The importance of batch painting, the Road to 350.

Batch painting is an important aspect of my painting method. With no permanent hobby space I can’t just leave things sitting between painting sessions, mix in work, a two year old and other family commitments and I’m lucky to get in an hours worth of painting in on a week night.

With uniformed armies it’s easy to batch paint. Build a dozen guys, prime with an Army Painter colored primer, slap them into GW painting handles so I don’t fat finger the paint off while manhandling them and go at it. I’ll add a tiny bit of uniqueness to the models: mixed equipment, different colored boots, different tufts on the bases. But for the most part I’m just going down the line and painting the same parts the same colors. When I’m painting a hundred infantry and weapons crew this is the only way I can get a force done in a reasonable time.

20 or so  Ground Zero Games Neu Swabian League troops being painted at once.

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Jordenheim RPG with Kosala – Wargaming Recon #261

Founder of W.R.K.S. Games, Kosala Ubayasekara, discusses the Jordenheim roleplaying game.  Set in the same universe as their popular computer game, Blood Bond – Into the Shroud, Jordenheim merges Scandanavian history & myth with their imaginative twists.

All of W.R.K.S. Games’s properties are developed with the story first and everything else growing from that.  This method creates a fully realized setting that allows players to enjoy playing to their heart’s content.

Their online storefront, W.R.K.S. Store, allows publishers to retain more of their sales compared to existing platforms such as Steam or DrivethruRPG/WargameVault.

Through social media and a Discord server, the team at W.R.K.S. Games both participates with their users while also accepting feedback that meaningfully impacts the games they create.

We are thankful that W.R.K.S. backed the Kickstarter for our 2020 season at the Be Interviewed level.  It allowed us to be aware of the fantastic work they’re doing.  We’re excited to spend some time with their Jordenheim RPG and to also discover what happens when they release Katana-Ra in 2021.

Katana-Ra will turn traditional cyberpunk themes on their head while transporting players back to the Kamakura and Muromachi periods of feudal Japan…but with technology from the 32nd century.  If you love Japanese folklore, mythology, and a darker setting, then Katana-Ra will be for you.

To see some footage from Blood Bond along with some imagery from the Jordenheim RPG, we strongly recommend that you watch the livestream recording of this podcast episode.

 

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Therapeutic Uses of Building with Dwarven Forge – Wargaming Recon #260

Jonathan returns from his time spent away from the show as he began to mourn the passing of his grandmother.  This episode features Jonathan sharing the story of his grandparents and how their lives not only shaped him, but also shaped the culture of Wargaming Recon.

The second half of the episode is filled with Jonathan discussing the ways in which building with Dwarven Forge terrain has therapeutically helped him to grieve.  He also chats about using Dwarven Forge terrain to game with his two children ages 5 1/2 and 18 months.

This episode sits firmly among the umbrella of 2020 being our year of mental health at the podcast.  It was recorded in the car on Jonathan’s way home from visiting his grandparents’ grave.  If you, or someone you know, is mourning a loved one please consider looking at Harvard Medical School’s “Ways to support someone who is grieving” or reach out to a friend or therapist (you can find trained therapists, counselors, psychiatrists, and support groups through Psychology Today’s website).  You don’t have to mourn alone.

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Getting Your Groove Back: Ideas for Burnt Out Wargamers

When I started the wargaming hobby two years ago, I had childishly thought that I would never get tired of painting miniatures. Three-hundred painted miniatures later, I was so burnt out from the hobby that I could not fathom the thought of picking up a paint brush. In any hobby, the chance of burn out is very high. You dedicate so much time and effort to your craft that at some point your brain tells you enough. There is no way to prevent it, but there are ways to get around it.

When I finally put up my brushes and paints, I decided the best thing to do was to do something else that did not involved miniatures at all. I found a lot of wargames on Steam and GOG (Good Old Games) that would whet my appetite and keep me busy while recuperating from my year long slog. Games like Ultimate General Civil War, the Warhammer 40K Dawn of War series, and Mount and Blade Warband are just a few games that I play to wind down. After a few weeks, I was back to painting my miniatures again. When painting Napoleonic miniatures started to get stale, I moved on to my fantasy miniatures from Wizkids.

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A view from the inside, looking outside, looking inside.

Normally, I write reviews, but I have not been able to play anything or buy much in this pandemic. I wanted to take my turn to write about my thoughts and the few things I have painted. I am sure that many people have painted fewer figures than I. Hopefully, you may find some motivation to keep up on your own hobbies.

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