Heresy & Heroes

From time to time, the grimdark gets too grim, and too dark for me. Every now and again, the horrors of the 41st Millennium, and even the Mortla Realms, can get too much. As all here know, I am a huge fan of the Warhammer setting, but when I can’t face it, I have a secret remedy – Burrow & Badgers. Perhaps the most delightful miniatures game and series of miniatures ever.

No, there’s no mashed potato involved. I discovered Oathsworn Miniatures from a friend, and it’s magical. Truly magical. There are tinges of Narnia, Redwall and all of those wonderful, anthropomorphised animal comics and cartoons that you might remember from your youth. And while these critters may be at war, it’s not some grim, dark, universal conflict complicated by endless agendas and nightmares – it’s simple battle in skirmish form. And the miniatures are, quite frankly, adorbs. 

There’s a Shrew-zerker. A gorram Shrew-zerker! How awesome is that?! But not only that. There’s a Praying Mouse, a Mole Mercenary, a Hedgehog Alchemist, a Frog Fixer, a Rat Buccaneer… it doesn’t end. A fantastic list of beautiful, charming, funny characters, and a fantastic menagerie of marvellous  miniatures and delightful animals that are bleeding brilliant. They’re just so full of humour and wonder. 

What I love about this is the imagination involved. it stays within the woodland realm, but it’s bursting with charming (there’s that word again), funny, intriguing and enjoyable ideas that just make you smile. How can you not crack a smile at the idea of a ‘Pug Bounty Hunter’? It’s factually impossible to do so. The whimsy is endless, and you’re bound to find plenty of the little darlings that will call to your imagination – there are loads to choose from.

There’s one £20 rulebook (Also available as a cheaper pdf when the book is out of stock) with all the rules you’ll need, and the minis are single piece metal toys that are so amazingly reasonably priced you won’t believe your eyes. Occasionally, I have a slight tipsy splurge on these minis and it never comes out at more that £30. And when my order arrives, it comes in this:

How nice is that?! A handwritten “thank you” on the box, lovingly packed with gorgeous little characters. It’s a fantastic customer experience. And I’ve been working on my first little skirmish force, made up mainly of tiny critters (mice specifically) led by a cat who has them dancing to his tune. I love that you can do that with this game – it’s got such a delightful innocence and joy to it all. There’s a great amount of flexibility and you really get the sense that the imagination is the driver here, which is great.

You’ll have seen the wee critters scattered throughout this post, but I can’t wait to paint more. I’ll always be a devotee of the Warhammer universes, but it’s so wonderful to have a bit of Burrows & Badgers in my hobby too. A soothing woodland yin to Warhammer’s all-out, massive and blood-drenched yang. And when I paint these, I spend more time trying to get the feel of innocence out of them, rather than pushing myself to paint them perfectly. It makes such a pleasant change, and quite the palette cleanser.

I hope you’ll consider supporting Oathsworn Miniatures – they’re a small independent operation that deserve a bit of love and attention from all who love the hobby. You will get nothing but joy from these miniatures. I promise you, it’s a wonderful thing you’re bound to enjoy. Oh, and you can follow Michael who’s responsible for this treasure of a miniatures line on Twitter too – right here. I hope you’ll give it a go – Onwards!