My Warriors of Chaos for Warhammer Fantasy Battle have marshalled in strength (1,000 points under 8th Edition rules to be precise) to raid the civilised lands. Serving their dark gods under the banner of Chaos Undivided, they form a core army of no-nonsense fighters around which daemons and cults of all denominations can gather in future.

Leading these mobs of murderers are a massive Chaos Lord and a twisted Chaos Sorcerer. Both figures are Games Day special editions and very nice sculpts in my opinion. The Chaos Lord is a version of Archaon the Everchosen on foot, a serious chunk of metal.

I like that the Chaos Sorcerer has some Tzeentchian vibes about him, which is fitting being a magic wielder, even though his soul isn’t (yet) fully in the claws of the Great Conspirator.

The regiments marching with them to war are largely built from plastic sets, with the exception of the leader of the Chaos Warriors (another Games Day figure) and the classic chariot.

There are many ‘allies’ waiting in the wings to join these Warriors of Chaos in their crusade, from brutish Beastmen to nightmarish Daemons of Slaanesh, Nurgle and Khorne. I hope my armies of the Empire and the Dwarfs can be raised quickly enough to stem the rising tide of Chaos before it is too late.

After eons of slumber in their tombs, my Necrons have awoken and are marching out, 1,000 points strong, to annihilate their enemies in the universe of Warhammer 40,000 (7th Edition). To be more precise, the oldest of these deathless warriors have been awaiting their resurrection since 1998, while some new constructs joined their ranks over the intervening decades.

I had a good number of the first generation metal Necron Warriors, so these are forming the core of the army. Their bodies aren’t painted, but washed in a black ink, which I then rubbed off . I used the same method on the Immortals. They turned out a bit darker since their armour plates are more segmented and I left the ink on them for years before trying to remove it again, making the process much harder.

The Necron Lords and the Cryptek are plastic and Finecast resin. The resin is particularly bad for the staves which keep on bending and breaking. Due to that I cut the Cryptek’s staff short, and I might have to replace the rod for the resin Lord with brass at some point.

These figures not being metal, I had to use paints to achieve a similar effect. I think they blend together well, also taking into account that the leaders of the force are built to higher specifications and have been better maintained over the millennia.

While lacking any major constructs at 1,000 points, I added a few skimmers in the shape of Destroyers and an Annihilation Barge. The former are inked and polished metal while the latter is a painted plastic kit.

To extend the army, I have a couple of smaller constructs waiting, before I’ll eventually add a Monolith. The Necrons are rising again, and the galaxy will tremble in fear.

Following my long-laid plan, I have activated further Necron constructs to purge any offending life forms from my resurgent interstellar empire.

These are all metal models from the original range. With the exception of the Scarabs, I painted the metal instead of just washing and polishing it, since the larger constructs needed quite a bit of glue to hold together.

To lead the growing Necron force into battle, I am going to add another Lord (while promoting one of the existing ones to an Overlord) and a unit of Lychguard for an additional 500 points overall.

Motivated by my quick painting progress and inspired by the positive feedback from you lot on my Necrons, I completed their reinforcements with a unit of Lychguard and another Lord.

Being multi-part plastic kits, they needed to be painted rather than polished, and I’d given them a shiny silver undercoat years ago, when I initially put them together. Thus they ended up lighter than some of my more recent figures, but as they are elite royal guardians, I felt this to be quite appropriate.

I stuck to silver with all of their bodies and armaments and added the usual detailing – gold for the glyphs, red for eyes and jewels and blue for the tabards. To indicate the energy coursing through their shields and blades, I applied green glaze along the seams. This adds some interest while maintaining the overall stark metallic look of the unit and the whole army.

The final addition to the force is another Lord. This one is a metal sculpt, but since I bought it second hand, I needed to paint over it. I never found stripping paint worth my while and rather accept a bit of roughness in the final result.

So this is it for now, the Overlord has awoken enough troops from their stasis to challenge any of the armies in my collection. Who is going to marshal their forces next to counter the Necron threat to the galaxy?

Obviously a Tomb Kings army needs to feature some of their signature models, the skeleton chariots. This provided me with the perfect opportunity to finally put the classic plastic kits to good use, combining them with some later skeleton and Tomb Kings parts.

Painting all the bones by hand is a somewhat tedious but not overly taxing process. I’m planning a second rank already, but for the core army of 1,000 points these three should strike fear into the hearts of their enemies already.

While I had all forces arrayed on the battlefield, I also observed that the old archer regiments, which were based on some haphazardly drybrushed figures of yore, looked a bit flat and didn’t tie in very well with the style of bone I have been recently painting. In order to improve on that, I added an additional highlight of pure white while also doing a bit of extra work on the metals.

After having revived my Tomb Kings back in 2016, I just completed the first 1,000 points under Warhammer Fantasy Battle 8th Edition rules. The core troops of the Tomb Kings offer a range of tactical options, from archers to spearmen and cavalry, so the army should be entertaining to field.

The Tomb King was the final model I completed, while the Liche Priest is a second hand model that fits well into my paint scheme and only needed re-basing.

Once I had all troops lined up, I found the archers and spearmen to look a bit flat, so I went back over them, adding highlights to shields, weapons and bones. This ties them in better with the cavalry models as well, which were individually highlighted rather than drybrushed.

There are still a lot more regiments and constructs buried in the sand, waiting to be resurrected to march forth and conquer an eternal empire for my Tomb Kings. Some horse archers and Ushabti might be next, though for now I am going to direct my gaze towards the living. Or maybe the daemonic…

I have all the figures lined up for my Warhammer Fantasy Battle 8th Edition Dwarf army, but there is still a lot of painting to do on them. Among the units that I started a while ago are the Ironbreakers, who are clad in steel from head to toe, wielding compact axes or hammers for close quarters tunnel fighting. As Captain Darling put it, they are “one of the best anvils in an army of anvils”.

I managed to complete this unit of 15 models over the course of a few days, and I’m very happy with how they turned out. The steel is Citadel Ironbreaker (fittingly) with a thinned down wash of Nuln Oil and a dry brush of Runefang Steel, while the gold trim was painted in Gehenna’s Gold with a wash of Reikland Fleshshade.

Obviously I had to get some Night Goblins out for the Ironbreakers to face off against. I think both of these armies are going to get some love over the next couple of months, I am really in the mood for this epic clash on the battlefield.

I’ve had these chunky metal Ogryns for Warhammer 40k half-painted for the longest time, since their unconventional style of uniform didn’t fit with any of the Imperial Guard regiments I was building. As soon as I decided to paint a detachment of Catachan Jungle Fighters however, they found their spiritual home.

Now I am just missing the Captain for this 500 points Catachan infantry detachment. There’s going to be a rumble in the jungle soon, as they discover long abandoned ruins and reawaken forces that should better have been left in their eternal stasis…

Not all the forces I am working on are intended to become solid core armies. Some factions lend themselves to be detachments for skirmishes, specific scenarios or reinforcements for other armies.

The first of these detachments I have just completed is a 500 points strong infantry platoon of the Catachan Jungle Fighters for Warhammer 40k 7th Edition. Often called upon to fight in the dense jungles of tropical death worlds, it is fitting for them to operate without vehicle support.

The commander uses the Lord Commissar rules, but is represented by a Captain. In the Catachan background, Commissars have a tendency to meet unfortunate accidents, and it is therefore likely that leaders from within their ranks fulfil the role of instilling discipline with an iron fist, and through their own heroics.

The troops consist of a Platoon HQ with missile launcher and plasma gun plus two squads equipped with flamers and krak grenades.

Providing fire support are three weapons teams with heavy bolters and an autocannon to take down larger targets. A squad of Ogryns adds close combat capabilities to the platoon.

If I want to expand this force , I’ll probably go for an air mobile squad of veterans in a Valkyrie and a special weapons squad with flamers. A sniper and a trooper with a heavy flamer would also come in handy, so I can change the load out of some squads.

When I expanded my Necron army with some larger constructs, a couple of commenters asked for an updated picture of them all together. With other projects out of the way, I therefore cleared the table and brought out my collected Necron forces, 1,500 points in total (for a full size image, open it in a new tab).

Unfortunately, the recently assembled Catachan patrol was still in the area as the Necrons emerged. Woefully under strength against such opponents, the Imperial guardsmen dug in as best they could, hoping to hold out until reinforcements could arrive.

With their communications scrambled and the merciless machines moving in, the Catachans poured fire into their enemies before fixing bayonets for the final assault. No trace of the platoon was ever found and a report of its mysterious disappearance was filed by Regimental HQ.

It takes a lot of Night Goblins to make an army – 132 to be precise, according to my army list. There are three large blocks of infantry in the horde, two with spears and shields, the other with short bows. The whole army has base colours on already and the command groups are finished, but that still leaves a lot of rank and file to be completed.

I managed to get through the first mob, five figures at a time. The plan is to keep this up, while also working on other projects for variety. We’ll see how that goes.

The fun (and most of the effectiveness) of a horde of Night Goblins lies in the whacky special weapons they can bring along. I’ve added netters to the regiment, which reduce the strength of attackers (if all goes well and they don’t entangle their own side).

In addition, there is a Fanatic hidden among their ranks, drugged up on mushroom brew and wielding a massive ball and chain, who will be shoved in the path of a charging enemy at the right moment.

This is about a third of the army completed, leaving two more regiments and an assortment of squigs. I could also do with some more mountainous terrain, so I might give building foam hills a try.

The second mob of 35 Night Goblin spearmen is complete and joining the fray. As before, I have added netters and a Fanatic to the ranks for maximum mayhem.

I have more Fanatics to paint up that are not included in my starter army list. In battle, each mob will be lead by a Big Boss, turning it into a respectable fighting formation. A standard, full rank bonus, five extra spear attacks, a 5 in 6 chance of the attackers losing a point of strength – as long as they don’t have to take a leadership test, these guys are doing alright.

Salute was a bitter sweet event this year. My main motivation for attending has always been to be impressed and inspired by the gaming and display tables, with shopping opportunities as a bonus. This year I had a shopping list, consisting largely of new rules systems (Oathmark, Stargrave, Gaslands Refuelled), a box of Fireforge peasant zombies for my necromancer to summon into his Warhammer 8th edition army, plus the obligatory new KR case to carry the latest forces I managed to paint.

All that purchasing luckily distracted from the lack of photo opportunities. For some years now the number of jaw dropping displays has been steadily declining, and this year they fell off a cliff. My respect goes out to anyone who manages to build and bring a table full of terrain and opposing forces to a wargaming show, especially as a club effort without any related rules or miniatures to sell. Still, the amount of empty floor space due to missing traders, and worse, tables that had been set up but remained vacant on the day, didn’t inspire my photo journalistic fervour of previous years. Therefore I only took some snapshots of two displays in attendance.

The first was created by the Loughton Strike Force, who are consistently bringing amazing looking games to Salute. Their ‘Stalingrad – Fire on the Volga’ was played using the new ‘O’ Group set of battalion level WWII rules. You can see many more photos of it on their website.

The second display that stood out to me featured World of Twilight. The creators have been attending Salute for many years, and I always enjoy looking at their unique miniatures and terrain. I believe this year was the first time they brought a ‘full size’ table, with lots of buildings and little vignettes.

I guess next year, with the show scheduled to be back in its regular April slot, will tell what the new normal for Salute is going to be.

Salute 2023 marked the 50th time that the South London Warlords put on their wargames show this April. Public attendance was strong though it is clear that the event is now unfortunately only a UK show, with companies and clubs from continental Europe sadly missing.

Colourful spectacles from ancient times were put on by To The Strongest!, the Society of Ancients (sorry I couldn’t find info about the actual battle being staged) and Miniatures Wargames Magazine. Strength & Honour is a new system for 2mm scale battles, presented at the show by its author with the Battle of Cannae.

Skipping over the Dark and Middle Ages this year, Masterstroke Games showcased their new ruleset Force of Virtue while Wargames Illustrated put on a game of Never Mind the Billhooks during the Italian Wars.

After Ancients, the second period of wargaming that usually makes tabletops buckle under the sheer weight of lead is Horse & Musket.

A number of prime examples of this were on show again at Salute 2023, starting with the Battle of Domstadtl 1758 by Ardhammer Group. The unusual aspect of this game were the flat figures, giving the game a suitably old school feel.

Crawley Wargames Club put on Ferocious Fighting at Ferozaphur 1845, fielding the East India Company against the Sikh Khalsa Army in 15mm scale.

The Battle of Austerlitz 1805 was the theme for a 28mm game of Command and Colours by The Old Guard.

Warlord Games presented their Pike and Shotte Epic Battles figures and terrain for the Thirty Years’ War and English Civil War of the 17th century.

The Wyre Forest Gamers and Roll a One blog brought the fruits of a lockdown project for charity, during which 50 wargamers each painted a base of 6mm figures to make up two imaginary 17th century armies.

Hugo’s Heroes staged the Battle of Oravais 1808 in 6mm for a strategic view and in 28mm for the decisive clash of arms.

The Battle of Dirschau 1627 by The Friends of General Haig was fought over a battlefield with beautifully executed terrain features.

Stunning terrain recreating the frozen Thames and old London Bridge in the 1650s provided the backdrop for the London Wargaming Guild’s Cold Doings in London.

The Death Ride of Gustavus Adolphus 1632 by The Officer’s Mess honed in on a specific course of events during the Battle of Lützen.

Last but not least and somewhat pushing my definition of the era, Too Fat Lardies launched their latest offering What a Cowboy!, a game of gunfights in the Old West.

Kicking off the World War I and II coverage is a pseudo-historical game in Mark Copplestone’s ‘Little Soldiers’ inter-war setting, staged by the Cornwall Wargames Association. If I understood/remembered correctly, the rules used were an adaptation of the Memoir ’44 boardgame.

Moving on to the ‘real’ war, 1/72 Wargames recreated a section of the Kaiserschlacht 1918 with the 36th Ulster division under German attack.

Hugo’s Heroes created scenarios during World War II inspired by classic Airfix model sets from the 1960s, and brought some of the original plastics along as well.

The Retired Wargamers Reloaded had constructed a massive and beautiful board for a 15mm scale battle around Carentan 1944 using Rapid Fire rules.

The Lard Zone had its debut at Salute this year, and WWII was well represented by games of Chain of Command.

The Maidstone Wargames Society presented Fallujah 2004 at this year’s Salute. Using the Force on Force ruleset in 20mm scale, this participation game saw US Marines in (fully scratch built) house to house fighting against insurgents.

Going back further in time, The Friends of General Haig staged Operation Desert Shield 1991, depicting an attack of Iraqi forces on US Airborne and Marines in 15mm scale.

The Korean War was the setting for two of the games I captured. The first made use of the ruleset All Hell Let Loose to bring a defence by the Gloucestershire Regiment against the Chinese army across the Imjin River to the table.

The Inchon Landing 1950 depicted the daring amphibious invasion by UN forces that was a major turning point in the war. Unfortunately I couldn’t find information on who presented this game in the list of exhibitors.

The Vietnam War was the topic of Gringo40s, who staged the Assault on the American Embassy 1968 with a fully realised model of the embassy building and surrounds. There was a break in the action when I passed by, but a full overview of the table can be found here, courtesy of Wargames Illustrated’s YouTube channel.

Rubicon Models meanwhile had built a range of platoon level skirmish boards in the more typically associated rural jungle setting of this conflict.

This February I attended the Tactica wargames convention in Hamburg for the first time, after having been tempted with pictures of beautifully presented gaming tables for many years.

Situated in a community centre that suitably looked like a fort with moat from the outside, the atmosphere was quite different from typical shows held in sports or convention halls. Spread over two days, I opted for the Sunday which should have been the less busy. The location shots below are from early in the day – it did reach what I would call a capacity crowd later, spread out between the main trade and gaming halls plus a multitude of smaller gaming rooms containing about half a dozen tables each.

Since there was no program to easily reference the gaming tables as to who built them and what they depicted, I’ll leave my snapshots of some of them here without further comment.

More information and pictures can be found on the Tactica website, and the Tabletop Deutschland blog is promising a closer look at the displays in the near future, as they provide every year.

Sci-Fi and Fantasy themes made up at least half of the gaming tables at Tactica 2024. The big franchises Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones were represented with impressive displays while many classic and new game settings shone on beautiful tables of all sizes.

Below just a small selection of what was on show, more impressions can be found for example in this slideshow by Some Dude On YouTube.

To celebrate the imminent latest incarnation of the Salute wargames show and not at all because I just realised I still hadn’t published these before, here some impression from a variety of sci-fi and fantasy themed tables at Salute 2023.