AJM Nerdcore

There's more Middle-earth content coming than we've ever had. I don't think that's automatically good news for Tolkien.

This one's a build video and a chat video at the same time. I'm working through bag ten of the 8,278-piece LEGO Minas Tirith set, and while my hands are busy I'm talking through something that's been sat in my head for weeks: why I think Tolkien the man is at real risk of becoming a footnote as Middle-earth turns into more films, more shows and more games than ever before.

Along the way I get into why Tolkien wasn't just an author but something closer to a subcreator, why Boromir is one of the most misunderstood characters in the whole legendarium, and why the story was never really about destroying the Ring — it was about protecting the Shire. I also talk about Sarehole Mill and Puzzlewood, two real places that changed how I read these books completely.

Whether you've read everything Tolkien ever wrote or you've only ever seen the films, I think this one's worth ten minutes of your time.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 — Why You Need to Worry About Tolkien
4:28 — Catching Up (Bag One & the Gates of Minas Tirith)
7:32 — Building Bag Ten, Subcreation & The Quiet Moments
23:35 — The Real Worry (Keeping Middle-earth, Losing Tolkien)
32:51 — Over to You (How Are You Feeling About the New Wave?)
Conclusion — What's Coming in Video Three

Subscribe for video three, where we go properly into the lore of Minas Tirith — why it was built, who lived there, and why I think it's one of the greatest cities in fantasy.

#tolkien #middleearth #lordoftherings #minastirith #LEGO

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Games Workshop just revealed something that changes the conversation about getting into Warhammer. Not one announcement - five. And when you look at them together, they don't feel like separate reveals. They feel like a plan.
In this video I'm walking through everything from the 2026 Summer Preview: Warhammer Academy, which launches with 150 free lessons for Warhammer 40,000 covering lore, collecting, building and painting, and gaming. The three new starter sets at different price points. The Butcher's Nails - a new animated series landing on Warhammer TV in August. The Armageddon launch box and what it actually means alongside all of it. And whether 11th Edition changes anything for someone who's never played before.

I also answer the question I get asked more than any other: is right now actually a good time to start Warhammer?

I came into this hobby through the lore - Black Library before brushes, brushes before dice — and I remember exactly what it felt like to have twelve tabs open and come away more confused than when I started. That's what this channel is here for.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Introduction
2:27 What Is Warhammer Academy?
3:27 Lore — Where to Start with the Story
6:43 Collecting — What to Actually Buy First
10:09 The New Starter Sets Explained
11:45 Building and Painting Without the Perfectionism
14:40 Gaming — Learning Without the Overwhelm
17:56 The Bigger Picture — What GW's Strategy Really Means

This channel covers Warhammer for beginners, returners, and lore fans - without the gatekeeping. Painting without the overwhelm. Gaming without the assumption you've memorised the rulebook. A community that's genuinely welcoming to people still finding their feet.

Subscribe if that sounds like your kind of place.

#warhammer #warhammer40K #warhammeracademy

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I am a pessimist about the current wave of Lord of the Rings media. I've said it on this channel before, and the numbers back me up.
But The King's Gambit is the exception.

This is the Lord of the Rings board game fans have been quietly waiting for — and most of them don't even know it exists yet. It's built on the bones of Star Wars: The Queen's Gambit, one of the most beloved and impossible-to-own games ever made. A genuine grail game. Restoration Games has taken that system — four simultaneous battles, interconnected decisions, no two games ever the same — and rebuilt it entirely around the Battle of Pelennor Fields.

The Rohirrim charging across open ground. Gondor defending Minas Tirith. Aragorn fighting to retake Pelargir. Frodo and Sam just trying to survive Mordor. All happening at once. All connected. Exactly the way Tolkien wrote it.

In this video I break down where the game comes from, why the original Queen's Gambit became a grail game, all four battlefields with lore context for anyone newer to Middle-earth, and exactly what the Kickstarter includes.

If you've ever heard of The Queen's Gambit and wished you could own one — this might finally be the answer.

Kickstarter deluxe edition: September 2026
Retail edition (Space Cowboys): 2027

0:00 - Intro
1:49 - Is Too Much Lord of the Rings a Problem?
4:28 - The Star Wars Grail Game Nobody Could Own
7:00 - How Restoration Games Changed Everything
9:09 - All Four Battles Explained
14:03 - Miniatures, Kickstarter & Release Date
15:22 - Why This One Is Different
17:39 - Final Verdict

Subscribe for LotR lore, Tolkien tours, LEGO builds and board game deep dives

#lordoftherings #boardgames #tolkien

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Blood Points. Disciplines. The Beast. Six iconic vampire clans as subclasses. Here's what's actually in Bound by Blood, and why this crossover is bigger than most people realise.

D&D Beyond has announced a full collaboration with Vampire: The Masquerade, published by Ghostfire Gaming - the team behind Grim Hollow and Dungeons of Drakkenheim. The new Kindred class runs from levels 1 to 20 with six clan subclasses (Brujah, Gangrel, Lasombra, Nosferatu, Toreador, and Ventrue), two brand new tension systems, and an included Dark Ages adventure called One Last Goodbye - set in Northern Britannia, 700 CE.

Not a subclass bolted onto existing rules. A full vampire class fuelled by blood, temptation, and the constant fight to stay human.

In this video I break down exactly what's in the book, why the mechanics feel genuinely different from anything D&D has done with vampires before, and what it has in common with Blood Angels lore and Thousand Year Old Vampire - two other vampire stories built around the same uncomfortable idea: that being extraordinary always costs you something.

Whether you're brand new to tabletop RPGs, a D&D player who's never heard of the World of Darkness, or someone who's been playing Vampire: The Masquerade since 1991 and is quietly judging all of this - this one's for you.

Bound by Blood releases July 28th, 2026 on D&D Beyond.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Intro
0:42 - What Is D&D Beyond?
1:43 - The Crossover Announcement
2:42 - What Is Vampire: The Masquerade?
4:31 - Thousand Year Old Vampire
7:27 - What Do Both Games Really Ask?
8:27 - What's In Bound by Blood?
9:28 - What Makes This a Proper Vampire?
10:41 - The Blood Angels Connection
11:55 - The Dark Ages Adventure
13:22 - The Vampire Thread

LINKS
Pre-order Bound by Blood on D&D Beyond → https://marketplace.dndbeyond.com/cat...

My Thousand Year Old Vampire video →    • Thousand Year Old Vampire REVIEW: The Solo...  

#vampirethemasquerade #dungeonsanddragons #dndbeyond #TTRPG #bloodangels #thousandyearoldvampire

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Most people who've seen Lord of the Rings think they know Minas Tirith. The great white city. The last stronghold of Gondor. The place that holds when nothing else can.

But nobody actually talks about where it came from. And the real story is wild.

Minas Tirith didn't start out as the capital of Gondor. It started as a small fort built to guard a graveyard. It was the lesser of two sister cities, an afterthought next to Minas Ithil. It held a palantír and not much else. The city we know and love was the backup plan that simply outlasted everything around it.

This video covers the full origin story: the founding of Minas Anor in the Second Age under Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anárion, Sauron's attack and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, the long decline of Osgiliath, the Kin-strife civil war, the Great Plague of the Third Age, and the moment Minas Anor was finally renamed Minas Tirith, Tower of the Guard.

I'm also talking about Anárion, who I think is one of the most underrated characters in Tolkien's legendarium, and making the case that Isildur deserves more credit than history gives him.

All of this while building the LEGO Minas Tirith set. Knowing what this city went through makes holding these pieces feel completely different.

If you're coming to Tolkien lore for the first time or you've been a fan for years, this series is built to be approachable, properly researched, and a bit different to what else is out there.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Intro
2:30 - The Origins of Minas Anor
4:21 - What Minas Anor Was Actually Built For
7:56 - Sauron's Attack, The Last Alliance & Anárion
12:24 - The Kin-strife & Gondor's Decline
14:23 - The Great Plague & The Move to Minas Anor
15:32 - The White Tower & The Rename to Minas Tirith
16:57 - Conclusions

Subscribe for the next episode. We're going deeper into the history of Minas Tirith, including the War of the Ring, the Fourth Age, and the geography of the city itself.

#minastirith #lordoftherings #tolkienlore

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Brand new to Warhammer 40K? This is your starting point. This is everything a beginner needs to know about Warhammer 40,000 11th Edition. No jargon, no gatekeeping, no assuming you already know this stuff.

11th Edition launched TODAY on 20th June 2026 and if you've been hovering on the edges of this hobby wondering whether now is a good time to start, it is. There's a lot of noise around the Armageddon launch box and I want to cut through it honestly. I haven't bought it. And in this video I'll tell you exactly why, and why that might actually be the most useful thing I say today.

We cover what's actually changed from 10th Edition, what's inside the Armageddon starter set, whether your existing Codex is still valid, how Combat Patrol works for new players, and what you genuinely need to start playing your first game of Warhammer 40K.

Whether you've never rolled a dice in your life or you're coming back after a long break, you're in the right place.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Intro

1:09 - Is This Video For You? (And Why Veterans Should Stay)

2:21 - 11th Edition: Streamlining, Not A Reboot

3:30 - What's Actually Changed: Terrain, Combat & Detachments Explained

7:45 - What's Inside The Armageddon Launch Box?

9:41 - Why Combat Patrol Is The Best Way To Start

11:57 - What You Actually Need To Play Your First Game

14:03 - Why I Haven't Bought The Box (And The FOMO Problem)

16:20 - Why Warhammer Matters & Where To Go Next

LINKS

The Armageddon lore video mentioned in this video:    • WARHAMMER 40K Lore: Armageddon EXPLAINED  

Warhammer 40K beginner playlist:    • Warhammer  

NEW PLAYERS - drop your question in the comments. No question is too basic. Someone will answer it.

VETERANS - if I've missed something or got something wrong, say so. New players need you down there.

🔔 Subscribe for beginner-friendly Warhammer 40K content, hobby guides, and lore deep dives. Made for people who feel like outsiders in this hobby. You belong here.

#warhammer40K #armageddon #gamesworkshop #tabletopgaming #miniatures

AJM Nerdcore is represented by Digital Fox Talent. Brand partnerships: digitalfoxtalent.com/brands/creators/ajm-nerdcore

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I visited the @TolkienSociety Sarehole Festival, two days, £8, held at the Birmingham watermill that gave Tolkien the Shire. Here's what was there, what it was like, and why it matters more than you might think.

Sarehole Mill in Hall Green, Birmingham was where Tolkien spent his childhood, running through fields, fishing in streams, and looking at an industrial skyline that many scholars believe became Mordor. The Tolkien Society brought it back to life for one weekend, and it was one of the most quietly extraordinary things I've attended. Rare first editions, Viking and Norse traders, birds of prey, live music, themed food, and a talk from rare book dealer Tom Ayling that I am still thinking about.

This is part of my Tolkien Tours series, visiting the real-world places that shaped Middle-earth.

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Why This Festival Is Different
1:09 - The Tolkien Society & the Shire as Memory
3:36 - Tolkien's Childhood & the Real Hobbiton
8:33 - Inside the Festival
11:49 - Protecting Tolkien's Legacy
14:29 - Arda Con, the World Doubles Championships
16:00 - Conclusions

TOLKIEN TOURS PLAYLIST
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLewL5YSeuzLF_Ry-mWfmymD-wUEw42C7j&si=uI6e-DUVfBTnPIsG

LINKS
Sarehole Festival: https://sareholefestival.org/
Tolkien Society: https://www.tolkiensociety.org/ | https://youtube.com/@TolkienSociety
Sarehole Mill: https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/sarehole-mill/highlights/middle-earth
Tom Ayling (rare books): https://www.tomwayling.co.uk/ | https://www.youtube.com/@tomwayling
Arda Con (3rd–9th August, free): https://www.ardaconsbg.com/

🔔 Subscribe for more Tolkien lore, history, and real-world locations.

#tolkien #tolkiensociety #sareholefestival #tolkientours #middleearth

AJM Nerdcore is represented by Digital Fox Talent. Brand partnerships: digitalfoxtalent.com/brands/creators/ajm-nerdcore

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I watched 30 minutes of Fable gameplay last night and it just became my most anticipated game of 2027. Yes, over GTA 6. Here's exactly why.

In this video I break down everything Playground Games showed: the morality system that actually works differently to anything Fable has done before, the social and economic loop that had me buying a pub within minutes, the combat, the character customisation, and the one prediction I'm putting my name on for launch day.

We also need to talk about Colin. A pig. Who might be the most important character in the whole demo.

@Fable

⏱ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 — Why Fable just killed my GTA 6 hype
3:01 — The world of Silverbrook
4:29 — Colin, and why the morality system is actually clever
8:53 — The social loop (I bought a pub)
13:16 — The date, and then everything goes wrong
15:27 — The honest bit (caveats)
17:25 — Why this matters, and the detail I cannot let go
22:34 — The Colin door
23:27 — Conclusions

Fable launches February 2027 on Xbox and PC. This is the most detailed breakdown of the gameplay demo available — covering the reputation system, NPC schedules, multiple marriages, property ownership, the morality mechanic, and why the dialogue is the thing that will make or break this game completely.

If you've been burned by Fable before (same), this video is for you.

Join the community → https://www.youtube.com/@AJM_nerdcore/membership

Subscribe for Fable coverage all the way to launch
Fable → https://www.fablethegame.com

#fable #fablegameplay #Xbox

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The new Fable trailer has divided people... and I get it. The dark opening nearly lost me too. But there's one moment at the very end that changes the entire conversation, and if you know your Fable lore, your jaw is going to hit the floor.

In this video we break down everything in the new Fable reboot trailer — the two camps of divided opinion, what the darker tone actually means for the franchise, the Isabelle character design, why the demon door matters more than people realise, and a full lore breakdown of Jack of Blades and why his return is such a big deal.

If you're new to the Fable franchise or want the full backstory before watching this, check out my complete Fable lore video first: https://youtu.be/8dptg1ZX2l8?si=nwActC7AiJhqRgng

Whether you're Camp One (this doesn't feel like Fable) or Camp Two (this is a brilliant subversion) - drop your take in the comments. I genuinely want to know where people are landing on this one.

@Fable

0:00 - Intro
1:28 - The Jaw Drop Moment
3:10 - Camp One vs Camp Two: The Divided Opinion
4:40 - Isabelle & The Trailer Breakdown
7:45 - The Demon Door
10:03 - Who Is Jack of Blades?
11:39 - The Morality System & What The Comments Are Saying
14:35 - Final Thoughts

Fable reboot | Fable trailer breakdown | Jack of Blades explained | Fable Xbox | New Fable game 2025 | Fable Isabelle | Hayley Atwell Fable | Fable reboot reaction | Fable lore | Is the new Fable good | Fable divided opinion | Fable demon door | Fable morality system

#Fable #fablereboot #jackofblades

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I went to UK Games Expo 2026 with a plan, a packed lunch, and a very firm promise to myself that I was only going for the demos.
I came home with dice, brushes, a painting handle, two solo RPGs, and the realisation that I apparently do actually like people.

This is my honest experience of the UK's biggest tabletop gaming convention - the games I tried, the creators I met, the conversations that stuck with me, and why the whole thing ended up being far more about the people than the products.

If you've never been before and want the practical beginner's guide, I've linked that below. This video is more of a personal debrief. The chaos, the plan that mostly worked, and the moments that made the whole thing worthwhile.

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 — Introduction & What Even Is UK Games Expo?
1:32 — Parking, Food & Queues (the practical stuff that actually matters)
3:40 — How to Plan Your Day Without Losing Your Mind
7:56 — The Demos: Five Games I Tried
13:52 — The People Behind the Games
20:39 — What I Bought (the goblin brain wins again)
24:26 — Would I Recommend It?

GAMES & CREATORS FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO
Time Troopers — Molinarius Games
https://www.molinariusgames.com/produ...
War of the Ring: Sieges of Middle-earth — Ares Games
https://boardgamegeek.com/image/93601...
Wreck This Deck — Black Armada Games
https://blackarmada.com/product/wreck...
Ballad of the Witch — Eren Chronicles
https://erenchronicles.com/
KOKKURI — Magma Games
https://magmagames.com/products/kokkuri
Tesseract Miniature Studios
https://www.tesseractministudios.com/
Four Score Gaming
https://www.fourscoregaming.co.uk/
Chaos Curios (the dice — obviously)
https://chaoscurios.com/

#ukgamesexpo #boardgames #warhammer #tabletopgaming #ukge2026

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