Warlord Games

By Kreighton Long

As one project ends, or ends as much as any army building project for our hobby can, another begins to take shape. After building Bolt Action armies for Germans (Heer, Waffen SS, Fallschirmjager, Grossdeutschland Panzergrenadiers), Soviets (hordes of khaki), and the United States (29th Infantry Division and 101st Airborne Infantry) I started looking at a fresh new army.

I decided to take a look at the minor Axis powers. Building a minor Axis power would add some interesting flavor in my local meta which heavily emphasizes the major powers and would provide myself with a new challenge.

The first step was to pick up the book and look through the minor Axis powers with available lists.

The factions covered in the Armies of Italy and the Axis book include Italy, Finland, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania. Each faction has it’s own appeal and I dream of one day building an army for all factions but I needed to narrow down my choices for my first minor power. I mentally developed a three part criteria to help me pick: local meta, history, and aesthetic.

By Kreighton Long

I don’t remember where my interest in playing Germans in World War Two games came from but I do know that the first miniatures I painted after joining this hobby were Germans from Bolt Action Miniatures, before Warlord Games bought them. That five-man infantry squad still sits in my display case to this day. After painting and gaming Germans for over a decade it’s safe to say that the German army is my first-round-draft-pick when throwing dice with friends.

The German Wehrmacht, rebuilt after being disemboweled by The Treaty of Versailles following World War One, reentered the world stage in dramatic fashion with it’s blitzkrieg against Poland in 1939. What followed were six years of brutal campaigns across Europe, Africa, and Russia ending with the final defeat of the Third Reich in the streets of Berlin itself.

By Steve Murga

I am fascinated by 17th Century European History. I grew up in Spain reading the Alatriste Novels by Spanish novelist Arturo Perez-Reverte, the adventures of a Spanish sword for hire in the backdrop of a decadent and crumbling Spanish Empire. Is the fast-evolving nature of the 17th Century that captivates me the most, a period between the medieval world and the modern era, a time where the last vestiges of feudalism gave away to the modern state.

By Mitch Reed

Porting tabletop games to digital is a hit or miss endeavor. Sometimes the developers get it right and sometimes we end up getting a game that just fails. Recently acquired the rights from Warlord Games to bring the aerial combat game Blood Red Skies to the small screen. How well this will turn out remains to be seen, but my talks with some insiders make me feel confident that this port will not crash and burn.

Blood Red Skies Digital is about to launch their Kickstarter. Mitch and Doug from the amazing Lead Pursuit Podcast go 1v1 and talk about the development of the digital version of BRS. As old gamers they also talk about the industry, you do not want to miss this one.

By Kreighton Long

No World War Two military incorporated camouflage as extensively as Germany. Most rivet-counters/armchair historians can eyeball camouflaged German infantry and reliably tell you what branch of the German armed forces the camo-clad trooper served.

This is especially true for the Waffen SS. From their first actions in Poland in 1939 through the fall of Berlin in 1945, the SS was equipped with camouflage uniforms that visually set them apart from the Heer and Luftwaffe ground troops.

Unfortunately for tabletop wargamers, painting the different camouflage patterns of the Waffen SS can be an intimidating challenge. Personally, I held off painting my first SS infantry for years after entering the hobby due to a lack of self-confidence.

Since working up the courage to attempt painting SS camouflage, I completed numerous iterations, each time learning how to suck less next time.

By Kreighton Long

No World War Two military incorporated camouflage as extensively as Germany. Most rivet-counters/armchair historians can eyeball camouflaged German infantry and reliably tell you what branch of the German armed forces the camo-clad trooper served.

This is especially true for the Waffen SS. From their first actions in Poland in 1939 through the fall of Berlin in 1945, the SS was equipped with camouflage uniforms that visually set them apart from the Heer and Luftwaffe ground troops.

Unfortunately for tabletop wargamers, painting the different camouflage patterns of the Waffen SS can be an intimidating challenge. Personally, I held off painting my first SS infantry for years after entering the hobby due to a lack of self-confidence.

By Kreighton Long

The morning dew glistens, reflecting the light of the dawning sun. A nondescript crossroad in the countryside is quiet for now. The day before, a farmer moved livestock along the dirt roads. Today, officers and NCOs hasten soldiers towards a fatal encounter. Under the cover of darkness, British paratroopers jumped out of soaring aircraft as flak exploded around them, lighting the sky.

Throughout the night the paratroopers moved through the darkness, slowly gathering more and more men into their merry bands. A few small vehicles roll out of gliders to the delight of the Red Devils. Some miles away, a German commander receives reports of British paratroopers landing and maneuvering in his area of responsibility.

Looking down at his map, he guesses at the paratroopers’ objective, a town labeled on the map as “Colline de L’église”. As reports continue to come into the German headquarters, the officer takes the initiative and dispatches what men he has available to the crossroads hoping to stall the British advance to enable him to organize a stronger defense of the town. 

By Kreighton Long

A little while back a follower of mine on Instagram asked me how I base my miniatures so I put together a little tutorial to share with anyone curious.

There are two parts to a painted miniature when it’s on the gaming table. There’s the miniature itself, then there’s the base.

Depending on the scale and how the miniature is represented in the game both parts are essential to a jaw-dropping gorgeous army. Most of us may be able to recall instances of walking around convention halls, tournament tables, or gaming clubs and seeing that almost gorgeous army. I say almost because every so often one of the two aforementioned parts is a bit below the standard set by the other part.

Today we have a special podcast for you. We sit down with Jon Russell from Warlord Games and we ask him all about the new Epic Battles for Black Powder.