The Ninth Age is a mass fantasy battle miniature game designed and maintained by teams of collaborators across the globe. One of those collaborators is Rik Newman who joins us on this episode of the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast. 

Rik comes to the show with a background that many will relate to. He grew up with the hobby in the 80s and 90s, only to fall away from it before returning later on in adult life.

Here, we talk about that return to the hobby, his initial thoughts about how gaming and miniatures had changed, and the omnipresent question of "what did they do to Warhammer Fantasy Battles?".

It wasn't long before Rik found himself discovering, drawn towards, and then involved in The Ninth Age. This was a game that was undoubtedly born out of the ashes of WFB, but it has since grown into its own independent entity with its own lore.  

The Ninth Age has a certain ethos about it. It's designed with balance in mind, and caters to "slow hobbyists" who want to collect armies over a long period of time, rather than quickly putting together the latest greatest list in order to win a few games.

With this slower approach, hobbyists can immerse themselves in the background and lore of a particular faction, exploring all of its avenues and possibilities.

On this episode, we also touch on 3D printing, and I recommend checking out the Precinct Omega podcast for some great insights down that particular rabbit hole. Precinct Omega is run by a previous guest on this show Robey Jenkins.

Also mentioned on this episode: the Collecting Green blog (which focuses on collecting orcs, goblins, and other greenskins), Rik's Agoners gaming blog, and the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast Podchaser page.

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