FEATURE: CHRISTMAS IDEA's FOR WARGAMERS - Totally Pawsome

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

Yes I know, we're hitting you straight after Halloween with the Christmas Spirit but lets be honest, if we don't do it now, you might miss the delivery window and have nothing for your friend/family member for the Holiday Period.  What we've done is make a list of things that have grabbed our attention that are not too pricey and allows you to go outside the box a little, we are not saying you have to buy the various things from the examples we use but they're there to demonstrate that they are available.  So without further ado, here's what we liked when we've been trolling around:   

First off these only came out recently and if you know a Warhammer fan, especially one who plays 40K, Adeptus Mechanicus, the Orks or The Thousand Suns, then these plushies may be for you.

Wrist Rests
This one may seem a little bit of a mystery to some of you, but if you have a Wargamer who loves to paint in your home, then trust me, these are a life saver.  Why?  Well when you're painting miniatures, you really want to get your elbows steady so that each stroke of paint goes on easily, but sadly when getting in the position, your elbows can get a bit sore after a little painting.  How do you fix that?  With Wrist rests, yep, you read that right, Wrist Rests for Elbows.  They are comfy, they have a surface on the reverse so that they won't move and trust me the painter in your life will more than appreciate the thought. 

Piercing Ball Grabber

OK, this one might seem a little bit strange to a lot of you but what do I use it for?  Holding little bits of sponge so I can use it for battle damage.  Its quite a cheap item and when I bought mine I got two for well under a fiver.  

Used for a lot of things from electronics to jewellery through to helping with other things like holding really small pieces, this tool can also be utilised to help you hold a really small piece of a mini that is causing a problem for you to hold whilst trying to affix it to the figure.  Its easy to use, its useful in so many ways and when you finally get one, it'll be something you won't regret as you too find additional uses for it in your hobby journey.   

Mystery Dice

This one was a bit of fun for us, we were sent some Mystery Dice, a bag of wonder filled with 7 Polyhedral Dice & Accessories Bag.  Its just under a tenner and to be fair, if they use dice for a lot of TTRPG's then these little babies are going to be a hit.  Would also be a good stocking stuffer.

Wisdom of Waaagh

Another cracking stocking stuffer if the Wargamer or TTRPG player in your life is a big fan of the Greenskins, fairly priced (as of the time of writing this, its under a tenner.)  With pics from various Armies, and fun quotes that is very Orky then it will not only make them laugh but get a key spot upon their shelves. 

This is definitely a book that is outside the box and is more than likely something that they won't already own.  In fact I only found out about it when it was mentioned by another Orky friends online.  So pleased that it was recommended to me so I can share it with you.  Mucho Crumpin' Goodness.

Optional Scenery for the DM:

Now this one is a yet again a little bit outside of where most people tend to think when gifting, this selection of pieces (from one company but I'm using them as an example) is helping to sort of the incidentals that you may not have considered for your gameboard but add a whole lot of context to help make the scene more immersive.

Barrels are an item that can be easily used in any number of scenario's, whether its for the Inn or Public House, items to hide behind the dungeon because the creatures within are using them to transport water, alcohol etc, or as a piece on the docks as import/export goods or as water barrels for the ships.  There's so many uses for them.

The second one we're utilising is sacks, yes, plain burlap sacks, these are yet again another key item for any adventure, whether its to store dry goods in a castle or dungeon as extra unit pieces to help fill in the gaps for the miniatures you don't have to increase your numbers or miniatures or just as scenery for a market stall, farm barn scenery or any number of other purposes, you will find them as another key piece that you never knew you missed until you see them on the tabletop.

Now, I've recommended this one before in another post, but when you're designing a farm for your tabletop for players to walk around, what is the one key thing that can get pretty expensive if you're shopping in places like Etsy or that they don't quite fit in size wise as you've picked up some plastic versions from the toy shop.  Yep animals, the ones that I've recommended here are the ones by Victrix because they have done not only research but made sure that each one is correct for the Dark Ages, so a species that may have died out now, is going to look great in your fantasy setting.  Plus for your money you get 104 animals.

Finally as an additional recommendation, Wattle Fences, yep you read that right, a great way to help add boundries to your landscapes, defensive positions on the battlefields or even as a way to pen in the animals that you've picked up so that they look great in the setting you're using them for.  If any of these are grabbing your attention you can get them from your Local Game Store or order them directly from Victrix itself however order sooner rather than later as it will ensure plenty of time for delivery before the big day.  

Pre-Designed Bases

Another area that people may not necessarily think about, but at times with your DM being so busy arranging the story for you or trying to get his armies prepped and ready for the War Table, pre-designed bases that can easily be sprayed and painted up to help place the characters in the story,  The key example we're using here is from a French Company called Wargrounds who have a selection of different sizes (Infantry, cavalry, centrepiece etc.)  with various themes, but you can pick up printed bases from other designers through Etsy, Ebay etc (we're going to be running a news article/feature about basing your miniatures in the next few weeks.):

No Mans Land 90MM Base

No Man's Land:

"The ground belongs to no one now.

It has been broken, turned over, plowed by a war that began so long ago its causes no longer matter. Shells dug it out, rain filled it back in, and what was left of the fields, the roads and the villages mixed into the mud until none of it could be told apart. Only the clay remains.

Whatever still breaks the surface is what men left behind: splintered planks, burst sandbags, barbed wire strung between two bent pickets, spent casings by the thousand, and track marks that stop in the middle of nowhere.

Between the two lines the distance is measured in tens of meters, and nothing guarantees you survive the next assault — still less that you hold the ground bought with blood."

Fallen Empires 32MM Bases

Fallen Empire:

"This empire believed itself eternal.

For a long time, nothing proved it wrong. Its capital rose in marble columns and polished flagstones, carved with inscriptions everyone was meant to be able to read for the next thousand years. That golden age ended long ago. All that remains are vast ruins to fight over.

The palace, though, held. Candles still burn in the niches along its corridors. No one knows who replaces them. Its stones were meant to watch over a thousand years of peace; they will know nothing but an eternity of war."

Dry Lands 28MM Bases

Dry Lands:

"Nothing is left but dust.

No one knows how long it has been since the last rain. The water pulled back so far beneath the surface that the ground closed over itself. The earth split into plates, rock pushed up wherever nothing held it down, and the wind carried off the rest.

Almost nothing grows here. The few cacti keep their water to themselves and defend it with spines as long as a finger. The animals that cross do so at night, and stop nowhere.

Of those who believed they could make the crossing, only bones are found, scattered a few hundred meters apart, strung along what must once have been a trail. No one stopped to bury them, and the ground would not have given way in any case. Armies still meet here, because the crossing has to be made. They fight over a waterhole, a pass between two ridges, a patch of shade. There is nothing else to take."

Old City 60 X 35 MM Bases

Old City:

"The city still has a name, but no one left to remember it.

It was never taken, never burned, never razed. It simply emptied. One after another its people left for somewhere else, and at a moment nobody noticed, the last of them pulled the door shut behind him. No battle seems to have been fought here. That is exactly what makes it strange.

The wind took care of the rest. It banked dead leaves against the walls until they formed drifts, lifted the roof tiles away one by one, worked loose the cobbles that no footstep wore down any more. Bricks drop from the facades with nothing to push them. In these streets, only the dust still moves.

Armies keep passing through, because a city, even an empty one, is still a city: walls, roofs, narrow streets a handful of men can hold. They fight over a crossroads, over a house still standing, over the one street wide enough to move anything heavier than infantry. The city itself never notices."

Subscription to an STL Company.

OK so your DM has a 3d printer (or you do) and you know that there are certain miniatures that they're after but don't currently own.  Well worry no more, there are a ton of people out there that make delightful miniatures that you could pick up a subscription for that might help fill the void.  

People I have dealt with personally so I know that what they do it top notch but you can even order some bits on Etsy if you can't print it yourself:

Heroes Infinite

Loot Studios

Artisan Guild

Crippled God Foundry

We Print Miniatures

My Miniature Factory 

 

STLUpgrades:

Is your Wargamer or DM looking to make their army more personal?  If thats the case, you can go to places like My Mini Factory (or Ebay/Etsy if they don't own a 3d printer) and order some upgrades so that they can upgrade their troops to something different.   I'm using a key example that I've done for myself here.  Having fallen in love with the Legion of the Damned (Warhammer 40K Space Marine Legion) (way back in the long distant past) I was reminded of them with the more recent announcement of GW bringing them back in a Kill Team.  However rather than plain standard warriors just painted a bit differently, I wanted mine to have a more supernatural angle.  As such I ordered some upgrade bits (in my case "The Cursed Legion" by Greytide Studio) which allows you to add your own modifications to the standard set.  The only downside is if you're planning on using these at an official Warhammer event this does mean that they aren't game legal, however if you're doing it for painting or gaming amongst friends its fine.

New Wargame
Another area that might grab you is looking for a brand new quirky wargame, so for that, we found the Quar: Clash of Rhyfles by Wargames Atlantic and whilst its a bit more than a lot of the other things we've recommended, (coming in at just short of £90 if you order direct from them) having something so unique is going to be fun if they're a huge fan of Tabletop Wargaming.  Here's tbe info:

It seems the Quar have always been at war. When the first wandering clans of insect gatherers built their low, mud-walled buildings, it was as much to keep out other Quar as the wild animals. As they first learned to make tools to get food, then quickly learned to make tools to defend themselves. The mud walls quickly became fortified citadels and then city-states. In five thousand years of civilization, the only constants of their culture have been the changing of the seasons and the threat of war.

Quar are just like you and me: perfectly normal creatures, bereft of magic or supernatural powers or other-worldly technologies. They do eat bugs, though, and lots of them. Most Quar, when they're not fighting each other over slights real or imagined, are farmers or traders or merchants. Mostly they live simple, happy lives full of hard work, ale and the occasional overeating of mothcakes.

But there are other Quar, ambitious, striving Quar, for whom a mere warm bed and full belly are not enough. These are the ones that scheme, that connive, and their machinations bring whole nations and kingdoms into conflict. Constant conflict, brutal conflict, for the history of Alwyd is written in blood.

Now the war has come to Creevin. From the west the Arnyaran clans have returned in force, their Iron Houses grinding across the land as their unexpected invasion gobbles up the Creevish countryside. Against them stand the Trench Watch, defenders of the hard country they call home. The armies of five nations have invaded their homeland and they aim to send them all back home.

The Long War is entering a new phase. Gather your weapons, choose your side, and prepare to begin your chapter in the history of this grand conflict.

Models require assembly and painting. Product contents may vary from photos.

Included in this starter set;

• Full 140+ Page Rule Book
• A deck of Activation Cards
• Unit Cards for both factions in the box
• 12 Western Arnyaran Rhyflers
• 12 Creevish Rhyflers
• Markets & Barricades Scenery
• Quick Reference Sheet
• Tokens
• Dice

New TTRPG

OK, to subvert a popular Hobbit's thought "We’ve had one, yes. What about second Roleplay?"  If you keep an eye out you can find sales on the build up to the holidays, for example Cubicle 7 Games has a sale currently that ends on the 6th November 2026.  And with the UK taking up a lot of the US themes and us having a Black Friday (this year its 27th November 2026 with Cyber Monday on 30th November 2026 so bargains can be had.)

Hope this helps you,

ThunderMouser