Miniature Adventures

Ray and I won Best in Show at Broadside today with our big battle Sharp Practice version of The Battle of Berezina. 😃 Utterly exhausted now, but Ill do a full write up on my blog in a day or two. (Here it is: www.blmablog.com/2026/06/armies-first-or-rules-fir… )

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1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 118

Miniature Adventures

So much for getting a load of video editing done this weekend. I had no commitments this weekend so I thought I would get ahead of my schedule for the first time in weeks... and my computer just laughed and said "not today matey"!!

Thankfully my son-in-law is a technowizard, so I'm hoping he can figure out why I cant open my files because i'm one more error message away from throwing the laptop out the window!!

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 87

Miniature Adventures

The Wait is Over: Our Rulebook is LIVE!

After months of writing, endless playtesting, and meticulous rewriting, our rulebook is officially launching TODAY!

This project has been a fantastic collaboration between Paul Brooks (the man behind the Pazoot Wargaming channel), me, and my long-suffering mate, Ray. But we couldn't have done it without the support and feedback of this amazing community.

To say a huge thank you for all your incredible support (and your legendary patience!), we’re throwing in a launch discount!

👉 Use code BIGLEE10 at checkout to get 10% OFF the cover price!

🛒 Scan the QR code or head straight over to pazoot.com to secure your copy today.

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 63

Miniature Adventures

The march begins.

Step into the drama of Battle Chronicle: 1812 – The Retreat from Moscow. The books are officially fresh off the presses and rushing toward our June 1st launch!

This is a fast-paced, immersive narrative skirmish campaign where every decision matters and every battle carves your name into history. Can you survive one of the most brutal retreats the world has ever seen?

The countdown is on. Prepare your troops.

🔥 ON SALE 1ST JUNE! 🔥

Grab your copy from 🌐 www.pazoot.com

💥 Use code BIGLEE10 at checkout for 10% OFF 💥

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1 month ago | [YT] | 101

Miniature Adventures

Ray and I hosted a huge game of Sharp Practice in the Shed-o-War for the Rejects on Sunday, and considering we completely pushed the game beyond its intended scale, it went remarkably well. We definitely made a few mistakes along the way, but that was really the whole point of the exercise — testing the limits of the system, learning what worked, and spotting the areas we need to tighten up for next time.

By the end of the day, both of us felt we’d learned a tremendous amount from the experience, and we’re already making plans for an even bigger and better game in a couple of weeks. The rules survived the stress test… although a few units were not so fortunate.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 114

Miniature Adventures

The proof copies of 1812 The Retreat from Moscow, a Battle Chronicle Wargame, are back from the printers, and we are just weeks away from general sale (we are aiming for 1st June). I’m really excited by how this has turned out, and I can't wait to see what people think once we start selling it. If you want to keep in the loop, sign up for the newsletter at www.pazoot.com/battle-chronicle

1 month ago | [YT] | 155

Miniature Adventures

"Lee," I hear you ask, "don't you already have two winter projects in 28mm? Don’t you already own more trees than any reasonable wargamer could ever deploy?"

The answer, of course, is a resounding yes. I’ll blame my gaming buddies for this one. I’m far too easily led astray, and somehow I’ve found myself spiralling into a familiar period, just at a significantly smaller scale. Why commit to one scale when you can lose your mind (and your desk space) to two?

I’ll be revealing the full details of this "miniature" venture once the lead pile is painted, but for now, I couldn’t resist sharing the scenery that started it all.

These little beauties are N Scale models from Busch, a German manufacturer specialising in railway scenery (though I picked mine up from a UK stockist). They arrived in a varied pack of 20, but a few quick modifications truly brought them to life.

The end result is perfect for a little bit of 10mm winter madness, and I think they look pretty cool. (Sorry, the pun was mandatory.)

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2 months ago | [YT] | 87

Miniature Adventures

Unless you’ve been living in a cave (or buried under a mountain of unpainted lead), you’ll know that this Saturday, April 11th, is the big one: Salute 53 at the ExCeL Centre in London. I’ll be on the floor from about 8:00 AM, capturing behind-the-scenes footage and attempting to navigate the hall. I’ll be moving as fast as my "crumbly knees" allow, so if you spot me, please do stop and say hello!

I realise that hunting for one middle-aged bloke in a crowd of thousands is the hobby equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. To make things easier, Ray and I are hosting our traditional Blogger Gathering at 1pm.

We’ve been blogging for over fifteen years now, and there’s nothing we enjoy more than catching up with the community in the flesh. Whether you're a long-time follower, a fellow blogger, or just a curious gamer, you are more than welcome to join us.

The Rendezvous
When: 1:00 PM Sharp
Where: The open space between Stand W01 and the Wayland Games Stand (TF10), right in the heart of the hall.

It’s the perfect mid-day break to swap stories, compare loot hauls, and put some faces to names. I’m a big chap and hard to miss.

See you all at ExCeL!

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2 months ago | [YT] | 77

Miniature Adventures

Yesterday’s game in the Shed-o-War with the rest of the Posties Rejects transported us back to a part of the Crimean War that rarely gets the spotlight. While most people jump straight to the mud, mismanagement, and media circus of the later Allied campaigns, the opening phase (before the British and French fully committed) was very much a brutal, grinding contest between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Turks.

By 1853, tensions between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire had been simmering for years. Russia, keen to expand its influence southward and present itself as the protector of Orthodox Christians within Ottoman territories, pressed its claims with increasing aggression. The Ottomans, meanwhile, were determined to resist.

When diplomacy failed, Russian forces crossed into the Danubian Principalities (modern-day Romania), prompting the Ottomans to declare war in October 1853. What followed was a series of sharp, often overlooked engagements along the Danube and in the Caucasus. These early clashes set the tone: determined Ottoman resistance, often underestimated, against a numerically and logistically powerful Russian army.

One of the defining moments of this opening phase came at the Battle of Oltenița, where Ottoman forces successfully checked a Russian advance. It was an early indication that this would not be the quick, one-sided campaign many had expected. The Turks fought hard, often from prepared positions, and proved more than capable of bloodying Russian noses when the ground favoured them.

Stuart set up a scenario based on these early encounters, pitching Russian attackers against a well-entrenched Turkish force in November 1853. On paper, it looked straightforward. In practice, it was anything but. The Turks held a commanding ridge line, broken by rocky outcrops and fortified with a chain of redoubts. Ten objectives in total, each hill and redoubt worth a single point, and, at the start of the game, all firmly in Ottoman hands. The Russian objective was clear: seize at least six to claim victory. Simple, right? Well… no.

Although the Russians enjoyed a comfortable two-to-one numerical advantage, the terrain told a very different story. Assaulting uphill into prepared positions is never a pleasant experience, and the redoubts turned what might have been a straightforward advance into a grinding series of assaults. Every objective captured would have to be paid for.

One of the real highlights of the evening was seeing the Ottoman collection back on the table. This early-war period has a distinct visual character that sets it apart from the later, more familiar Crimean battles. The Turkish uniforms in particular are an absolute joy—bold colours, striking contrasts, and just enough flourish to remind you that 19th-century warfare hadn’t entirely abandoned its sense of style.

It’s a period that deserves more attention, both for its aesthetics and for the fascinating tactical challenges it presents. The asymmetry of these engagements—numerical superiority versus defensive strength—makes for exactly the kind of tense, decision-driven games that stick in the memory.

Games like this are a great reminder that history doesn’t begin with the most famous moments. The early phase of the Crimean War is full of compelling scenarios, dramatic clashes, and underappreciated armies that deserve a place on the tabletop.

And from a wargaming perspective, it offers something rather special: a chance to explore a conflict where the outcome isn’t dictated by reputation, but by how well you can manage ground, timing, and sheer bloody-minded persistence.

As for the Russians’ daunting task of prising six objectives from stubborn Turkish hands? After a marathon eight-hour struggle, they fell just short—ending the day with five points apiece and a hard-fought draw. The Ottoman force was effectively shattered, but much like their historical counterparts, they had done exactly what was required: blunt the advance, buy precious time, and withdraw in good order to a new defensive line, leaving the Russians to contemplate the cost of every inch gained.

More pictures and Order of Battle can be seen on my blog here: www.blmablog.com/2026/03/the-battle-of-oltenitsa-4…

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2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 133