MINIATURE CONSTRUCTION: Warmachine: House Kayllss : The Final Hunt Command Cadre - Steamforged Games

Hail Mighty Readers and Followers of the Luck Gods Rocks,

Today I'm going to be doing something a little different.  Sadly my footage for Steamforged Games Warmachine: House Kayllss: The Final Hunt Command Cadre was corrupted so this time, you're sadly going to have to put up with my description of the sprues and how the product went together.  In future, we will ensure multiple recording devices so it won't happen again...

Packed in a high quality cardboard box, the three separate sprues, are all clearly labelled, packed into a resealable bag and accompanied by the perfect number of bases for the miniatures provided.  In addition to this, they also have a printed piece of paper with a QR code that takes you to downloadable instructions that you can use either on your PC or your phone on how to construct each figure.

Whilst this was a nice thing to do, it did feel like a bit of a waste of time printing it on its own piece of glossy paper, when it could have been printed onto the box or perhaps as a sticky label upon the resealable bag and saved the extra piece of paper, but that's just my own gripe.

Each miniature was clearly labelled with a letter corresponding to just the one piece, with each individual body part numbered and easy to lay out in the format the lead picture for that piece had so you could easily grab the correct piece you were looking for.  In addition to this you weren't looking for a huge number of items and the highly limited number just kept it all easy to find in one area of the sprue without having to play "Where's piece X" like you do with other companies.    The instructions were easy to follow and being able to blow up the high quality pictures kept it easy to see the order and exactly where each piece needed to be.

All round, the quality of the sculpt and the beautiful crafting of each feature for the various pieces is fabulous, it is a great set of miniatures to put together, easy to find each piece with their clear numbering and wasn't so many pieces as to make it a difficult piece of construction.  All round would definitely give these a very high rating for other hobbyists and of course with top notch printing, these will be a dream to paint too.  (Video to follow soon.)  I can't wait to get more mini's by Steamforged and hope that the larger pieces (like the accompanying warjacks/monsters) will be just as easy to do.

All the best,

ThunderMouser

LATEST NEWS: Cubicle 7 Games Summer Salesplosian - Cubicle 7 Games

 

Hail Mighty Readers and Followers of the Luck Gods Math Rocks (or in the case of AoS Cunning Agtheyma),

With the last few months being, as Ruby Rhod would have said, its been "...hot, hot, hot."  So to capitalise on this our friends at Cubicle 7 Games have started their Summer sale and it has some pretty good deals going on.  

If you're looking for a new TTRPG to play or wanting to pick up a collector edition print nows the time to do it with up to 60% off.  To find out more please go here.

We hope you're as excited as we are,

ThunderMouser

LATEST NEWS: Cyberpunk TCG launches new page to find your nearest dealer - Weird Co

Hail Mighty Readers, Followers of the Luck Gods Math Rocks, 

WeirdCo and Cyberpunk TCG have launched the new page on their website for all the chooms out there so that they can can find who is selling the forthcoming Game in November.  To find out your nearest stockist (with over 3000 stores worldwide) please visit here. 

In todays Podcast, Cree "Kawa" Gunning and Paweł Burza are looking at the brand new card reveals and chatting about the new Store locator.  You can view this here.

For more information join the Official Discord and have the latest sent to your implants.

All the best,

ThunderMouser

 

LATEST NEWS: Special Characters for your Warband in Conquest: First Blood and Gen Con 2026 - Para Bellum Games

In this latest news from Para Bellum Games they've released as PDF for Characters that you can use in your army Warband for Conquest: First Blood that can be used in all types of play right up to competition.  The new characters currently available in this document are:

Included are the following Legendary Characters:

King Fredrik (Hundred Kingdoms)

Erich Schur (Hundred Kingdoms)

Ragodosh the Stone Faced King (Dweghom)

Nagenyua (W’adrhŭn)

Persenia the Gorgon (City States)

Murakame Wako (Yoroni)

Skypiercer Yindak (Sorcerer Kings)

The Alchemist (Spires)

Faithbearer Reginleif (Nords)

Andronicus the Firebringer (Old Dominion)

Oberon, Consort of Summer (Weaver Courts)

The only thing that you can't do with them is purchase upgrades as they already come with their own special rules.

To read the full release please go here, where you can also Download it for free.  

BREAKING NEWS:  Para Bellum Games Conquest at Gen Con Reveals:

Para Bellum Wargames, the developer and publisher of the fantasy Regimental Miniature Wargame “Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings” and updated Skirmish system “Conquest: First Blood” releases a raft of new items!

GenCon will be the debut of three items in booth 3031!

The new Yoroni Oni Monstrous Cavalry brings a new look to the tables. These are cavalry units, sized in a new way that dominates the play. The perfect fusion of honor, power and ruthless force, an Oni Kishin bears different ritual weapons: unleashing the brutal impact of them with their ceremonial Yari as Raiu, the Storm; or as Kiba, Fang Horsemen, bearing an Odachi, symbolizing their hunger for challenge and glory. Demon brutes on equally ferocious “horses” makes this a must have item for Yoroni players. Look for the Raiu and Kishin on July 30th at GenCon and your favorite FLGS.

Balancing the Yoroni brutality with beauty, we bring forth the Sorcerer Kings Marid Artisan Series. Two different models, the Apsara and Shaytan, are stunning models for painting or playing. These are the expansion into the Water forces, enigmatic and reclusive, they are, however, not immune to the powers and efforts of the Water Sorcerers in enlisting their aid. When they arrive onto the battlefield, they seldom do so alone, suddenly appearing with their entire court to deal a decisive blow, enhanced by their spellcasting ability. This is an Artisan Series, which for Conquest indicates a resin model that has had exquisite sculpting, making the most of the full artistry that the original concept art launched. Available July 30th at GenCon and at FLGS worldwide.

And our GenCon Con Exclusive for summer fun is “Traveling Gillbury”! Part of our Murderous Fish Gnome army, this maintains their irreverent looks and comes with a fun “MFG” scenario game for additional play value. Fans can also use any of these in any casual game as an alternate model just for fun! The Traveling Gillbury makes sure gamers are not alone anymore as they play in the dirty world of Ea and head for the end of the round! Available during GenCon only at Booth 3031, and our E-Shop for that week. And only for that week.

More news as we get it,

ThunderMouser

LATEST NEWS: Warmachine Wednesday Updates and Manchester Tournament News - Steamforged Games and Element Games

Hail Mighty Readers and Followers of the Luck Gods Rocks,

Steamforged Games have released an absolute ton of information not only this Wednesday, but with an extra update on Tuesday that will keep Warmachine fanatics more than sated.  Here are all the updates in one place:

"Quick update on app codes for Constance Blaize & Gallant

Yesterday, we released a new version of the Warmachine app which included reward codes to claim a free Constance Blaize & Gallant model set for all eligible annual app subscribers. 

Although a high number of subscribers were able to successfully redeem their codes, we did receive a number of bug reports that we’re working on. 

We understand some folks who had issues yesterday have since been able to successfully retrieve their code simply by re-opening the app and claiming their code as normal, so we’d recommend giving it another try today.

If you’re still having issues:

Because this is a new version of the app, not a regular content update, make sure you update via the Apple Store, Play Store, or download the latest desktop version

Make sure the device / operating system you’re trying to retrieve the code on is the same one you originally subscribed on — if you subscribed via Apple but are trying to retrieve your code on Android, it won’t work

If you’ve tried the above and you’re still not able to retrieve your code, please submit a ticket to our support team including your subscriber email address, subscription type (it should be annual), operating system (e.g. iOS), the date you first subscribed / your subscription renewal date, and any further details you can provide. 

Warmachine Nationals 2026

Tickets for this year’s Warmachine UK Nationals are now live! 

Established many moons ago, the Nationals has been a staple of the UK Warmachine scene that’s passed through the hands of many fantastic community organisers. For the first time this year, we’re taking on the torch to keep the flame alive.  

This year’s event was originally planned to run alongside the London GT but alas, fate had other plans. Instead, the 2026 UK Nationals will now take place at the fantastic new Wayland Games Centre in Brentwood, Essex, from September 26-27.

You’ll find all the key details and can pick up your ticket here.

 

Officially Licensed WarMachine Stamp Plates by Goblin Hobbies

They’re heeeere! Launching today, the clever Warmachine Stampin’ Plates from Goblin Hobbies make it so very easy to add crisp and clean army insignia, symbols, armour details and more to your Warmachine models. They’re fast and simple to use, meaning you can achieve precise, clean results whatever your experience level. 

There are two plates available, each featuring different Warmachine designs. We are super impressed with the results of these plates in action and can’t wait to see stamps popping up all over your minis! Grab yours from Goblin Hobbies here.  

Hidden Hunter

There’s still time to pre-order Death’s Whisper directly and get the exclusive Fane Stalker variant miniature free (only during the pre-order).

Some of you were wondering whether this is the same variant Fane Stalker included in the Lock & Load EU 2026 swag bags. It is not! This is a new variant that’s never previously been available.

To get your hands on one, simply pre-order Death’s Whisper from our online store before the release on July 28. 

Warmachine Warmanchester 22-23 August 2026

Warmanchester 2026 early bird tickets are now available!

August 22nd-23rd 2026

96 players. 7 rounds. Prizes!

£50 per seat (includes lunchtime catering)*

Element Games in Manchester (SK2 6PT)

Saturday night social event

Free parking onsite and nearby

Gameplay format is Steamroller 2026

Full timings below

Saturday 22nd August:

08:00-08:45 - Registration

08:45-09:00 - Briefing

09:00-11:15 - Round One

11:20-13:35 - Round Two

13:35-14:15 - Lunch & Painting Judging

14:15-16:30 - Round Three

16:35-18:50 - Round Four

20:00 - Evening Social

Sunday 23rd August:

09:00-11:15 - Round Five

11:20-13:35 - Round Six

13:35 - 14:15 - Lunch

14:15-16:30 Round Seven (if needed)**

16:45-17:30 - Awards

Dietary requirements? No problem. Just email warmanchesterevents@gmail.com before July 25th, 2025.

Change of plans? It happens! Just make sure you let us know before the refund cut-off on July 25th.

**Due to Steamroller tournament rules, the event will end once there is a single undefeated player. With 96 players, it is possible for this to happen after 6-rounds.**

Update from Jamie Perkins who is a moderator for Warmachine Community

With just over a month to go, I’m buzzing (intentional pun, not sorry) to finally share with you the exclusive gifts ALL Warmachine players will be getting this year at Warmanchester!

Just for showing up, every Warmachine player will receive a set of 8 premium Warmanchester dials in a magnetic case, ideal for tracking health (or hunger 👀)

Over 60 Warmachine players have already registered and there’s still space for more.

More updates as we get them,

All the best,

ThunderMouser

KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN INTERVIEW: Pirate Borg Boarding Party: Kawe's Pirate Borg Miniatures - Westfalia Miniatures

With us following Limithron's Pirate Borg Boarding Party Summer, we have been lucky again to get an interview with miniature designer Kawe of Westfalia Miniatures, designer of some Trench Crusade Miniatures, Deathbringer Miniatures from Dungeon Craft and Professor DM fame and now the forthcoming miniatures to help make Pirate Borg maps awesome for each player (one of the three that are creating and designing new things for Pirate Borg this summer with each one running a funding campaign via kickstarter whom you can support via the following links:

Westfalia's Pirate Borg Miniatures

From the Depths Below

Limithron's Pirate Map Collection

Each has successfully smashed their initial goals with over 20 days left to go, and so we couldn't wait to show you some of the fabulous work that Kawe has done previously to give you an idea of what is yet to come...
(Images are of completed miniatures that were designed by Kawe and whilst not Pirate Borg (they're from Trench Crusade), you can see images of the PB mini's on the campaign page listed above.) 

Totally Pawsome:  How do you work out which themes to create pieces for?

Kawe: Stuff we like! And it obviously helps if something is popular to start with. 

TP:  What would you say sells your miniatures to people?

K: Design, Quality and reliability. 

TP:  What is the turn around time from designing a concept to having it ready for printing?

K: That varies widely - between 1 week and 1 month. 

TP:  What is your favourite piece that you've created and why?

K:  There are too many, but I very much like Aguirre piece from last year.  https://www.westfaliaminiatures.com/product-page/aguirre 

TP:  Coming up with a piece is often an idea that gets written into a journal to come back to. How often do you find yourself working on one piece and another comes to mind and can you give an example?

K:  Constantly 

TP:  What do you think is most inspiring about your miniatures and why?

K:  We're trying to do original stuff. Sounds cheesey, but it's really about exploring new concepts. 

TP:  Where do you see your business taking you in 5 years?

K:  I stay right where I am. I like how things are. :--) 

TP:  If you were given the time and opportunity to create anything you wanted what would it be and why?

K:  Probably extensive scenery projects. 

TP:  Who do you admire in the fantasy community and why?

K:  They're real people. 

TP:  What got you all into TTRPG's in the first place?

K:  Red Box D&D - how could anybody resist buying that? 

We hope to be able to bring the final interview from the campaign (Limithrons) to you prior to the campaigns ending with updates.

Thank you,

ThunderMouser

VOICE ACTOR INTERVIEW: Assassins Creed: Black Flag: Charles Vane: Ralph Ineson - Ubisoft

With Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag, having been recently rereleased with updates, I thought it would be good fun to bring the interview I conducted with one of the voice actors, Ralph Ineson as a feature on this site.  

Here he chats about vocal acting vs stage acting and we hope that you enjoy this special feature, due to the age of the interview some of the information such as amount of films/tv shows he's been involved in will have changed:

Hello, my name's Ralph Ineson, I'm an actor. I've worked on ninety odd films and TV shows over the last 20 years, I'm a character actor, and in the words of the late Richard Griffiths as Uncle Monty Withnail "I shall never play the Dane". As a jobbing character actor I'm always looking for new work, I have distinctive voice which has lead me into voice over work over the last few years, but until this year I had not had the chance to work on video games. Actually I'm lying, I did appear as Amycus Carrow in a Harry Potter game, but that only required a two hour voice recording session as the facial/body scanning was done during the filming of the movies. Having auditioned in London twice, I was cast as the pirate Charles Vane, the audition process being much the same as for a film or TV show. In fact, to guard against any snobbery towards the project being 'just a game', Agents were told that the project was a TV series. I however have an old mate who just happens to work at Ubisoft in Montreal who tipped me off that I was someone they were interested in and filled me in on the details (not what you know etc.). To be honest, the thought of motion capture filming had never really done it for me, I was excited to be trying something new, but I'd always imagined the work to be incredibly detached and over technical with little opportunity to actually 'act'.

The process of creating a game on the scale of Assassins Creed 4 Black Flag is mind boggling, Ubisoft studios from Singapore to Sophia all combined to create an amazing world; the cinematics of the game were all recorded at Ubisoft's state of the art motion capture studios in Montreal. These cinematics were not shot continuously as would be the case with a film, with mo-cap the schedule seemed to revolve around a week’s recording followed by 2weeks of working with that technical data. This meant I had four trips to Montreal over 3 months. A typical week would involve a day’s rehearsal at the main Ubisoft studio with lead writer Darby McEvitt and cinematics director Kama Dunsmore, followed by 3 days recording in the mo-cap studio. During the rehearsal day we would work through the script and block out the scenes to be recorded, we also had the chance to play the game which meant we could go to the tavern we were about to record a scene in, look around, make a mental note of the view that the character is looking at when doing a certain scene etc.

On recording days we'd start with the suiting up, a strange process where you squeeze into a skin-tight Lycra suit and stand there for about 15mins whilst 3 French speaking animation technicians buzz around you attaching 50 Velcro patches to very specific points on the body to hold the malteser sized white balls that are picked up by the mo-cap cameras. It's an odd experience, like a knight being dressed in armour by his pages, but quite a useful one when you're getting into character for a pirate captain. Next step is the head cam, I have an unusually wide head so this was not my favourite part of the process, the technology for head cams is still in its infancy really so there are not that many available and unfortunately none to fit my outsized cranium. The upshot of this is that I'd spend most of the day with my temples crushed, not ideal but handy character help when playing a permanently angry psychopath like Charles Vane. The head cams would be calibrated and matched up with a matrix of black dots applied to the face (it's a good look). The last part of the pre shoot process is the range of movement test or ROM, another strange and ever so slightly humiliating part where you perform a set routine of movements for the animation software to register.

Now to record, the studio itself is small compared to a sound stage at a movie studio, about the size of a basketball court with 50 motion capture cameras around the walls, it has a badminton court sized rectangle marked on the floor within which we record. It's at this point that mo-cap filming gets interesting for an actor, if you were shooting a scene for a film you would set up multiple shots (wide shot, 2shot,various close ups etc.) and in all probability do multiple takes of those shots. In all of those the actor has to match his performance for continuity, to make sure that he picks up the glass on the same word of the line each take for example. This technical side can often feel like a compromise on film, something that inevitably gets between you and really inhabiting the character you're playing, the way mo-cap works is different. Because all 50 cameras are recording, the Director can take whatever shot they like from the one take without having to edit from different takes, this gives an extra freedom to the actor. The way you can let go, throw yourself into a scene fully without having to think about focus marks, lighting etc. is quite exhilarating and particularly great for me playing Vane with his screaming and howling at the moon. There's something reminiscent of theatre performance about it all.

My first proper taste of working on Video games has been a fascinating experience, there's much more to motion capture than I'd imagined and I hope it's an area I get to do more work in. I hope you all enjoy the world of the Golden age of piracy we've created, there are fantastic performances from Matt Ryan as Edward Kenway, Mark Bonnar as Blackbeard and many more, the writing is superb and the look of the game is just stunning.

Ralph