Wargame Design: Grid-based Wargames

 

Using a grid in wargames is almost as old as wargaming!  The original wargames used grids overlaid on real-world maps.  Of course, Hex and Chit wargames the grid over the map is an integral piece of the puzzle.  However, this blog is focused more on Miniature based wargaming rather than the more traditional grid and map-based versions.

Even in miniature wargaming and sci-fi versions, the grid was a part of early miniature wargaming.  Battletech did and still uses a grid-based map system.  However, this approach has been growing in popularity again recently as something of a trend!  I can think of To The Strongest, King and Parliament, and Arrowstorm in the historical space.  In the sci-fi space there is Priestley's Space Battles and Mantic's Deadzone.  Of course there are many, many more from the past, near past, and current.  

So, let's take a closer look at why a designer might choose to use a Grid in their wargame.  

Types of Grids

Before we get started, it might be useful to categorize a bit about the different types of Grids.  These categorizations are ones that I have seen "in the wild" and I will try to put in some examples as well.  This will be a useful place to start talking about Grid-based wargaming.  

Graph Paper: 

This is often what people think of when it comes to a Grid-wargames.  The board is divided into equal sized boxes that are centered and aligned next to each other.  It looks like a piece of square graph paper only laid on the table.  

The example I can think of is Travel Battle or even Heroquest and similar dungeon crawlers.  

Travel Battles "Raw" Graph paper Style- Board Plates

Hexes: 

Of course, the classic example is Battletech but a lot of Hex and Chit wargames also use hexes.  Another example is Heroscape.  

Hex grids are a series of interlocking Hex shaped spaces that are spread across the board.  That means each space has 8 facings to it.  These are often not laid out in straight lines like a Graph Paper Grid style.  

  

Brick Wall: 

This is a style that looks similar to a Graph Paper style Grid.  However, instead of the boxes lining up with each other, they are off-set.  Therefore, on each top and bottom side you will have access to two spaces to move into.  Each row is aligned, but then the row above and below any row is off-set making a bit of a zig-zag pattern.  

I honestly can not think of an example, but I have seen them being played.  If you can think of a Hex and Chit or miniature wargame that uses it, let me know in comments.  I feel silly for not being able to come up with one.   

Brick Wall

Different Sizes: 

Some games use Grids that are not of equal sizes, with various points or places being larger than others.  This sizing is more about the relative importance or traffic for the space, or based on real-world geographies.  Therefore, the table or board is made up of spaces of varying sizes.  

The examples I can come up with are Clue where each Room is large and can accommodate multiple pieces, but the hallways are gridded for movement.  I have also seen this in Dudes on a Boardgames like Last Night on .... series.  

These are probably not the correct "technical" terms for these Grids, but I am using these categories as a type of short-hand and layman's terms so we can all get on the same page.  Going forward I will mostly refer to all these types simply as "Grids".   

Gridz 4 teh Win!1!   

Grids have a lot of advantages for a wargame rules set.  They can help make games much easier by simplifying things like:

• Movement
• Facings
• Fire and Combat Arcs
• Ranges
• Adjacent Spaces
• Melee and Charging

The preset distances that a grid allows for these variables to be constant and identified at a glance.  This visual element allows for game mechanics to be streamlined and simplified.  The game has strong visual clues for game play.    

In addition, the grid removes tools to play.  With a grid, no need to have measuring devices like sticks or tape measures.  It reduces the "what you need to play" elements of a game.  

Gridded movement and firing can be useful for pre-programmed scenarios, solo-wargames, and even remote wargaming.  The specifics of movement and location can be abstracted in a way that helps clarify for the remote, solo, or AI opponents.  

Finally, grids can be used to provide information on the game board.  In Battletech it gives detail like terrain, height, and other situations that would impact game play.  Difficult terrain can just be a number to represent speed penalties, height could impact line-of-fire, etc. 

Grid Drawbacks

The biggest drawback is simply aesthetics.  A big reason people get into tabletop miniature wargaming in the first place is that it looks cool!  Evocative scenery, sweet models, and the overall sweep of the battlefield make people want to play the game!  Grids..... not so much.  

Things that hamper the visual aesthetics are a big turn-off to many wargamers.  It detracts from what they consider fun in exchange for some streamlines in gameplay.  Many players prefer to play non-gridded wargames for this simple reason alone.    

In addition, Grids can create a "static" battlefield.  I.e. units are a bit stagnant.  They are confined to certain moves and distances allowed by the grid.  This takes away some of the free-wheeling potential of non-Grid games.  Despite the cleaner movement offered by Grid games, sometimes they lead to artificial movement rates and other odd measurement irregularities.  For example, it can be "faster" to move in a zig-zag pattern across the field of battle than in a straight line.  This means that grid design and lay-out can be of critical importance to the designer.  

Why Use the Grid?

Like all things in Wargame Design, the intent of the designer and what you are trying to create is critical when determining if you want to use a Grid or not in your wargame.  Ultimately, a Grid is simply a tool.  Like all tools, it must be applied to solve a problem so your game can do what you envision it doing.  Sometimes, a Grid is the correct tool and others it is not.  

Here are some things to consider when deciding to use a Grid: 

1. How Abstract is the game?  I.e. what are you trying to simulate and create with your POV
2. How Precise do your locations need to be?  The more precise the tighter the Grid.
3. How much does Aesthetics tie into your design vision?
4. What Scale is your game? The larger the geography your game plays over, the more a Grid can help. 
5. How will people create the Grid?  I.e. in a game like Blood Bowl the Grid comes with the game, a game like To The Strongest the player makes it.    
6. Is this a Solo-game that employs an AI Opponent system?
7. Is this game intended to be played Remotely?  

Often times, this type of Grid-based gameplay lends itself well to a more abstracted game type.  For example, Army-vs-Army games where the action is large units and army wings clashing.  There abstracted movement and distance is not as big of a deal because the scales you are covering is greater.  Oddly, it can also be advantageous in precision model-vs-model games where your location compared to fellow models and their facings is key, such as Dungeon crawlers or duel-based games.  Paradoxically, the Grid can help you ignore details on a larger scale, or dive into them with precision at smaller scales.  Different outcomes from the same tools.  

Heroscape use a Grid Board

Final Thoughts

Grids are a very useful tool!  They can really help you streamline gameplay and make a game much more intuitive.  However, it can come with a cost to aesthetics and barrier to entry.  Like all Tools you have to have a clear idea of how you plan on using it before you make it an integral part of your design.  It is important to have an idea of what your game is to know if a Grid is the right tool for the job.  The advantageous maybe off-set by the disadvantages depending on your POV, Scale, Goals, Chrome, and Hooks you intend on deploying with your game.     

Let me know your favorite Grid-based wargame in the comments.  Until next time!

Become a Patron and get access to all the cool stuff, a peak behind the curtain of Blood and Spectacles, and early-access to playtest games!  

Blood and Spectacles Patreon! 

You can follow Blood and Spectacles Facebook page or Instagram for more fun! 

Check out the latest publications and contact me at our Blood and Spectacles website

Or purchase all out games at the Blood and Spectacles Publishing Wargames Vault Page!                  

     

  

   

On the Painting Desk: Perry Miniature's Travel Battle

 

As a palette cleanser from all that Heroquest, I am going to shift gears and work on something different.  I want to take a weekend or two to paint up my Travel Battle by Perry Miniatures.  This is a Horse-and-Musket game that uses 8mm miniatures on a pair of gridded terrain plates.  It is the ultimate Kitchen Table game.  

Box is also a carry-case

I spray undercoated all the components with Grey Seer.  I guess this was a mistake, as the core rules claim that the minis do not need to be undercoated.  Woops!  The rules have a small painting guide that I have all ready messed up!  Oh well.  

For the terrain boards, I did not want to use my fancy paints.  Those are too expensive for this type of project.  Instead, I picked up some Big Box craft paints.  I got a nice pack of 10 or so Nature colors for $10 USD.  These come pretty thick to start, but you can water them down and they work just fine.  I also picked up a make-up brush for the amount of Drybrushing I was planning on doing.  I also used some of the Speed Paint markers for certain touch-ups and a few other spots.  

I really should have taken more "in progress" shots.  The "grass" took two-layers of dark green, and two drybrush coats of progressively lighter greens.  The farms I used a couple different base coats of brown and a layer of drybrush. The roads were tough to not mess up as well.  Finally, I painted the little houses and forest canopies with my Speedpaint Markers.  

As finishing touches, I trimmed the edge of the board in straight black to give them a nice clean edge.  Then, I sprayed a protective coat over the whole thing to protect it from harm when we play.  I really find the terrain boards pretty cool because no matter which edges you line up, they match!  This board took me a nice Saturday to complete.  

From there, it was onto the two armies.  Each army was a pair of identical sprues with a light cavalry unit, Heavy Cavalry unit, a Guards Infantry unit, two Brigade Commanders, and some regular infantry units too.  Each infantry unit took two rows of soldiers, cavalry three horsemen, and commanders are singles.  I tend to think of these armies as British and French, but the rules only refer to them as Blue and Red. 

I started by painting the "Red" team.  I painted them on the sprue, which is not something I normally do!  I painted their pants with Holy White.  Then, I painted the coats with Slaughter Red.  The Shakos were Grim Black.  I painted the muskets and backpacks with Hardened Leather.  Horses were a mix of Graveyard Grey, Runic Grey, Holy White, Harden Leather, and Dark Wood.  I then washed them with Dark tone.  One done, I went back and painted all their skin Crusader Skin and did some touch-ups with some metallics, Zealot Yellow and some bands with White acrylic.  Once done, I sprayed them with protective enamel.   

Painted the "Red" Army took me a night of effort.  A few days later, I turned my attention to the "Blue" Team.  The horses I painted the same way, and I stuck with the white pants.  However, instead of Slaughter Red on the jackets, I used Magic Blue to try and get a bright blue coat.  Unlike the "Red" army, I decided to paint the chest straps with Holy White.  Shakos were Grim Black and Muskets and Backpacks were Hardened Leather.  Very similar to the "Red" army except for the jackets.  This was another night of work.   

At 8mm, it is more about getting the right dot of color in the right place.  This is not the smallest I have painted, but I found this scale harder than when I painted ancient 6mm.  The level of detail always surprises me at this scale.  You really can not see it that well at arm's length, but it is there.  I also used speedpaints, but they are not well suited for this scale.  I prefer my traditional Armypainter paints for this scale and historicals.  However, they were not available and were packed away.  Also regretted using Dark tone, I should have used a Sepia-tone ink instead of a Black-based ink.  Oh well, lessons learned or something?     

Once I had the "Red" and "Blue" army painted up it was time to get them on their bases.  I had previously painted them with the same Greens I used on the board.  I painted them at the same time.  Once mounted, I rimmed the bases with white and then painted Red or Blue to match the army.  Finally, I sprayed it down with a protective coat.  This is going to be a travel game, so it needs to be able to stand-up to wear and tear.  

Armies deployed

With all of this painted up, it was time to set it all up on the table.  

I am not sure how to put this on the Painting Tracker, but I will figure it out!  This freed up time and space for me to start working on my Vandal army for the Late Roman period.  Watch this space for some big bulk painting projects, however I will need to dig out my traditional paints before I start doing those.   

Until next time! 

All packed away in the carry-case.  Ready to travel! 

Become a Patron and get access to all the cool stuff, a peak behind the curtain of Blood and Spectacles, and early-access to playtest games!  

Blood and Spectacles Patreon! 

You can follow Blood and Spectacles Facebook page or Instagram for more fun! 

Check out the latest publications and contact me at our Blood and Spectacles website

Or purchase all out games at the Blood and Spectacles Publishing Wargames Vault Page!                                                

On The Painting Desk: Prophecy of Telor about the Spirit Queen's Torment

 

I finished off the Frozen Horror so it is time for me to move onto my next set of expansions for Heroquest.  This time, I am going to tackle the miniatures found in the two "smaller" expansions, Prophecy of Telor and Spirit Queen's Torment.  These boxed sets came with alternate sculpts of the main enemies and a new hero each.  I all ready painted the new Heroes at the end of 2025.  

You may recall that these alternate enemy sculpts were new orcs with Hammers, alternate Abomination, some new Gobbos, female zombies, female mummies, sword-and-board skeletons, dread warriors with swords, a female Dread Sorcerer, and an alternate Gargoyle.  These minis were all also cast in transparent plastic.  Prophecy of Telor was an orange-red color, while Spirit Queen's Torment is a bluish-green.  Therefore, I hemmed and hawed about what I wanted to do with them.  Ultimately, I decided to just paint them up like normal minis for the game.  I think they will be more versatile and likely to see the table that way.  

So, that means the first step was to go ahead and get them undercoated!  Will my usual methods work with these transparent plastic figures?  To save time, and kill the suspense; the answer is Yes.  Yes it does.  Here they are after being sprayed in Grey Seer from GW, washed with dark grey wash, and drybrushed with cheap acrylic white.    

For my first painting session, I decided to start by painting all the Undead at once.  It did not matter which expansion they came from, I was going to paint them all together for ease and unity.  I was all ready concerned about matching with my previous minis, so no need to make it worse by splitting these up into smaller batches.  

The mummies are always where I start because they are super easy and you can build momentum quickly.  I painted their eyes Blood Red, any exposed flesh Malignant Green, and then their hair Graveyard Grey.  Then, I hit them with a Dark Wash.  All Undead get a Dark Wash to make them extra scary looking! 

Next were the Zombies.  I painted them Malignant Green flesh and then gave them a Green Tone ink wash.  From there it was simple to paint their dresses, belts, hair and gear.  I kept their hair Graveyard Grey or uncolored and just based.  Then, they got their Dark Wash and basing done.  

Finally, I did the skeletons and for these ladies (You can't really tell with Skeletons, and since almost everything else is a female version these must be too right!) I decided to go off the reservation with my usual paint scheme.  I decided to use Wizard Orb in order try to get a faded Bronze look to some of their gear.  I also used Fire Giant Orange for a rusted look on the metals.  The bones were of course Pallid Bone.  I also used Talos Bronze, and Copper from my Metallic Speedpaint set.  The final metal color was Graveyard grey.  These ladies took the longest, but they came out very different from my usual batch of skeletons.  Not sure my experiment worked 100%, but I will take it.  I never go back and re-paint a painted model!  

   So, after a day of effort, here is where the Undead ended up..... ooooh, scary! 

With the Undead finished, it was time to turn to the Greenskins for this effort. I had 4 goblins and 4 Orcs, all in the same pose.  I batch painted the Gobbos together and then the Orcs together the following weekend.  However, I swear these Orc models are cursed.  When I painted them up for Keller's Keep you may recall that I accidentally spray primed them instead of sealing them?  Well, this time I painted them all using Orc skin as the flesh tone, not realizing until I was done with the models that the flesh tone was supposed to be Malignant Green like the Goblins!  Arrrgggghhh!  Therefore, I went back and reprimed the fleshy bitz and repainted them.  I do not think it turned out that great, but they will blend in a bit better with thier fellows now.  

The Goblin gear I kept mostly Magic Blue and Runic Grey to blend in with the OG Goblins.  Weapons were Pallid Bone, Runic Grey, and Graveyard Grey.  The other assorted straps was either Hardened Leather or Crusader Skin.  The Orcs were pretty much all wearing Graveyard Grey armor which makes it look fierce and iron-like.  I also used some Runic Grey, Pallid Bone, and Graveyard Grey on the hammer's to make them distinct weapons too.  Their tabards were Blood Red, Magic Blue, Zealot Yellow, and Fire Giant Orange to help me tell them apart on the table if I need too.  

That was two weekends of painting down, and a hefty chunk of the models for Spirit Queen's Torment and Prophecy of Telor done.  These took about two weeks, and my painting total for the year is now hovering around 75+ models and they are all for Heroquest!       

Next time, I will get those Abominations and the Dread forces painted from these two supplements.  Once those are done, I will be at a cross-roads.  Do I keep on going on Heroquest, do I switch over to Late Romans, or do I paint up my Travel Battle game as a break?  Keep tuning in to find out! 

Until next time! 

Become a Patron and get access to all the cool stuff, a peak behind the curtain of Blood and Spectacles, and early-access to playtest games!  

Blood and Spectacles Patreon! 

You can follow Blood and Spectacles Facebook page or Instagram for more fun! 

Check out the latest publications and contact me at our Blood and Spectacles Website

Or purchase all out games at the Blood and Spectacles Publishing Wargames Vault Page!         

  

Review: Pillage- Victrix

 

I was buying a lot of miniatures, so I figured I might as well pick-up this set of rules to go with them.  I all ready have a large Viking, Anglo-saxon, and Dark Age Irish army so I had more than enough miniatures for a dozen or so figure, model-vs-model skirmish game.  I also have cattle and loot markers.  Therefore, this one seemed like a low-cost investment for me to pick up! 

This would not be my first raid into the Viking Age.  I myself have a few rulesets related to Vikings; Fury of the Northman and Odin's Ravens.  Therefore, I know my way around a Viking based game.  I was curious what this brought that could be new to my table.  

This one has a very nice forward where the author is very clear that this game is about "forging the narrative".  I.e. the focus is on telling stories on the tabletop and revolves around scenarios and scenario play.  This is not intended to be a competitive, tournament ready ruleset.  

So, don your hauberk, heft your shield, and hoist your spear arm for now is the time to loot this rulebook of ideas!  

Things I Liked

This is a gorgeous looking book.  It has very high production values, great photos, great miniature pictures, and really nice terrain lay-outs.  This reminded me of what separated early GW books from the competition.  Rules are detailed with images and diagrams over laid on the photos.  This is a sumptuous looking book with great, hard cover, artwork.  Just really top-drawer production values all around. 

This book is pitched at beginner wargamers.  It is written like the reader is unfamiliar with the hobby of wargaming.  In addition it has a short history section, timeline, historical sidebars, etc.  There is also a Hobby section about collecting miniatures, making terrain, and painting.  There are some fun little tutorials about painting miniatures and making nice looking terrain.    Again, it reminds me of early GW rules as an introduction to wargaming.  I do not need this section, but I unironically LOVE this section.  

There are a few charge reactions a model can make when they are the target of a charge.  If you have a missile weapon you can shoot, you can run away, or you can stand and accept the charge.  Nothing super hard to do, but gives some options for melee early on.  

Armor is similarly simple with unarmored, some armor, and fully armored.  Of note, armor dictates how fast you can move as well.  That is a good idea, and everyone basically moves the same.    

This game is called Pillage, and there are several chapters on looting and another on setting things on fire.  That matches the theme of the game and ties into several scenarios.  Interesting, there is also rules for ship-to-ship combat!  Nice!

Things I Did Not Like

The game does not use frontage or combat arcs.  Weapons and line-of-sight is 360 degrees.  This reduces some of the tactical gameplay. There is some detail about shooting from windows or other constricted spaces, but that is a niche rather than the standard.   

Charging into combat is an extra 1d3 of movement leading to contact.  I am not a huge fan of random charging typically.  No real reason, but for such a critical action I like a bit more certainty in the action.  Melee is pretty quick and brutal by design but still is a bit of Melee Yahtzee coming down mostly to dice rolls based on a table with different weapons hitting better or worse based on armor type. Pretty basic.  Thankfully, the advanced weapon rules add some more nuance to the weapons and melee about supporting allies.  

There are 5 scenarios.  Nothing that you have not seen before.  The game explicitly recommends you to design and make your own scenarios.  However, I think the game could have provided a few more guidelines on alternate deployment zones, objectives, and perhaps some complications.  

Meh and Other Uncertainties

Of note, this game does not allow pre-measuring.  If you grab a tape measure, it is assumed that you are committed to the action.  I.e. you do not measure until you are all ready going to shoot at that target, move to that place, or charge that model, etc.  

Of note, this game only uses d6 to resolve all actions.  It uses simple modifiers and rules for rolling above a 6.    

It also uses WYSIWYG for simply determining who is armed with what.  

The game itself is for 4x4 tables or even 3x3 tables.  This makes it just a bit too large for a Kitchen Table game.  However, it is a good size for a convention or club game.     

The game turn is broken down into the usual of Initiative, Move, Shoot, Melee, and End.  This gives you all the basic 4Ms.  Of note, games use alternating Phases, so it is not IGOUGO but not alternate activation either.       

Army lists include Vikings, Anglo-saxons, Normans, Irish/Scots/Picts, Carolingian Franks, Bretons, Welsh, and Generic.   

Final Thoughts

This is a solid, well-produced product.  It is a basic wargame, but comes into its own with the Advanced Rules.  Here is where it shines allowing some period specific and unique activities to add some tactical depths.  However, it is still relatively straight forward and easy to teach.  That is its strength.  

This is not for Competitive play because there is a fair amount of randomness in the rules.  It is not intended for that.  It is intended for a beer-and-pretzels experience focusing on story-telling, social interactions, and narrative fun.  This is explicit in the foreword and in the rules themselves.

For a first rulebook product from Victrix, this is a slick product!  It is intentionally designed to get people into playing the period and folks that are new to wargaming.  I applaud this approach BUT I am not sure that it is a good strategy.  I think they are simply following the GW template of a rulebook, but I am not convinced that people get into Dark Age Wargaming cold by buying a rulebook.  However, I really do not know how people get into Historical Wargaming anymore.  

Anyway, a great introductory product but not a great wargame.  It is very serviceable but old hands to the period will find it wanting.  To veterans the big adds are the pillaging and ship-to-ship combat ideas.  

Until next time! 

 

Become a Patron and get access to all the cool stuff, a peak behind the curtain of Blood and Spectacles, and early-access to playtest games!  

Blood and Spectacles Patreon! 

You can follow Blood and Spectacles Facebook page or Instagram for more fun! 

Check out the latest publications and contact me at our Blood and Spectacles website

Or purchase all out games at the Blood and Spectacles Publishing Wargames Vault Page!                   

Random: Mid-Year Goals

What a whirlwind year!  So much has happened and so much time has all ready passed.  It feels like only yesterday I was writing my goals for 2026 and now the year is half over!  Time flies by, but each day feels like it takes forever, but the weeks and month are flying by!  I am sure you can all relate.  

I don't have much of a preamble for this year..... just..... wow.  End of July all ready.  Wow. 

For many of you, this is not your first rodeo here on the Blood and Spectacles Blog.  You know how these Mid-Year Goals posts work.  I basically take stock of what I started out wanting to get done, and then see where I am at.  Since initially writing my goals, there have been some big developments that have thrown my goals off-track:  

1. Sold my homestead with the awesome gaming space and am now Mobile

2. Osprey Games picked up another title from me called Barbarians at the Gates for Late Roman wargaming. 

3. Doing some career development stuff for work that is taking a lot of time

When I initially wrote my goals, these changes were not baked into the plan.  So, let's take a look at my goal categories and see how I am doing.  Some of these probably need to be re-assessed in light of my current situation.  Just a reminder, these are the Goal categories I use: 

• Purchases
• Painting and Modelling
• Gaming
• Rules Writing
• Other Stuff

Let's take a little stroll down memory lane then......

Purchases: 

As usual I would like to remind you that none of this would be possible without the generous financial support of readers, players, painters, and wargamers like you!  

Every time you purchase one of my books from Osprey Games, buy from my Wargame Vault, download a game from my Drive-Thru RPG page, and/or follow me on Patreon you are helping to fund the continued existence of Blood and Spectacles Publishing.  The money I earn from these areas goes right back into the business of wargaming! That means content for the blog, content on Social Media, and new products from Blood and Spectacles Publishing!  

Thank you!  I could not keep publishing and making games if it was not for your generous help and support!  

It can be hard to decide how to invest these funds into content for the blog, therefore I am open to feedback.  Please leave a comment here, on my socials, email, or connect via my Patreon for what you would like to see!  Going into the year, I had the following items outlined as potential investments for Blog content: 

1. Stay Caught up on the Osprey Wargaming Series- Succes so far, with a review up for Hide, Stone, and Bone. 
2. Three Fantasy Ice Hockey Teams for Phuck! - Nope, no progress yet
3. Wizards of Morcar for Heroquest- It was a bit hairy, but I got it and posted up a review
4. Cowboy Miniatures, terrain, and rules - Nope, and unlikely to happen now with my new circumstances.  I do not want to store them for the moment.  
5. Some "Cold War Gone Hot" in 15mm- Nope, and unlikely to happen for the same reason the Cowboys are not going to make the cut.  In my old place, I had folks I could use these with.  Now I am less sure.  
6. One or more Wargame Sets- I picked up Heroscape: Rumble at the Rift, Pillage from Victrix, and Perry Miniature's Travel Battle.  Review for Pillage soon.  
7. Some New RPG System- I got Inspirisles from Hatchling Games and Scum and Villainy from Forged in the Dark.  Reviews up for them too. I also still have Faith and Glory, Ashes Without Number, and Fate to review as well.  
8. Start a Carthaginian, Late Roman, New World, or Theban force- I got the Miniatures for two Late Roman forces (Victrix Romans and Gripping Beast Vandals/barbarians) and the Thebans as a palette cleanser.  
9. Desert Battle Mat - Not yet, but this one IS still on my list for the second half of the year. 

Barbarian "Vandal" Army

This list was pretty aggressive, and with the parts I have filled out, I don't think I will need to purchase much else for a couple of years to keep my painting queue filled up.  That said I made a pretty good dent in the list all ready!  However, there is always room for more books and rules.  It is the creator's paradox!

   

Late Roman Army

Painting and Modelling

The big item on my list was to work my way through all the Heroquest expansions I had in my backlog.  However, I soon expanded this backlog with the addition of those Late Roman projects to support Barbarians at the Gates and those Thebans for Men of Bronze and the various supplements like The Corinthian War especially. 

Anyway, those are plans for future me.  Here is what I have painted so far in 2026: 

• Mage in the Mirror expansion - Elves
• Rise of the Dread Moon expansion
• The Frozen Horror expansion

That was a lot of Fantasy and Heroquest specifically. That puts me at around 70+ minis painted so far.  However, I still have Spirit Queen's Torment, Prophecy of Telor, Jungles of Delthrak and Wizards of Morcar to get painted up.  Yikes.  I think I will be boosting my numbers the second half of the year with some batch painting of Late Roman Vandals too!  

Oh dear, I am starting to get a Pile of Potential here! 

Rise of the Dread Moon

The Frozen Horror

   
Gaming

This is where I have been falling down on the job!  I wanted at least a game a month, but so far I think I have managed about 2 for the year!  I doubt that will change as I am moving from place to place.  I have barely had any solo games either, instead devoting my spare time to painting.  Hopefully with Perry Miniature's Travel Battle I can change that up!  It should fit just right in my Shuttle Bus. 

Maybe once I get my travel plans firmed up, I can plan ahead and get some games planned while I am travelling.  Maybe post up a bit before I get to an area and arrange a few online games at a local shop or club?  Still figuring that part out.    

However, I have managed to keep a Discord RPG going on Wednesday nights.  We have played Avatar: Legends, Scum and Villainy, and a few one-shots and customs.  I am also doing some text-based stuff with Wrath and Glory, Ashes Without Number, and Hunter: 5th Edition.  With RPGs I have managed to stay pretty active compared to my wargaming.  However, the play by post and online versions make this much easier. 

I also managed to meet-up with some folks to play a few games of Oathsworn.  I wouldn't call this a wargame or an RPG.  It is one of those strange hybrid "dudes on a board" games with story-telling elements fused onto it as well.  They are one of those games where the tactics are mostly mechanics mastery more than anything else.  Still, good fun and a chance to see some minis on the table! 

Heroquest

Cribbage with Oreo

Castles in the Sky

Oathsworn

Rules Writing

I managed to get two big things done so far this year.  First, I inked a deal with Osprey Games for a Late Roman game called Barbarians at the Gates.  I have to get the manuscript to Osprey by May 2028, including 30 photos.  That is going to take up most of my writing time, but I do still have several other games still on the go and in various states of completion.  Here is a partial list: 

• Rise and Fall- Carthage supplement for Wars of the Republic
• PHUCK! - Fantasy Ice Hockey
• Gold, Glory, and Guns - Conquest of the New World games
• Mobile Fotress: Verdun - Land ironclads in the world of Castles in the Sky
• Cold Depth - Cold War Submarines
• Blood Reign - Modern Vampire skirmish
• Rise Against - Solo-wargaming against Fascists
• In The Garden of the Red Weeds - Post-Martian Invasion survival RPG   

The other item I finished was Super, Sexy Swingin' Spies a rules-lite RPG that is up on my Drive-Thru RPG.  I also worked on a few RPG projects that ended up on my Patreon.  A couple RPG projects that are not fully ready for prime time, some modules and some experimental games.  That sort of thing.  

I am also focused on writing 1 wargame design article a month for the blog.  Afterall, this blog is about game design, so I should try to get at least one article a month on the subject posted.  So far, I think I have been doing an okay job and think I can make it through the year on target.  

The Other Stuff

As always, I am tracking my minis painted and games played.  I find it helpful to keep me motivated and useful for the end of year recap. 

Besides that, I have been trying to use my Patreon more effectively.  By that I mean, putting blog articles up there early, using it as my "Development Blog" for Barbarians at the Gate, and putting up rules snippets and half-baked ideas there.  I also give Patrons the first access to any new rules I create and finish there.  This includes ideas for one-shot RPG modules, some usable RPG rules, Line-of-Battle updates for various games, and some mechanics mini-games too.   

On the Social Media front, I doubt I will be doing much more than 2 posts a week to support blog content and drive traffic.  Nothing as fancy as I used to make in Canva because that took too much time that I could be using for writing, painting, and playing.  

I doubt I will be having any public games this year.  I doubt I will get to a Convention unless timing is very lucky, and I doubt I will have many interviews or other fun things any time soon.  Too busy with "real-life" and writing Barbarians at the Gate for that right now. 

Final Thoughts

I have managed to paint a lot of Heroquest this year, despite BIG changes in my life.  Looking at my blog posts, it looks like Heroquest has taken over the blog!  Well, I have been trying to clear out my backlog, but the second half of the year will have a wider mix of content.... I think.... I hope?  

Here is to another successful half year.  There is still a lot to do, so I better get going!  To help me out, let me know the kind of stuff you want to see on the blog, wargame design issues you want me to tackle, or other topics.  I look forward to your comments.  

Until next time!

Become a Patron and get access to all the cool stuff, a peak behind the curtain of Blood and Spectacles, and early-access to playtest games!  

Blood and Spectacles Patreon! 

You can follow Blood and Spectacles Facebook page or Instagram for more fun! 

Check out the latest publications and contact me at our Blood and Spectacles website

Or purchase all out games at the Blood and Spectacles Publishing Wargames Vault Page!