Monty Python's Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Programme: The Sword in the Spam

Picking up from last session[1], our intrepid participants found themselves having acquired large amounts of currency and a singular quest: retrieve Excalibur from the Vikings. First of all, they healed themselves back up, earning the displeasure of the citizens of Hounslow due to all the touching involved.[2] The participants were swiftly expelled, and they did start on their journey northwards. 

Their first stop, at a small hamlet, led into every shop available to spend their currencies and acquire accoutrements instead. At the tavern, Bark helped three bare chested Germanic gentlemen in lederhosen decide whose bratwurst is tastiest.[3] Afterwards, the participants could trade currencies, needing Whizzo Butter to buy a lucky rabbit's foot. Another village woman selling a sturdy looking ladder needed her husband located. Once again, Bark smelled out his trail - to the tavern and back - and located the fellow, well and truly dead, in the basement atop some plague dead bodies. This new form of currency was liberated and tied atop their draft horse, and also they took the guy back upstairs pretending he was dead drunk instead of just dead, long enough to buy their ladder and split.

Monty Python's Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Programme: The Tiger of Hounslow

In our most ridiculous iteration of this not a game yet, we assembled a team of: Saint Stephen, king of Hungary; Phat Dandelion, the bard; and Bark Howlbert, a catholic cleric, who is secretly a werewolf. Completely new characters because, ah, I forgot the sheets at home.

Monty Python's Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Programme: Spank the Pope

In our most recent educational programme, Fergus McCucis is joined by Connor McFly and Harry Potter the enchanter, on a divine quest.

Painting a 3d printed Culexus assassin

I hunted for an old Culexus model for a while, but I was unable to find one, so I had it 3d printed.

Painting Lady Navigator Cassia of House Orsellio

Ever since I played and reviewed Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, an absolute gem of an RPG, I wanted to paint up my crew. Sadly, the project was postponed, as I saw no practical application at the time. Inquisitorial retinues just aren't what they used to be. However, I recently happened on this STL, and at least I had Lady Cassia printed. 

Painting 3d printed medical servitors

I had these minis printed just because they were cool. Painting them was basically an exercise in how to paint a miniature as an industrial base.

Game 3: Free Folk vs Martell

Oh the Martells and the wall of text on each of their units. We were quite fatigued after the previous games, so not as many pictures. At least the scenario was simple: good old Game of Thrones.

Game 2: Free Folk vs Greyjoy

Oh my man EndRush and his killy healy Greyjoys. At least we had his least favorite mission, The Winds of Winter. But where's that refuse flank?!

Game 1: Free Folk vs Lannisters

Oh, the Lannisters. Oh, double Casterly Rock Honour Guard. Oh the game. At least I didn't have to play the double lance cavalry Stark list. Let's see how the squishy objective holders take the arrows in Honed and Ready.

Round one went by with just positioning. At least the infantry isn't that super mobile and I can dance around a bit.

13th Battle of Cluswar: A Song Of Ice & Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game tournament

Last event of the year! A small local tournament with some returning players. No Phantom Scourge this time, just 3 regular games of fun (mostly type 1, sometimes type 2). I initially prepared some infantry lists to showcase all the minis I painted lately, but then I realized I'm going to get steamrolled and just brought giants instead. Two lists, one with Varamyr for objectives and one without in case we get the killpoints scenario. Spoiler: we had 3 scenarios with 5 objectives, so Varamyr saw lots of use. The giants weren't 100% finished but mostly painted so the showcasing was still a success.

• Game 1: Free Folk vs Lannisters
  
• Game 2: Free Folk vs Greyjoy
  
• Game 3: Free Folk vs Martell
  

With just one loss against my man EndRush, I ended up second. Great success!

Converting and painting Free Folk Trappers

The last block of Free Folk infantry that I recently purchased.

Cold (blue) white cloth/leather

 

Astra Militarum vs Thousand Sons, 10.12.2025

Back to the blessed L-shaped ruins of a city with an old~ish Leviathan matched play game. I played my trusty Scions (because I still don't have appropriate command squad models, and tanks don't do well on loaded tables) against the new Thousand Sons detachment.

The mission was whatever but we had two special rules giving us 3 secondary cards per turn and rolling 3+ on reserves.

Converting and painting Followers of Bone

I got a box of these for relatively cheap. Still riding the high of the successful Thenn conversions, I decided on giving these guys the same treatment. Unlike the spearwives, make the miniatures unique through weapon swaps and other conversions.

Raising and decorating an ASOIAF movement tray for Free Folk

Unsure if I'll do any more but here goes the process (with pictures stolen from the various ones I did).

Ark 2042: A Call of Cthulhu one-shot

With our Keeper unable to prepare, we decided on a one-shot, but kept the game system to preserve the horror feeling. Enter our group, awakening butt naked, dressed only in dog tags, getting out of pods in a sterile room. We quickly pulled out the tubes connecting us to the pods, and groggily set to explore the room. We had no memories of anything, not even of who we were.

Chaos Space Marines/Tyranids vs Dark Angels/Necrons, 19.11.2025

6th edition throwback! 6 player placed objectives, Slay the Warlord(s), First Strike, Linebreaker, random 10th edition terrain layout and deployment, random teams, let's go!

Note that I did have some misgivings about the open terrain and being faced with 3 Doomsday Arks, but hey, let's give it a try.

Converting and painting Thenn Warriors

My first foray into real conversion work on ASOIAF miniatures. I got a box of Umber Greataxes super cheap, with the intention of converting them. I also decided to create a scenic tray, with a raised middle.

Painting Papal Palatine Guard

Time to formalize the painting of Palatine Guard as Krieger counts-as. 

November review and December goals

December is upon us!

November was kinda sad as far as diverse gaming goes, with both RPG groups canceling left and right. However, that just left more time for Warhammer! I am now really into doing narrative scenarios in 10th edition. The terrain sometimes messes us up, or the random teams or scenarios make it wonky, but it sure beats regular matched play.

Hobby wise, this time I actually kept to the goals set out a month ago. I painted a load of Free Folk and Palatine Guard/Kriegers, and I'm rounding off the year's last commissions. I should break close to even on the yearly painting goals. With the influx of nuns and other Guard models, that is still a great result, with currently 671 minis painted, with modifiers. This already beats what I did in 2024. 

During December, it's more of the same. Finish the Free Folk - not all of them, not this year, but this is more of a finite project, so let's hack away at it. More Palatine Guard remain to be painted, again a finite project as I've used up almost all my Napoleonic minis in this endeavor.

I suppose this is a good place to reflect on the year as a whole as well as the next. Rumors of a 2026 Guard codex are already floating, and I just really, really hope they don't get much of a model update. That should leave me with breathing room to round out my Guard and Chaos Marines. Beyond, I might shake up my Daemon army as they are currently not very coherent, and of course there are plenty of fantasy minis to be painted. I am expecting the latest (and for a while, the last) Kickstarter mini package to come in during 2026, and so I'll continue with counting acquired (but not gifted or won) minis in my excel table. Onwards, toward net zero!

Chaos Space Marines/Necrons vs Dark Angels/Tyranids, 12.11.2025

Dark Angels and Tyranids team up to annihilate the Word Bearers and Necrons. Their units may come back, ours don't. Welcome to the meat grinder!