Miniature Adventures

Yesterday’s game in the Shed-o-War with the rest of the Posties Rejects transported us back to a part of the Crimean War that rarely gets the spotlight. While most people jump straight to the mud, mismanagement, and media circus of the later Allied campaigns, the opening phase (before the British and French fully committed) was very much a brutal, grinding contest between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Turks.

By 1853, tensions between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire had been simmering for years. Russia, keen to expand its influence southward and present itself as the protector of Orthodox Christians within Ottoman territories, pressed its claims with increasing aggression. The Ottomans, meanwhile, were determined to resist.

When diplomacy failed, Russian forces crossed into the Danubian Principalities (modern-day Romania), prompting the Ottomans to declare war in October 1853. What followed was a series of sharp, often overlooked engagements along the Danube and in the Caucasus. These early clashes set the tone: determined Ottoman resistance, often underestimated, against a numerically and logistically powerful Russian army.

One of the defining moments of this opening phase came at the Battle of Oltenița, where Ottoman forces successfully checked a Russian advance. It was an early indication that this would not be the quick, one-sided campaign many had expected. The Turks fought hard, often from prepared positions, and proved more than capable of bloodying Russian noses when the ground favoured them.

Stuart set up a scenario based on these early encounters, pitching Russian attackers against a well-entrenched Turkish force in November 1853. On paper, it looked straightforward. In practice, it was anything but. The Turks held a commanding ridge line, broken by rocky outcrops and fortified with a chain of redoubts. Ten objectives in total, each hill and redoubt worth a single point, and, at the start of the game, all firmly in Ottoman hands. The Russian objective was clear: seize at least six to claim victory. Simple, right? Well… no.

Although the Russians enjoyed a comfortable two-to-one numerical advantage, the terrain told a very different story. Assaulting uphill into prepared positions is never a pleasant experience, and the redoubts turned what might have been a straightforward advance into a grinding series of assaults. Every objective captured would have to be paid for.

One of the real highlights of the evening was seeing the Ottoman collection back on the table. This early-war period has a distinct visual character that sets it apart from the later, more familiar Crimean battles. The Turkish uniforms in particular are an absolute joy—bold colours, striking contrasts, and just enough flourish to remind you that 19th-century warfare hadn’t entirely abandoned its sense of style.

It’s a period that deserves more attention, both for its aesthetics and for the fascinating tactical challenges it presents. The asymmetry of these engagements—numerical superiority versus defensive strength—makes for exactly the kind of tense, decision-driven games that stick in the memory.

Games like this are a great reminder that history doesn’t begin with the most famous moments. The early phase of the Crimean War is full of compelling scenarios, dramatic clashes, and underappreciated armies that deserve a place on the tabletop.

And from a wargaming perspective, it offers something rather special: a chance to explore a conflict where the outcome isn’t dictated by reputation, but by how well you can manage ground, timing, and sheer bloody-minded persistence.

As for the Russians’ daunting task of prising six objectives from stubborn Turkish hands? After a marathon eight-hour struggle, they fell just short—ending the day with five points apiece and a hard-fought draw. The Ottoman force was effectively shattered, but much like their historical counterparts, they had done exactly what was required: blunt the advance, buy precious time, and withdraw in good order to a new defensive line, leaving the Russians to contemplate the cost of every inch gained.

More pictures and Order of Battle can be seen on my blog here: www.blmablog.com/2026/03/the-battle-of-oltenitsa-4…

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3 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 126

Miniature Adventures

Three years of adventure have finally drawn to a close for our D&D group. Characters retired, villains defeated, and character arcs completed. Naturally, once the dust settled we started asking the dangerous question: what next?

Our conversation drifted back to the campaigns we played many years ago—back when we had fewer responsibilities, more free time, and considerably more hair. One name kept resurfacing: Dragonlance. Those old adventures on Krynn still stand out in all our memories as the high-water mark of our gaming days.

So we’ve decided to return there. The party will once again walk the roads of Krynn, and I’ve even bought a brand-new campaign journal to chronicle the journey. With any luck it will soon be filled with heroic deeds, terrible decisions, improbable survival, and the occasional note reading “we should definitely not have done that.”

If history is any guide, this adventure should keep us happily occupied for the next few years. The dice are ready. Krynn awaits.

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 94

Miniature Adventures

A few days ago, my group, Posties Rejects, was due to gather in the shed-o-war for a game. Sadly, our poor leader (The Postie of Posties Rejects) has been unwell for much of the last month and felt unable to host. He must be ill if he's cancelled a game! So up stepped Richard with one of his own rulesets for the Wars of Religion, repurposed for the Italian Wars. So three Rejects gather with Richard via Zoom for The Battle of Ceresole, 1544.

I'll insert Ricgards brief intro as background... "Seeing that Emperor Charles V was embroiled in a war with the Turks, Francis I of France sought to take advantage and solve the question of control of Milan in his favour. Francis launched an offensive in Piedmont under the command of d’Enghien, who laid siege to the Imperial fortress of Carignano. The commander of the Imperialist forces, the Marquis del Vasto, decided to force the issue by offering battle in an attempt to relieve the fortress. The two armies met about 30 miles southeast of Turin."

Ray and I played against Steve. We took the Imperialist Army versus Steve's French. We had a few technical issues, which meant that Ray lost connection and wasn't there to see his carefully prepared attack go in....or my dice see us fleeing the field en masse a few minutes later.

A very dramatic end to a great game.

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 85

Miniature Adventures

I haven't painted much for a couple of weeks so I've eased back into it with a few carts and wagons. These are for the Retreat from Moscow project but they could be used in pretty much any 19th century period. I've added snow and frost for the winter of 1812/13 but these mdf carts by warbases took longer to assemble than they did to paint. Simples.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 116

Miniature Adventures

Been to the Combined Military Services Museum in Maldon today. I've not been here in years and had forgotten what a treasure trove of militaria it is. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

cmsm.co.uk/

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1 month ago | [YT] | 44

Miniature Adventures

Last night’s game for the Posties Rejects was the Battle of Uzaktan Savaş, fought entirely online over Zoom. Five of us took part under the watchful eye of our umpire, Richard, who has cleverly adapted the König Krieg rules to work on a hex grid specifically for remote play. Instead of painted miniatures, we used block armies, which might lack visual flair but are perfect for clarity on a shared digital battlefield. The setting was a fictional mid-18th-century clash between Russians and Turks, full of black powder, bold manoeuvres, and the ever-present possibility of a plan going sideways.

Both sides began with the same limited intelligence: a map, visible terrain, and only a rough idea of where the enemy might be. Exact deployments were a mystery. Commanders had to position their brigades based on what they could see—and what they feared might be just out of sight. Ray led the Turkish army, with Steve and me commanding a substantial cavalry wing. Across the field, the Russians—played by Jon and Dan—revealed themselves in a formidable defensive position, tightly concentrated on a hill with cavalry guarding both flanks. It was an intimidating sight and suggested they were ready to absorb an assault rather than launch one.

The Turkish plan focused on mobility. Steve and I advanced our cavalry down the right, using space and timing to build momentum before crashing into the Russian horse. The resulting clash was decisive, shattering their mounted arm and unpicking the stability of their line. With their flanks compromised and their hilltop position no longer secure, the Russian commanders made the sensible call to withdraw what they could. The Turks claimed the field, and another fictional but hard-fought engagement was added to our group’s growing catalogue of remote campaign legends.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 60

Miniature Adventures

D&D Night. With players in three countries tonight (England, Scotland and USA) it has to be online via Zoom. I miss the in-person games of my youth, but at least we are still playing together 40+ years after we picked up the Red Box.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 59

Miniature Adventures

Yesterday, Ray and I set aside a full day for terrain building, focusing on expanding the winter scenery for our Retreat from Moscow project. As usual, our ambition galloped ahead like Napoleon’s cavalry while our productivity trudged along behind in the snow, but we still managed to make solid progress across several pieces.


First on the table was a set of flexible roads. These started life as lengths of textured rubber matting, which provides just enough surface grip for what came next. Ray took charge of cutting the road sections to shape while I mixed and spread a layer of flexible decorator’s caulk tinted with a little brown paint. The idea is to create durable, slightly uneven road surfaces that can bend over hills and terrain without cracking. By the time we stopped, we’d produced somewhere in the region of eighteen feet of road, which should make a real difference to how our winter tables look and play. We moved them outside to dry, but despite bright sunshine, it was still a bit chilly, so the caulk hadn’t fully cured by the end of the day. Painting will have to wait for the next session.


Next came the forests. We’d already prepared sabot-style bases that will hold clusters of removable trees, so this stage was all about working on the individual trees themselves. Each one was mounted on its own base, then textured with sand and grit to blend in with the ground. After that came the fun part: adding snow. We worked snow effects into the branches and across the foliage to give that heavy, frozen look that really sells a Russian winter. Visually, they’re already doing the job, but once again, drying times slowed us down. The groundwork on the bases needed longer than expected, so final finishing will have to be done another day.


One area where we did manage to cross the finish line was with a few buildings. Ray had already done the lion’s share of the construction and painting earlier, so this session was all about weathering and winterising. We used a very light dusting of white spray paint to suggest frost, concentrating on upper surfaces and windward sides. Snow was then added to roofs, window ledges, and any horizontal surfaces where it would naturally settle. It’s a simple approach, but it ties the buildings neatly into the rest of the winter terrain and makes them look properly at home on a frozen tabletop.


Finally, we turned our attention to river ice. This was made from a clear perspex sheet that we had previously sanded to give it a cloudy, opaque finish. Once broken into irregular shards, the pieces look remarkably like fractured ice floes. Scattered across our river sections, they create a convincing impression of partially frozen water and add another layer of visual storytelling to the battlefield.


We didn’t finish everything we started, but the table is steadily getting whiter, colder, and far more atmospheric.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 153

Miniature Adventures

After what feels like an age, I’ve finally managed a bit of long-overdue reorganisation in the hobby room. The big win this week is the addition of a couple of new drawer units dedicated to miniature storage. I already have four tall Bisley cabinets in here, but they’ve been groaning under the weight of lead, plastic, and good intentions for quite some time now. Extra storage has been on the “I really should sort that” list for a while.

The main beneficiaries of this shuffle are my Retreat from Moscow Russian figures, which have spent the best part of a year squatting on my gaming table in RUB boxes. They’ve now been rehoused properly, which means the table itself has reappeared—well, mostly. The new drawer units are from IKEA, so they’re not in the same league as the Bisleys in terms of build quality or height, but at £39 a unit (versus £270+ for a Bisley), they’re hard to argue with. They also fit neatly under the table, which feels like a small logistical victory worthy of a campaign medal.

I am, inevitably, tempted to buy a third unit. The only thing stopping me is the small but important detail that this table also functions as my work desk during the week, and my legs have grown quite attached to having somewhere to exist. For now, this feels like a sensible compromise between storage ambition and basic human ergonomics.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 73

Miniature Adventures

Christmas has a funny way of ambushing even the best-laid content schedules. One minute you’re confidently telling yourself, “Yes, of course I’ll record the usual Sunday talking point,” and the next you’re surrounded by empty plates, half-remembered conversations, and that peculiar festive tiredness that only appears after the third mince pie. With that in mind, this is a quick Christmas update to let you know there’s no usual Sunday talking point video this week.

Like many people, I’ve taken a short break to slow things down a bit. Christmas is one of the few points in the year where it feels entirely reasonable to step away from the routine, spend time with family, and accept that productivity might look a little different. In my case, that means swapping a camera and a script for a paintbrush and a handful of unpainted miniatures.

One of the nice side effects of the holiday lull is the chance to actually sit and paint without watching the clock. As I mentioned recently, I’m taking part in the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge this year, and I’ve started a new project with my mate Ray. It’s been good fun so far, and very much in the spirit of what the challenge is meant to be: steady progress, shared motivation, and enjoying the process rather than rushing to a finish line.

At the moment, that process involves Winter War Soviet infantry and the surprisingly absorbing task of painting rifles. It’s not glamorous work, but it’s oddly satisfying. There’s something very grounding about focusing on small details while the rest of the world slows down. No grand plans, no pressure to finish a unit in a weekend—just five stolen minutes here and there, making tiny improvements and calling it a win.

Normal service will resume next week, when the usual Sunday video returns. I’ll be kicking off the new year with a talking point on New Year’s resolutions, and how they fit (or don’t) into the wargaming hobby. January always seems to invite big promises and ambitious plans, so it feels like a good time to talk honestly about what’s realistic, what’s useful, and what we might all be better off quietly ignoring.

For now, though, this is very much a pause rather than a stop. I hope you’ve all had a great Christmas, or at least a peaceful one, and that the holiday season has given you a chance to rest, reset, and maybe sneak in a game or two. However you’re spending it, take care of yourselves, enjoy the hobby in whatever way suits you best, and remember that there’s no rush.

Until next week, stay safe, get plenty of games in, and of course, keep rolling high.

3 months ago | [YT] | 7