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 week ago | [YT] | 58

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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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 53

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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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 128

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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4 weeks 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.

1 month ago | [YT] | 6

Miniature Adventures

The Boxing Day family game tonight is Super Boss Monster by Brotherwise Games. This is a dungeon building card game for 1-4 players. The box says games should last 30minutes but the designers clearly didn't have my uber competitive, backstabbing family in mind. 2 hours later and my Daughter hustled the lot of us to pull off a stunningly unexpected win coming from last place. I woz robbed! 🤣

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1 month ago | [YT] | 28

Miniature Adventures

Family D&D night with an edible Christmas theme.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 51

Miniature Adventures

Serendipity strikes again. I went to Rochester yesterday with the family for a little Christmas shopping. Of course, this meant a little side-trek to the excellent Baggin's second-hand bookstore. I rarely leave without finding something relevant to a new or planned project, and this time was no exception. A very interesting book, showing the weapons used by soviet troops in the Winter War and throughout WWII.

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2 months ago | [YT] | 38

Miniature Adventures

Details of a new project coming soon!

Yep, Ray and I haven't finished the last collaboration, and we have already started prepping for a new one! The first batch of figures have been primed and are ready for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, which starts in a couple of weeks.

Can anyone guess what the new project could be? 😉

2 months ago | [YT] | 87

Miniature Adventures

Dragonmeet 2025 at the Excel felt like the convention had discovered a growth spell and cast it at full power. Moving from the Novotel to this massive venue didn’t just give the show more space; it changed its entire rhythm. Everything was bigger: wider aisles, more demo tables, more gaming zones, and over two hundred traders tempting attendees with books, minis, dice, and every shiny hobby indulgence imaginable. It kept the familiar Dragonmeet charm, just on a grander, more ambitious scale.

🎞️ Full Walkaround Video and Show Report out Tomorrow 🎞️

As always, the traders pulled me in like a tractor beam made of resin and nostalgia. Indie RPG creators, miniature sculptors, publishers, dice makers, and terrain artists. Every corner had something that whispered, “Go on, just one more purchase.” My wallet put up a brave fight, but Dragonmeet is undefeated in that arena.

Beyond the retail whirlwind, the show thrived with creative energy. The organised RPG areas were packed with everything from traditional fantasy quests to experimental storytelling sessions that stretched the imagination. Quiet gaming spaces and open tables meant anyone could sit down, roll some dice, and make new friends. The atmosphere felt welcoming, buzzing, and wonderfully nerdy.

Walking through the halls brought back memories of earlier Dragonmeets—from the cosy chaos of Kensington Town Hall to the bustling days at Hammersmith. Seeing how the show has evolved, alongside the increasingly diverse crowd, made the whole day feel like a celebration of how far the hobby has come. I left with a heavier bag, a lighter wallet, and that familiar post-con glow. Dragonmeet 2025 hasn't just grown; it has flourished. If this is the future of the convention, next year promises even more adventure.

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2 months ago | [YT] | 33