Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast

I'm joined by Lewis of the Oldhammer Fiction Podcast. On this episode, we chat about the show's origins and its role in the hobby. We also get into the topic of Oldhammer more broadly, as well as the brilliant annual Bring Out Your Lead event.

Question of the Month regular Dave joins me for a chat about hobbying with his sons, his legendary Necromunda campaign, and the pain of sitting on a D4.

A recent episode with Mantic's Ronnie Renton got into licensing IPs for tabletop miniature games. That prompted our question of the month for April, which was: What classic, popular, or obscure IPs would you most like to see adapted into a miniatures game?So, here are our answers. And if you want to get involved in this month's QotM, here's the link.

I wanted to find out more about Blood Bowl, so who better to speak to than Ben from The Bonehead Podcast?

Our question of the month in March was, "What's the coolest bit of terrain you've ever made?". On this episode we'll hear the many great answers, as well as reveal the QotM for April. I also talk about a solo/coop ruleset I've been working on, and the knee-jerk decision to buy and play Blood Bowl!April Question of the MonthBedroom Battlefields Patreon

Dan of Paint All The Minis returns for a hobby chat about various things, including what we're playing, how much we're playing, and keeping up with the hobby in general.

Ronnie Renton, the founder of Mantic Games, joins the podcast to discuss the world of tabletop miniatures, game design, and the company's evolution.Ronnie shares his journey from working at Games Workshop to starting his own company, his thoughts on the state of the hobby, and how Mantic has carved its own niche with games like Kings of War, Dungeon Saga, and their latest licensed projects, including Halo.We discuss the challenges of creating accessible wargames, the importance of growing the hobby, and how Mantic is embracing new technologies like 3D printing. Plus, Ronnie teases some exciting upcoming releases!

I'm joined by Casey, writer of the cult classic Space Weirdos. We talk about the game's origins, its popularity, and a few of his other titles.

What were your last three hobby purchases? That was our question of the month in February, and the response was great. Our question of the month for March is to tell us about a terrain piece you built that you're particularly proud of. Here's where and how to submit!

Michael Lovejoy is co-creator of the cult anthropomorphic animal skirmish game Burrows & Badgers. On this episode, he joins me for a chat about the history of the game and miniature range, running a company in the hobby, and the upcoming second edition. Also mentioned was this written interview with Michael on Goonhammer.com.

I'm joined by Curtis of Ramshackle Games, who talks about an eventful couple of weeks at the venerable indie miniature company!

On the latest episode of the podcast, Glenn Ford and Mike Hutchinson discuss their new book, The Fundamentals of Tabletop Miniatures Game Design: A Designer's Handbook.The pair need little introduction in our corner of the hobby, and their show, The Rule of Carnage, was frequently mentioned in our episode last year about the best hobby content channels on the web.Mike was also on the show last year, talking about some of his games, including Gaslands, A Billion Suns, Chess 28, and Hobgoblin. The latter is one that I recently got hold of and played for the first time, too – it's a cracker.Essential LinksRule of Carnage on YouTubeSpace Gits KickstarterBoarders and Black Flags KickstarterThe Crawling Chaos KickstarterPukeapocalypsePukeapocalypse on Exalted FuneralThe Rule of Carnage Discord ServerMike's PatreonGlenn's Patreon

Our question of the month throughout January 2025 was for you to tell us about your named characters and their (mis)adventures on the tabletop. As always, we got a great mix of answers, and it was a pleasure to hear all of these fun anecdotes. Also MentionedFebruary Question of the MonthHobgoblin in 15mmBad Internet Friends Podcast

The tabletop miniature hobby has no shortage of sub-hobbies, most popular of which are collecting, painting, and gaming. Less discussed but no less important is the artwork that forms the backdrop of the worlds we play in. In this episode, we talk about art and its delivery in analogue formats such as coffee table books and magazines.

Mark joins me for a hobby catchup. He recently picked up Midguard Heroic Battles and offers some early thoughts on how it might compare to similar 'rank and flank' games such as Warhammer, Dragon Rampant, and Kings of War. Be sure to join our Discord community, which was mentioned a few times for various reasons. And here is the latest Question of the Month, too!

Ben AKA Kharnation from the Discord joins me for a chat about his hobby origins, coming out of "the deep freeze" to eventually play in 40k tournaments, and his involvement in Dragon's Lair, a friendly local gaming store in Adelaide, South Australia.

Throughout the month of December we asked for your hobby highlights from the past 12 months. Here are the responses! Our question of the month for January is: Tell us about your named characters on the tabletop!Maybe it's the overconfident warrior who always charges headfirst into danger, or the sneaky rogue who somehow always survives by the skin of their teeth. Perhaps you've got a hero with a legendary backstory, or a character whose misfortune has become a running joke.We'd love to hear about your named characters, where you got the miniatures, how you came up with their names, and any funny or memorable moments you've had with them!Submit your January clip

Being motivated to paint is great, but riding on motivation alone can be unreliable. On the other hand, if your painting becomes a habit, then you turn up no matter what. So how do you get there? And should painting always be enjoyable because it is a hobby?

Why does naming characters and telling stories appeal to some gamers, but not others? And are we missing out when we see our exquisitely crafted and painstakingly painted miniatures simply as gaming pieces? I enjoy another in-depth conversation with Dan, offering up our own opinions and anecdotes on the subject.Also Mentioned£1 Space Ranger miniaturesStar Squabble beta rulesDigital photo frame for miniature displayQuestion of the MonthChicago Skirmish Mini-ConJosh (Crown of Command) Painting Lessons

Everyone's favourite "yesterday's man" of hobby podcasting joins me to chat about ways to store and transport your little guys. We also pitch three non-violent miniature game ideas at each other, all of which will likely be picked up by major publishers for some eye-watering sums of money.

Some seek mastery and recognition; others seek zen and the opportunity to unwind. Your relationship with miniature painting is the subject of our November Question of the Month. Also Mentioned: Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast YouTube ChannelDecember Question of the Month

Star Squabble gets another wee run out on the table and some rules tweaks.

Several listeners enthusiastically took up the opportunity to tell us about their local hobby store or wargaming club. And here is next month's QotM.

We explore what makes the gaming experience enjoyable for everyone, talking about everything from the art of respecting the miniatures to handling wins and losses gracefully, and even the subtle vibe checks that keep the game fun. Plus, we muse on the rising popularity of quickplay miniature games: Is this a temporary trend, or something that's hear to stay?

A mighty warband has assembled to celebrate a centenary of Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast episodes. On this episode, you'll hear from Jervis Johnson, Andy Chambers, Trish Carden, Gav Thorpe, Joe McCullough, Tuomas Pirinen, Mike Hutchinson, Alessio Cavatore, and Rick Priestley!

Dan of Paint All The Minis fame joins me for a chat about going deeper on fewer games, podcasting, and turning 40.Mentioned: my sci-fi undead warband

Necromunda with Napolien? Frostgrave with Florence Nightingale? Battlemasters with Barry Gibb?Our question of the month for September 2024 was: Which person (dead or alive) would you love to play a miniatures game with, and why? Also, what game would you play?Also MentionedThe new Question of the MonthPodcast Discovery SurveyBedroom Battlefields Patreon

Dungeons & Dragons at Work is a blog by this week's guest, Tom."I've been playing roleplaying games since the 80's and love the freeform storytelling that results. There is real joy to be found sitting round a table with your friends rolling dice and creating adventure. Over time I've observed that the skills I practice, running and playing these games port well into the real world."

Mark and I sat down to chat (that's not even true—I was standing up) about wet palettes, manticores, and Wetherspoons toilets. Also mentioned: GoFundMe Page Supporting Paul Sawyer & Family

Our Question of the Month episode for August. Find the September question here, and the latest from the website right here.

Robert's back, and we're rolling some dice to playtest a game. The aim is to have a go-to ruleset that supports any future scenarios we play.

This is a whirlwind report of Bring Out Your Lead 2024, the world's finest celebration of Oldhammer. Check out the pictures here, as well as an interview with organizer Garth about the event's roots.

The question of the month for July 2024 was about your favourite hobby content channels. The response was initially slow, but we got a lot of feedback and recommendations in the end. There are many podcasts, YouTube channels, and blogs mentioned here, and you'll never be stuck for a hobby content fix again! And here's the link for next month's QotM while we're at it.

A bit of a solo ramble around various recent topics:Bedroom Battlefields PatreonWayland GamesMiniature Wargames MagazinePodcast chat with Tom HoldenPodcast chat with Conrad KinchPodcast chat with John TreadawayWhite Dwarf 166Solo Wargaming BookQuestion of the Month

Ryan, AKA Donjuandon, from our Discord community, joins me to chat about a wide range of topics, including collaborative solo campaigns, 3D printing, and the importance of physical analogue hobbies. Find Ryan's 3D models on his Cults3D page.

The question of the month for June 2024 was: What hobby-related thing did you once own that you most wish you could get back? And also, what became of it?And, you can now send in your answers for our July QotM right here.

Talking through a few of my latest projects, including: A portable miniature wargame in a tinRandom event cards for solo/co-op mass battle gamesPlaying the 'Data Drip' scenario on TitanQuestion of the Month

From Partizan 2024 to Warhammer World, Mark went on an adventure recently, and he's here to tell us all about it.Also mentioned: A massive game of Warhammer

Our question of the month for May 2024 was, "What rules have you created or adapted to improve your favourite gaming system?" "This might be a homebrew rule or something you've ported over from another game. The point is, you tried it, it worked well, and you kept on using it."

It's embarrassing to think that the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast has hit 80+ episodes without having Mike Hutchinson on. That said, it was well worth the wait, and the timing was definitely right, with lots of cool new projects in the pipeline.Mike's hobby origin story, as well as his thoughts on Gaslands and A Billion Suns, have been well-covered elsewhere. For an excellent fix on that front, I'll point you to two episodes of the Paint All The Minis podcast (here and here).And, speaking of podcasts, Mike co-hosts a superb show of his own with game designer pal Glenn Ford. Rule of Carnage is essential listening (or viewing!) for anyone in this hobby. It's a true masterclass on games design, and has led to the pair writing an academic textbook on the subject, too!Mike's rank-and-flank fantasy battle game Hobgoblin is the Box Office topic right now, and I took the opportunity to learn more about it before my inevitable purchase. He's also been tinkering with Chess under the “Chess 28” banner and has created a new open-source ruleset called Flagstone.Mike runs a Patreon to help support his income now that he's gone full-time into game design. It's brilliant news for our hobby that Mike's brain can be put to work around the clock now, so be sure to help keep the jar topped up with fluid.

Paul, aka Gribbles Miniatures, from our Discord community, joins me to discuss the development of his Our Town zombie survival ruleset. Also mentioned on this episode:15mm project update'Goblin Green Bases' merch on TeePublicQuestion of the Month for May 2024

The question of the month for April 2024 was around introducing Warhammer 40k or Age of Sigmar players to non-Games Workshop games. How did you do it, what did you play, and what was the response?And, the question of the month for May 2024 is: What rules have you created or adapted to improve your favourite gaming system?This might be a homebrew rule or something you've ported over from another game. The point is, you tried it, it worked well, and you kept on using it. Submit your answer hereAlso mentioned on this episode:The Royal Orce with Mark (Crown of Command podcast)A Massive Game of Warhammer

Father and son duo Rob and Norman join me for a chat about wargaming in the family, their local wargaming club, and their imagi-nations campaign.HAWKS wargaming clubRob's blogNorman's blog

If you've come across 28 Magazine before, you'll know about its striking aesthetic, stunning artwork, and incredible photography. On this episode of the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast, I'm joined by editor Sampsa Nylund to find out more about 28, not just as a magazine, but as a community.There's also an audio battle report of a slightly homebrewed version of Song of Blades & Heroes. I set the scene for this scenario a few weeks ago, and it was time to get down to it and roll some dice.

Our guest this week is Kevin from our Discord community, who talks about his hobby origins going up in smoke and then returning years later via his young son. He also enjoyed a career sculpting for TV sets and designing costumes, and we talk about the overlap between this and the tabletop miniature hobby.

Let's hear your answers to the question of the month for March 2024. Also, you can now get your answers in for the April QotM. Have you ever introduced a Warhammer 40k or Age of Sigmar player to a non-GW game?How did you go about it? What game did you suggest or play? And what was the response?Record your answer

An audio battle report from a recent game of Planet 28, followed by a plea for voice feedback, a plan for a new game, and some random setting ideas. Here's all the photos and other such links.

Josh—a former Eavy Metal painter from the Goblin Green bases/Red period—started the Crown of Command podcast early on in the pandemic. It has since become one of the best podcasts for the HeroQuest generation, and he's also grown a brilliant YouTube channel around it. The Crown of Command has also enabled Josh to run a thriving Patreon where he delivers painting lessons and has gone full-time as a commission painter.

Open Combat is one of my original and favourite miniature agnostic skirmish games. On this episode, I'm joined by Carl Brown who created it along with a cool little medieval strategy board game called Lucrum. You can find all of Carl's games on his website secondthunder.com

It's vox populi time, our question of the month for February 2024 was: Warhammer: The Old World - Will you be playing it? (If so, why? If not, why not?) Thank you so much to everyone who submitted. The new question of the month (March 2024) is: What hobby-related thing have you recently changed your mind about? Submit your voice feedback here. And a massive thanks to Alternative Armies for sponsoring this episode. Here are the 15mm fantasy buildings I was talking about. 

I'm joined by Ed from our Discord community, who drinks a staggering 17 pints during the course of this episode and lambasts me for my anti-competitive views.