Sunday, 11 May 2025

Is the Wargaming Community DYING or EVOLVING?

In this video, we dive deep into the world of miniature wargaming, exploring how the wargaming community is changing in 2025. Are blogs and traditional hobby spaces fading away, or are new online groups, podcasts, and social media breathing new life into the tabletop wargaming scene?


If you're passionate about historical wargaming, miniature painting, or just love pushing beautifully painted miniatures across the tabletop, this discussion is for you. We'll talk about the role of blogs, gaming clubs, online groups, and the new platforms where wargamers are connecting today.

Whether you’re a seasoned wargamer or new to the hobby, join the conversation about the future of miniatures gaming. Share your experiences in the comments—how do YOU participate in the wargaming community?

👉 Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more videos on historical gaming, miniature painting tips, tabletop hobby discussions, and wargaming industry trends!

#MiniatureWargaming #WargamingCommunity #HistoricalWargaming #TabletopWargaming

Friday, 9 May 2025

Podcast Mayhem! Our Interview on The 'Yarkshire Wargamers Reet Big Podcast'

Last week Ray Rousell (of the excellent blog Don't Throw a One) and I had the pleasure of joining Ken Reilly for a recording session on his Yarkshire Wargamers Reet Big Podcast. What started as a simple interview quickly became a marathon — nearly four hours of lively conversation, laughter, and more than a little madness!

UPDATE: The Podcast can now also be listened to on YouTube here. 

Over the course of the recording, we covered a wide range of topics close to our hearts. We talked about our personal journeys into the world of wargaming, how we both fell in love with the hobby, and some of the memorable moments we've experienced along the way. Of course, no conversation between wargamers would be complete without mentioning Postie’s Rejects, the gaming group we're both proud to be part of. We shared some behind-the-scenes stories and insights into what makes our little band of wargaming misfits tick.

We also took some time to reflect on the recent Salute 52 show, sharing our impressions, highlights, and some honest opinions about the event. It was a great opportunity to dive into what makes shows like Salute such an important part of the hobby community — and to have a few good-natured rants along the way!

Ken has now bravely released our ramblings into the wild for the entire wargaming world to hear. If you enjoy hearing about wargaming from the point of view of people who are deeply passionate (and perhaps just a little bit unhinged), this episode is definitely worth your time.

We’d love for you to go and give it a listen — and while you're at it, please leave a thumbs up for Ken! It’s clear he put a tremendous amount of work into bringing this all together, and it really shows. Recording a four-hour epic is no small task, and editing it is an even bigger one. Huge thanks to Ken for inviting us on and for making the whole experience such a fun and memorable one.

You can find the episode on the Yarkshire Gamers Reet Big Wargames Podcast on Podbean or on your favourite podcast platform. Also check out Ken’s Yarkshire Wargamers blog to see his amazing Italian Wars stuff and of course previous episodes of the Podcast. Happy listening!

Wednesday, 7 May 2025

Wild Raiders: Cossacks for the 1812 Retreat from Moscow

Another unit is completed for my 1812 Retreat from Moscow project — this time, a band of wild, non-uniformed Cossack horsemen. These figures come from Wargame Foundry’s Seven Years War range, but they fit the Napoleonic era beautifully. In fact, this unit perfectly captures the kind of irregular warfare that made the Russian campaign so harrowing for Napoleon’s retreating Grande Armée.


The figures themselves are armed with muskets, pistols, and swords — all exactly the sort of weapons you would expect Cossacks to carry during the 1812 campaign. Unlike the more regular Don Cossacks or the reformed Cossack regiments in Russian service, these men weren’t equipped by the state. Most would have ridden into battle with whatever weapons and gear they could muster, often passed down from father to son. A battered flintlock musket, an old cavalry saber, or a heavy pistol could easily have seen service across multiple generations.


What makes these Cossacks particularly exciting to paint is their lack of uniformity. Unlike the French, or even the Russian line troops, these men wore what they had — and they wore it with flair. Bright colours and mismatched garments were all fair game. In a world where regular soldiers were becoming ever more standardized, these raiders clung to the traditional, the colourful, and the personal.


I leaned into that when painting them. Rather than sticking to a muted palette, I deliberately chose vivid reds, rich blues, ochres, greens, and warm browns for their coats, tunics, and sashes. While I made sure to tone the figures down slightly with my usual dark ink — to reflect the dirty, brutal conditions of the Russian winter — I wanted them to stand out against the white snowscape that will dominate the tabletop. 


Their horses, too, reflect the same variety. Rather than a uniform line of cavalry mounts, these Cossacks ride a wild assortment of ponies and small horses, painted in browns, blacks, greys, and the occasional piebald. Some have rough-looking saddles and simple bridles, consistent with the idea of men who rode into war with what they had, not what they were issued.


From a modelling perspective, the Wargame Foundry sculpts were a joy to work with. Despite originally being marketed for an earlier period (the Seven Years War), there's nothing about their kit that feels out of place for 1812. Traditional Cossack dress and weaponry changed very little over that half-century, especially among the irregulars. Foundry’s figures have a lot of character — fierce, rugged faces, loose clothing, and a real sense of movement. You can practically imagine them swooping down on a broken French column, firing from the saddle or cutting down stragglers with a worn sabre.


Tactically, these Cossacks are going to play a vital role in the games I’m planning for the Retreat from Moscow project. In the historical retreat, irregular forces like these were the bane of the French army. They harassed supply trains, ambushed stragglers, and picked off isolated units, all while avoiding stand-up fights with better-armed regulars. They turned a military retreat into a chaotic rout. In gaming terms, I imagine these Cossacks will function as highly mobile skirmishers — ideal for ambush scenarios, hit-and-run attacks, and exploiting any disorder among the French forces. Their irregular status also allows for some fun rules around variable quality, surprise attacks, and unpredictable behaviour. It’s fitting: the Cossacks of 1812 were not just another regiment to be lined up and sent charging. They were a constant, unpredictable threat — and now they’ll be one on the tabletop too.

This unit also represents something a little broader about the Retreat from Moscow project. One of my long-term goals is to capture the incredible diversity of forces involved. The Russian side wasn't a monolithic army: it included regular line infantry, artillery, Cossacks, Asiatic tribesmen, peasant militias, and more. These non-uniformed Cossacks add that critical irregular element that makes the story of 1812 so rich and complex. Overall, I'm very pleased with how they turned out. They bring a splash of colour, chaos, and character to the collection — and I can't wait to see them in action, galloping across a snowy battlefield, causing havoc among the retreating French.

Sunday, 4 May 2025

Turn Epic Blunders into Epic Wargames

Want to make your miniature wargaming battles even more exciting and authentic? In "How to Turn Epic Blunders into Epic Games," I dive into how history’s greatest military mistakes — like the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, Isandlwana, and Stalingrad — can inspire better historical wargaming scenarios. I suggest ways to design wargame scenarios that create realistic battlefield chaos, from fog of war to miscommunication, poor logistics, and overconfidence, without feeling forced or unfair.

#miniaturewargaming #historicalwargaming #wargamedesign #tabletopwargaming #miniaturespainting #hobbytalk #wargamingcommunity