The Meelas

Episode 22 of The Meelas starts by discussing Spearhead Studios’ newly announced Martyrdom, the historical sandbox wargame with Chapter Master Valrak among the team. We take a look at what we’ve seen so far: the First Crusade setting, the miniatures, the presentation and the mixture of familiar wargaming ideas being brought together into something new. Which naturally leads us to a terrible idea. If we could Frankenstein our ideal tabletop wargame together from everything we’ve played, what would we steal? By the end we somehow blend Bolt Action, Infinity, Warhammer 40,000 2nd Edition, Horus Heresy, Middle-earth, BattleTech and more lurking inside the monster. Would you actually play the game we accidentally designed? More importantly: where’s the bloat? Before all that, we catch up on Blood Bowl, our 2nd Edition campaign and an unusually busy historical hobby table at the Meelas.

This week on The Meelas, we venture into the Veil of the Twisted Sands. Created here in the UAE by Mirage Studios, Veil of the Twisted Sands is a 5E-compatible Arabian fantasy TTRPG setting blending the history, folklore and culture of the Middle East with cosmic horror, eldritch threats and a world already scarred by catastrophe. We’re joined at the Meelas by Mirage Studios’ Jawad, Zaahir and Fabio to talk about how the project came together, building an Arabian fantasy setting from inside the region, choosing D&D 5E as its mechanical foundation, and creating new systems including Schools of Thought, Omen Shifts, travel and madness. We also dive into the Astrologer and Mystic classes, Falconers, Unseen, regional character options and the challenge of balancing player power against a world that is supposed to remain genuinely dangerous. And, most importantly, we actually played it. After a spoiler-free discussion of how the setting and adventure felt at our table, we go into full spoilers on our prerelease one-shot: what the players did, what Simon changed behind the GM screen, what completely went off-script and what Mirage learned from seeing another group get their hands on the adventure. FULL ONE-SHOT SPOILERS BEGIN AT 46:54. We finish by looking beyond the one-shot at travel through the Blighted Lands, madness and campaign play, the current state of development, Mirage Studios’ artwork and miniatures, the forthcoming Kickstarter and where you can meet the team next.  Sign up for the Veil of the Twisted Sands Newsletter at www.miragestudiosae.com to stay up to date on the release of their first TTRPG 

Blood Bowl takes the Warhammer world, gives it some sportsball, and somehow strategy, risk management and extreme sporting violence has become one of Games Workshop’s most enduring and beloved games. This week on The Meelas, Simon and Ibrahim take a proper deep dive into Blood Bowl after three games at the Meelas kicked off our involvement in the Emirates Blood Bowl League. We talk High Elves vs Khorne, Dwarves vs Vampires, an Abu Dhabi vs Dubai Blood Bowl day and one Dragon Prince who refuses to a) work and b) stay dead. Then we get into what makes Blood Bowl work: its history and lore, the huge variety of teams, risk management, Nuffle, league progression, player development, getting started with your first team and why Blood Bowl makes such a good side game alongside larger wargaming projects. Somewhere along the way, we eventually come up with what might be the best description of Blood Bowl yet: “Whimsical risk management.” The Meelas is an Abu Dhabi wargaming podcast hosted by Simon and Ibrahim, covering Warhammer, tabletop gaming, painting, campaigns and the UAE wargaming community. Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.

What actually makes a great game of Warhammer? In Episode 19 of The Meelas, an Abu Dhabi Wargaming Podcast, Simon and Ibrahim work through everything that happens around the dice rolls: arranging games, coming prepared, setting expectations, dealing with bad luck, how seriously to take winning, rules knowledge, gotchas, take-backs, disputes, analysis paralysis, tabletop banter and how to become the opponent people actually want to play again. Then Simon introduces Ibrahim to Nigel Stillman’s legendary Stillmania approach to Warhammer. Pick one army. Never change it. Name everything. Varnish it to death. Build a case specifically for it. Play it regardless of the odds. Does Stillmania still make sense in 2026? Ibrahim may have been converted. Elsewhere this week, we talk about our appearance on The Crown of Command Podcast and another very busy weekend at the Meelas:  Warhammer: The Old World, Horus Heresy, Warhammer 40,000 Second Edition, Trench Crusade and what's on the hobby table. What makes a great opponent for you? And would you ever commit to a Stillmania Method army? Listen to The Meelas on all major podcast platforms.

This week Tylor joins Simon and Ibrahim to tell the story of how a completely unnecessary Forge World Knight Lancer purchase turned into finding our Abu Dhabi wargaming community, a regular seat at the Meelas and a rapidly growing Sons of Horus army. Also: 2nd Ed 40K, Infinity, Middle-earth, Black Seas, Heresy list building and why there are no trade secrets in wargaming.

One of us grew up with Warhammer 40,000 Second Edition. The other started in Eighth. Why are both of us now drawn towards older editions? In Episode 17 of The Meelas, we ask what Oldhammer and Midhammer ("Retro-K") are actually trying to recreate. Is it the rules, miniatures, painting style or atmosphere? Is it the faction-specific mechanics, narrative freedom and glorious unpredictability? Can modern miniatures still feel properly retro? Before that, we talk about Black Seas, discuss painting across Infinity, AoS, TOW and 40k, then bring you the latest results from The Hollow Star of Kadavah 2nd Edition Campaign, including a remarkably low-scoring battle between the Lamenters and Thousand Sons. The Meelas is an Abu Dhabi wargaming podcast hosted by Simon and Ibrahim, covering Warhammer 40K, Horus Heresy, retro gaming, miniature painting and the wider tabletop hobby. What does Retro-K mean to you? Which older edition or forgotten game would you bring back to your table?

Which tools genuinely make miniature wargaming easier? In Episode 16 of The Meelas, Simon and Ibrahim are joined by Andrew to pool the group’s collective hobby knowledge. We cover the tools, products and little discoveries that have changed how we buy, build, paint, play and store our miniatures. That includes buying second-hand models, stripping paint, GodHand clippers, Tamiya cement, metal primer, pinning, wet palettes, brush care, weathering, Micro Set and Micro Sol, basing products, New Recruit, AI-assisted army ideas, deployment markers, gaming apps, magnetic storage and transport cases. Before the main topic, we congratulate Team GCC on their performance at the 2026 Warhammer 40,000 World Team Championship, investigate an Infinity murder mystery, try Black Seas and catch up with everything on the Meelas hobby table, including Chaos Marauders, a Storm Eagle and plenty of retro Warhammer. What tool, product or unexpected household item changed your hobby? Add your recommendations in the comments so we can expand the Meelas collective knowledge. The Meelas is an Abu Dhabi wargaming podcast covering Warhammer, Infinity and miniature gaming across the UAE and beyond.

What makes a good Warhammer homebrew, and when does something you've created start to take on a life of its own? This episode, Simon and Ibrahim discuss our Warhammer 40,000 Second Edition campaign, The Hollow Star of Kadavah, beginning in a place you might not expect. We also return to the homebrew discussion from our previous episode after the Warhammer community gave us plenty of ideas of their own. That leads us to try it live: four completely unrelated inspirations and one new Ork army created on the spot. From there, we ask what actually makes homebrew feel like it belongs in Warhammer? Elsewhere at the Meelas, an Infinity game falls victim to Nala the cat, what's on the hobby table, plus classic sci-fi TV and not-so-classic movie day. Let us know in the comments: what makes a good Warhammer homebrew for you? #Warhammer40K #Warhammer #Homebrew

This episode, Simon and Ibrahim explore the many places hobby inspiration can come from, including miniatures, faction lore, box art, painting techniques, real-world history, music and other hobbyists’ armies. We discuss how those influences become a coherent force, when inspiration turns into imitation and what happens when an ambitious painting scheme does not work as planned. Then we put the idea to the test by creating a new Space Marine force live from four unlikely prompts: the Fall of Constantinople, a System of a Down album, the colour brown and revenge. Somehow, it works? Have a listen and let us know what you'd call this chapter! Elsewhere in the episode, Ibrahim reports back from Infinity’s global campaign and a game of Maladum, we catch up on the Meelas hobby tables and Simon shares the finished Version 1.0 of The Hollow Star of Kadavah, a campaign for 40k 2nd Edition, complete with its new campaign map and battle-report hub. Download The Hollow Star of Kadavah: https://starblayde.itch.io/the-hollow-star

In Episode 13 of The Meelas, Ibrahim has committed to a Warriors of Chaos army for Warhammer: The Old World despite never having played a rank-and-flank game. We discuss what makes a new army feel like a viable project, why local players matter and when excitement risks becoming another box left on the shelf. We also talk about introducing people to niche systems such as Infinity and Dropfleet Commander, turning the dreaded pile of shame into a Library of Future Joy and how to keep a large army project moving until it finally reaches the table. Elsewhere, we catch up on an massive 4-player Horus Heresy battle, the response to our Hollow Star 40k Second Edition campaign and the creation of Ibrahim’s new Warriors of Chaos force, the Ashen Wolves.