Community Mangers of Games Workshop US, Chris Collinghorst as well as several of the Adepticon Staff. They have also planned to attend and cover the Adepticon Tournament with interviews and recorded coverage for the following episode.

Perhaps the shows greatest flaw is simply the fact that it is very narrow in focus. For fans of Warhammer 40k however, this is the shows greatest strength as they can count on getting exactly what they want. The shows motto is “all 40k all the time.” and they deliver just that.

Check them out when you get at chance and if you regularly listen to podcasts on your ipod or other mp3 player, they are definitely worth adding to your subcription queue. With 40k Radio, Podhammer, The Drop Podcast, Fell Calls and The D6 Generation, you have just about everything you need to keep you up to date and at your best with your wargaming hobby.

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