The Great War

By

On 8th September 2026

In Blog

I have just finished watching The Great War, the 1964 BBC documentary series about the First World War. It was an important precursor to The World at War, the definitive television documentary series about the Second World War, and is still fascinating to watch more than sixty years later.

I watched a very condensed version of The Great War at school, very, very condensed, so it has been fascinating going back to it properly all these years later.

It is, of course, a flawed series. It only briefly touches on the Eastern and Ottoman fronts and almost entirely ignores Austria-Hungary. Even when it covers something like the Easter Rising, it is very much told from an English perspective.

Despite that, it still mostly stands up remarkably well.

In fact, it has made me want the guys behind The Great War YouTube channel to make their own documentary series in the style of this one. I think they could cover the conflict in a much more balanced way, particularly by giving some of the less-covered fronts and combatants the attention they deserve.

But why am I talking about this amazing piece of influential television history?

There is a theory that most boys pick a period of history to become obsessed with. One of the running jokes is that it will either be the Roman Empire or World War II.

For me, though, the period of history that has become my real special interest is the First World War and the period surrounding it.

In fact, I’d probably stretch it from the Franco-Prussian War through to around 1930.

Because if you only consider 1914–1918, you miss so much of the context.

The causes of the First World War are considerably more complicated than simply Gavrilo Princip shooting Archduke Franz Ferdinand. That assassination was incredibly important, but it was the match that lit the fuse rather than the thing that created the powder keg in the first place.

The build-up had been going on for decades.

The fall of Bismarck and the subsequent realignment of European alliances saw France and Russia become increasingly aligned, while Germany and Austria-Hungary were already closely allied. Britain then increasingly found itself aligned with France and Russia through the Entente system.

At the same time, the Ottoman Empire was continuing its long decline.

And then there was everything else: the Russo-Turkish War, the Russo-Japanese War, the Moroccan Crises, Britain’s emergence from Splendid Isolation, the Italo-Turkish War, the Anglo-German naval arms race, the Balkan Wars, and the various imperial rivalries across Africa and Asia.

Honestly, this list could go on and on and on.

To be fair, you could probably trace some of the roots right back to the French Revolution. But let’s be reasonable, pretty much all history contributes to future history.

What is undeniable, though, is that things such as the levée en masse fundamentally changed the character of warfare, creating the possibility of armies that eventually numbered in the millions.

And that is part of what fascinates me about the period.

Franz Ferdinand’s death wasn’t, by itself, enough to cause a world war.

What mattered was the political situation surrounding it. Austria-Hungary’s fears about Serbian nationalism, Russia’s relationship with Serbia, Germany’s support for Austria-Hungary, France’s alliance with Russia, Britain’s relationship with France and Russia, and decades of diplomatic crises and military planning all turned what could have been a regional crisis into something much, much bigger.

The assassination was the match.

Europe had spent decades building the powder keg.

And that is why my interest in the period extends so far beyond 1914–1918.

The period afterwards is just as important.

Because the war might have ended in 1918, but for many people, especially across Eastern and Central Europe, it didn’t!

The Russian Civil War, the Polish-Soviet War, the Turkish War of Independence, the Greco-Turkish War, the Irish Civil War, the rise of Mussolini, the conflicts surrounding the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and countless other conflicts and political movements all emerged from the chaos created by the First World War.

Even the May Fourth Movement in China was partly driven by the anger surrounding the post-war settlement and the decision to transfer Germany’s former concessions in Shandong to Japan rather than returning them to China.

The aftermath was absolute chaos.

In places such as Ukraine and Poland, you had armies fighting each other that were made up of veterans of the Russian, German and Austro-Hungarian Empires, often wearing the uniforms and using the equipment they had been issued at the end of the war, all mixed together.

The First World War itself is, as many people have said, utterly pointless in many ways.

But it was also a genuine turning point in history, perhaps more so than almost any other conflict.

So many of the world’s later problems can be traced directly or indirectly back to it.

Four major empires disappeared. The map of Europe was completely redrawn. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire helped create the political landscape of the modern Middle East. The United States emerged from the war as the world’s dominant economic power. Communism became one of the defining political forces of the twentieth century. Nationalism and demands for self-determination transformed Europe and much of the wider world.

And you can even trace part of the story of the Vietnam War back to the aftermath of the conflict.

In 1919, Ho Chi Minh went to Paris and submitted a petition to the Versailles peace conference calling for greater rights for the Vietnamese people, and was refused.

And, of course, in many ways the First World War helped create the conditions that eventually led to the Second World War, and all the horrors that came with it.

One thing that always strikes me is that, from my perspective, 1917 is probably the last point at which Russia was really on the same broad political page as the Western powers.

Russia was an ally of Britain and France during the First World War, but the Revolution changed everything.

And even the idea that Russia and the West were simply allies during the Second World War is more complicated than we sometimes remember.

The Soviet Union and the Western Allies ultimately fought on the same side because they had a common enemy, but Stalin’s USSR had already signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany in 1939. The agreement included secret provisions dividing Eastern Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence, and the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland shortly after Germany invaded from the west.

It was only after Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa in 1941 that the Soviet Union became an outright member of the Allied war effort against Nazi Germany.

So while they were certainly allies by the end of the war, it was very much a case of the enemy of my enemy being my ally.

And that, again, is why the period fascinates me.

It is all connected.

I think what originally triggered my interest in all of this was a photograph.

It was a photograph of a German cavalryman wearing a gas mask and carrying a lance.

I think I was about six or seven when I first saw it, and something about it just struck me as incredibly odd.

And I think that photograph represents something fundamental about the First World War.

The armies that entered the conflict were, in many ways, still preparing to fight the wars of the nineteenth century. They had cavalry with lances, brightly coloured uniforms and tactics influenced by the Napoleonic era.

Then they discovered what modern industrial warfare actually meant.

Machine guns, smokeless powder, rapid-firing rifles and increasingly powerful artillery destroyed that old way of thinking remarkably quickly.

The French started the war wearing their famous bright red trousers, while their cavalry still looked remarkably similar to the cavalry of the previous century.

Soldiers on all sides were still wearing soft caps that offered virtually no protection from artillery.

And then there is the famous German Pickelhaube.

People often assume it was made from metal.

It wasn’t.

The classic version was made primarily from pressed leather with metal fittings. It looked imposing, but it provided very little protection against modern artillery fragments. By 1916 it was being replaced by the much more practical Stahlhelm.

Technology was advancing incredibly rapidly, but sometimes the solutions looked backwards.

The Stahlhelm, with its distinctive coal-scuttle shape, has an almost medieval appearance. Yet the simple act of putting a practical steel helmet on a soldier represented a huge improvement in protection.

The French had a similar experience.

The first months of the war produced enormous numbers of head wounds, and the French responded by developing the Adrian helmet, one of the first modern steel helmets to be widely issued. It was introduced in 1915 and became an iconic piece of French military equipment.

Camouflage and concealment techniques also began to develop into something much closer to what we recognise today.

The French quickly abandoned their bright red trousers in favour of the much harder-to-spot Horizon Blue. The British and Germans were arguably a little ahead of the curve, having already adopted khaki and field grey respectively.

That combination of old and new is probably one of the things I find most fascinating about the First World War.

It was a conflict where cavalry charges with lances existed alongside tanks.

Men went into battle wearing uniforms designed in the nineteenth century and ended up fighting with machine guns, aircraft, chemical weapons and enormous artillery pieces.

It was essentially the world of the Napoleonic Wars colliding head-on with the industrial age. Never had warfare changed so rapidly in such a small period of time, the battlefield was utterly transformed into an industrial killing field with equipment that in many ways would have been science fiction to most peop in 1914.

So yeah, that’s my special-interest period of history.

And it is one that I want to start exploring more through wargaming.

I now have a rulebook for 1918: A First World War Miniatures Game from Warfulcrum Games, and I think that might be the game I really want to use to explore the First World War on the tabletop.

I think Ken might join me in that as well.

My only issue is that the current 1918: Spring Offensive rules are very specifically focused on , specifically the Kaiserschlacht and 100 days offensive

the final year of the war on the Western Front. The initial force lists cover Britain, France, Germany and the United States.

Which is a shame, because Austria-Hungary and Russia in particular would be great fun to play.

And that’s before we even get to the British fighting the Ottomans in the Middle East.

That said, the designers have said they intend to expand the game to other nations and fronts in future, so perhaps we’ll get there eventually.

I have also bought myself a German army STL pack from W3s Retreat Hell Part 2 and plan to start printing as soon as my Saturn 4 Ultra is repaired.

I think the Z-axis motor has failed, so I am absolutely dreading the repair bill.

Once it’s back up and running, I plan to print up some Germans—especially an A7V—and see if I can get some games on the table.

I wonder what other periods of history fascinate you guys?

And is anyone else here similarly fascinated by the Great War?

As an aside, I keep meaning to revisit the Heugh Battery here in Hartlepool.

I haven’t been since I was a nipper, and frankly, it’s a crime given that I’ve lived in Hartlepool for four years and still haven’t visited the UK’s only First World War battlefield!

The Heugh Battery was the site of the bombardment of Hartlepool on 16 December 1914, when German warships engaged the coastal batteries and shelled the town. It is recognised as the UK’s only First World War battlefield.

So yeah.

I’ve lived here for four years.

I’ve been fascinated by the First World War for most of my life.

And I’ve still never been since I moved here!

I really need to rectify that.

What I Am Modelling

I started out with a Kübelwagen, to give my officers a transport

After that I painted the Flak 36 for the early war Germans to add that dreaded Acht-acht gun to my forces

Alongside a leFH 18 105mm medium howitzer

To tow the artillery, I painted an Sd. Kfz. 7

Followed by some Heer on Bicycles

And a sFH 18 150mm heavy howitzer

After that I painted up a Bannernob for the Orks

Plus a Bigboss

Then a Weirdboy

And finally a Warboss

What’s coming up next

  1. Blood Angels Land Speeders
  2. Neophyte Hybrids & Primus
  3. Grundstock Thunderers x 5 & Torrk Lennsen
  4. Ultramarines Saturnine Command Squad
  5. Einhyr Hearthkyn x 5
  6. Skywardens x 3
  7. Rogal Dorn Tank
  8. Wraith Guard x 5
  9. Aberrants x 10
  10. Atillan Rough Riders x 5

What I Am Reading

Still making my way through Traitor General by Dan Abnett

I finished Renaissance of the Daleks by Christopher H. Bidmead which was pretty good

After that I listed to Ghosts of Cadia by Rob Young, which was a really good book, nice follow up to the previous book

Then I listened to The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers, a book I first read as a child and I enjoy this one a lot, lots of foreshadowing about World War I a good 12 years prior.

And finally I listened to I.D. by Eddie Robson, and well, the first story is very poor, but the second one is very good

What Tabletop Games I Am Playing

Not much, but we did have a game of Forbidden Desert which we won!

What Video Games I Am Playing

What Achievements I Have Unlocked

Easy Red 2

Flatline

Die for no reason by killing yourself		19/08/2026
Emmetropia

Kill an enemy from a very far distance		19/08/2026
Battlefield’s Conquest

Destroy 10 enemy tanks using the artillery		24/08/2026

What I Am Backing

All the files for Over There Part 2 have been delivered, as was Broadside: Dawn of Steel and QuesTable as well

The Guild: Ren Faire’d was successfully funded, we went in for the movie and the card game

Artillery of WW2 + Gunners, The English Civil War, Modular Hobby Plate and Napoleonic French Imperial Old Guard Part 1 all funded successfully

I am currently backing The Battle Kiwi S.T.A.CK System cause it looks pretty interesting, as well as Beyond the Brush Miniature Painting Volume 1 and 3D Printable Adventure Wear.

For models I am backing Division Mécanisée for some Cold War French tanks, Fields of War and US Wheeled Vehicles + Soldiers of WW2

What I Am Spending

Cause servicing the printers is a pain with Allen Keys, I bought a cheap metric hex screw set, I will eventually grab the very good quality on from LTT Store, but for now I am using this

Also topped up my superglue supply, I really like these small tubes, it feels wasteful, but the big bottle just always go bad quickly and I spend more money on them

I also bought the Bolt Action 3rd Edition rulebook

As much as I prefer a PDF for most things, I find flicking through a rulebook during gaming to quickly find a rule much quicker

At the Middlesbrough Warhammer stores birthday, I picked up a Hippogriff AFV

And the Path of Command Autach

I also bought second hand, The Riddle of the Sands on DVD, just cause I read the book so fancied watching the film

24 Hour Painting Challenge 2026

By

On 19th August 2026

In Blog

This past weekend I did a charity pairing stream to raise some money for the Willow Foundation, an amazing charity that organises special days for seriously ill young adults, like my childhood friend Lee Dunford, who sadly passed away, but benefitted from one of those special days.

So I painted the full Space Marines Combat Patrol from the Armageddon box, I did this in 24 hours, well cause I am old it was two shifts of 12 hours, I am not physically capable of doing it in one shot

The first thing finished in day one was the Land Speeder

Then early on day 2 I finished the Intercessors

And with an hour to spare I got finished the Vanguard Veterans

Librarian

And Capatin

In the end we raised £175 for the cause, £160 on the day followed by a other donation yesterday

I am super happy with how much we raised, in the meantime if you want to donate, you can do so here

What I Am Modelling

I started out by painting a pair of Magi for the Genestealer Cults

And I also finished up this Ancient for the Blood Ravens

So what’s up next?

  1. Blood Angels Landspeeders
  2. Neophyte Hybrids x 10 & Primus
  3. Grundstock Thunders x 5 & Torrk Lennsen
  4. Ultramarines Saturnine Command Squad x 3
  5. Einhyr Hearthkyn x 5
  6. Skywardens x 3
  7. Rogal Dorn Tank
  8. Wraithguard x 5
  9. Abberants x 10
  10. Atillan Rough Riders x 5

What I Am Reading

I finished up Daemonslayer by William King which was as remembered, very very good.

I then listened to Nocturne by Dan Abnett, which was very good, and I do wonder why Mr Abnett hasn’t written for the TV series yet.

After that I devoured Tank by Mark Urban, its dad history, but it was fun to listen to.

I am still reading Traitor General by Dan Abnett as part of The Lost, and I am currently listening to Renaissance of the Daleks by Christopher H. Bidmead

What Video Games I Am Playing

Not much this week, but a little bit of Easy Red 2

Achivements I Have Unlocked

Easy Red 2 (Steam)

Deadly Sniper

Stop an infantry assault by killing 50 enemies		17/08/2026
I’m a Chad

Get 250 kills		18/08/2026

What I Am Backing

The Imjin War Koreans: Part 1 were delivered, no idea why I backed this, but they look cool

I got delivery of Military Vehicles of 1980s NATO Volume 1, kinda getting interested in the Cold War at the minute

The QuestTable project fully funded

I am currently backing Artillery of WW2 & Gunners (Volume 2), Fields of War, The English Civil War, Modular Hobby Plate, DeweyCat Productions Coastal Terrain and The Guild: Ren Faire’d

What I Am Spending

Lindsay needed some more idle/easy games to play with her broken wrist, so we bought the Idlers & Desktop Companions Bundle from Humble Bundle which got us

It was also Humble Choice and that got me

A Table For Bolt Action

By

On 11th August 2026

In Blog, Uncategorised

Currently I am working on developing a table for me and Graham to be playing Bolt Action on, so far it’s mostly 3D printing, and soon I will start the job of painting

But what have we got this far

First off we have 4 large intact houses, one of these has a fully modelled interior and is from Printable Scenery, the others are empty apart form a floor

Then we have a couple of small houses, modelled with interior floors

A few destroyed buildings, including some commercial ones

A couple of barns, on intact and one ruined one with a damaged tractor in in from Eskice

We also have some sheds, but on one the roof does’t sit right, so I am probably gonna glue the roof in place.

I thought a windmill will add some character, so I printed one of these

Most of the stuff there is very civilian so i thought we would add some some more military stuff starting with a bunker, and a dig in position for a panzer, which I got painted at the weekend

The big centrepiece is one I printed long ago and is a large pig pen from Printable Scenery

Of course France needs walls and bocage, so I have been printing a variety of that, but I still need to print plenty more

Also roads are needed so we have gone for these dirt tracks for the very rural feel from Printable Scenery, and these got painted up at the weekend!

We also have a doormat which I have cut up into sections to use as cornfields

The current plan is to get this all painted by end of September, ready for some games in October

I still want to print some more walls and more Bocage and some fences, probably some telegraph poles too

Hoping it will be a cool table, but we shall see

What I Am Modelling

I started out by painting up some Germans, starting with some Kradschützen

However these models aren’t that great, they are from Eskice and feel questionable in quality, they will get replaced at some point soon

Plus an 81cm Medium Mortar Team

An MG34 MMG Team

Plus a 15 cm Nebelwerfer 41

And finally the last 10 Heer for my early war German force

This bring me up to 40 troops, more than enough for what I want

After that I painted a trio of Rat Ogres

And a Clawlord on Gnaw-Beast

I then painted a Kustom Boosta-Blasta for the Orks

Alongside a trio of Deffkoptas

And a pair of Mercedes-Benz L3000s for my early war Germans

And finally a Chaplin with Jump Pack for the Blood Ravens

So what’s up next?

  1. Blood Angels Landspeeders
  2. Neophyte Hybrids x 10, Primus & Magus x 2
  3. Grundstock Thunderers x 5 & Torrk Lennsen
  4. Ultramarines Saturnine Command Squad x 3
  5. Einhyr Hearthkyn x 5
  6. Skywardens x 3
  7. Rogal Dorn Tank
  8. Wraith Guard x 5
  9. Aberrants x 10
  10. Atillan Rough Riders x 5

What I Am Reading

I finished reading The War in the West: The Rise of Germany , 1939 – 1941 by James Holland, a good assessment of the events, that didn’t glaze over the issues of the German army and its significant issues, or make out that it was a highly mechanised wonder force.

And I listened to Circular Time by Paul Cornell which was very good, and the reveal at the end was really interesting and very good

I am still reading Traitor General by Dan Abnett as part of The Lost and I have started listening to Daemonslayer by William King

What Tabletop Games I Am Playing

Had a cool game of 40k with Brian on Friday, though I admit my head wasn’t in it, we have had a rough few weeks, and I am only really just getting back on my feet

We did get to try out the new terrain I printed off for the club though!

What Video Games I Am Playing

Trying to give myself some variety, been playing Goldeneye 007 on the Xbox, a bit of Ticket to Ride and some Easy Red 2

Also started playing Star Wars: Squadrons with the new to me Logitech Extreme 3D Pro

What Achievements I Have Unlocked

Easy Red 2 (Steam)

Freeze!

Capture 10 enemy soldiers		30/07/2026
Cavalry is here

While driving a tank, support an infantry squad		30/07/2026
Granate!

Kill 3 Germans with a single grenade		30/07/2026
Another Chance

Save a tank crew after their tank is disabled		30/07/2026

Goldeneye 007 (Xbox)

Splash Damage

Unlock Paintball Mode by completing Dam on Secret Agent in 2:40 or less.		10G30/07/2026
Now try gunning for 2:05…

Complete Facility on any difficulty.		20G30/07/2026
Fly Away!

Complete Runway on any difficulty.		20G01/08/2026
Chest-Pounding Goodness

Unlock DK Mode by completing Runway on Agent in 5:00 or less.
10G01/08/2026
Dual-wielding!

Complete Surface 1 on any difficulty		20G03/08/2026
The Art of Boom

Unlock 2x Grenade Launchers by completing Surface 1 on Secret Agent in 3:30 or less.		10G03/08/2026

Ticket to Ride (Steam)

All above board

Win a game on the Nordic Countries map without claiming any tunnels		02/08/2026
Globetrotter


Earn the Globetrotter bonus in a game on the Nordic Countries map		02/08/2026
Union rail

Claim Murmansk to Lieksa using 9 of the same colour cards		02/08/2026
F-Line

Connect The Embarcadero, Market Street, The Castro and Twin Peaks in one game.		02/08/2026

Star Wars: Squadrons (Steam)

Fracture at Fostar Haven

Completed the Prologue.		10/08/2026

What I Am Creating

We published the latest episode of Edge of Empire

What I Am Backing

Clash of Eagles has been delivered, the Franco-Prussian War is one whose outcomes reverberated for over a century, so might be interesting to play some games within it

I got the STLs from No Man’s Land: War Train, WoWBuildings Does Bastogne and WW2 Desert Collection Vol.II

The MakerBot 2.0 project was funded and the files even delivered, which was super quick, that’s probably a project for next year mind!

The German Paratroopers Fallschirmjäger – Crete 1941. Part 1 has fully funded, and I am really looking forward to that for some early war Fallschirmjäger, and when part 2 goes up, there will be some Gebirgsjäger in there for me!

We got some models delivered for Join or Die Airborne Vol.2 and Merville Battery, giving me some options for Folgore and plenty for the Paras

I am now backing The QuesTable, me and Megan think this looks awesome, as well as the Modular Hobby Plate, still searching for a proper solution for paint storage expansion

For some terrain I am backing Deweycat Productions Coastal Terrain and Fields of War

What I Am Spending

I bought a Basilisk/Medusa for the Solar Auxilia which I intend to magnetise to allow for either weapon

I bought a few video games

Bringing the Server to Where I Want It

By

On 28th July 2026

In Blog

Last year I got a new sever for the house, well, it’s an auld office one but for my needs perfect

When I first set it up, I went with a ZFS setup for the two 3TB drives I got with it, but that was a major mistake and the thing kept giving me headaches before deciding it was going to go offline and refuse to ever allow me to access it

Never figured out why it went so bad, but the end result was that the whole system ended up refusing to boot again, so I had to scrap the install and start again

And I was pretty disheartened by it, and basically just brought online the bare minimum

But the past few weeks I have been slowly doing stuff that’s gonna make it work better, slowly but surely I am restoring functionality and adding new stuff

Firstly the system originally used CasaOS as a front end GUI, and that’s turned out to be a mistake as the developers abandoned it and are trying to move everyone onto a paid version that has fewer features, so screw that

The first thing I got running properly was Kavita, a book server, which is a great piece of software, I use Calbre to add the metadata, then save it to the servers book folder

But why use this instead of Calibre, simple, this will allow me to download books or PDFs to my phone, which can be helpful, but more helpful, it will email books directly to my Kindle, as well as Lindsay and Megan’s kindles too when they log into their accounts

The second service to fully get working was the media services, this revolves around PLEX for which we have a PLEXPass, I hated paying for it, but JellyFin just isn’t there yet in terms of access.

PLEX is really good, we ripped all my families DVDs/BRDs as well as Linux ISOs and now everyone gets access to our combined library without having to physically lend people the media

For media requests we have Overseer, where people can tell me something they would like to watch, and then I will go to CEX or eBay and acquire the physical media to rip and upload. Sonarr and Radarr are also installed, just saying!

When media is uploaded, another service called Bazarr then hunts out subtitles, downloads and adds them to the programs folder for use on PLEX

Which is just great because as a neurodivergent person, I can tell you that subtitles can be a godsend

AudioBookShelf, has alson been getting a few upgrades, mostly in setting my Audible account to auto download to it, which means all my old books needing to be downloaded and sent to the server, but thats ok, most of whats left to got on there is histroy book!

We also have a CCTV system running now, which is great, its recording motion outside the front of the house and retaining the footage for 7 days.

We don’t exactly live in a crime free area, but its not too bad, but when stuff does happen its a pain in the arse!

And yeah the notice board is great too, that’s running out of Home Assistant and whilst its not 100% there its almost there

What I Am Modelling

I started out with a Daemon Prince for the World Eaters Combat Patrol

I painted a few bits for the Germans, starting with a proper Sniper team

Alongside a new officer, a fancy one with a pipe alongside an escort with radio, who could probably be used as an observer too I guess

And a weird one, that I will likely never use, a Chaplin

I then paint a Azeb for the Iron Sultanate, this one with an instrument

After that I painted a trio of dual Plasma Bombard Saturnine Terminators for the Ultramarines

As well as another trio, armed with Saturnine Disruption Fists and Twin Disintegrators

So whats next?

  1. Blood Angels Landspeeders
  2. Neophyte Hybrids x 10. Primus & Magus x 2
  3. Rat Ogres x 3
  4. Deffkoptas x 3 & Kustom Boosta-Blasta
  5. Grunstock Thunderes x 5 & Torrk Lennsen
  6. Ultramarines Saturnine Command Squad
  7. Einhyr Hearthkyn x 5
  8. Skywardens x 3
  9. Rogal Dorn Tank
  10. Wraith Guard x 5

What I Am Reading

I finished Genefather by Guy Haley, which was really good, and I listened to No Man’s Land by Martin Day, which was pretty good and Year of the Pig by Matthew Sweet which was quite enjoyable

I am currently reading Traitor General by Dan Abnett and listening to The War in the West Volume One: The Rise of Germany 1939 – 1941 by James Holland

What Video Games I Am Playing

What Achievements I Have Unlocked

Easy Red 2

What a Runner!

The more you sprint the better runner you are		16/07/2026
Impignorate

Kill a teammate		16/07/2026

What I Am Backing

Prelude to fear: Early WW2 armed civilians, has delivered another file

The files for WW2 Motorcycles & Riders: Volume 1 have all been delivered

Paintpal Studio XP has deliveded its files

STL Printable Terrain WW2 Desert Collection Vol 2 was fully funded as was WoWBuildings Does Bastogne, No Man’s Land: War Train and MakerPlot 2.0 

I am still backing Grimdark Empire of course!

What I Am Spending

We got a CCTV camera for the font of the house, there have been a few incidents down the years, and we think it would be handy to have a camera to help deal with that.

And I got myself a Rapier Direct Fire Battery for my Solar Auxilia

I also stocked up on resin and filament!

It was also Humble Choice and that got me

The Early War Germans Are Coming Along Nicely, But An Arms Race Has Begun

By

On 16th July 2026

In Blog

At the start of the year, one of my hobby goals was to develop my early war Germans for Bolt Action to a nice point where I had a nice collection that allowed me to play a variety of game play styles.

And I am getting closer and closer to that and I think I am basically at the point where the final plan is is place.

The above embedded Google Doc is what I have currently and my current development plans.

The army is supposed to cover 1939-1942, going from the Bzura, to the Meuse and then the Volga.

I think my plans work and will cover up to late 1942, very early 1943 meaning I may, may add a Tiger Ausf H to this list.

I am really enjoying working on this army but realistically with Graham and the other guys playing mostly late war stuff, I am gonna have to develop a later war army, probably sticking with Germans.

But I really want to explore more early war, so I can see myself expanding the French to 1250pts and perhaps some BEF.

I really wanted my next project to be Afrika Korps, but my most regular opponent is Graham and he has gone with a late war British list, and to be fair a lot of players, play late war.

This leaves me at a significant disadvantage with the early war army, so I am having to pivot to building a later war force to stand a chance in these games.

The difference in what you can take in the early war, and what you can take in later war is just unreal.

The above YouTube short demonstrates this issue for me, although the Centurion came into service just after the end of the war, you get my meaning, I hope!

So whilst I have Panzer Is and maybe a Panzer III Ausf H, Graham is rocking in with a Churchill, Sherman Firefly, Matilda II and a Cromwell in his arsenal, and that’s just not something I will be able to easily deal with.

So I have some Fallschirmjäger STLs from RKX and Colonel Muller, and I am gonna get some of them printed off, alongside a few vehicles.

I already have a Stug III, Luchs and Sd. Kfz 222 painted up for it, thinking of adding a Panzer IV Ausf H, Panther and Sd. Kfz 234/2.

But yeah, it is what it is, and next time I have some resin I will start printing them!

What I Am Modelling

I started out with a test model for an English themed New Antioch army

And a French WWII test model

After that I came to WWII French and finished off this Infantry Squad

I rebased some of my Orks to match the new base sizes from Armageddon

Then I painted a Command Squad for the Cadians

Alongside the Cadia Unbroken Castellan

Plus Ursula Creed

Following this I finished off a Warwolf to replace the one I broke

And a Leman Russ Battletank

And finally a Panzer III Ausf H

I also finished off some weapons for my Deff Dreads and Killa-Kanz

And fixed the Stahlhelms of the riders of this Opel Blitz, they were painted dark green when they really should be dunklegrau!

After that I painted up an Araknae Quad Accelerator Platform for the Ultramarines

And finally for this post, a pair of PAK 38s for the Germans, takes them to Operation Barbarossa

These particular models are form the Empire of Iron and Rust Kickstarter by Studio Historica

This one is a bit different, but I needed a 107mm x 105mm oval base for a Flak 36 for my Germans, but there was no STL for a plain one in the style of Warlord Games, so I kinda modelled it myself.

Its not going to be the start of a career in 3D modelling, that is not something I feel capable of, but its something, anyway you can download it yourself on Cult3D

So what’s up next?

  1. Blood Angels Landspeeders
  2. Ultramarines Saturnine Terminators x 6
  3. Neophyte Hybrids x 10, Primus & Magus x 2
  4. Rat Ogres x 3
  5. Deffkoptas x 3 & Kustom Boosta-Blasta
  6. World Eaters Daemon Prince
  7. Grundstock Thunderers x 5 & Torrk Lennsen
  8. Ultramarines Saturnine Command Squad x 3
  9. Einhyr Heathguard x 5
  10. Skywardens x 3

What I Am Reading

I finally, finally finished Dropsite Massacre by John French, I dunno why the headaches keep coming back, but it is what it is, I enjoyed it, but it did feel, I dunno, not rushed, but there wasn’t a lot of the betrayal in there which was a bit disappointing, but it’s a solid addition to the series.

I listened to Armageddon: Season of Fire by Jude Reid which was very good and a very good concept, I strongly recommend people give it a read, compared to the last new edition launch novel, this was a big improvement.

After that I listened to Memory Lane by Eddie Robson, which was a good concept, but it didn’t quite hit the landing, but a good listen.

Then I hit Butchers Nails by Aaron Denali-Bowden, an audio drama I have listened to before, but a long time ago when it first came out, and it was still really good. I miss Black Library audio dramas 🙁

I am now listening to Genefather by Guy Haley, and am about to start on Traitor General by Dan Abnett

I also got Kavita working when it comes to sending book via email to my Kindle, which is handy as hell, no more having to go upstairs, and as long as I am sensible and make sure to keep Kavita up to date with my books, it will work

What Tabletop Games I Am Playing

I played Brian in my first game of 11th Edition and it was a massacre!

And I had a game of Bolt Action with Graham, where his 5 man SAS squad massacred a fair few units of mine and almost destroyed a StuG III!!!

This was the list I took

Order Dice: 11

Platoon #1 - Rifle Platoon (489pts)
  Platoon Commander (Leutnant, Oberleutnant) (Regular) (50pts)
    Composition: 1 Officer + 2 Soldiers
    - Additional men x 2 (20pts)
  Heer Infantry Squad (Regular) (119pts)
    Composition: 1 NCO + 9 Soldiers
    - Additional men x 5 (50pts)
    - NCO: Submachine gun (SMG) (4pts)
    - Squad: German light machine gun (LMG) (15pts)
  Heer Infantry Squad (Regular) (119pts)
    Composition: 1 NCO + 9 Soldiers
    - Additional men x 5 (50pts)
    - NCO: Submachine gun (SMG) (4pts)
    - Squad: German light machine gun (LMG) (15pts)
  Heer Infantry Squad (Regular) (119pts)
    Composition: 1 NCO + 9 Soldiers
    - Additional men x 5 (50pts)
    - NCO: Submachine gun (SMG) (4pts)
    - Squad: German light machine gun (LMG) (15pts)
  Sniper Team (Regular) (52pts)
    Composition: 2 Soldiers
  Light Mortar Team (Regular) (30pts)
    Composition: 2 Soldiers

Platoon #2 - Armoured Platoon (360pts)
  Panzer 38(t) and 35(t) (Regular) (145pts)
    - Command Vehicle (10pts)
  StuG III Ausf F, G, H, and StuG IV (Regular) (215pts)

Platoon #3 - Artillery Platoon (150pts)
  Platoon Commander (Leutnant, Oberleutnant) (Regular) (30pts)
    Composition: 1 Officer
  50MM Pak 38 (Regular) (70pts)
    Composition: 3 Soldiers
  Light Artillery (Regular) (50pts)
    Composition: 3 Soldiers

Total: 999pts

We also ran a demo day at Gamers-At-Hart and I was demonstrating Bolt Action with some early war French and Germans, whilst others demoed Blood Red Skies, Warhammer 40k, Blood Bowl, Barons War and Trench Crusade

What Video Games I Am Playing

I finished Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster and have now started out on Easy Red 2

What Achievements I Have Unlocked

Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster

To the Moon

Obtained the Lunar Whale and landed on the moon		23/06/2026
Rematch

Defeated the four elemental lords again		26/06/2026
Summon Master

Learned all non-secret summon magic		26/06/2026
Item Detector

Obtained all hidden items		26/06/2026
Adventurous Wayfarer

Traveled to all the map locations		26/06/2026
Legendary Treasure Hunter

Collected treasure from 100% of the chests		27/06/2026
Power Unleashed

Obtained all sealed equipment.		27/06/2026
Field Research- Professional

Completed 100% of the Bestiary entries		27/06/2026
To the Blue Planet

Defeated Zeromus and restored peace to the world		27/06/2026

Easy Red 2

Wasteful Gunner

Empty all your magazines		11/07/2026
Radio Boy

Use radio HQ to request support		11/07/2026
A Clear Path

Destroy a tank using an AT gun		11/07/2026

What I Am Creating

A new episode of Edge of Empire is in editing, and in the meantime here is a video about my Bolt Action Escalation League 750pts List

What I Am Backing

The Heavy Transporters of WW2 (Volume 2) delivered, and I have already printed out a Hippo for Graham, cause trucks in Bolt Action are cool

Prelude to fear: Early WW2 armed civilians, has delivered a few bits

The Blessed Militia of the Martyred Saints has successfully funded and I have paid for that, looks like a really interesting set of minis for either Trench Pilgrims or New Antioch

Paintpal Studio XP successfully funded, I have the other STLs, and this made sense, one day I will actually get round to printing some of it to better store my paints

The Epic Sector – Frontline Project funded, I really want to play some Legions Imperialis, but it needs terrain, I already have the other two Epic Sector projects, so again it’s a one day I will get round to it!

To give me some more options for British Airborne, I backed both Join or Die Airborne Volume 2 and Merville Battery, with the first one also giving me some Folgore

For some reason, I really fancy the idea of painting some Joseon Koreans, so I have backed the Imjin War Koreans: Part 1 project

I have backed STL Printable Terrain WW2 Desert Collection Vol 2 to go with the stuff for the first one, so eventually I can create a North Africa terrain box

Cause I need more scenery still, I am backing WoWBuildings Does Bastogne

I am backing the Pirate Borg minis project because they look cool and it might be the RPG I run for the group!

The MakerPlot 2.0 looks like it might be an interesting project, so I have backed that

Motorcycle troops in Bolt Actions seem interesting, so I have backed WW2 Motorcycles & Riders: Volume 1

How could I not be backing Victoria Miniatures Grimdark Empire project???

And finally I am backing No Man’s Land: War Train, cause who does’t love an Armoured Train for Trench Crusade

What I Am Spending

I bought a Chaos Lord in Terminator Armour!

I bought myself Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and United Penguin Kingdom

11th Is Here

By

On 23rd June 2026

In Blog

On Friday night we had a midnight release for Warhammer 40,000 Armageddon!

I have played more of 10th edition than I ever did 9th or even 8th, maybe not as much as 7th.

That said, 10th has been my least favourite edition of the game, simply because it feels like the Editon in which I have struggled most to get a win, and there were way too many gotcha moments.

11th looks to be on the one hand more of the same, but at the same time, things like unit coherency meaning a unit must be in 9” of each other is very useful as it stops the Poxwalker conga line, which is just so frustrating.

I still feel like the rules overly cater to the competitive scene and casual narrative players get very little, but let’s see how it develops.

I do hope when the new Space Marine codex drops they lose Oath of Moment cause that’s just way too powerful when combined with some of the detachments.

But let’s see how it does.

Paint-A-Thon

My annual Paint-A-Thon returns after a one year hiatus, and I am going to paint the Space Marines Combat Patrol from Armageddon over tow 12 hour sittings on the weekend of 26th and 27th July, I am hoping to raise £150 for the Willow Foundation, in memory of one of my closest friends, Lee Dunford.

Someone has challenged me to change it up and make it a 24 hour Play-A-Thon and have me play as many games of whatever system or even several in 24 hours, but that’s something I would need to sit down figure out and find a suitable venue, but it’s a possibility at some point.

Anyway, you can donate here!

What I Am Modelling

I started the week with some French for Bolt Action, first up an Anti-Tank Rifle Team, armed with Boys Anti-Tank Rifles

Followed by a MMG Team, armed with a Hotchkiss Machine Gun

Then it was a Centurion in Saturnine Terminator Armour for my Ultramarines

And a Chorister for the Heretic Legions of Trench Crusade

And a French Brandt Mortar Team

I did want to paint an infantry squad for the French but I ran out of a couple of main colours I am using for them so that’s gonna wait until I can restock them next week

After that I painted up a Sd. kfz 222 in late war dunkelgelb

Followed by a second Opel Blitz for the early war Germans

And some Vanquishers for the Stormcast Eternals, which for now means I have no more of them to paint

After that I painted a Daemon Prince for the True Sons

So what’s coming up next

  1. Blood Angels Landspeeders
  2. Cadian Command Squad x 5 & Castellan
  3. Ultramarines Saturnine Terminators x 6
  4. Neophyte Hybrids x 10, Primus & Magus x 2
  5. Rat Ogres x 3
  6. Deffkoptas x 2 & Kustom Boosta-Blasta
  7. World Eaters Daemon Prince
  8. Grundstock Thunderers x 5
  9. Ultramarines Saturnine Command Squad x 3
  10. Leman Russ

What I Am Reading

I finished listening to Fist of the Imperium by Andy Clark and I have to say it seemed super familiar, not sure if I have previously read it or it’s just very samey, it was fine, not the best, but not the worst.

After that I listened to The Gathering by Jospeh Lidster, and it’s really a very awkward book, not at all that great, the plot was stretched out and the sound mix was just dreadful, kinda sad cause Tegan was great in it and the story was a disservice to her.

I then listened to Day of Ascension by Adrian Tchaikovsky which was extremely good, I mean really good, nice twist at the end which was just brilliant!

After that I listened to The Romanov Project by Niel Bushnell, and it was ok, not the best written but ok, there were a few weaknesses and it was kinda middling

What Tabletop Games I Am Playing

We had a day of Horus Heresy at Durham Raiders, and due to illness and just life my advertising of it was terrible so we only had a few people, but it was nonetheless quite fun.

On Friday myself and James had a game of 30k at 2000 points, well I was slight under as I forgot my Leman Russ tanks, but we had a good game.

Played a relic mission and my Lasriflemen could not pass an intelligence test for toffee and and thus I lost, and by a lot!

What Video Games I Am Playing

A bit more Over The Top and Hell Let Loose, and I have returned to Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster

What Achievements I Have Unlocked

Over The Top

Lazy Git

Sit down on a Chair or Bench		15/06/2026
Long and Big

Kill someone with a Big Gun at 100 meters or more		18/06/2026

Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster

Sword of Myth

Obtained Excalibur
22/06/2026

Hell Let Loose

The Red Ball Express

Drop 250 Supply Boxes from a Supply Truck		23/06/2026
Captain

Reach Career Level 100		23/06/2026

What I Am Spending

I bought a new monitor, this year I was gonna upgrade my PC platform from AM4 to AM5 and get a 7800X3D, but fucking Sam Altman the prick and the other AI bastards put paid to that.

Literally the only upgrade I could really do was to my monitor, and I got this one on an Amazon Warehouse deal for £310 which is so much better than I could have hoped for.

Originally I was looking at a decent Alienware one, but the cost of this on the deal plus a new monitor arm came in quite a bit cheaper!

Also got Megan a new monitor arm too as she inherited my old main monitor and now is enjoying my old CPU, GPU and Monitor now!

Humble Choice also happened and I got this out of it

I also bought

UK Games Expo 2026

By

On 11th June 2026

In Blog

Wow, that was a very very very busy weekend!

Myself, Lindsay and Megan all volunteered to help run the UK Games Expo this year, it’s 20th year and I have been attending for 16 of them!

We headed down on the Thursday morning to get our t-shirts, groats and passes, after which we chilled out in the hotel with a pizza.

We then had shifts for the next three days, Lindsay and Megan were on the Crew Room, which was basically covering stuff all over the place, I spent time in a Shop & Drop, Hall 4 and the Crew Room.

My favourite part, someone arriving 3 minutes before entries for the painting completion closed on Sunday, his train had been massively delayed, and he had yet to collect his ticket, so I got to escort him to get his entry in before sending him to get his tickets, just trying to be helpful.

It was exhausting but an awful lot of fun, and I am so glad I was able to be there for it, to be honest if I wasn’t volunteering I couldn’t afford to be there for more than a day.

But there is something so special about not only being at an event, but also being able to help make the event happen for other people.

What I Am Spending At Expo

I picked up a new TT Combat cutting mat, that’s something I buy every year as it’s super useful

From The Army Painter I got a Drybrush and some of the John Blanche paints, Heavy Metal, Grim Rust, Grimdark Shadow and Voodoo Shade

I got a new bottle of Feldgrau and some US Dark Green from Vallejo

From Games Workshop I got the event exclusives, Cadia Stands and Dawner’s Reward

I got the standard merch of a t-shirt and event pin

Plus a few more bits from The Army Painter, Warhammer and AK Interactive for painting, those being a Scrubby Cup, Emperor Gold, Khorne Red, Tyran Blue and a Gold Playmarker Pen from AK Interactive

I did get a couple of games, staring with Machu Pichu, a fun little party game

And The Lord of the Rings Duel for Middle Earth

What I Am Modelling

I started off by painting a few bits for Trench Crusade

An Observer mercenary, which is a really cool little model

A couple of Red Brigade Yeomen armed with Flamethrowers

A Heretic Legion Trooper armed with a Flamethrower

A Sin-Eater

A trio of Heretic Priests

A couple of Anointed, one armed with a Flamethrower, the other with a Greataxe

And the obligatory Artillery Witch

For the early war French I painted a couple of Renault FTs

I also painted some Legionaries for my True Sons Chaos Space Marines Warband

So what’s up next week?

  1. Blood Angels Landspeeder
  2. True Sons Daemon Prince
  3. Cadian Command Squad x 5
  4. Ultramarines Saturnine Terminators x 6
  5. Neophyte Hybrids x 10, Primus & Magus x 2
  6. Vanquishers x 10
  7. Sd. Kfz 222 (Late War)
  8. Rat Ogres x 3
  9. Deffkoptas x 3 & Kutom Boosta-Blasta
  10. World Eaters Daemon Prince

What Tabletop Games I Am Playing

I played two games of Bolt Action this week, first on Wednesday when I took on Gavin and his Battle of the Bulge themed British

My 750pts list is now

Rifle Platoon

Oberleutnant (Regular)

Heer x 8, LMG, NCO with SMG (Regular)
Heer x 8, LMG, NCO with SMG (Regular)
Heer x 8, LMG, NCO with SMG (Regular)

Sniper Team (Veteran)

Light Mortar Team (Regular)

Armoured Platoon

Panzer II Ausf C

Panzer I Ausf A

Panzer 38 (t)

The game was pretty hard, he had a Sherman and a Wolverine, the latter of which took out my Panzer 38 (t) on the first turn.

We played the Breakthrough mission and it was a classic game where it came down to three dice rolls

The game was a draw but had I passed at least one of two morale tests, I would have won, and had the game gone to turn 6, he potentially would have won!

Then on Friday I played David and his Australians, an army I have never played before, we again played breakthrough and

David’s M3 Stuart and my Panzer 38 (t) spent most of the game pinging shots off each other

It was an impressive win for David as he made some amazing tactical decisions and had some really great dice rolls that systematically demolished my Germans

He ended up winning the game 8-2

On Sunday I was supposed to be playing in a Warhammer 40K tournament, I went but was quite unwell, and only managed one game against the kid

It was a really tough game and I lost very badly, but hopefully 11th Editon will be somewhat kinder to me

But Space Marines are a very tough army to overcome, with the Oath of Moment and the various buffs they get

On Tuesday myself and Graham had a game of Bolt Action, my early war Germans took on his British

It was a tough game, I managed to destroy all of his infantry, but I couldn’t touch his tanks, Germans during the Blitzkrieg didn’t have very good anti-tank weapons, my Pak 36 and Panzer 38 (t) were just pinging off his armour for the most part

I did manage to damage the Churchill, and reduce its movement, but the Matilda II was beyond my weapons.

What Video Games I Am Playing

I am really enjoying Over The Top, its incredible fun, and I am trying to play a bit more Darktide.

What Achievements I Have Unlocked

Look Out!

Crush someone with an object		05/06/2026
Single Player

Play a match in Single Player		07/06/2026
Over The Top!

Have the Charge bonus with 15 other people at the same time		07/06/2026
They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance

Kill someone with a rifle at 100 meters or more		07/06/2026

What I Am Creating

I did a video on my Bolt Action 500pts list for the Escalation League

What I Am Spending

It was Humble Choice, so that got me

  • Diablo IV (annoyingly on Battle.Net)
  • Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
  • Crysis 3 Remastered (gifted to a nibbling)
  • Nordhold
  • Heroes of Hammerwatch II
  • Rogue Waters
  • Cubic Odyssey
  • Mini Settlers

I also bought Heroes of Hammerwatch, seeing as I now has the sequel made sense to get the original

I Like Weird War… Until It Feels Too Real

By

On 28th May 2026

In Blog

I’ve come to the conclusion that I really dislike the very idea of Konflikt ’47, not just mildly, but viscerally.

That probably needs an immediate caveat: I’m not here to judge anyone who enjoys it. Plenty of people do, and that’s completely fine. We can like different things for different reasons without it needing to become a moral argument.

But for me, Konflikt ’47 just feels… wrong.

I love playing Bolt Action. It’s one of my favourite wargames. However, World War II gaming is already a serious subject. It isn’t just a neutral backdrop for cool tanks and infantry, it represents real human suffering on an unimaginable scale. It carries historical weight, and that weight never really disappears, even in a game.

That’s where my discomfort starts.

Konflikt ’47 takes that same historical foundation and adds zombie soldiers, mechs, occult experiments, and super-science. On paper, it’s alternate history pulp. But in practice, it turns something already rooted in real tragedy into something closer to spectacle.

Enhanced SS units, dieselpunk weapons, and “Nazis with lasers” sit uneasily with me. Not because I think people who enjoy it are endorsing anything, but because the aesthetic draws directly from regimes responsible for very real atrocities. It feels, to me, like it risks turning that history into something stylised, almost consumable, and that’s where it becomes uncomfortable. At times it even feels commercially exploitative, like the imagery is being used because it’s provocative rather than because it’s being meaningfully reframed.

I don’t think anyone who enjoys the game is a bad person, or thinking about it in the wrong way. I just find I can’t reconcile the mix of pulp spectacle with real-world tragedy. Or maybe it’s the idea of extending such a regime into “what if” scenarios that linger too long over history’s worst parts. Either way, it doesn’t sit right with me.

But then there’s the contrast: I really like Trench Crusade.

I’ve thought quite a bit about why that is.

The key difference, for me, is that Trench Crusade isn’t trying to be WWI with a technological twist. It isn’t asking “what if Verdun had mechs?” Instead, it’s a mythic, theological alternate universe where history has already diverged into something fundamentally different.

Yes, there are trenches. Yes, there is war. But it’s not anchored to specific real-world battles or regimes. It’s a gothic horror setting, a fantasy abstraction rather than a reimagining of identifiable history.

In that space, humanity is fighting literal demons of Hell alongside crusader-inspired factions drawn from Abrahamic religious imagery. It’s not alternate history in the traditional sense; it’s religious and mythic horror. That abstraction creates distance, and that distance changes how it feels.

The result is that it doesn’t trigger the same sense of proximity to real-world events. It feels like symbolism rather than substitution.

They just land differently emotionally.

That said, I do have some reservations about Trench Crusade as well. It’s intensely grimdark, almost relentlessly so. Compared to something like Warhammer, it lacks much of the satire or levity that helps break up the tone. I once summed it up in a Bluesky conversation as: “there are no Orks.”

But even with that, it doesn’t produce the same discomfort. It feels like a fully fictional mythos built to explore horror, rather than a stylised extension of real-world catastrophe.

And that, I think, is the distinction that matters most to me.

In the end, this is just my personal reaction to tone, framing, and proximity to history. I don’t think it’s something universal, and I don’t think it should be. People are going to respond differently to the same ideas, and that’s fine.

If anything, it’s a reminder that in games like this, tone matters just as much as theme. What a setting is doing emotionally is often more important than what it is doing structurally.

And for me, that’s where the difference lies.

What I Am Modelling

I started out with a squad of Pioneers for my Early War Germans

Plus an officer to lead them

Also a Stug III Ausf F, which represents the far end of the army I am building right now, more crossing the Volga than the Meuse

I also painted this Panzer III, but it’s a pretty crap model, the details are bad and the print isn’t great, I ended up scrapping the idea of it being for my early war Germans and painted it in dunkelgelb with the idea of giving it to a couple of my nephews as a toy

This was fllowed by a Praetor in Saturnine Terminator Armour for the Word Bearers

I also painted up a trio of Panzer IIs as well

I finally got the Loght Mortar unit finished, so no longer need to proxy my Medium Mortar as one!

And a Stug III Ausf B, cause most of my army is themed around crossing the Meuse and the Ausf B fits that whereas the Ausf F does not

I also painted some test models for a French army, I am kinda fancying doing to face off against my Germans, and I am quite happy with how it turned out

Then two squads of Cadian Shock Troops to finish this off

So what’s up next?

  1. Blood Angels Landspeeder
  2. Heretic Legion Warband
  3. True Sons Legionaries x 10
  4. True Soms Daemon Prince
  5. Cadian Command Squad x 5 & Ursula Creed
  6. Ultramarines Saturnine Terminators x 6 & Centurion in Saturnine Terminator Armour
  7. Neophyte Hybrids x 10, Primus & Magos x 2
  8. Vanquishers x 10
  9. SD. kfz 222
  10. Deffkoptas x 3

What I Am Reading

Alas somehow, I have no idea how, the screen on my Kindle broke 😢

So I had to get a new one, it’s a bit smaller than my old one, but it’s got twice the storage

In terms of reading I have ‘t read much, but I did listen to Zardu Layak: The Crimson Apostle by Rich McCormick

What Tabletop Games I Am Playing

Not much but I did get a game of 40K in against Brian

His detachment negated most of my tough weapons, so stuff that should have been wounding him on 2 was now doing so on a 3 and that made a huge world of difference

Plus the oath of moment rerolls are so very powerful, but it was an excellent list and his played it very well

What I Am Creating

We published the latest epsiode of Edge of Empire

What I am Backing

I have backed the Worlds Beyond Brawl campaign by One Page Rules with a friend, it’s an interesting concept and we fancy a few of the models so why not!

And I am still a backer of Desert Theatre: WWII North African Campaign Stl System

And I have now backed Foldable Terrain for 11th Edition

The Cranes and Fire Engine Vehicle’s of WW2 Volume 1 has now been delivered

What I Am Buying

I got two copies of issue 89 of Combat Patrol

And this Wednesday I managed to make sure to grab two issues of 90 to allow me to make myself a Forgefiend and Maulerfiend for the True Sons Warband of Chaos Space Marines.

And for the regular delivery, my last delivery came, which completes the collection

I also bought a few video games, some from the past month that I forgot to put in the last post

  • Over the Top
  • Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior
  • Anno 1701
  • Final Liberation: Warhammer Epic 40,000
  • Warhammer 40,000: Gladius: Onslaught Pack
  • PowerWash Simulator
  • Skull & Bone
  • Heroes of Hammerwatch

Goodby Cassius

By

On 18th May 2026

In Blog

We sadly lost Cassius, our beloved one eyed dickhead of a cat 😢

He was a very loving and precious little lad, but also an utter dick head who bite your nipple if you weren’t giving him attention or snackies

He went off his food a little, something that was very unusual for him, but as it was hot and two of the others went off their food at the same time, we thought not too much of it, but a couple of days later and he was eating less and less

Initially we believed he had something up with his teeth as his breath was rather smelly, so away he went to the vets

After an initial examination followed by an ultrasound they discovered that his kidneys were failing, pretty badly and his bloods were really bad

They advised that the kindest thing would be to let him go, and that’s what we had to do, we were devestated

There were options for us, but the vet said these wouldn’t be great for his quality of life, especially given his spiciness when it came to medication

He was a beautiful boy, and we miss him so much, the house is very quiet without him as he was a huge personality

Barrington, Bonnie and Mango all seem a bit down without him around, but are slowly getting used to his absence

We aren’t getting another cat to succeed him, we are going to stick with three cats for the foreseeable future simply because we are just way too sad right now

I miss his cuddles, when he would randomly come to the studio, demand a cuddle and snackies, my nights have been very quiet without his presence

Good night sweet boy

Storage

We have now rented a storage space, annoyingly the only place we could find an affordable one was in Harrogate, which is an hours drive away, which is a ball ache, but we are paying a month, half of what most places wanted a week near us.

What is being stored in there right now is my Warhammer Scenery, 14.5 tables worth, with a couple more boxes going to join it soon, the Edge of Empire PA system and a bunch of Paul’s theatre gear.

This is great for all of us, because we have been struggling with long term storage of some stuff, my terrain has been stored in my in-laws attic, which will be replaced with some armies to clear space in my studio, but they will take up a lot less space.

What I Am Modelling

I started out by painting some bits for my Germans, starting with an officer and escort, these being from the Meuse to Volga project

Plus a couple of Anti-Tank Rifle teams armed with Panzerbüchse 39s

After that I painted a Panzer 38 (t)

And a Panzer I

Plus a Panzerjäger I

I have now also made myself a carry case for my early war German, will probably want a second cube to carry the entire army I have planned/building!

After that I turned my attentions to the Genestealer Cults and painted for them a Patriarch and his Familiars

Along with an Acolyte Iconward

Who will be escorted either by some Hyrbid Metamorphs

Or some Acolyte Hybrids

As well as a Death Korps of Krieg Command Squad

And some Combat Engineers

Plus an Artilery team, which is a fantastic little diorama piece

And finally a Squad of Kriegsmen to form the battleline!

And for a general transport case, I have now printed up a 2×2 case with the plan being to expand it to 2×3 for six cubes in total

I have printed off for it, two Edge of Empire and a Solar Auxilia and Astra Militarum cover

So what’s up next?

  1. Blood Angels Landspeeders
  2. Heretic Legions Warband
  3. Cadian Shock Troopers x 20
  4. True Wons Legionaries x 10
  5. Krieg Command Squad x 6
  6. German Pioneers & Officer
  7. Cadian Command Squad x 5 & Ursula Creed
  8. Ultramarines Saturnine Terminators x 6 & Centurion
  9. Neophyte Hybrids x 10, Magus x 2 & Primus
  10. Vanquishers x 10

What I Am Reading

I finished Trollslayer by William King, which was as good as the first time I read it!

I then listened to The Reaping by Joseph Lidster which was a really cool little Cybermen story, and a good story for Peri

I am currently listening to Skavenslayer by William King

What Tabletop Games I Am Playing

I played a game of Combat Patrol with Craig and his Space Wolves

Their new list is very spicy and it took me apart piece by piece

Really fun game and I really hope GW keep this mode in 11th edition.

I played a game of Bolt Action against David as part of the Escalation League

And somehow I came away with a rare win, 8-1 to me. My Snipers, Panzer 38 (t) and light mortar team did most of the heavy lifting.

At one point my Panzerbefehlswagen and Panzer 38 (t) shot all three of their machine guns at his anti-tank gun, and all 12 shots missed!

But still, it’s nice to get a win, although that rules me out for the wooden spoon!

What I Am Backing

We now have everything for Meuse to the Volga, with the delivery of the Sd. Kfz 251 pack, Panzer crew and the terrain.

I backed the German What-If (Prototype) Vehicles of World War II, it will have no value for game play for me, but could be interesting to model, or perhaps for Konflikt ’47, that delivered hella quick and I now have all the STLs.

The models are cool, as I said, more for modelling or for Konflilt ‘47 usage, where the Panther II will fit

Over There Part 2 continues to deliver and the fella who made it is a really cool guy, he is thinking of setting up a Patreon, which I will join!

I have backed STL Tabletop Printable Buildings – Part Two for some terrain I can print for my boards and potentially the club, and that’s already delivered everything!

I am also backing Cranes and Fire Engines of WW2 – Volume 1, might be cool to get some old school fire trucks for my nephews to paint

And finally, I am backing Desert Theatre: WWII North African Campaign STL System for some, well North African style terrain!

What I Am Buying

Issue 84 of Combat Patrol arrived, so now I can compete the Jackhals

I also picked up issues 87 and 88 for some Khorne Beserkers for the newer Combat Patrol

After a bit of a mixup, my Infinity’s Lament model arrived from Warhammer+

As well as Marshall Ashfield and Squire Udo

I also did I big hobby/3D printing supply top up, grabbing some much needed paints, a ton of filament and resin etc

For the planned DnD digital tabletop, me and Megan bought an old 32” TV which we are going to encase in wood and use for playing RPGs on using a digital tabletop, probably Foundry

I finally got myself the LinusTechTips Screwdriver and I have to say it’s pretty sweet, certainly the best consumer screwdriver I have handled in a long time

I also got the Shaft Extension, a set of Phillips head screwbits, plus a bit of PTM7950, not sure if I will put that in my current PC of hold it back for the next one!

Also got the Precision Screwdriver EndCap set which had to ship separately due to a checkout error

Also bought a smart plug for my studio fan

And my Humble Choice subscription got me

  • Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (donated to Chris)
  • Demon X Machina: Titanic Scion
  • The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
  • Until Then
  • Planet of Lana
  • Artisan TD
  • The Procession to Calvary
  • Buddy Simulator 1984

Plus I bought Over The Top seeing as it was on sale!

I Think I’m Becoming a Grognard… and I’m Not Mad About It

By

On 20th April 2026

In Blog

I don’t remember exactly when it happened, but somewhere along the way I stopped getting excited about new codexes for Warhammer 40,000 and started getting excited about the Napoleonic Wars.

These days I’m just as likely to be reading something like French Tanks of World War II by Steven J. Zaloga as I am flicking through Warhammer content, and when I look at new projects, I’m browsing Napoleonics as well as the latest Games Workshop release.

Which led to a slightly uncomfortable realisation:

“wait… am I a grognard?”

The word “grognard” actually goes back to the Napoleonic Wars, where it was used to describe Napoleon’s veteran troops, the grizzled soldiers who had seen enough to justify a bit of grumbling and bitterness.

In modern wargaming, it’s become shorthand for the kind of player who cares about historical accuracy, rules, and whether your unit really should have that equipment. A player who is less about the sci-fi settings of Warhammer 40,000, or the low fantasy of Warhammer: The Old World, and more about systems, structure, and coherence. The kind of person who can open a drawer and have multiple tiny-scale Napoleonics ready to go, with different forces representing different eras of a war.

In other words… the sort of person I may be slowly turning into.

I’ve always been a WYSIWYG player for myself, and yes, I’ll admit it—I sometimes silently judge those who aren’t. Not in a serious way, more in a “hmm… interesting choice” kind of way. Definitely not gatekeeping. Probably.

For example, my Heresy Death Guard don’t really do fragile or complicated weaponry. Very little plasma, no volkite at all. They’re bolters, flamers, meltas, and lascannons. They footslog rather than bounce around with jump packs, and when it comes to vehicles, it’s tracks and wheels only—nothing overly exotic or suspiciously floaty like grav tech.

Even when options were available in earlier editions, I tended to keep things grounded. In 2.0, they all carried chainswords when that was an option, because lore-wise it just made sense: standard kit, used sensibly, no unnecessary faffing about.

That said, I don’t expect anyone else to play like that. That’s important to me. I don’t gatekeep—I just quietly assume my way is correct and move on with my life. (Joking. Mostly.)

It’s the same with painting. Because I have the time, I insist on fully painted armies for myself. I won’t put unpainted models on the table. But I’m not about to enforce that on anyone else. People have jobs, families, studies, and significantly more important things to do than debating whether that shade of grey technically counts as “battle ready”.

What’s slightly concerning is that the same instinct that makes me design sci-fi armies like miniature historical organisations is now pulling me further towards actual historical wargaming.

Bolt Action in particular has started enabling this behaviour. Instead of building lists that are remotely efficient, I’ve found myself constructing early-war Germans as if I’m curating a museum exhibit, very specifically 1940 to 1942, carefully avoiding “just taking the good stuff” and instead focusing on what feels appropriate for the period. Which is a very normal and well-adjusted way to approach a wargame, obviously.

And I am already planning the next army: a French force to counter it, built around artillery, inexperienced conscripts, tough but flawed tanks, and hastily reactivated WWI Renault FTs.

Even outside the tabletop, it’s spilling over. I played Assassin’s Creed: Unity, told myself I was just enjoying the setting, and then suddenly I’m reading about the French Revolution and Napoleon like I’ve got a dissertation due.

So now the hobby doesn’t feel like separate systems anymore. It feels like different ways of scratching the same itch: structure, narrative, and making toy soldiers behave like they belong in a coherent universe rather than a random pile of statistics.

And I think that’s the shift. Not away from sci-fi or fantasy—but towards becoming the sort of person who says things like “coherent force structure” without irony.

As for Napoleonics, I’ve acquired some STLs and I’m just trying to figure out a system to use. Black Powder is tempting, but my friend Ken highly recommends Sharp Practice. Either way, I’m going to be that basic bitch, which, let’s be fair, I am, and play the Grande Armée.

But I am not leaving behind the Games Workshop stuff. The Horus Heresy remains my favourite setting, and the 3.0 ruleset is my favourite yet (although the missions are not great and are really holding the game back).

I like narrative-focused games, which, with the current way Warhammer Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000 are played, is increasingly difficult. Standard terrain layouts make it hard to run asymmetrical, story-driven games rather than simply racking up points.

These games are very meta-driven, and that’s just not me. I want thematic armies, scenario-driven play, and less obsession with having the perfect list.

But these games do allow for a lot of freedom, exaggeration, and creativity, while historicals give me constraint, realism, and interpretation. I’ve realised I don’t have to choose one philosophy of gaming—the hobby, for me, has always been a spectrum, and I’m just expanding it. It doesn’t need to be binary.

I think this is how I’m going to approach things from now on. I want a choice of armies I can use for different systems, and that means focusing on one or two “main” armies per system and putting the rest into long-term storage.

So I need to go through what I have at home, compare it to what’s in storage, and decide what becomes my core collections, then store the rest. That doesn’t mean I won’t add to them, I probably will, because I love having variety to paint.

I’m going to keep Combat Patrols available because that’s such a fun format, but I’ll have one, perhaps two armies (so Megan and I can play together) for each system:

  • Warhammer 40,000
  • Warhammer Age of Sigmar
  • The Horus Heresy
  • Bolt Action/Achtung Panzer
  • Some form of Napolionics
  • Probably something for Sage
  • Legions Imperialis
  • Trench Crusade/WWI
  • Something fantasy, probably The Old World

This will give me some much-needed space and allow me to develop historicals in a way that represents different eras and theatres. For my Germans, I want a collection that covers early war, Afrika Korps, and eventually Normandy/D-Day, giving me a range of matchups. Meanwhile, my sci-fi and fantasy collections can remain more fluid and constantly evolving.

Terrain-wise, I’ve already sorted my fantasy setup, and I think that will work for Age of Sigmar, The Old World, and D&D. My home 40K terrain is probably going to shift in a new direction, I’m thinking a trench-focused set with two building styles: one sci-fi and one more real world. That way it can cover both world wars and Trench Crusade. One larger box of 3D-printed trenches, and two smaller sets of buildings.

So yeah, I’m not leaving behind fantasy and sci-fi, just expanding the hobby and making things at home a bit more organised.

I still love the grimdark of Warhammer 40,000, and I always will. But I’ve also found myself increasingly drawn to the structure, detail, and reality of the Napoleonic Wars and the World Wars.

So maybe the question was never “am I becoming a grognard?”

Maybe it’s simply that I’ve realised the hobby was always big enough for both.

What I Am Modelling

I painted up a Panzer I for my Germans, thinking of doing another one cause it seems like it’s gonna be good at supporting the infantry in Bolt Action

I added a third Wraithlord to my Iyanden army

And a Marshall to lead the Black Templars

Alongside a squad of Intercessors

After that I painted up an Sd.Kfz 265 which I need for my Bolt Action escalation list, turns out that my idea of taking a Panzer I as a command tank doesn’t work as it can only be taken in this form as the Panzerbefehlswagen

Alongside that I added a couple of Pak 36s to the Germans for some anti-tank

Plus a 2nd Forward Observer

And this test model form the Meuse to Volga Kickstarter

Plan to add models to make him part of a fully Heer squad

I then painted up Karnus the Seeker, a Lord-Celestant from the Spearhead magazine for my Celestial Vindicatiors

At the same time I also painted up the test model from Over There Part 2, a Heer Rifleman

I painted up some Hearthkyn Warriors to add to the Votann for the newer Combat Patrol

And a squad of Brôkhyr Thunderkyn for the Votann too, for the very same Combat Patrol

What’s up next

  1. Blood Angels Landspeeders
  2. Heretic Legion Warband
  3. Acolyte Hybrid’s x 5, Acolyte Iconward, Patriarch & Familars x 2
  4. Death Korps Squad x 10
  5. Cadian Shock Troopers x 20
  6. True Sons Legionaries x 10
  7. Combat Engineers x 6
  8. True Sons Daemon Prince
  9. Krieg Command Squad x 6
  10. German Pioneers x 10

What I Am Reading

I first listened to Red by Stewart Sheargold, which was fairly good, an interesting concept in that one.

I am currently listening to Trollslayer by William King

What Tabletop Games I Am Playing

On Easter Monday, we played our first game of Gloomhaven.

Then on Tuesday I played a game of Heresy against Graham, I took this list for the Solar Auxilia

Cohort Doctrine: Mechanised Pattern Cohort

Crusade Primary Detachment

Legatine Command Section
• 1x Legate Marshall [15 Point(s)]: Needle Pistol, Power fist
• Augury scanner, Command Vox, Charnabal sabre, Cohorts vexilla, Blast chargers

Armoured Command Section, Battlecannon, Lascannon, Dozer blade, Flare Shield

Line Command Section
• Troop Master, Charnabal sabre, Laspistol
• Augury scanner, Charnabal sabre, Auxilia vexilla, Command Vox, Blast chargers
 Prime Unit (Logistical Benefit (War-engine))

Line Command Section
• Troop Master, Charnabal sabre, Laspistol
• Augury scanner, Charnabal sabre, Auxilia vexilla, Command Vox, Blast chargers

Aethon Heavy Sentinel Squadron x 3
• Melta lance, Hunter-killer missile battery 

Lasrifle Section x 10
• Auxilia vexilla, Vox interlock, Blast chargers

Arvus Lighter, Flare Launchers, Pintle Mounted heavy stubber

Armoured Support

Leman Russ Strike Tank, Dozer blade, Vanquisher cannon and one Co-axial mounted heavy stubber

Armour Tercio

Leman Russ Strike Tank, Dozer blade, Vanquisher cannon and one Co-axial mounted heavy stubber

Leman Russ Strike Tank, Dozer blade, Vanquisher cannon and one Co-axial mounted heavy stubber
Lap

Leman Russ Assault Tank Demolisher Cannon, Lascannon Dozer blade

Armour Tercio

Leman Russ Assault Tank Demolisher Cannon, Lascannon Dozer blade

Malcador Heavy Tank, Vanquisher cannon, Demolisher cannon, Sponson Mounted lascannon x 2, Pintle Mounted multi-laser, Dozer blade, Flare Shield

Malcador Heavy Tank, Vanquisher cannon, Demolisher cannon, Sponson Mounted lascannon x 2, Pintle Mounted multi-laser, Dozer blade, Flare Shield

Infantry Tercio

Lasrifle Section x 20
• Auxilia vexilla, Vox interlock, Blast chargers

Lasrifle Section x 20
• Auxilia vexilla, Vox interlock, Blast chargers

Dracosan Armoured Transport, Twin Lascannon

Dracosan Armoured Transport, Demolisher cannon

The game was a loss for my, by a lot, but my army scored a lot more kills than normal, the Demolisher cannons proved their worth and my Malcadors were the MVP of the game

The major problem was that the intelligence of my Solar Auxilia is just not good enough to compete in a Relic mission with the Mechanicum, but the mission was great and I throughly reccomend them

On Thursday we started the Bolt Action escalation campaign and I am starting with this list

Rifle Platoon

Oberleutnant - Regular SMG

Heer Infantry Squad x 7, Regular, LMG, NCO with SMG

Heer Infantry Squad x 7, Regular, LMG, NCO with SMG

Sniper Team - Regular

Light Mortar Team - Regular

Armoured Patoon

Panzerbefehlswagen - Sd. Kfz 265

Panzer 38 (t)

I was playing Ken’s Soviet Workers Milita and it was a really nice army he had painted up

It was a pretty good game, but the game turned when Ken’s Ampulomet took out a squad of Heer, and my other squad attempted to run up the flank, but were wiped out by a combination of a machine gun team and a mortar shot!

I played a second game of Heresy against Russell, I took the list Inplayed against Graham with, just added a Stormhammer as we played 3500 points

We played a Relic mission and I lost by 7-28, just couldn’t get my scoring units on the objectives and passing intelligence tests

My fourth game for this post, was my first game of Trench Crusade against Michael, I took my Iron Sultanate using this list

4 Glory Points, 700 Ducats

Jabirean Alchemist - 116 Ducats, 2 Glory Points
Jezzail, Sword/Axe, Grenades, Reinforced Armour, Alchemical Ammunition, Holy Relic

Yüzbaşı Captain - 163 Ducats, 2 Glory Points
Janissary Veteran, Halberd-Gun, Reinforced Armour, Combat Helmet, Alchemical Ammunition, Gas Mask, Wind Amulet, Takwin Anqā Bird

Skirmisher Azeb - 89 Ducats
Light Skirmisher, Flamethrower, Sword/Axe, Standard Armour, Combat Helmet, Gas Mask

Skirmisher Azeb - 76 Ducats
Light Skirmisher, Jezzail, Sword/Axe, Grenades, Standard Armour, Combat Helmet, Alchemical Ammunition, Gas Mask 

Skirmisher Azeb - 76 Ducats
Light Skirmisher, Jezzail, Sword/Axe, Grenades, Standard Armour, Combat Helmet, Alchemical Ammunition, Gas Mask

Lion of Jabir - 85 Ducats
Wind Amulet, Standard Armour

Sultanate Sapper - 95 Ducats
Alaybozan, Trench Club, Trench Shield, Standard Armour, Combat Helmet, Alchemical Ammunition

The game was just the basic kill the other team scenario, and it was really a lot of fun, but my dice rolling was attribute and I went 2 1/2 rounds without rolling a 7 and thus didn’t hit anyone and I really think that hampered my results

It ended up being a loss of 31-17, which was fine, it was first game and I have learnt a lot, I just took a starter list suggested by one of the fan sites

Learnt an awful lot, and really had a good time!

What Video Games I Am Playing

I played Verdun for the first time, that was kinda cool

What Achievements I Have Unlocked

Verdun (Steam)

Eagle Eye

Kill an enemy from over 100 meters		06/04/2026

What I Am Backing

More of the From Meuse to Volga, 1940-1942 was delivered, including the vehicles, the pioneers and a bunch of stretch goals, including the PAK 36, which I have printed two of

And the Over There Part 2 campaign delivered its first STLs as well

What I Am Spending

I fancied watching They Were Not Divided, but couldn’t find it anywhere on a streaming service, so bought it on DVD cheap from eBay to add to the PLEX server

And myself and Megan got the Beast-Snagga Boyz Combat Patrol given that Orks are going to be getting the spotlight in 11th Edition

Also some Order Dice for Bolt Action and an XL Painting Handle

On Steam I picked up

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