Hi all, for the last podcast of the year I was joined by my old friends and former Press Gang comrades-in-arms, Craig Caton and Paul Shoemaker to tell me all about CaptainCon ! Going into it's 12th year, CaptainCon has become a staple of the North East US's convention circuit. Taking place each February in Warwick, RI, CaptainCon is an event full of miniatures games, painting competitions, boardgames, and more (like "rum appreciation classes). Tickets and a few hotel rooms in their room block ar...
Dec 26, 2025•46 min
Longtime friend, BWU member, and regular podcast guest, Dave Taylor returns this episode for an informal chat about the state of miniatures painting as craft and art. Dave is of course well known for his work as a hobbyist and publisher of some of the most beautiful miniatures art books on the market ( get 'em now ). I was delighted to just pick his brain and chat about the trends, tools, and what he's working on both as a painter and publisher, and his overall relationship with the hobby....
Nov 28, 2025•57 min
Up and coming company Goblin Hobbies made quite the stir at Adepticon this past spring with the release of their highly antcipated stamping kits and I was delighted to talk to the guys behind it all! Goblin Hobbies may be a new venture but Brent and Casey have been mainstays of miniatures hobby media for years via their channels, Goobertown Hobbies , eBay Miniature Rescues , and as the hosts of Paint Bravely: The Podcast . We talked about their backgrounds in the hobby but got into the nitty gri...
Oct 20, 2025•43 min
My guest this month was Cailon, co-founder of The Nailon Realm , creators of Dungeon Dinkies 3d printed miniatures and statues. Cailon and I chatted about the challenges of digital sculpting to meet their mission statement of "simple, fun, for everyone". We had a great talk about sculpting, running a company, and creating minis with the express purpose of helping people begin their miniatures painting journey. He was also kind enough to offer a 15% off coupon for BWU members (available for membe...
Sep 19, 2025•43 min
This month I was joined by Alex Huntley, founder of Warp Miniatures and the creator of ArcWorlde ! ArcWorlde is a fantasy skirmish game where warbands, heroes and monsters are pitted against each other in the field of combat. There are beasts to slay, treasures to discover, objectives to capture and rival Commanders to defeat. By using these rules, your imagination, and the wide range of ArcWorlde miniatures available, you and your friends can play out epic tales within the eponymous fantasy rea...
Aug 15, 2025•55 min
July's podcast guest is Wingshan Huntley, making her first foray into game development with the upcoming Siren's Oath: The Tides Turning from her imprint, Twisted Spire. Wingshan describes her game as "a one-shot tabletop game ritual for 3–5 players, where you and your coven of mermaid witches shape a city’s destiny through evocative storytelling, gut-punch choices, and stunning sculpts by Warp Miniatures." Wingshan and I had a really fascinating conversation about her relationship with gaming (...
Jul 29, 2025•46 min
My guest this month is Dan Zehrer, founder of the paint company described as a sleeper hit of Adepticon 2025, Bear Cavalry Paints ! This ecologically conscious paint company operates out of Oregon State here in the great Pacific Northwest and have been making some fantastic paints for about a year now. I picked up their original set this past winter and was really impressed with the quality so I was excited to talk with Dan about everything that goes into their products. Dan shared some titbits ...
Jun 26, 2025•53 min
My guest this month is Kevin "Burky" Burkhardsmeier, founder and owner of Gametoppers ! I backed their Kickstarter back in 2020 for their 6x4' table topper, the "Mycroft" and it's since become my most-used gaming peripheral. I really love this product so I was excited to get the chance to speak with its creator on the podcast. Burky was kind enough to talk about the background of their company, what goes into making their game toppers, neoprene mats, and other accessories. He also gave us a few ...
May 26, 2025•46 min
Returning to the podcast this month are miniatures war gaming royalty, Andy Chambers and Gav Thorpe, here to talk about the imminent release of their game Zeo Genesis ! Zeo Genesis s a scalable skirmish miniatures battle game of big armor suits locked in kinetic action. You may remember their l ast appearance on this podcast in 2023 but the game has come a long way since then and will be crowdfunding on Game Found in just a few days, on April 29th . Andy and Gav were kind enough to chat with me ...
Apr 24, 2025•52 min
This month I was pleased to welcome my new friend and fellow Union Member, Kelsey Canaga as our podcast guest! Kelsey and I met earlier this year at OrcaCon where she was representing her company, Found Family Adventurecrafts . I was really taken with the unique and joyful sculpts she produces and her enthusiasm for the quirkier corners of tabletop adventure gaming. Kelsey shared her background in gaming and how her career as a collectibles developer at Funko informs her work. She was also kind ...
Mar 17, 2025•49 min
This month's podcast is something a little different. About a year ago I was casually chatting with my friend (and regular podcast guest), Shoshie Bauer. We were discussing some of the challenges and frustrations she was facing as woman and professional in the miniatures field. This podcast is the ultimate fruit of that conversation. This month, I'm turning the podcast over to Shoshie as guest host along with three returning guests; Elizabeth Beckley, Jamie Daggers, and Em "ElectricEve" Durrant....
Feb 10, 2025•1 hr 20 min
For our first podcast of 2025 I was joined by BWU podcast alumni, Graham Davey, creator of Test of Honour and 0200 Hours, to talk about his newest game, Guards of Traitor's Toll . I'm really excited about this upcoming game in which players control squads of city guards in a fantasy city who must investigate crimes, break up disputes between duelling wizards, and capture assassinations when they're not patrolling the streets. Graham shared some of his inspirations for the game, discussed top lev...
Jan 30, 2025•48 min
For the final BWU podcast of 2024 I was joined by my old friend and founding BWU member, Nick Lawson! Nick and I chatted about the old days of the Privateer Press Gang, what goes into founding a gaming community and with everyone's hobby pledges looming in the New Year, we talked about how to create workable hobby goals and keep yourself motivated to meet them. Nick is writing a book related to this subject, so be sure to f ollow him on social media and sign up for his mailing list for news on w...
Dec 30, 2024•49 min
My guests this month are from a website that needs little introduction , Eric Benson and Jerry "Tycho" Holkins ! Penny Arcade has been a force in gaming for decades, and while it had its start in the realm of video games, it's become a powerhouse in tabletop gaming. Eric and Jerry joined me ostensibly to hype up their upcoming convention PAX Unplugged , but instead we mostly just talked about the wargames they love (we did get to chat a bit about the con towards the end, including an exclusive r...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 7 min
In this month's podcast I spoke with fellow gamer, Washington State Secretary of State, Steve Hobbs! Steve and I spoke about his love of gaming, his time serving in the army in both Kosovo and Iraq, his work as a politician here in Washington State, and how gaming has intersected with all of those parts of his life and career. Steve shared some fascinating stuff about Washington's table top gaming industry and how he's worked with that industry on trade missions to Japan and state legislation th...
Oct 17, 2024•53 min
My guest this month was Doug Wheeler, owner of my favorite friendly local gaming shop, Terracrux Games , right here in Tacoma, WA! Doug was kind enough to give me part of his Friday night to talk about the trials and travails of running a successful game shop and how he's managed to succeed in a challenging field. We talked about business planning, community building and more. Be sure to check out Terracrux Games online, even if you're not in the Tacoma area, and join their community on Discord ...
Sep 26, 2024•47 min
Regular friend of the BWU podcast, Andy Hobday, returns to talk all about the current Kickstarter for The Baron's War Fantasy Skirmish miniatures range ! Currently on Kickstarter and knocking down stretch goals, this campaign will help launch this line of miniatures and a classic fantasy setting for the Baron's War but will also help establish Andy and Paul Hick's new company, Hobday and Hicks. Andy shared their inspiration for the line and dropped some juicy teasers about their future army plan...
Aug 27, 2024•42 min
This month's podcast guests are the founders of Rascal News , Lin Codega , Rowan Zeoli , and Chase Carter . Rascal is a new reader supported a tabletop roleplaying game and culture outlet striving to sustainably publish voicey journalism that is compelling, deeply-reported, and fearlessly honest. Lin, Rowan, and Chase were kind enough to spend their time talking with me about the state of tabletop games media, why they feel journalism is important even in the arena of hobbies and gaming, the cha...
Jul 15, 2024•54 min
My guest on this month's podcast, Bjarni Dali joined me all the way from the Faroe Islands to talk about his grimdark masterpieces. I first became aware of Bjarni's work on his fantastic Howling Gryphons diorama few years ago and have since come to appreciate all of his gritty, narrative driven dioramas and minis. We talked about where he finds inspiration, how he avoids burnout, and what it takes to paint a model as big as a 28mm Warhound titan! Find Bjarni on Patreon , Instagram , Twitter , an...
Jun 24, 2024•53 min
Joining me this month on the BWU podcast is one of the true titans of miniatures painting, Roman Lappat! Roman's work helped redefine how we viewed miniatures painting not just as a hobby, but as an art form in its own right. Roman's work is being featured in the latest volume of The Art of' now on Kickstarter and we spoke about that book but first chatted about his journey as a painter and illustrator and his philosophy of art. Back The Art of Roman Lappat on Kickstarter now. Follow Roman's wor...
May 23, 2024•51 min
My guest this month was legendary game designer, Tuomas Pirinen! Tuomas was the creator of Mordheim, the lead developer of Warhammer Fantasy Battle 6th Edition, Warhammer Siege, and countless other miniatures games as well as video games, having worked at EA, Ubisoft and other companies. Most recently, Tuomas has signed on to create the rules for the upcoming Trench Crusade miniatures game and he was kind enough to talk to me about all of the above, including why he thinks Mordheim's popularity ...
Apr 18, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Sean Sutter, creator of Relicblade, might just be the hardest working man in miniatures gaming but he took the time out of his busy day to talk about his latest project, Cursebreaker ! Cursebreaker is a stand alone minis game set in the same universe as his ongoing skirmish game, Relicblade , but offers a unique play experience. Sean spoke with me about what went into this new project, the joys of game design, and what he's most excited about with this latest foray into the world of Relicblade a...
Mar 18, 2024•54 min
This month BWU member and longtime friend, Greg De Stefano, co-owner of Turbo Dork , returns to the podcast to talk about their big Remix! Turbo Dork has reformulated all of its paints, moved to a new type of paint bottle, and launched some cool peripheral items like silicone paint pallets and mixing sticks. Greg has lots to say about the company's growth, the science behind making paint, helping color blind painters, and his favorite purple colors! Follow Turbo Dork on Instagram and Facebook . ...
Feb 26, 2024•43 min
The first BWU podcast of 2024 is here and features games writer, Andy Hobday returning alongside first-time guest, sculptor, Paul Hicks! Andy and Paul have been long time collaborators on miniatures products and they're here to talk about their upcoming line of fantasy miniatures alongside to be utilized with Andy's Baron's War rules set. I've been a long-time supporter of The Baron's War (and their other endeavours) so I was delighted to speak with them about what they have planned for this yea...
Jan 26, 2024•48 min
Em Durran t took time out of her busy painting schedule to talk to me in our final podcast of 2023! You may know her as Electriceve from her online painting work on Patreon or from her time as an official painter on Warhammer TV's Youtube channel a few years back! Eve was kind enough to talk to me about the trials and travails of being a streaming painter and getting up the nerve to enter the competitive painting world. Follow Em on Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , and of course, Patreon ! As us...
Dec 26, 2023•40 min
This month my guest was Merritt K , a writer whose work I've admired for some time! Merritt's work isn't in tabletop games but recently I saw that she'd gotten back into miniatures painting after a couple of decades away. I invited her to chat about what it's like getting back into the hobby after so long away from it, why she and other creatives love the Warhammer 40k universe. Follow Merritt K on Bluesky and support her writing on Patreon ! You can also preorder her upcoming coffee table book,...
Nov 10, 2023•50 min
or this month's podcast I was joined by my friend and fellow Union Member, Jamie Daggers! Jamie is a professional painter whose work as an instructor took up most of our discussion but she's also a competitive painter, and of course, paints for pleasure. We had a great chat about how she approaches teaching new painters, what tools she recommends, identifying as an artist (or not), and her thoughts on brush size utility. Jamie Daggers (@jamiedaggers) • Instagram photos and videos JamieDaggers Mi...
Oct 20, 2023•52 min
This month sees the return of Shoshie Bauer to the BWU podcast! Shoshie has been a guest twice in the past, but this time she's here to talk about the release of the newest miniature in her very own line, Cat Daddy. The fourth in what will eventually be a line of 7 limited edition model conceived, conceptualized, and sculpted entirely by women, Cat Daddy will be available for pre-order starting Thursday, October 28th. Shoshie was kind enough to send me an advance copy of this very cool miniature...
Sep 28, 2023•49 min
Scalable Skirmish. Kinetic Action. Big Armor Suits. That's the tagline for the upcoming miniatures game Zeogenesis , from wargaming luminaries Danny Block, Andy Chambers, and Gav Thorpe! This stellar team was kind enough to talk to me this month about their game with Danny talking logistics and production of the hard plastic minis they'll be manufacturing in North Carolina, Andy discussed the core game mechanics and dynamic terrain rules, and Gav had lots to say about the narrative and setting h...
Aug 28, 2023•56 min
For July's podcast I had the pleasure of speaking with fellow Union Member, Adam Loper! If you've been wargaming for any amount of time you're probably familiar with his Youtube channel, Tabletop Minions , currently celebrating its 10th year! Adam and I spoke about how he got started with Beasts of War (now On Tabletop ), what goes into producing regular wargaming content, the challenges of helping new hobbyists, his favorite types of games, and his own forays into wargaming development as part ...
Jul 28, 2023•56 min•Ep. 52
