11/01/2026

Happy Sunday, and welcome back to Tabletop Thoughts!

It was a busy week between Halloween and covering a shift at my second job. That definitely ate into some of my hobby time, but despite the hectic schedule, I still managed to get quite a bit accomplished this week!

One project I finished was painting another set of Druid Circle terrain. I’ve really enjoyed working on these pieces, and apparently other people like them too, because this latest set sold almost immediately after I listed it!

With that kind of response, I figured I might as well keep things rolling. I fired up the 3D printer and knocked out two more sets, which are now waiting in the painting queue. Hopefully, I’ll find some time over the next week to get some paint on them and have them ready to go.

It’s always satisfying to see something you’ve printed and painted find a new home, especially when it’s terrain that could end up on someone else’s gaming table. Of course, the downside to having things sell quickly is that the pile of unpainted prints never seems to get any smaller!

Still, that’s a good problem to have, and I’m certainly not complaining.

Another little project I’ve been working on is a simple kitbash I started earlier this month. With all the cheap Halloween decorations available this time of year, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to turn a few inexpensive items into some creepy tabletop terrain.

For this one, I picked up some cheap plastic Halloween skulls and glued them onto the ends of skeleton fingers. I then attached everything to a round wooden base that I had covered with sand to give it a little texture. Once everything was assembled, I gave the whole thing a quick and simple paint job to bring out the details.

The end result is a pretty creepy piece of terrain that would fit right into a graveyard, cursed battlefield, necromancer’s lair, or just about any dark fantasy setting.

This is exactly the kind of budget-friendly terrain project I love. It doesn’t require expensive materials, fancy tools, or hours of painting to get something that looks good on the gaming table. Sometimes all it takes is a little imagination, some cheap decorations, and a bit of glue!

If you’re looking to add some spooky scenery to your tabletop without spending much money, this is a quick and easy project worth trying.

The biggest projects on my hobby table this month have definitely been the Battle Hulks. I’ve been spending quite a bit of time getting these massive war machines ready for the tabletop, and I’m really happy with how they’re coming along.

Pictured here, from left to right, are Hulk 02, Hulk 04, Hulk 07, and Hulk 10. These have been a fun change of pace from my usual fantasy miniatures and terrain projects, and it’s been great seeing these hulking machines come together.

When it came to painting them, I decided not to shy away from brighter colors. I wanted these machines to stand out on the tabletop rather than disappear into a sea of dark metallics and military greens. I also took some extra time to pick out details and add little touches that would give each Hulk a bit more character.

On Hulk 02 and Hulk 04, I even experimented with a little weathering. Using a stippling technique, I dabbed silver paint over portions of the base colors to give the impression that some of the paint had chipped or flaked away, exposing the bare metal underneath. Maybe it’s just years of wear and tear, or perhaps these machines have seen their fair share of battles! Either way, I think the effect adds a nice bit of character without requiring a complicated painting process.

I also managed to squeeze in another kitbash project, this time putting together a missile objective marker that can also double as a piece of scatter terrain. Believe it or not, this one started life as some clearance summer diving torpedoes and a cheap squirt gun! With a little creativity and some tinkering, they became something that looks right at home on a futuristic battlefield. It’s another example of why I always keep an eye on clearance shelves. You never know what might make a great piece of gaming terrain!

All of this is leading up to something I’ve been planning for a while now. I’m working on a Battle Hulks tutorial video that I hope to have released sometime this month. The plan is to walk through the basic rules of the game, using the actual miniatures and terrain to demonstrate how everything works on the tabletop.

There’s still some preparation to do before I can start filming, but things are coming together nicely. I’m looking forward to getting these Hulks onto the battlefield and showing everyone how the game plays!

One of the bigger preparations for the upcoming Battle Hulks tutorial video has been getting the battlefield itself ready. For this, I’ve been printing and painting SlaughterScape terrain tiles from Fat Dragon Games, and so far, I’m really liking how they’re turning out!

At this point, I’ve managed to print 12 tiles, and I’ve already started working my way through painting them. I wanted a fairly simple painting process that would look good on the tabletop without taking forever, especially since there are quite a few tiles to get through.

I started by giving the tiles a coat of Rust-Oleum Espresso spray paint. It’s a nice, deep brown with just a hint of reddish tones, which makes a great starting point for natural-looking earth and dirt. From there, I drybrushed the surfaces with a caramel color to bring out all the raised textures and details. That really helped give the ground some depth and kept everything from looking like one solid shade of brown.

Next, I picked out some of the exposed rocks using a pewter gray. It’s a fairly simple process, but the combination of colors does a nice job of making the different textures stand out without spending hours painting every little detail.

Once I have all the tiles painted to this stage, the grass flocking will begin! That’s when I think the terrain will really start coming together. Adding some grass and vegetation should help break up all those earthy tones and give the battlefield a more natural appearance.

I’ve been really impressed with these SlaughterScape tiles from Fat Dragon Games. They’re a great option for building a modular battlefield, and being able to print additional tiles whenever I need them is a huge bonus. I’m looking forward to seeing how the entire table looks once everything is painted and flocked.

Of course, the real test will be how they look with a bunch of giant Battle Hulks stomping across them!

Keep on gaming!

2026 Goals Progress

• Minis Painted: 298/150 – COMPLETED
• Large Models / Terrain: 39/ 6 – COMPLETE
• YouTube Videos: 21/ 24
• Game/Supplements Reviews: 10/ 4 – COMPLETED
• Games Played (TTRPG + Board Games): 1 / 4
• Thursday Drop-Ins Created: 10/ 12
• New TTRPG Systems Tried:  1 / 3
• Shadowdark Mini-Campaign Sessions:  0 / 3
• Shadowdark Release on DriveThruRPG: 2/1 – COMPLETE