An interview with the Behind Enemy lines podcast crew

I love to listen to gaming podcasts on my way to work and back, just pottering to the shops, anytime I can in fact.  And I recently came across a new favourite, and good friend to the blog, Behind enemy lines.  This is what they say....

Behind Enemy Lines is a podcast and blog about wargaming news, from industry leaders and indie games, to the wargaming community itself. Our goal is to help connect wargamers with the greater hobby, beyond any one gaming system because, let’s face it we’ve got gamer ADHD!

We’re located in Auckland, New Zealand, at the bottom of the world, but through the magic of the internet, we’re excited to be a part of the global wargaming community!

And this is what I say.... I love it.  I like the fact the guys chat about all sorts of game systems, not just focusing on one, great chat, and I have laughed multiple times listening to it.  It has news, reviews, gamer chat, listener questions, all sorts of fun and goings on. It sounds like guys having fun, and here at the Garage Gamers, we are all about gaming for fun!  So I thought it would be nice to get the guys to come over here, have a chat with us and shoot the breeze about gaming and all sorts!
so read on!

First we meet Greg, token Aussie on the show, master of swears, hater of cheats, lord of toy soldiers.

 

We got straight in to throwing some questions to the guys! here is what they have to say.

1. Why did you start the podcast?
   Mike and Dan came up with the idea of having a gaming podcast with a more Australasian feel to it. There are some there, but they’re really specialised to certains. They wanted to cover something more general. I guess they asked me because they needed some flavour or legitimacy with the Australian listeners. And swearing.
2. How often can we hear you guys?
   We typically ‘cast fortnightly, following our local club meeting. From there, we’re at the mercy of our editor.
3. How you did you guys get into gaming?
   I started gaming pretty young, around 8. My dad is a gamer so some of my earliest memories are playing D&D and watching him build and paint 1/72 DAK models. From there it was just a matter of time for me really...once you catch the bug, it never leaves!
4. Do you think Kickstarter has effected  gaming in a positive way?
   I like that there is an avenue open for people to get their games into the public domain without having to have all the capital up front. The problems i see with KS is that you are always taking a risk backing them. What we’re also seeing is a flood of “look-alike” games hitting the market. It does remind me of the CCG market in 95 - 98 where, after the success of M:TG, ever man and his dog were making CCGs and so many were just shit. There is some of that in the new KS world. However, companies like Mantic are a great example of the massive success that KS can bring. I just wish all games companies ran like them!
5. What are your favourite/ least favourite parts of the hobby
   My favourite part of the hobby is definitely the social aspect. Getting together with a group of like minded people to enjoy something that we all love is just awesome. Pushing man dollies around a table is just good, honest fun and I cant see why there is so much stigma attached to it. We’re not all raging satanists, you know!
   My least favourite part is all the political bullshit that can become associated with gaming. Its pointless and detrimental to the hobby. And cheats. I fucking hate cheats.
6. Top 3 tabletop/board games?
   Top 3? Yikes! Thats a loaded question! Of all time, I would have to say Flames of War, Decipher’s Star Wars CCG and Heroquest. Heroquest was the first “gaming” game that I owned and still love. I just wish I still had a copy!
7. Top 3 Video games?
   I dont really play video games. I would have to say Guitar Hero, River Raid (Atari) and Doom.
8. Best gaming moments?
   Best moments? There have been so many over the years! The refight games that I played as a young fella stand out. Refighting Waterloo, D-Day and Rorkes Drift with my dad and his mates was awesome. More recently, beating Phil Yates and Wayne Turner at FlamesCon 2014. Always good to beat someone at their own game!
9. Worst gaming moments?
   Worst gaming moments…..playing against cheats. They’re always shit.
10. Now you have had a rummage around the blog, any favourite articles?
    I really enjoyed the article on getting kids into gaming. Something I’ll be drawing on with my own kids.
11. What games are you looking forward to trying?
    This Is Not A Test looks pretty cool and I cant wait to get my copy of Dungeon Saga from Mantic.
12. Have any games disappointed you? Not what you where hoping for or games you think are downright awful and you have no idea why people play them?
    I dont have too many games on the “meh” pile. I tend to get info on a game before I invest.
13. Do you think the end times for GW is a literal thing as the monolith company leans and may fall?
    GW is good at what it does but I do feel like its taking the piss sometimes with pricing, IP fights and all the other crap they play. Killing off the specialist games, like Necromunda and Epic, were what nailed the coffin for me with GW. I can spend less money on another gaming system and get a better experience as a result...no brainer!

Next we meet whispering Mike, an American in Kiwi land, and potential secret member of the Brotherhood of steel

1. Why did you start the podcast?
1. As Greg mentioned, its something Dan and I have been talking about for a while and finally got around to doing this year. I like the podcast medium because it’s something that fits perfectly with other aspects of the hobby, such as listening while you are painting (or in my case, while doing the dishes).
2. How often can we hear you guys?
1. We try for fortnightly (every two weeks) but it depends on how quickly we can turn around the raw audio. That,in turn, depends on number of “Ums” I have to delete…. Greg.
3. How you did you guys get into gaming?
1. Depends on how you define gaming. If its in the general sense, I have no idea how young I was, but I’ve been playing games since I can remember. Things really took off in highschool with the early days of CCGs (Decipher was my drug distributor of choice). Card flopping led to being exposed to miniature wargaming in shops and then studying for my history degree combined to get me into wargames in 2003. Been going strong since in one way or another!
4. Do you think Kickstarter has effected  gaming in a positive way?
1. Sort of. I think it’s a great and necessary tool for Indie game developers to get their ideas to market. However, I’m not a fan of large industry leaders using it, as it draws funds away in much the same way a Walmart does to a neighboring Ma & Pa shop. Some companies tread that boundary, but I tend to only support kickstarters that are truly seeking a kickstart a person’s or team’s dream project.
5. What are your favourite/ least favourite parts of the hobby
1. My favorite aspect is playing narrative games with friends. I don’t roleplay, but this is damn close. Conversely, my least favorite is playing people while play cold, clinical games.
6. Top 3 tabletop/board games?
1. Favorites are old-school Decipher CCGs (totally cheated as this includes Star Wars, Star Trek, and Lord of the Rings), Flames of War, and X-Wing, the latter being my current obsession. Saga comes in at a close fourth.
7. Top 3 Video games?
1. I’m a real big fan of the Fallout franchise, specifically Fallout 3, which is why I’m becoming slightly obsessed with getting into This is not a Test! I’m also a big fan of Battlefield 1942, Vietnam, and BF2, all brilliant games and pretty addictive. But my total obsession has been over Guild Wars (1 and 2). I’ve been playing for over 10 years now and I really like the story telling and world building that the game has to offer. Special mention has to go out to Silent Hunter III, a pretty realistic WWII German U-Boat simulator.
8. Best gaming moments?
1. Huge narrative mega games are always close in my mind as my favorites. We once ran a huge dynamic D-Day game at my club back in the US. It was really fun with paratroopers dropping everywhere, bloody beach assaults, and vicious counterattacks. There was much fun and beer.
9. Worst gaming moments?
1. I tend not to dwell on them, but there have been a few games I wish I had never played. But that’s that. It happens.
10. Now you have had a rummage around the blog, any favourite articles?
1. I’m pretty keen on the reviews of Attack Wing. I’m a huge Trekker and really enjoyed TNG and DS9 growing up and the game seems like it’ll fill that nostalgic space in my heart for Star Trek. Gaming with kids is another awesome subject. I’ll be taking notes.
11. What games are you looking forward to trying?
1. Tabletop-wise, This is not a Test, nuclear fallout skirmish gaming. Fits perfectly with my Fallout fixation. I’m also eagerly awaiting my Raiders of the North Sea kickstarter boardgame, due toward the end of the year. Video game wise, the Guild Wars: Heart of Thorns expansion is so close I can taste it. Then I’ll disappear for a month.
12. Have any games disappointed you? Not what you where hoping for or games you think are downright awful and you have no idea why people play them?
1. I think the majority of Games Workshop games fall into this category for me. I was spoiled in my first exposure to wargames with Flames Of War, so a game system that does not use the target’s skill to hit them is really counter-intuitive for me and breaks me out of the flow. The fluff, I’m told, is nice but I don’t want to invest in that as Guild Wars fills my fictional world needs. Also, people really liked the other GW games, but I’ve always found them a bit same-old, same-old, and lacked any true design innovation. So that was a bit disappointing as well.
13. Do you think the end times for GW is a literal thing as the monolith company leans and may fall?
1. It’s hard to tell without being a part of their company, but my  experience in the industry leads me to believe that it’s not the end times for GW. Mainly because they can continually reinvent themselves. The side effect is that the veterans are left out in the cold, but it’s a business and that’s what they do. That’s not to say its a good thing, just a real thing. From my personal point of view, GW already died back in question 12.

Meet Dan!, When Dan is not busy being King of New Zealand he is the third co-host, and resident Kiwi
 

1. Why did you start the podcast? Mike came up to me one day and said hey should we do a podcast cos we’ve got all this gear at the BF studios that isn’t used all the time and we can talk about all kinds of wargaming that and I love to talk.
2. How often can we hear you guys?
   Fortnightly and we try to have  ready by the following Tuesday.
3. How you did you guys get into gaming?
   A box of Plastic Space Marine Terminators is all it took then the rest just fell into place.
4. Do you think Kickstarter has effected  gaming in a positive way?
   Yes and no some companies do a great job at delivery like Mantic and some take 2 years and still haven’t delivered.
5. What are your least favourite parts of the hobby?
   The trolls who try to bring a game down the folks who see a game becoming popular and just want to poo-poo it.
6. Top 3 tabletop/board games?
   Flames of War, Kings of War and Necromunda
7. Top 3 Video games?
   Battlefield 2, Fallout New Vegas,  Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon
8. Best gaming moments?
   Stomping Greg in the first game at a tourney.
9. Worst gaming moments?
   Having three planes turn on me in V1 Flames of War.
10. Now you have had a rummage around the blog, any favourite articles?
    The Mars Attacks battle report it was a hoot I keep seeing people play the game I’ve got to give it a go.
11. What games are you looking forward to trying?
    Flames of War Cold War, Kings of War Version 2.
12. Have any games disappointed you?
    Not what you where hoping for or games you think are downright awful and you have no idea why people play them? Any of the latest edition of 40K it’s just a battle for who can buy the biggest unit.
13. Do you think the end times for GW is a literal thing as the monolith company leans and may fall?   
     Nah not yet eventually the helicopter parents who use GW as a daycare will notice the price of Space Marines and have their child take up something cheaper like collecting Fabergé eggs.

 

So that's the guys, now where can you find them?

Follow them on Facebook here

They do some Twitter here @BEL_Podcast

And go follow their shenanigans here on their blog.

You can find them on iTunes, or on the wwpd network and download all the fun! start at the beginning and gather them all!