#1 learned after my first 10 games of Warmachine

An all shooty list won't work.  It will put out some serious damage and can cripple and kill a lot of models but it won't win you any games.  Part of the fault is that the game of Warmachine/Hordes is heavily geared towards close combat.  The clearest example I can cite for that statement is that a Warjack/Warbeast can get extra attacks in close combat by using extra focus/fury but cannot do the same with ranged attacks.
There are precious few exceptions to this rule, I can only think of 1 in the Cygnar faction book that can get a single extra attack with an extra point of focus.

This statement of mine doesn't suggest that shooting is worthless.  Hardly so, I've won games with a couple of well placed shots at an exposed warcaster.  I am suggesting is that an all shooty list isn't going to work.  What will work is a well balanced list with a more or less equal amount of shooting and close combat ability.  Let the shooters do what they do best, pick off the weak supporting ground troops and exposed warcasters.  The close combat should be left to the specialized infantry and warjacks who can be given extra focus.

That should work.  If it doesn't then expect me to post my frustrations again.

A bump in the road for TEW

Word has got out that TEW may be calling it quits.  That's only half true.  The full truth is that Dave, Chris and I announced to the other members of the Hobby Talk Network on a private forum that we were pulling ourselves off the show.  An incident happened and I will not go into detail.  It was enough that the three of us felt that killing the show was the better option.  We asked that everyone in the network respect our wishes and not repeat this news for a week and a half time just in case the issue between the three of us and Rich could be resolved.  The next day Rich posts to the world that he is quitting the show thereby ending any chance for a resolution.  Later that day we came back to reclaim the abandoned show.

As to the future of TEW; I'm not sure.  The three remaining hosts are severely hurt by the way things went down.  Chris and I are especially crushed because we lost a decade long friendship with Rich.  We do not give up on friendships like that lightly.  With all my heart I wish things were different but the deterioration between us had been going on for years.  More recent incidents have proven to me that the former friendship is now dead and buried.  For the life of me I cannot understand why someone would choose to give up all of his friends so he can win an argument over an indefensible act.

This leaves TEW in an awkward position.  The entire concept of the show is a friendship between 4 gamers.  It's pretty damn hard for us to keep on going after one of our closest friends for a decade has abandoned us.  Can we continue?  Should we continue?

Our ability to put a show together is not the issue.  Any idiot can hit record, convert the file and upload it to the web.  The simple truth is making a podcast is easy, making a good podcast is what's difficult.  The real problem with us is our energy.  This entire experience has sucked the life right out of us.

As for myself;  I enjoy being a podcaster.  Getting in front of a microphone and speaking my mind is a very liberating experience.  I love generating new content, I love the research that goes into an episode, I love the feedback from listeners and most especially I love meeting the listeners.   Being a podcaster has become a part of who I am.  Yes I want to continue.

I have a ton of good ideas that I'm excited about but they won't go anywhere if Dave or Chris don't have the energy to go on.  I understand where they're coming from, it will be good to go back and just be a normal gamer again.