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The Man Battlestations Podcast

THE Podcast of Naval Wargaming! The show focuses on naval miniatures gaming, but also discusses board games, video games, history, and pop culture related to ships of all types.
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Now displaying: 2017
Dec 29, 2017

It's time for the next Ruckdog's Report! This time around, Andy is discussing the challenges associated with trying to manage multiple content "streams." How does he decide what to post on the MBS Blog vice covering on an episode of the MBS Podcast? How does he figure out what should be in the next MBS Youtube video? Tune in and find out!

Dec 11, 2017

Greg and Andy are back in Episode 25 of the MBS Podcast with their second annual Year in Review! During their discussion, Greg and Andy touch on such topics as the health of the Class A naval game market, the continued viability of X-Wing and Star Trek Attack Wing, the sale of Hawk to TTC, and the fall of Spartan. 

Year in Review Part 1: 47 Min

Year in Review Part 2: 1 Hr 39 Min

 

Nov 13, 2017

Greg and Andy are back in Episode 24 of the MBS Podcast! For the first segment, they discuss the recent trends with components (markers, dice, templates, etc) in naval gaming. Later, Greg and Andy discuss Shapeways and the impact it has had on the gaming hobby in general and naval gaming in particular

Naval Components Discussion: 35 Min

Naval Command Review: 1 Hr 22 Min

 

==Links Discussed in Show==

Litko Aerosystems

Shapeways 

Oct 29, 2017

Ruckdog is back with the second episode of the newly independent Ruckdog's Report! This time, he is joined by Dale, who was on the MBS Podcast back in episode 16 when he helped Greg and Andy review Star Trek Ascendancy. This time, Dale and Andy discuss all of the big news that has been happening with Star Trek over the last 6-7 months, including the new expansions for Ascendancy, the launch of Star Trek Discovery, and The Orville, which may just be the best Star Trek series that isn't a Star Trek series. Oh, and some side-conversations about 40k might have snuck in there too. Thrill as Andy can't figure out if we are talking about Star Trek or Star Wars! Chill as both Dale and Andy struggle (and ultimately fail) to come up with Seth Green's name! It's all there and more in this month's Ruckdog's Report!

Oct 5, 2017

Greetings! In Episode 23 of the MBS Podcast, Greg and Andy discuss the big news about Warcradle purchasing US, DW, and FSA from the dearly departed Spartan Games. Next, they dig into the first ever MBS Faction Showcase, which is dedicated to the Fortune Hunters from DeepWars, by Antimatter Games. In the second segment Greg and Andy review the Naval Command ruleset, from Rory Crabb games.

Fortune Hunters Faction Showcase: 54 Min

Naval Command Review: 1 Hr 21 Min

 

==Links Discussed in Show==

The Fortune Hunters

Naval Command Rules

Warcradle Studios

Sep 16, 2017

As discussed in Episode 22 of the MBS Podcast, Ruckdog's Report has been spun off from the main show to allow for expanded discussion! Join Ruckdog for the first episode of the newly independent Ruckdog's Report, as he discusses gaming spaces. 

Sep 4, 2017

Greetings! In Episode 22 of the MBS Podcast, Greg and Andy start off with a discussion of the pros and cons of the movement systems used in various naval games. Later, they discuss a recent trend in miniature gaming, where companies release linked ground and naval games.

Naval Mechanics: Movement: 49 Min

Linked Naval/Ground Gamest: 1 Hr 30 Min

Ruckdog's Report: 2 Hr 6 Min

==Links Discussed in Show==

Litko AeroSystems

Star Trek Attack Wing Card Expansions

Star Wars Armada Wave 7

Aug 6, 2017

Greetings! In Episode 21 of the MBS Podcast, Greg and Andy discuss some of their favorite book series where naval combat plays a central role. Later, they take a look at the most popular naval miniatures scales for historical minis and the pros and cons of each. major changes that have been made in the 2.5 edition of Dystopian Wars. Then, Andy discusses his experiences at Historicon 2017 in this month's Ruckdogs Report!

Naval Reading: 13 min

Naval Miniatures: 1 Hr 12 Min

Ruckdog’s Report: 1 Hr 54 Min

==Links Discussed in Show==

Honor Harrington

Star Carrier

Horatio Hornblower

The Destroyermen

GHQ Models

Topside Minis

Panzershiffe

 

Jul 4, 2017

Greetings! In Episode 20 of the MBS Podcast, Greg and Andy discuss some of the major changes that have been made in the 2.5 edition of Dystopian Wars. Later, they take a look at the boardgame They Come Unseen from Osprey Games, and Andy ruminates on edition changes in this month's Ruckdogs Report!

DW 2.5 Initial Look: 31 min

They Come Unseen Review: 1 Hr 23 Min

Ruckdog’s Report: 2 Hr 8 Min

==Links Discussed in Show==

DW 2.5 Changes

Spartan Games

They Come Unseen

Osprey Games

 

Jun 11, 2017

Greetings! This month, Greg and Andy are very excited to welcome Mr. Jonathan Parshall to the show to discuss the Battle of Midway, which happened 75 years ago this month. Jon is the webmaster of CombinedFleet.com, the foremost web resource on the Imperial Japanese Navy. He also co-authored the book Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway. Later, Andy recounts the experiences he had escorting veterans of the Battle of Midway to commemorative events in the Washington, DC area!

Jonathan Parshall Interview: 12 Min

Ruckdog’s Report: 1 Hr 21 Min

==Links Discussed in Show==

http://www.combinedfleet.com/

US Navy Midway 75th Celebration

Shinnentai's Naval Miniatures

Shattered Sword

 

May 1, 2017

Greg and Andy are back for Episode 18! In this episode, they discuss the origins of the various different types of warships in history, and how they have influenced our favorite naval miniatures games. They then take a quick look at some recent updates in the realm of naval video games, before moving on to do an in-depth review of Grand Fleets 3rd Edition from Majestic 12 Games!

Types of Naval Ships: 40 min

Naval Video Gaming Update: 1 Hr 49 Min

Grand Fleets 3rd Edition Review: 1 Hr 59 Min

Ruckdog’s Report: 2 Hr 46 Min

==Links Discussed in Show==

US Navy Ship Classifications

Majestic 12 Games

Grand Fleets 3rd Edition

GF3 Stat Calculator

World of Warships

BFG Armada

BFG:ER

War At Sea Expansions

 

Apr 4, 2017

Greg and Andy are back this month with an update to a topic they last discussed way back in Episode 2: Class B Naval Games! Next, they take a look back at the history of MBS, which turns 5 years old this month. Later, they talk about their favorite Hollywood movies that feature naval combat, and Andy rounds out the show with an event report on Adepticon 2017.

Class B Games Update: 34 min

MBS At 5 Years: 1 Hr 12 Min

Naval Combat At The Movies: 1 Hr 28 Min

Ruckdog’s Report: 2 Hr 15 Min

==Links Discussed in Show==

The Admiratly Trilogy

In Harm's Way

Naval Command

The Way Gate

Adepticon

MBS Painting Contest Voting


Checkout the Latest Episode of the MBS Podcast!

Mar 2, 2017

Episode 16 is here! This time around, Greg and Andy are joined by Dale to talk about the shooting mechanics used in a few popular naval miniatures games. Later, the trio dig into a detailed review of Star Trek Ascendancy. Finally, Ruckdog discusses his process for choosing a faction in a minis game.

Shooting Mechanics: 32 min

Star Trek Ascendancy Review: 1 Hr 32 Min 

Ruckdog’s Report: 2 Hr 39 Min

==Links Discussed in Show==

Hawk Wargames

Star Trek Ascendancy

 

MBS 2017 Painting Contest

Feb 7, 2017
Episode 15

In Episode 15, Andy and Greg are back INNNNN SPAAAACE! Joined by Damion from the Hot LZ podcast, in the first segment they take a look at the background history and factions for the Dropzone/Dropfleet universe, created by Hawk Wargames. In segment two, Greg, Andy, and Damion delve into a a detailed review of the latest Class A space gaming goodness, Dropfleet Commander! Also in this episode is an interview with Eric Louchard of Antimatter Games, and Ruckdog talks tournament preparation.

Dropfleet/Dropzone Background & Faction Overview: 54 Min

Eric Louchard Interview: 1Hr 50 Min

Dropfleet Commander Review:  2 hr 14 Min

Ruckdog’€™s Report: 3 Hr 35 Min

==Links Discussed in Show==

Hawk Wargames

The Hot LZ

Deep Wars 

MBS 2017 Painting Contest

 

Jan 2, 2017
Episode 14

It's time for Episode 14, the first episode of the MBS podcast for 2017! Following up on their discussion from Episode 13, Greg and Andy tackle the concept of boarding in space naval games. They are then joined by Josh Linde, aka Spartan Linde, to discuss all the cool Spartan Games events coming to this year's Adepticon. Later, Greg and Andy review the game Deep Wars by Antimatter Games. And finally, they round out the episode by discussing their gaming New Years resolutions!

Space Naval Boarding: 27 Min

Spartan Linde Adepticon Interview: 1Hr 24 Min

Deep Wars Review:  1 hr 43 Min

Ruckdog’€™s Report: 2 Hr 20 Min

2017 Naval Gaming Resolutions: 2 Hr 28 Min

==Links Discussed in Show==

 

Deep Wars 

Adepticon

The Way Gate Blog

2017 MBS Painting Contest Rules

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