Saturday 11 April 2015

The Age of Darkness Episode 1

The first episode of the Age of Darkness Podcast is available here! This first time 'round we discuss how Legions fare against Ork and Eldar armies when one is starting off in the 30k hobby, and then dissect the Black Library novel Unremembered Empire by Dan Abnett. We sincerely hope that you enjoy this episode and will be with us as we continue our adventures in the 30k hobby (while also hopefully improving our podcasting skills!) Thanks for listening!

Direct link (to download right-click and choose "Save Link As"): 

The Age of Darkness Podcast episode 1

0:00   Introductions

13:17   Starting 30k against Ork and Eldar armies

50:19   Book club discussion of Unremembered Empire by Dan Abnett

1:50:10   Conclusion, next episode's book club subject, two week hobby challenge

7 comments:

  1. Hey! Only just found your podcasts after hearing a passing mention on the later After Ullanor podcast.

    Just listened to the first order which, other than being a little quiet, was great. I have seen from a quick listen that the volume is better on the other recordings.

    I found your review of Unremembered Empire interesting. I personally think it is the weakest of Dan Abnett's Horus Heresy novels, but that still places it comfortably in the middle of the rankings for me.

    Personally (and not just to be argumentative!) I found the whole of Curze's involvement to be the weakest/dullest element of the novel. Because the book was back-to-back with Vulkan Lives I felt that we had seen enough of Curze and, frankly, the character is far less interesting for me than he could be. I always imagined him as being so incredibly broken that he should be unstable and contradictory (like Gollum in LOTR but awesome), but I think he's a bit too obvious. I felt that the story could have worked equally well without Curze.

    Conversely, I thought the Alpha Legion vs Guilliman scene was the iconic scene of the book. I found it suspenseful and dramatic.

    I also liked the Space Wolf characters and pretty much every scene with the Dark Angels.

    I was disappointed that the title did not really play out and that Sanguinius played a very minor role, but I felt that your review was perhaps a little too tainted by the lack of things you wanted to happen that didn't happen (maybe!) and that put a cynical slant on it.

    I get the desire to see a more 'nuanced' character from Guilliman (perhaps ambition), but The Lion already fills that role. It was seen at the end of Fallen Angels, and in Savage Weapons , and in this novel.

    Guilliman isn't flawless. He's arguably the opposite of Sanguinus. Guilliman's method is so practical and functional that (and I know we don't know what happens to get Sanguinius to Terra) Terra would have been lost if everyone had stuck to Imperium Secundus. We've also seen a different side to Guilliman in the First Heretic.

    I also think the criticism of the mini-astronomicon/teleporter was a little unjustified. It was criticised as being a weird plot device to have an escape from Curze, but the main point of the device is that it was the beacon to bring Sanguinius. That it was used as a teleporter was, in my view, a smaller plot point. it could have been done without a xenos angle, but I didn't particularly have a complaint with it.

    I agree that this book suffers by being a necessary strand gatherer, but overall I enjoyed it. It's just not in my top 5.

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  2. Thanks so much for checking out the show, I've already thanked Greg over at After Ullanor for sending us some of their listeners! You are well within the general consensus as far as Unremembered Empire is concerned, most people seem to dislike the Curze superhero stuff and enjoy Guilliman taking on the Headhunters. I guess we're the outliers on this point, but it really underlines that Primarch power-levels vary from scene to scene, justifiably, to serve the needs of the narrative. This is not a slight to the author, it is necessary when writing about supermen. Without some vulnerability the stories would probably be boring.

    We may have been a little unfair about the Pharos Structure. I actually really like the idea of the beacon that draws in lost ships, I only think that the teleportation part didn't really serve any purpose. Remove it and the story is almost the same, maybe better as Guilliman and the Lion could have found a more interesting way to survive the Night Haunter's trap.

    I do think we may have been excessively strident during our first episode, I'd like to think we improve over time! And thanks again for listening and for the comments, keep 'em coming!

    -JP

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  3. Hey, just started listening.
    My first game using my world eaters was against Orks, and my friend brought his Stompa led Highlander tournament list. Angron freaking ROCKED that stompa. He was then promptly murdered by grot artillery.

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    1. First off, thanks for checking us out! I hope you enjoy it! On another, wait Angron took out a Stompa and then was killed by Grot artillery? How the hell did that happen?

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  4. I agree the assassination scene was a bit cliche. However, he did not have battle plate on, just ceremonial crap not meant for combat. And he was still healing from his fight with Angron and Lorgar.
    Also, I totally agree that Angron vs Warhound was a great moment.

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    1. I've reread that scene a bunch of times and I agree that yes, Guilliman was in ceremonial armour, but what I don't understand is the idea that for some reason this plate is made of cardboard or something. Are we to believe that his ceremonial plate cannot protect him, is it too heavy or something? I don't buy this. Space Marines are not so much soldiers as cyborgs, they live in their armour, and I don't see why ol' Bob would need a lighter version of his battle plate. However this is beside the point. Even in a bathrobe Guilliman should be able to take out 10 Headhunters without breaking a sweat. But that scene with Angron holding up the Warhound to save his brother! Now that's how I see Primarch power levels!

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  5. Lovely.....just discovered this podcast over the weekend. Though I don't agree with all your points and then especially concerning the book review, I find it extremely interesting. I have of course in this case the benefit of hindsight as the sequel to the Vulkan story arc has been released....which invalidates some of you points. I guess I'll be catching up on the back log of this podcast. Keep up the good work and being critical!

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