Dice Bag with Compartments

Something I wanted to share quickly: My girl-friend made this dice bag with compartments for me. It is especially useful since I use quite a number of markers and counters for my Dogs Ahoy game. I am super happy with it.

My Wargaming Goals for 2018

The beginning of a new year is always a good occasion for recapitulation and contemplation. However, I don't want to look back but ahead: What do I want to do in 2018 in terms of tabletop wargaming hobby activities?

Firstly, I have to say that I am not the type for new year's resolutions. But I must admit that I have been posting less and less on the blog, which is mostly due to the large number of in-progress works and projects. It is easy to get lost and carried away in the many wonderful facets of the hobby (hence the lead mountain syndrome, which is more a "resin mountain" in my case). I think that if I prioritize the little and big projects that I am working on and articulate some goals, that I will find it easier to work on them with a bit of discipline. Granted, this is all still hobby in the end, but I do find it satisfying to complete things - be it the painting of a building, the building of a terrain piece or the definition of the rules for a certain scenario. Throughout the year, the following will hopefully help me remind myself which projects I really need to finish, or at least make some progress, instead of switching to another project that tickles my fancy.

Civilian Figures for Pirate Games

In this post I collect civilians and other miniatures that are great additions for wargames in a 17th/18th century pirate setting.

When I first started pirate gaming in 2008 I compiled a list of manufacturers of pirate miniatures which I still keep updated to this day. In order to properly flesh out your games, however, you will want more than scurvy sea dogs: From all sorts of civilians such as farmers, noble ladies and children, to dock workers to slaves there are lots of miniatures that can enhance your games. The list below contains miniatures from various manufacturers and ranges that are suitable for pirate games during the 17th and 18th century.

Tutorial: Painting Stonework

In this article I describe the way I paint stonework on my models. From cobblestone streets to the walls of medieval houses - they all are painted following this recipe.

First off, as with all artistic things there is not the one right way to do things. Stones come in endless variations of colour and shape and there are many ways to paint them. Over the years I have developed (or let's say, I got used to) a certain technique that creates results which I am quite happy with (even though "technique" makes it sound more complicated and elaborate than it actually is, as you will shortly see). Since questions about how I paint stones come up frequently, I decided to write this detailed tutorial for reference. I hope it can serve as a little inspiration or helper when painting your own stonework models. Let's start!

Pirates at the Port of Gierburg

After finishing the basic section of the Port of Gierburg gaming board, I thought it would be a good opportunity to set up a little diorama on the new board. It is also a good opportunity to finally present my pirate crew painted by Simon Bradley a bit earlier this year. The crew is led by infamous Captain Blackbeard and used for my pirates game Dogs Ahoy. Enjoy!

Blackbeard's crew terrorizes the port

The Port of Gierburg - Part 5: Dock Section II Ground Level Painted

In the previous installment of my Port of Gierburg project I described how I built the base board for my dock section. Now that part is finally finished.

Section I, the Water board and Section II set up together

Wow, time sure flies. And, wow, am I good at procrastinating. I posted part 4 of my Port of Gierburg project log in September 2014! I really had a tough time deciding how to continue with this part of my board. I have made some progress since then and decided that the other buildings and raised level section will be a single removable piece. This meant that I could move on and just paint the board section as it was.

Dead Man's Hand - German Edition from Stronghold-Terrain

Stronghold-Terrain have released the German edition of the Wild West skirmish game Dead Man's Hand and I take a look at the rulebook.



The Wild West skirmish game Dead Man's Hand was originally released by Great Escape Games and later on translated into French by Studio Tomahawk. Now Stronghold-Terrain have released a German version of the rulebook which includes the latest updates and optional rules introduced by Studio Tomahawk.