Generally, my brain doesn’t stop doing things, solving problems, inventing problems, playing games, whatever, there is just always something happening in here.
Clearly, I spend 40-50 hours a week working, which pays for all the other hours of the week when I am hobbying or reluctantly sleeping.
So, while I am a War Gamer, and that is my Hobby, I have a set of other hobbies that are complimentary or adjacent, mostly to keep my brain busy when I am not War Gaming, but also because as an IT Manager, it is nice to be able to make things that are real, rather than software, policy or decisions.
So, beyond the battlefield and my passion for tabletop games, I have added bookbinding, leatherworking, laser cutting, terrain building, 3D resin printing and miniature painting to allow me to create and customize as much of my gaming experience as I can and also to keep my brain busy. Each project, whether it’s crafting a personalized journal or designing terrain, is a labour of love that enhances my connection to the main hobby, but I also enjoy these other hobbies as well.
Wargaming
Napoleonic Era
Land: Engaging in 28mm Sharp Practice and 15mm other rules, I recreate the grand battles of the Napoleonic era.
Sea: Commanding fleets in the game Black Seas, I navigate the treacherous waters of historical naval warfare.
Modern Era
Land: Utilizing micro-scale models, I simulate modern land battles with intricate detail and strategy.
Warhammer: The Old World
Dwarfen Mountain Holds: With 2700 points of painted 28mm figures, my Dwarfen army stands ready to defend their mountain strongholds.
Tomb Kings of Khemri: My 4500 points of painted 28mm Tomb Kings bring the ancient undead to life on the battlefield.
Warhammer 40K
Tau Kill Team: A small but formidable force, my Tau Kill Team is ready for skirmishes and larger battles, and when the Historical 3D printing wanes I have a bunch of Tau to print to beef up this force.
BattleTech
Mercenary Company: From the pre-clan days, my mercenary company is a force to be reckoned with.
Clan Mechs: Currently in the process of being painted, these mechs will soon join the fray.
Tabletop Games
With countless games in boxes, my collection of tabletop games offers the opportunity of endless hours of entertainment and challenges.
Bookbinding
Journals: Crafting personalized journals is a passion of mine for rule sets, campaigns or art folios for my daughter and grand daughters.
Printed books to bind: I print and bind copies of PDF rules or other materials, creating durable and beautiful rulebooks, and lasting resources for the other hobbies.
Tools and Manuals: My collection of bookbinding tools and manuals is enough to allow me to explore various techniques and styles.
Leatherworking
Journal Folios: Designing and crafting journal folios is a rewarding creative outlet.
Tools and Manuals: My leatherworking toolkit is well-stocked, enabling me to tackle a wide range of projects.
Laser Cutting and Engraving
MDF Bases, Dials, Markers, Tokens: Using an X Tool S1, I create custom bases, dials, markers, and tokens for my games, leather patterns and anything else I can think of, like game box inserts (which I just remembered).
Leather Cutting: Precision cutting of leather for various projects is made easy with my laser cutter. While I love the handcrafting getting the laser cutter to put the stitching holes exactly where I want them or cutting a curve on an edge exactly as I pictured it is very rewarding.
3D Resin Printing
Warhammer Figures: I have hundreds of 28mm Warhammer figures and tens of Warhammer 40K figures.
Historical Figures: My collection includes hundreds of 28mm historical figures for Napoleonic and Napoleonesque battles.
Future Projects: I plan to print ships for Black Seas, modern tanks and troops, and various other historical and fantasy figures.
Equipment: I use an Elegoo Mars 4 Max and an Elegoo Wash unit, and I tend to buy resin in bulk.
Foam Wire Cutter
Terrain Building: Creating realistic terrain for my games is a crucial part of my hobby.
How I Hobby
My goal is to play tabletop historical battles as part of a long-form war campaign. When I’m not actively gaming, I’m preparing for the next battle by:
- Printing Figures: Using my 3D resin printer to create detailed miniatures.
- Painting Figures: Bringing my miniatures to life with paint.
- Preparing Imagi-Nations: Crafting fictional nations and scenarios for my games.
- Prepping Rules: Printing and binding PDF rules using a process called imposition.
- Designing and Cutting Leather: Creating custom bindings for books, rules, or journals.
- Making Terrain: Building realistic terrain and table covers with textured tops.
- Gaming: Fantasy, Historical, Sci-Fi, Boardgame, PC.
I rotate between these activities based on my mood, available products, pieces and parts, motivation, and upcoming game needs. Whether I’m printing, painting, cutting, gluing, sewing, folding, binding, or gaming, each step enhances my tabletop experience and keeps my brain busy.
I have recently added this blog to the rota, it helps me to get my thoughts together, forces me to consider how I would explain what I am doing, gives me a reference to what I was thinking at the time and gives me another outlet to keep my brain busy and fend of sleep.
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