An awful lot of cases

 

Part of the process of moving house is that you have to put everything into boxes then take it out again. This has a side effect of you starting to take stock of just quite how much stuff your life has accumulated.

This is my pile of KR cases of painted or assembled models. With the exception of a couple of Infinity cases, they're now all in the loft so they're out of the way while other sorting and unpacking happens. Longer term - this is more stuff than I have time to really play with, so they will be gone through for eBay at some point in the future.

The conservatory, our current repository of hobby boxes, is slowly getting to the point of being functional. We're now to the point of having a table space available, and the first planned activity is getting some things listed on eBay.

The current plan is to spend the bank holiday weekend taking photos and making listings, scheduling things to go live on the last weekend of August. 

That said, I am slowly finding all the bits I'll need to play Infinity, as there's some local folk keen to start learning. It's a little way off yet, as "delightful house" is higher on the priority list, but soon. Soon.

Peach Con - Mermaids (Siren's Oath) and Paint Brushes by Tesseract Miniature Studios

 

Continuing my "Peach Con" coverage, there were a couple of other small companies promoting cool new stuff that caught my attention. First up is Twisted Spire, a sister company to Warp Miniatures. They're producing a series of mermaid miniatures and a one shot TTRPG to go with it.

They were showing off some of the painted miniatures (one not shown here as it was in the painting competition), and had a preview miniature available for sale. I was reminded not to buy the preview miniature while we haven't finished unpacking at the house, but I was very tempted and needed some moderate arm twisting!

This is an upcoming crowd-funder. It's going to be on Gamefound rather than Kickstarter. You can give the campaign a follow so it reminds you when it starts. I'm super excited for it.

Also with a stall at Peach Con was Tesseract Miniature Studios. Stu has started a range of brushes that he's developed with a partner company, and it seems like they've been flying off the shelves. The stand had some little 3D printed frogs, wet palette, paints and brushes so you could try them out for yourself. I sadly didn't manage to drop by any time the space was free, but that's probably a good sign.

Stu was kind enough to gift my me and my wife a "Workhorse" brush to try out once our hobby stations are back up and running. He had a whole bunch of his recent pieces on display, as he's been getting more into display and competition painting lately.

He's also got some plinths for sale, and I believe his first miniature bust is due to be released soon.

I've assembled this Infinity TAG, and it's in my paint queue, but I don't think I'm going to be able to quite hit these heights. It's always lovely to see some miniatures you've seen pictures of online in person.

Peach Con was definitely a bit of hobby balm for the soul. Seeing this cool new stuff from Bad Squiddo, Twisted Spire and Tesseract has got me really fired up to finish clearing the space to start sorting my hobby area out. We're still a little way off yet, but there's a lot of enthusiasm for when it arrives...

Peach Con - Bad Squiddo and Trench Crusade News

 

One of the traders at Peach Con was the legendary Bad Squiddo. They had a few boxes of miniatures (including the ever terrifying Turkey Man) and backdrop books to sell, along with a couple of exciting previews!

First up was the Women of WWII Resistance Kickstarter that's coming later this August. They had a bunch of the sculpts to show off. While I failed to get closer pictures, they're really good quality. Given the fashions of the time, these are also excellent miniatures for period RPGs, horror and pulp games.

At time of writing, the Kickstarter hasn't started yet, but the preview page is up. If you like Bad Squiddo, women in wargaming or anti-fascist stuff, it's super helpful to "Save" the project whether or not you back it, because it helps the project get recommended to others. You should totally back if if you can, though, it looks super cool.

The other, more mysterious preview, was this! The Jon Hodgson backdrop books have been a huge "step up" for my miniatures photography. I'm very excited to see this subtle hint that we might possibly be getting a dedicated Trench Crusade backdrop book in the future.

My attempts to bribe Annie for more information about this were unsuccessful. You'll have to keep an eye on social media for more news, though I will do my best, if I spot it, to make a blog post about it when more news surfaces.

There was a little display of how you can take cool photos of your miniatures using backdrop books. Sadly, I'd not brought any of my own so I was forced to try it out on the fearful Turkey Man. Annie was probably in a little bit too cramped of a corner of the hall given how popular Bad Squiddo is, but it's only the second Peach Con, so the odd bit of teething issues are to be expected.

These weren't the only new and exciting things at Peach Con, so I do have another post coming later this week about those. In the meantime, maybe go and have a nose around the Bad Squiddo site, or save the upcoming Kickstarter?

Peach Con - General Event Thoughts

On Sunday, my wife and I went to Peach Con in Derby. This is a small convention in a school cafeteria organised by Peachy Tips. The event is in its second year - last year seems to have been more of a Patreon meet up, while this year has graduated to a good sized small convention.

This was the main hall, with a good mix of demo tables and vendors. There was a painting competition in a side room. I also heard later about a quiz being held in another side room, and the corridor to the main room had a table with free teas and coffees.

There were a good number of games to try out - from the Games Workshop games you'd pretty much expect, to Baron's War and Team Yankee.

While I saw Team Yankee's launch, it never took off locally to me while I was in London, so I've never seen a game of it played. It was interesting to see a full urban table and an awful lot of miniatures for it engaged in a big battle.

Trench Crusade also had a table there. Sadly, I didn't manage to find the time for a demo outside of times it was already incredibly busy.

Warlord was also there with a pretty big historical table, though I think it was a display rather than an active demo.

Similarly, there was a table for Relicblade that I think Exit 23 had bought.

Battletech also had some representation - I think Alpha Strike by the cards.

Of the Games Workshop demos available, I decided to take a photo of this amazing Bretonnian force.

The Tabletop Smithy had this Ork Furby, that was deeply disturbing...

This post has already gotten long enough. I'll be posting more on Peach Con, hopefully later this week. I saw a few cool previews or releases I'd like to talk about, and they deserve a dedicated post or two...

Nottingham Update

 

Nottingham is still going pretty well. It turns out its the sort of place where people stick wargaming stickers to the local bus stop.

I'm still deep in the unpacking mines as my main "hobby" and I'm playing the card game "Flesh and Blood" as my fun thing to do. I definitely recommend The Dice Cup for folk passing through Nottingham.

I will be getting back to the wargaming stuff as soon as I get a bit more free time, but there's not been much going on that's really bloggable.

A random display at Warhammer World

 

Between the heat, work being busy, and deep unpacking, I've not got much done of late. So here's some photos of a cool army in the Warhammer World display cabinets.

It seems to be an undead / underwater kitbash theme, and I'm not sure what they're meant to be. I couldn't see a thing saying who made it. Please do let me know if you know!

The hermit crab with cannon was what got my attention originally. Maybe the army is "Cities of Sigmar" given there's a handgunner in a crows nest?

The person I was with an I spent ages trying to spot all the parts - I reckon there's an idoneth boat, gobin giant spider, Tyranid claws and an ogre cannon. Am I missing anything?

A more general update on the author

I am pleased to report that I am safely arrived in Nottingham, although much of my stuff is yet to join me. There's likely to be no small amount of sorting and unpacking once it arrives, but I will from time to time have a little opportunity to do some things that are fun, still.

I managed to pop to The Dice Cup for a few games of Flesh and Blood last week. It seems like a nice venue, mostly based around board games, card games and RPGs. They also looked to have a few tables for skirmish gaming which I'll definitely look into.

I also dropped into Bugman's Bar on Sunday and caught up with Annie from Bad Squiddo Games. There wasn't a particular occasion beyond "I've moved to Nottingham". We had a good old natter and a short wander around the GW shop after. I didn't pick anything up, but did spot a few bits and pieces that I might write a short ramble on in the future.

I'm aiming to get back to at least weekly blogging from this point on, although it will probably be a little while yet before miniatures are being assembled, painted and played. But I hope it will be pretty soon.

Daydreams

I'm deep in the house move mines right now, so there's no time for painting. I've managed to pop to P9 Card Game shop for a few games of Flesh and Blood, as they've just moved their branch to near me. I've been day dreaming a little bit about what hobby I'll get to once the move is done and we're unpacked.

I've not moved house often, so there's an opportunity to do a bit of taking stock and clearing out stuff I'm not using. I had a little bit of a clear out before I started packing with some obvious stuff I wasn't using

Once I am moved and unpacked, I'm thinking I'll probably get a few more Combined Army figures painted first. I've got their paint scheme down just fine so they'll be a good "comfort food" project. Nottingham doesn't have an Infinity scene just now, but there's some folk up there who sound interested in trying it out.

I also want to get my Imperial Guard project back underway. There's two plasma gunners that need paint stripping, and three comm links that need painting to match my existing models. With Warhammer World in Nottingham, there's not going to be a shortage of people interested in GW games around.

Finally, I do want to have a solid blitz through the assorted RPG figures I've got. I've got tons assembled and ready to paint, and with money a bit tight around the move, it'll be a nice cheap way of passing the time while still being productive.

I don't want to plan more than this, as I suspect while I'm unpacking I'll find half a dozen things I'll get enthused about. There's no point in trying to predict this as I'll likely change my mind three times over the next couple of months...

Hiatus

 

Just to let folks know, I'm not dead, but I am moving house, which is annoyingly time consuming and means that less hobby is going on to write blog posts about. Once I've landed and unpacked I'll get back to it.

A restrained few bits and pieces

 

I had a pretty restrained Salute this year, due to the upcoming move and not wanting to buy things that would just get packed up to come to a new house. Still, I got a nice few bits and pieces that are making me happy.

There were a few freebies in the bag.  There's the metal show mini, which is some historical Napoleonic figure. I'm unsure if I'll convert it for Turnip 28 or eBay it. I can make the decision later. There's a sprue of Quar by Wargames Atlantic, which I will probably make up for Last War. Finally, there's a 3D print of a dwarf or something that should be a good Pathfinder NPC.

I also picked up a couple of freebies off stalls. I got the Baron's War show miniature, which is a plate armoured knight with a mitre, who will make an excellent cleric or paladin for RPGs. The 3D print was to show off YS Masterpieces' sculpting and casting services.

Finally, in one of the shop bargain bins, I found these half price rat swarms. They're meant for Kings of War: Vanguard, but again, I plan on using them for RPGs. I think there's something excellently low fantasy about rat swarms. I have some old GW ones somewhere, and a spare set of the Cursed City set, which I got from a bits seller. That's probably enough rat swarms on balance.

So, all in all, an achievable amount to paint, with only one thing Bought With My Own Money, so I did pretty well on the restraint front.

Acceptance

 

This is primarily a blog about my silly little hobbies, but I am, I suppose "The Responsible One", so I guess I need to be Responsible. There's a whole bunch of people being awful in the world right now, and a bunch of my readership are directly affected.

Unless everyone has rights, no-one really has rights. Rights are universal. They cannot, and should not be "granted" by a government or other authority. Anything that is granted can be taken away. If you think "some people" should have less rights, one day, authority may decide you are "some people".

Authoritarians around the world are trying to divide people, to set up "other people" to hate, be that the immigrant, another nation, the "lazy", or trans people. They are doing this to retain power. They are doing this to shore themselves up.

We play silly games with toy soldiers. It may feel like there's nothing you can do. In the big scheme of things, everyone can do things that make a small difference individually - writing to elected representatives, and attending protests. But there's also smaller things you can do that are still important.

There's this myth that the way to a good community is to let people be. But really, a healthy community has rules. If you let people intimidate, bully and make people unwelcome, then people will leave, and you will be left with nothing but toxic bullies. The bullies have to go.

Whether it's an online community or your local gaming club - make folk who might feel vulnerable or unsafe welcome. Make an effort, and, most importantly, if someone does or says something inappropriate - do  something. Tell them that's not OK. Tell your club organiser. Remove them from groups you organise.

If someone you know says that something you said was hurtful or not OK, say sorry, and most importantly do everything you can to not do that again. Move on from it at the time - long rambling apologies or explanations make it worse. What's important is putting in the work to avoid doing it again. Making mistakes happens - but repeatedly being careless about things that matter to someone shows them that you don't care that you're hurting them. That you're not safe.

Fiddler: Infinity Canon Trans Icon

Please be kind to one another.

Trans rights are human rights.

Two events in a weekend

So, many of the people who follow this blog will be aware of Salute, the UK's biggest wargaming trade show. It was last Saturday, and as usual I went along. But it wasn't the only nerd hobby event going on at the Excel Centre! The Flesh and Blood London Pro Tour was running from Thursday to Sunday in the hall next to Salute. And I went to that as well.

I am very tired.

One of the great things about Salute is meeting a lot of friends from the wargaming hobby. I wasn't buying much, but I saw a bunch of folk, had a nose at various stalls, and saw some pretty cool gaming boards.

The Flesh and Blood Pro Tour had a lot of advertising around the Excel. I'm not sure how many Salute attendees went to get a demo game to see what it was about... I played games there on Friday and Sunday, as well as after Salute on the Saturday, too. I may ramble more about this later, but for now, I'm going to go and have a nap...

Wizkids Pathfinder Leshy Window Box Set Review

Recently arrived after a bit of a delay is this box of Leshy miniatures for Pathfinder. It's classic Wizkids pre-painted stuff, but at the higher end of that scale. You're getting eight miniatures, which are all based on the book art of the Leshy, a popular PC option in Pathfinder.

The Leshy are spirits inhabiting small plant bodies. With the recent Pathfinder Remaster they moved from an "Uncommon" player option to a "Common" player option, essentially becoming a comparable player option to Humans, Dwarves and Elves. That said, they gain their sustenance from sunlight, with their "rations" being very pricey, so they're not well suited to underground campaigns.

(There's a weird point on this one, where Fungus Leshy are mentioned a living in the Darklands, Pathfinder's Underdark, but the PC Fungus Leshy still need sunlight by the book. Still, this is a weird little side annoyance for me, and not super important.)

Here, left to right, we have a Lotus Leshy, a Seaweed Leshy and a Flytrap Leshy. Flytrap Leshy aren't a specific PC option (though there's a monster stat block), but mechanically they work just fine using the Cactus Leshy options.

The great thing about Leshy, being spirits inhabiting humanoid shaped plant matter is that you can really have a wide range of different themes or vibes.

Next up we have the Gourd Leshy, the Sunflower Leshy and the Fruit Leshy. Sunflower Leshy are another "monster option" that fits into other character classes just fine.

The paint jobs on these models are at the higher end of the Wizkids pre-painted scale, and really quite fancy. They've gone with brighter colours, which suits the general feel of Leshy in general, but there's a couple of spots, such as on the Gourd Leshy, where a little more shading would have probably brought them up an extra notch.

Finally, we have a Cactus Leshy and a Fungus Leshy. They're all very distinct with individual silhouettes so easy to tell which is which. All the sculpts are oozing character.

Leshy are small in the rules, and here you can see one being a little shorter than an Aenor goblin who was what I had around to compare them to.

The recent NPC Core book introduced an NPC profile for a "Gourd Witch", which is a pumpkin headed Leshy with a witches hat and witch spells. I'm only shocked I hadn't thought of it myself before now.

As a few Leshy face off against some marauding goblins - would I recommend buying this box? It is really pricey for what it is, but the quality is at the top end of what Wizkids do. For me, it was a must buy because getting the 'official sculpts' and not adding to my painting queue was an easy choice. There aren't many other good options for small plant folk right now outside of 3D printing. It's not going to be everyone's aesthetic, but if you've got the budget as a Pathfinder GM who uses miniatures, I'd recommend them.