User reviews

I backed this film on Kickstarter and was very excited to find the Blu ray in my mail box yesterday. I received the digital download code about a week ago, but wanted to watch it on Blu-ray to take full advantage of my home cinema.

The focus of this documentary is very much the individuals working in this niche creative industry and their personal stories, rather than the nuts and bolts of miniature wargaming. Those who enjoyed Indie Game: The Movie. may well enjoy this film. I think the film conveys the emotions of the individuals involved in a great fly on the wall style.

A brief timeline of the history of wargaming is given and i certainly learned a few things I didn't know and found this interesting. With regards to the individual stories they engaged me and would liked to have learned more. I understand Joe is going to release a web series to expand on these stories and I look forward to those.

Watched the documentary without any knowledge about, or interest in the subject, and by the end had me interested. A good overview and look into the world of war-gaming for a new newcomer.

This is a professionally done film but really has very little to do with wargaming. A viewer unaquainted with tabletop wargaming would watch this movie and have no idea what the hobby is about.

I was a backer and although the amount of money was small, I am quite disappointed in the end result.

To be quite honest I am not really sure who would find this film interesting!

If you're a wargamer looking for another battle report this movie isn't for you. This movie is directed towards a much broader audience and is not intended to be a battle report or an advert for Games Workshop, which I have heard rumours that it almost was.

I would place this movie on par with any documentary that you would see on Netflix and reminded me of the Dwarvenaught. I found the people in the movie to be engaging and it held my interest for the entire viewing.

I didn't mind the use of stock footage, especially to illustrate Andy's story. The animations were great to watch too. I found the score to be fairly average ranging between sad walking away music to 80's synth in other parts. I felt there may need to be more of a clear direction needed in this area. Other reviewers have taken issue with the drone footage, being from Australia I didn't have this problem and found it quite picturesque. It serves to help place the protagonists, something that can be hard for foreigners to picture.

I would have liked to have seen some more behinds the scenes production footage. Eg. From conception to shop floor. However I understand that this would involve giving away potential trade secrets in an already tight knit industry.

I felt this movie was worth the £10 I paid to back the project, giving a good overview of the history of the hobby, interviews with key developers of the modern hobby and a look into the lives of those trying to make a living in the industry or those enjoying the hobby. I am very glad this movie wasn't simply a glorified battle report.

I would sum it up as being a good solid documentary about the hobby. It gives you the basic historical background and industry development in the first third. It probably has quite a few more interviews with important figures than I recall, who each highlight a certain aspect of the development of the hobby or give a brief overview of their role and involvement.

The documentary then moves on to the personal stories and lives of the handful of protagonists that make up the stories of this documentary. Roughly two thirds of the documentary deals with their struggles and exploits around the hobby or industry, and it is this part that remains at the forefront of my mind. Perhaps because by the time you've watched the last two thirds the first third has sort of faded to the back of your mind.

I agree with the filmmaker that a good documentary needs an emotional hook, a story around a character or set of characters. Good documentaries manage to combine the facts and the bigger picture with a personal, relatable story. It is a positive point that the documentary doesn't shy away from addressing the struggles with depression that a few of the protagonists have had. In fact, in a way, in parts it actually becomes a mini documentary about depression and how a hobby can be a source of support. A part of me feels that this aspect overshadows the rest of the documentary a bit, but I may change my mind on that.

The focus on certain characters also serves to highlight the struggles of the independent, one/two-man companies that make-up so much of this industry. It at least left me feeling a bit sad that it had to be such a struggle for them to bring their works to market. To indeed simply survive. You're certainly left with a greater sense of appreciation for the struggles of all the little guys out there.

A criticism I have is that the documentary didn't focus more on actual players. As I recall the focus is essentially on two friends, I would have liked at least another group/pair to give a rounder picture. I would have also liked a little more from some of the big names, a little more in depth about the design process perhaps. Although I'm not sure that is a fair criticism, and at 1:45 there probably wasn't enough room to include more, certainly not more of both without breaking the 2 hour mark.

I think the issue may be that the documentary sort off ends on a downer or doesn't exactly leave you excited about the hobby. It's not quite a celebration of the hobby that leaves you wanting to run down to the next gaming store to buy miniatures. This somewhat downbeat ending is at odds with the upbeat beginning that documents the rise of the wargaming hobby.

Nonetheless, a solid documentary that covers all the basics and gives an insight into the hobby and industry. It will definitely achieve its aim of informing the uninitiated, will probably have the odd unknown info for the casual gamer or newbie, but probably won't hold any surprises for the veterans. One has to remember that it's a documentary about the hobby as a whole. You could probably spend a whole 45 minutes on Games Workshop alone. As a first time piece of work it's certainly a job very well done.

PS: The filmmaker may have benefited from watching the Netflix series "The Toys That Made Us", although that format is probably better suited for a review of a single company, say GW.

A beautifully shot movie, with real human stories revolving around the world of miniature wargaming. A great blend of the history, development, manufacturing and game playing involved with the hobby, interspersed with the every day life (and very real struggles) of four ordinary people involved in different ways with Wargaming. Very moving and engaging - I watched the movie with non-hobbiest friends and they were hooked virtually from the start. A different approach, yes, but still a fantastic effort for a first time Director.

I really enjoyed this movie, the only thing I knew about miniature war gaming before watching this, was that my son plays it and enjoys painting the figures. It was nice to learn abit about the history as I did not realise it went back so far, I enjoyed watching the movie and found the stories of the main characters very interesting and moving, I also thought the camera work was great and really kept me interested, as a whole I would definitely recommend this movie, especially to other parents who have no clue about miniature war gaming and there kids/young adults play the game, so that they too can gain some insider information to talk about with there kids.

I was pleasantly surprised, a documentary that didn't bore me to tears! A different approach that has some lovely visuals. It's a "warts and all" movie that follows the story of four individuals and their different experiences - up and down - all linked with the wargaming hobby/Industry. I enjoyed it, and I'm a little bemused by some of the negative reviews as I found the movie to be informative without going down the route of being a "rivet counters" manual. Overall a great effort.

I was excited to back this on the first go round. I've also been able to message and talk to the director several times throughout the process through email. This movie is very well done. I was expecting interviews that would be important to me and gamers, but little for "regulars". Instead we got a very nice personal, human story that was his view all along. I was very pleased with the film. Great insights. My only complaint was not being able to see the full interviews.....but that will hopefully be added soon! (Wargaming Stories...cannot wait). I have been privileged to make money from gaming during my life, for over 15 years. Many of those interviewed I have met, worked with or just know from conventions, etc. I know how passionate they and wargames can be on this topic, and this film helps bring that out.

An excellent documentary. Very well done.

The stories are compelling and the historical section is very informative. I loved the use of animation in the film. Watching as someone who doesn't know a lot about wargaming I really enjoyed the film.

I agree entirely with the views expressed by jibbahabba-40832 which I think is a fair and accurate review.

I didn't have any preconceptions about the film, but was surprised by what I saw. I found it quite moving in parts and thoroughly absorbing.

I feel the way the individual stories were handled agains the backdrop of the big hitters in the hobby was handled with skill and sensitivity.

In my humble opinion it was a very professional job and well worth the wait. It also opened my eyes to all the hard work Joe and the team put in to bring it to fruition.

I would have preferred more "eye candy", with perhaps a little more coverage of the gaming aspect of the hobby, but I agree the film would have probably been a lot longer as a consequence.

It was in my view an unusual approach, but well done.

I thought Minature War gaming the Movie was really interesting ,as someone who doesn't know a lot about the hobby I thought it gave a concise history and explanation of minature wargaming .The production and direction was really clever as you felt so connected to the subjects of the film, which helped you understand why so many people invest such time and money in to minature wargaming. For me it felt like a socially insightful film based around miniature wargaming which I thought was fantastic, after all it is a movie!

I have a passing interest in gaming but found the documentary hugely informative and entertaining to the point where I have actually taken up painting miniatures again some 25 years after I stopped. The human stories here are truly compelling, and we get terrific insight into the history of the hobby.

Didn't really know what to expect but found the documentary interesting, entertaining and quite captivating. Great job!