D.U.S.K. - 28 EP (Fist in the Eye Records)

D.U.S.K. is a collection of experimental music inspired by the grim darkness of the far future!

Warhammer 40,000’s tag line is “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.” That phrase, along with the game’s oppressive bleakness in concept and imagery, has led to the coining of the phrase “grimdark”. The game and its setting have inspired hobbyists worldwide to create miniatures exploring the nightmares of a war-torn future, each trying their best to embody the nihilistic horror of grimdark. This inspiration has also captured the imagination of musicians, though this receives less attention on hobby blogs and websites. The legendary British death metal band Bolt Thrower famously released a Warhammer 40,000-themed album called Realm of Chaos, which included Games Workshop artwork for the album cover (my teenage self thought Bolt Thrower was far too harsh for my tastes, though I eventually came to appreciate the band as I got older). While extreme metal might seem like the obvious choice to explore a desolate future, other genres have been doing the same with equal success. Dark ambient musicians like Lustmord have been trawling the depths of cosmic bleakness for decades (Lustmord’s album Dark Matter has a song called "Astronomicon", which was created using audio from cosmological recordings acquired during space missions from NASA and other sources). Simon Heath's dark ambient record label Cryochamber abounds with artists creating droney music to score any dystopian science fiction film/story/game effectively. Heath even created a Warhammer 40,000-inspired playlist. Beyond dark ambient music, other experimental music genres lend themselves well to grimdark settings, merging elements of noise, tape loops, field recordings, and dungeon synth. D.U.S.K., a compilation EP of experimental music created by miniature gaming hobbyists, is a new example of music inspired by war-torn futures.

Photography: Using an incident light meter for better film photos

Prepare the Ground. (Tri-X 400, Nikon F3).

Miniature photography (and photography in general) has become substantially easier with the advent of advanced integrated light meters and digital displays that preview what the photo will look like when you press the shutter. These features, common on modern mirrorless and phone cameras (and DSLRs to an extent), make achieving a desired outcome more intuitive, since you can adjust settings and see the effects in real time. When taking miniature photos using film, however, things are more difficult. With film, you do not have the luxury of previewing the picture before taking it. Most film cameras have relatively simple integrated light meters that measure reflected light and estimate the necessary setting required to obtain what it thinks is a proper exposure (often trying to achieve 18% neutral gray). These, however, can be easily fooled when lighting conditions are not ideal, resulting in meter predictions that lead to over- or underexposed images, if you do not know how the meter works. For example, when using my Nikon F3 and Minolta SrT 201, their internal meters often overexpose images of miniatures, since the scenes I try to capture are dark and moody, but the integrated meter attempts to increase the exposure to achieve neutral gray. In the past few months, I have been using an external incident light meter to get around this issue.

Collaboration: Mordheim Chaos Dwarf painted

Miles drowned rivers. Seek eyeless dwarf. Ridden headless horse. Arrive reverse echo. Deliver skinless prize.

Earlier this year, I started collecting Chaos Dwarf models to create a warband for Mordheim. Rather than extensively convert the warband, like I did with my Sister's of Sigmar warband, I wanted to create this one using old miniatures from the 80s, leaning into the Oldhammer theme. After scouring eBay, I collected a group of six of the ancient models. Rather than paint the first model in the warband, we got one of our favorite painters and friends, Koltti, to paint it! We think that you will agree that the model turned out wonderfully! Also, make sure to follow Koltti on Instagram and consider supporting him on Patreon so that he can continue to create miniature works of art.

Under the Dice Fest 2025: Day 3

Under the Dice Fest 2025 was an amazing time to see old friends!

In the past few years, the three of us at Between the Bolter and Me have made an effort to attend more gaming events and conventions, although, to be honest, we have primarily been attending events hosted by the Under the Dice/Hive Scum crew. May 16, 17, and 18 of this year was the 2nd Under the Dice Fest, and Adam and Greg made the trip to Connecticut to attend! The Under the Dice/Hive Scum crew have been tirelessly promoting the weirder and independent side of the miniature-based tabletop wargaming hobby. They have been shining a bright light on hobbyists interested in telling their own stories through miniature gaming and those willing to step outside the scope of the game rules as written, or even create their games and miniatures, to tell these stories. Every event they host is a gathering of amazing, like-minded people who are passionate about their interpretation of the miniature wargaming hobby, and something we do not want to miss.