ShireCon 2026

 

ShireCon has just finished for 2026 and although it's a smaller affair than MOAB, it's growing bigger each year. This year saw a larger Bring and Buy area and there were a number of demo and competitive games being played.

I wasn't able to get any photos of the games as the space where these were being played was fairly tightly packed. However, apart from the obligatory 40K and AoS / Old World games, there were at least four tables for Warmaster (my favourite), and a couple of excellent 15mm Historical Medieval and Ancient games as well. Upstairs was a Bloodbowl competition with around eight to ten tables. So, a broader affair than just the usual 40k or AoS showing.

Of the demo games, there was a jousting game from around the 80's era of White Dwarf. Very obscure but one that I have heard was well designed though I've never had the chance to play it. If I had more time, I would have given it a shot. Hopefully it will be there again at MOAB. Demo wise, there was a WWII naval warfare game and Ma.K as well, both by their manufacturers.

Slave2Gaming was there, as was the producer of the naval demo game. I spent some time chatting to the owner of Slave2Gaming. Their 15mm sci-fi and Ma.K miniatures are excellent. They also had their 28mm alien and Elvis miniatures there as well as some 28mm WWII stuff that another attendee was grabbing for Konflikt 47.

For my part I was taken by all the 15mm sci-fi stuff including their new line of near-future Australian troops set in an alternative conflict where Oz is divided and in civil war. The premiss is that a tyrannical government has arisen (not so farfetched a concept when we remember COVID and what the State of Victoria's lock-down government did to its poor citizens) and the forces of resistance are fighting back from the inland desert. You can see the 15mm Desert Australia Korps (DAK) below as well as their other 15mm and 28mm goodies. I grabbed the 15mm DAK for a 15mm version of Konflikt 47 that I am working on.

Slave2Gaming are considering making their aliens also in 15mm sometime in the future. Great for Earth vs the Invaders and they have a great idea for their Elvis miniatures that will involve their 28mm alien range and Elvis. Mum on that one for now, but you can get some alien Elvis impersonators from S2G right now.

So that's it for ShireCon this year. Can't wait for MOAB.

Captain Hooq and Mr Smeg - Pirate Borg villains

 

No relation to Captain Hook and Mr Smee

What's a game without villains for the protagonists to protag against? Meet Captain Hooq and Mr Smeg. Not to be confused with their more famous cousins, Captain Hook and Mr Smee.

These gents will be the next villains for The Lads to encounter. Ostensibly, both Hooq and The Lads work for the same Pirate Boss, but there is no honour among thieves, right? So Hooq will make a good foil for my rpg players.

You may notice that both Capt. Hooq and Mr Smeg don't exactly look like they are in the best of health. That's because Hooq is a vampire and Mr Smeg is Hooq's loyal underling. Something halfway between a Thrall and a junior vampire. I'm not quite sure which yet. Hooq is the quintessential English gentlemen and Mr Smeg is Hook's valet and boson for The Jolly Roger. The Jolly Roger itself is crewed by the Bilge Rats, a small group of actual rat men who are small Skaven.

The figures come from Sally 4th's range of miniatures. I'm thinking of getting a Peter Pan and cutting the miniature's head off and attaching it to Hooq's belt. That would add to the villainous and cruel nature of Hooq contrasting against his outward gentlemanly demeanour. Have to think more about that idea. But it seems suitably bloody for a Pirate Borg game.

The Lads - A Pirate Borg miniature upgrade

 

The lads have been having fun with the excellent Pirate Borg (using our d20 lite version of Pirate Borg) and they are now Level 3. So, it seemed fitting to upgrade their miniature avatars to reflect their newfound confidence and their growing abilities.

Searching around the web, I found Black Scorpion Miniatures and their excellent line of Cutlass pirate miniatures. I purchased them for such a time as this, and it was now time to break them out and paint them up. I asked each of the lads what their favourite colour was, and this became the colour of the coats that each miniature has been painted with. I also wrote their names under the base of each model. Just in case we get confused.

So, for our next rpg session, the lads will have a new set of miniatures to wonder the lands and seas of Pirate Borg.