“How to find local gamers” is probably the biggest problem facing the modern-day miniature hobby enthusiast. Very few of us are looking for a game every night, or even every week. But let’s face it, we’d all probably like to play at least a handful more games each year.

On this episode of the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast, I’m teaming up with Dan of Paint All The Minis to try and help you get more games in.

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How to Find Local Gamers

Dan and I found there to be six ways to find local gamers to play miniature games against (and with). We go into depth on each in this episode, but at a glance, here they are:

Convert a Friend: Is there someone you already know who might enjoy a game of something. Dan likes to test the water with an out-the-box game like Space Hulk. I think Song of Blades & Heroes works well for this.

Play Solo: Do you need to find local gamers to play against? Not necessarily. Solo wargaming exploded in popularity during the pandemic, and Rangers of Shadow Deep is one of the best games around.

Your Local Club or Store: Sounds like a no-brainer, but here’s a place where you’ll definitely find local gamers.

Apps & Tech: GameFor was a handy app where you could find gamers in your area. It isn’t available at the moment, but it’s apparently on its way back. Dan also recommends Tabletop Simulator which is the best online substitute for an in-person game.

Posters or Flyers: Is there a local community centre or library in your area? Then why not stick something up on their noticeboard. Better yet, order a few thousand leaflets and pop them through every door in your neighbourhood!

Social Media: The low-hanging fruit option. The games you like probably have communities on platforms like Facebook and Reddit. So why not just ask if there’s anyone nearby?

We talk about Joe McCullough’s games a lot on this podcast. Sometimes, we even talk to him. This episode is one of those times. Join us as we explore the inspiration and creative process behind games like Frostgrave, Stargrave, and Rangers of Shadow Deep.

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I also asked Joe the question “why all those gnolls?”

Also mentioned on this episode:

• Star of Alladore
• Blood Moon
• Deathship One (Blaster: Volume 4)
• The Worst Patreon Ever

Hobby-enthusiast Mark Smith joins me on the latest episode of the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast. This week, we’re talking about how to get more kids into the hobby. Did we peak in the 90s? Are there simply too many other “immediate” distractions out there now for miniature painting and gaming to compete with? This was a really interesting conversation to have and, though the title might sound pessimistic, there are still lots of things to be positive about.

By the way – as a bit of a nostalgia trip, be sure to check out my childhood Space Wolves, Lizardmen, and Undead armies.

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We cover a lot of ground on this episode, but some of the topics of discussion include:

The impact of that HeroQuest advert

We ponder whether Games Workshop is still serious about marketing towards young people? And if they are or were – are they the right people to be championing the hobby to da yoof?

Would it be better if young folks were introduced to the hobby via clubs, groups, or mentors? After all, a company like Games Workshop’s ultimate aim is to make money, and most kids have little or none of that.

We pose the question of why there seems to be so many world-class miniature painters posting work online these days, and if this could potentially be offputting to beginners.

We also talk about the benefits and appeals of analogue hobbies, the rise of video games, and the wonders of monopose miniatures.

For anyone looking to introduce their kids to an accessible miniatures game too, I thoroughly recommend Song of Blades & Heroes. And bonus points if you make your warband out of Monster in My Pocket figures!

I also hawk the usual links for the Miniature Hobbyist Survey and the Worst Patreon Ever.

“You’re looking through the wrong end of the telescope”, says Peter Berry of Baccus 6mm – “6mm figures aren’t tiny, 28mm figures are very very big”.

On this episode of the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast, we’re exploring the world of wargaming in the 6mm scale. This is a great conversation highlighting the many joys of six. Peter is keen to point out that this isn’t a case of one scale OR another (most of us love 28mm first and foremost, after all), but using the right tool for the right job.

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It almost goes without saying, but, the smaller the scale of your troops, the bigger a battle you can have. I’ll bet many listeners to this show will have first-hand experience of that, too. Do you remember navigating multi-based squads of Eldar and Orks through the cardboard skyscrapers of Space Marine in your youth?

There are other practical appeals of 6mm. You can buy an entire army for less than £50, paint it up in a day or two, and store it in a shoebox. People might find the thought of painting these miniatures intimidating but as Peter advises, you should try to “paint the unit, not the man”. He has some painting guides on the Baccus 6mm website, too.

Also on this episode

• We talk about the solo and co-op game that is Pony Wars.
• 6mm is popular with historical wargamers, but Perfect Six, Microworld, and Rapier have great fantasy ranges.
• The Joys of Six is a 6mm wargaming event that takes place in Sheffield each summer.

Oh and I talk about the worst Patreon campaign in podcasting, too. This won’t be used to improve the show, nor will it include any rewards. Don’t worry though, I won’t bang on about it all the time, either 😉

We all try our best to look after our brushes, our paints, and our miniatures. But what about ourselves?

Though talking about health in the hobby might not seem as interesting and escapist as chatting Chaos Dwarves and Snotling Pump Waggons, it’s something that we ignore at our peril. There are a few reasons why we’re going to cover it in this 2-part episode.

1. This is a sedentary hobby where we remain in the same position for long periods of time – and indoors, too.
2. Most of us have also been stuck working from home these past two years.
3. The beginning of a new year often gets us thinking about our physical and mental health, and, at least toying with the idea of making improvements.

So I’m joined by Dan of the Paint All The Minis Podcast. Dan is as heroic-looking as a modern-day GW sculpt. He wouldn’t look out of place on the cover of Men’s Health magazine, and he’s here to lecture you and make you feel bad about yourself.

I’m being tongue-in-cheek of course. This definitely isn’t a lecture, a “how-to”, or an exercise in body shaming. It’s merely a chat where we talk about the health-based things that have worked for us (or haven’t!) over the years.

Part 1 – Posture, Movement, & Exercise

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The aim is simply to get you thinking about your own health in the hobby. Either to start exploring avenues of improvements you might be able to make. Or, to laugh heartily at two puny weaklings attempting to talk about things like weights and fitness.

Part 2 – Diet, Nutrition, & Weight Loss

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Because we are far from experts in these fields, and absolutely none of this is “advice”, we’re linking to some handy follow-up resources too. Always do your own research, and don’t take our word for anything we say here.

Health in the Hobby: Follow-Up Resources

• Sleep Smarter (book)
• Eat Smarter (book)
• The Obesity Code (book)
• Fast This Way (book)
• Move Your DNA (book)
• Why We Get Sick (book)
• The Pleasure Trap (book)
• The Model Health Show (podcast)
• How to Not Get Sick & Die (podcast)
• Wim Hof (YouTube)
• Fat Fiction (YouTube)
• Jason Fung (YouTube)
• Dr. Sten Ekberg (YouTube)
• High-Intensity Interval Training (study)

Warhammer: The Old World is coming. We don’t know when. But Games Workshop has assured us that it’s on the way.

The sandbox that many of us grew up with and immersed ourselves in was “blown up” by GW back in 2015. They replaced it with Warhammer Age of Sigmar which has struggled to appeal to many of the veteran wargamers and Old World enthusiasts.

The Old World may have no longer been officially supported, but it has lived on in many different forms. Communities were formed around the Oldhammer and Herohammer ethos and aesthetics. Miniature agnostic rulesets were also born out of the ashes of Warhammer Fantasy Battles. The Ninth Age is a popular example, and there are other mass fantasy rank and flank alternatives out there too.

The Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast

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Subscribe on your podcast listening app of choice. Recent episodes include Warhammer Fantasy Battle Alternatives, The Ninth Age, and What is Oldhammer?

The Return of Warhammer: The Old World

It seems like a lifetime ago that this announcement was made. Back in November 2019, details were extremely vague. Naturally, this led to waves of speculation. A number of predictions were made by the hobby community, including the claim that Warhammer: The Old World wouldn’t even be in the 28mm scale of its predecessor.

It took Games Workshop a couple of years to come out and clarify a few key details about the game. The company assured fans that it would take on all the best aspects of the classic Warhammer Fantasy editions and that old miniatures and armies could be dusted down and redeployed on the field of battle.

With that all said, there’s still a huge lack of information or hype coming out of Games Workshop about Warhammer: The Old World. This has led to feelings of frustration, annoyance, and even disillusionment amongst the community.

Setting the Old World to Rights

So what can we do about it? To be honest, not a lot. Warhammer: The Old World is very much in the lap of the Dark Gods, and I suppose what will be will be.

One of the few things we can do, however, is talk. And what better person to talk to on this episode of the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast than Nathan Stone from the Wargames Orchard?

Nathan was the very first guest on this show back in August 2021 when we discussed Herohammer and shopping in a mid-90s Games Workshop store. He knows his Old World onions and has a lot of thoughts and opinions about this brand new Warhammer game.

In this conversation, I take the liberty of appointing Nathan as Grand Overlord of the entire project. He explains why he feels Warhammer: The Old World needs to be “immersive, accessible, and authentic”. On top of that, he makes the case for the return of boxes of monopose “unit filler” miniatures and gets absolutely no disagreement from me on that front.

Also mentioned on this episode: Please spare a couple of minutes to take the tabletop miniature hobbyist survey. I’d massively appreciate it.

Thanks very much for listening, and please take a moment to subscribe to this show on your listening app of choice – that way you’ll never miss a future episode!