It’s the 21st century, why are we still playing in dungeons?
The age old question: why are there so many fully stocked treasure chests in the labyrinthine corridors? What is it about a romanticized semi-medieval setting that fires up the imagination? There have been plenty of medieval revivals over the years. The Wikipedia page on Medievalism is quite interesting. It ranges from what is now classic literature, to Danny Kaye in The Court Jester, to contemporary Renaissance Fairs and Larping. I think it’s because the fear of darkness, the unknown of rounding corners, mysticism of magic, and a general love of swords. Lots of kids go through a fear of the dark, it’s primal. We can’t see in the dark. There’s monsters there! We can’t see around corners either. There could be treasure! Also, there’s monsters there! Magic, fairies, wizards, and enchanted objects. That stuff goes back a loooooong ways. Just check out the Clan MacLeod fairy flag. Swords. So much of…
Follow-up on mini painting priorities
Back in November I revamped my hobby priorities. No more hoarding unassembled models… So now, six months later, I have a bunch of assembled, unpainted models. Which, I actually feel better about that a bunch of stuff still in the box. I can touch and see them, even throw them into a game if I want (sure, that doesn’t happen much, unpainted minis! Eww!). Since I just finished painting everything (except for a few expansion stragglers) for Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower, I don’t have any really pressing hobby demands. So here’s my updated, current priority list: Games workshop display pieces I have a number of nice GW minis that aren’t necessarily ones I’d use in a game. They are however, very cool, in my opinion. These are the minis I’d be sad if I never painted, even if they’re not particularly “useful”. Gotrek, Felix, Grombrindal, and Jakkob Bugmansson XI. Double…
What I’d like to see in the next Warhammer Quest
I think it’s universally agreed that the most magical part of Warhammer Quest 1995 is the Roleplay Book. That’s what I’d really like to see in the next iteration of Warhammer Quest. Since the ’95 version, the game has shrunk. Monster, treasure, actions, and adventure types have been reduced. And that’s OK for the most part. But eventually the beauty of running a GM-less game that nearly rivals a full roleplaying experience has slipped away. I’d really like to see a Roleplay-like book make a comeback. The Soulbound Ulfenkarn source book is somewhat along those lines. It provides a lot of flavor and adventure prompts. I’ve flipped through my copy, it’s very cool. Game Master (GM) needed though. One of the best parts about Warhammer Quest 1995 is that everyone can be a hero, no GM required. And, I’d say that we’re due a new installment: We’re currently in the…
Here’s another wonderful blog, set adrift on the sea. Finding Warhammer Questers like a message in a bottle.
I hope all is well with Rusty, but a lot has happened since May 2020. https://rusty-warriors.blogspot.com
There’s a new Old World Roleplaying game coming out, but it’s not Warhammer Quest
I’m up on most Games Workshop roleplay news, but I missed this one. GW announced on Warhammer Community the “imminent release” of Warhammer The Old World Roleplaying Game. Here’s a big write up from warhammer.com: https://www.wargamer.com/warhammer-the-old-world-rpg/exclusive Now what does this mean for a potentially new Warhammer Quest game? Who knows!?! Warhammer Quest and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying Game existed in parallel for one glorious year; 1995 (and I suppose lots of other years with Sliver Tower, Shadows Over Hammerhal, Blackstone Fortress, and Cursed City). But I’d say that sadly, this probably decreases the odds of a new Old World TTRPG. Cursed City is still an active, and if a 30th anniversary ’95 came out, it would complete directly with Cursed City, Soulbound, and the newly announced Cubicle 7 game.
Underappreciated YouTube channels
There’s no shortage of gaming content on YouTube. Here are some of my favorites: https://www.youtube.com/@52Miniatures https://www.youtube.com/@RandomMakingEncounters https://www.youtube.com/@magicdicemanufacturing https://www.youtube.com/@MattsHobbyHour https://www.youtube.com/@hammerthebacklog https://www.youtube.com/@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring https://www.youtube.com/@TheBattlinBarrowGaming https://youtube.com/@thedungeondive
Will there be a (new) Old Word TTRPG?
What I really mean is, will there be a new Old World Warhammer Quest? I hope so. But I suppose it depends on how well the Old Word does in general. Table Top Roleplaying Games (TTRPG) are really the sweet spot for me. A pure roleplaying game is too much. A GM is needed, few if any miniatures are used, and the playing surface is normally in the player’s minds rather than the table. I really like the minis. I like seeing the valiant hero engaged on a board or 3D terrain. My self-diagnosis is that growing up with HeroQuest locked my brain into the positiveness of board squares. I really like squares/hexs. There’s no tape measure necessary. Line of sight angles are obvious (normally). I’m sure full-on roleplaying games appeal to a lot of people, it’s just not what I prefer. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay was first published way back…
Warhammer Quest at 30
It’s finally happened. 2025 is the 30th anniversary of the original Warhammer Quest. WHQ ’95 has had a pretty remarkable run. Other games from that era are still going strong as well. Necromunda and Mordheim come to mind. WHQ had a gangbuster year in 1995, but that was it. Two big box expansions, nine boxed hero expansions, three treasure card packs, roughly forty White Dwarf and Citadel Journal articles, and three Deathblow magazines (that largely reprised White Dwarf and Citadel Journal articles). But that was it. 1996 saw no additional content and game support burned out. All-in-all, pretty well supported, but ending all too soon. Talk about coming in with a bang! And also ending with that same exact bang. As I’ve said before, I wish I bought a copy back then. But I was exiting the hobby and it was substantially more expensive than any of its already pricey…
Halloween Hobbytime!
This is what I’ve been busy working on this week. I’ve been getting ready to play Castle of Darkness! Sure, sure. Radukar the Beast is for Cursed City Nightwars. But he’s a big vampire, so he counts. I’ve been working on him on the side so he’ll be a surprise when the big reveal happens. I’ve been trying to avoid too, too many spoilers myself, but I know he exists, so I can’t unlearn that fact. Plus, now he’s painted and completes the entire lineup for Nightwars. I’ll post all the minis here sometime. The Dire Wolf proxies, also below, go with Nemesis, but I was on a roll and knocked out 10 more minis from the backlog. Pictures are links to store or 3D source for the models. Note: the big wolf (lower, center) is this one.
Halloween is right around the corner
With the leaves falling and a chill in the air, there’s no better time to turn to THE CASTLE OF DARKNESS!!!!!!! If you’re not familiar with Littlemonk and his Warhammer Quest 1995 expansions, join his runboard and take a look. They’re pretty impressive. I do wish that he’d credit artists though. This is a fun group of adventures featuring Universal Studios themed monsters. Yes, normal WHQ has mummies and vampires, but Littlemonk has provided rules for three tiers of wolfmen and Frankenstein’s monster. I’m really hoping to get this on the table before October is through. Here’s a list of suitable miniatures (all free)