CJ Shearwood
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cj.shearwood.games
CJ Shearwood
@cj.shearwood.games
330 followers 160 following 730 posts
Wargamer, Software Engineer, Game & Miniature Designer, owner of @epigram.games, Mad Scientist. Blogs infrequently at https://improbable.solutions

they/them, photo by Mark Hawkins for PyCon UK
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cj.shearwood.games
You’ve just died and the 6th photo in your phone is what killed you

Well it’s fitting at least
A heavily converted GW Stompa
November 9, 2025 at 12:06 PM
cj.shearwood.games
Orktober is coming to an end, but the Stompa is nearly done. Needs some final detailing but most of everything has colour on it and the rust is basically done here.

#paintingWarhammer #warhammerCommunity #nerdlings
A heavily converted GW stompa, now mostly painted
October 30, 2025 at 10:04 PM
cj.shearwood.games
Orktober might be ending but a stompa is forever
A heavily converted GW Stompa
October 27, 2025 at 2:55 PM
cj.shearwood.games
improbable.solutions/2025/10/25/y...

Vocat Cataegis, my reaver titan, took two hundred hours and several months of my life. The process is documented as fully as I can in this blog post. I think you'd enjoy it.

#warhammerCommunity #nerdlings #horusHeresy #paintingMiniatures #adeptusTitanicus
An image spread of a reaver titan, with various closeup images.
October 25, 2025 at 5:03 PM
cj.shearwood.games
improbable.solutions/2025/10/24/d...

In 2023 I wrote a game called The Spade War, and publishers told me they loved the idea but they'd never publish it because it required people to build trenches.

Recent thoughts about game design made me want to write a little about it, so here it is.
A model of a trench, with several unpainted plastic models of french and germain soldiers in it
October 24, 2025 at 10:21 AM
cj.shearwood.games
Orktober rumbles on and the stompa build is complete! I've replaced the chainsaw with a circular saw, added a belly gun, extended the gun arm, replaced the jaw and shoulder turret.

THE DREAD STOMPA WALKS.

#nerdlings #warhammerCommunity #paintingMiniatures #orktober
A GW ork stompa with extensive modification: - The chainsaw arm has been replaced with a large circular saw. - The head has had its jaw replaced with the ram from the battlewagon, and the horns have been replaced with portholes. - The shoulder turret has been replaced with the battlewagon turrets, and the gun in the turret has been replaced with a zappa. - The gun arm has been extended signficantly, the main gun replaced with a zapper, the sub-guns have been rearranged. - The left shoulder has been replaced with part of the chest icon - A belly gun has been added Same but from a different angle, also showing the rebuilt turret hatch
October 20, 2025 at 10:02 PM
cj.shearwood.games
It is Orktober and that can mean one thing and one thing only.

STOMPA

#paintingWarhammer #warhammerCommunity #warhammer40k #nerdlings
A GW ork stompa partially built but heavily converted. The right arm has had the chainsaw swapped for a gaunt circular saw, and the left arm has been lengthened so it is carrying the gun vertically. It also has a belly gun and a new jaw on its head.
October 13, 2025 at 9:53 PM
cj.shearwood.games
The thallax are here to help. Please stop screaming, they're very friendly.

#paintingMiniatures #horusHeresy #warhammerCommunity #nerdlings
Three Thallax on a spaceship, the thallax are very heavily damaged, showing the skulls behind the visors
October 10, 2025 at 11:24 AM
cj.shearwood.games
And so the goal of the next six months as I wrap up Hypersteel Meatgrinder and a mystery small project is to find someone to work with who wants to help be bring a vision of a 1980s gone wrong to life. It's not going to be easy, but the worthwhile things never are.
It's a map of the moon, annotated with locations of moon bases (and the line of contact between the US and Soviets)
October 7, 2025 at 10:51 PM
cj.shearwood.games
So I'm left with three options:
1) acknowledge that the plan is Too Much™️ and scale things back
2) throw caution to the wind and do it all myself anyway
3) bring in help

I really want to do #3. Epigram was started with Evie Moriarty, and I am incredibly proud of what with achieved with Hypersteel.
The whole game board, it's only 2ft by 2ft, and the miniatures are 10-15mm tall.
October 7, 2025 at 10:51 PM
cj.shearwood.games
I've been running @epigram.games solo for about six months now and it's been difficult. Not because any one part of running the company is hard, but because I've got to do everything whilst also holding down my day job.

I write the rules, I layout the books, I sculpt and paint and cast the minis.
Another view of the game board, showing two more fireteams of marines next to a construction rover.
October 7, 2025 at 10:51 PM
cj.shearwood.games
I worked on the game years ago, and was originally going to work with another wargames company to get it released, but things never quite lined up and so instead I want to bring it out myself.

I designed miniatures, wrote rules, there is a game that's about 80% ready to go. So what's the problem?
Photos of a game board, where two groups of cosmonauts attack some US marines guarding a half finished moon base constructed from a spent rocket stage.
October 7, 2025 at 10:51 PM
cj.shearwood.games
The pitch is it's a tiny self contained wargame, set in an alternate 1980s where the space race never ended, and the cold war spirals out of control on the moon thanks to some shockingly poor decisions and a general feeling that what happens on the moon stays on the moon.
It's a photo from the moon of an astronaut saluting the US flag, with a lunar rover in the background. The text "Able Artemis" "Armed Conflict on Earth's Moon" is at the top right.
October 7, 2025 at 10:51 PM
cj.shearwood.games
So I'm about halfway through the layout for Hypersteel Meatgrinder (infantry expansion to hypersteelnightmare.com) and as is inevitable, my mind is cast to the next proper project.

I really want to make Able Artemis, my Cold War Gone Hot On the Moon wargame/alternate history. 🧵
The shadow of an astronaut, but he's carrying a gun
October 7, 2025 at 10:51 PM
cj.shearwood.games
Robots you say?
A Games Workshop Reaver Titan, painted in a quartered blue and white scheme with the white corners either black and white checkermark or black and white chevrons, standing on a dead Imperial Knight, painted in red and gold. The reaver is armed with a gattling cannon, a melta cannon and a vulcan megabolter.
October 3, 2025 at 12:26 PM
cj.shearwood.games
Behold, Vocat Cataegis. My full scale reaver titan. The work of months, I tried today to get some decent photos of it, but goodness it's hard. So please enjoy this 360 turnaround.

#nerdlings #paintingMiniatures #adeptusTitanicus #warhammerCommunity #horusHeresy #yesThatIsAnEntireKnightOnTheBase
September 28, 2025 at 6:28 PM
cj.shearwood.games
I have nearly finished my work on Vocat Cataegis, my full scale reaver titan. In the process of building it I’ve taken nearly 150 photos.

Tomorrow is photo day for the titan, but I hope you might enjoy this peak into the construction process.

#nerdlings #warhammerCommunity #paintingMiniatures
September 28, 2025 at 12:09 AM
cj.shearwood.games
I painted these prototype Compact tanks for Hypersteel Nightmare (still on the docket for production, the last few months have been rough)

#nerdlings #findFolkFriday #paintingMiniatures #hypersteelNightmare
A series of green tanks and armoured vehicles
September 26, 2025 at 7:41 PM
cj.shearwood.games
Vocat Cataegis (my reaver titan) is almost complete. There's still a few minor details here and there as well as the base left to finish.

I feel like the base maybe needs something more though. What do you think?

#warhammerCommunity #paintingWarhammer #horusHeresy #nerdlings #adeptusTitanicus
A nearly complete Forgeworld Reaver Titan, painted in the colours of Legio Tempestus. It is standing on a dead imperial knight, painted in a red and gold colour scheme. A closeup of the carapace weapon, a Vulcan Megabolter. It has been converted from a warhound weapon. A closeup of the carapace, showing the text on the scrollwork. At the bottom it reads "VOCAT CATAEGIS" (the titan's name) and above it reads "DULCE ET DECORUM EST A VI MACHINAE DIVINAE INTERFICI" or "It is good and proper to die by the might of the god machine". The outermost text is the artist's signature and a date.
September 12, 2025 at 11:20 PM
cj.shearwood.games
Planning the reaver top plate is a whole endeavour, but I think I'm happy with this plan.
A photomanipulation of a pen drawing and a photo of the titan top plate showing an idea for the writing on the scrollwork The pen drawing on its own, with the centre banner reading "VOCAT CATAEGIS", the titan's name, roughly translated to "the voice of the tempest/lightning", and the smaller banners read "DULCE ET DECORUM EST A VI MACHINAE DIVINAE INTERFICI" or roughly "It is good and proper to be killed by the god engine's might".
September 5, 2025 at 4:52 PM
cj.shearwood.games
Vocat Cataegis is nearing completion! I'm not going to have her finished for the weekend, but it's geting very exciting.

#paintingWarhammer #horusHeresy #nerdlings #warhammerCommunity #miniatures #paintingMiniatures
A Games Workshop Reaver Titan with melta cannon, gattling blaster and vulcan megabolter, stepping on a dead imperial knight. It is painted in Legio Tempestus colours, quartered between a mottled blue in top left and bottom right (as the viewer sees) and then black and white on the other two quadrants, the bottom left is chevrons, the top right is diamonds. The melta cannon has a cowling painted in hazard stripe chevrons. The vulkan megabolter is converted from a warhound bolter. The base is custom, with large shell craters, and a dead imperial knight under the right foot. It is unpainted. Most of the trim is now silver, but some is still unpainted, and it still needs panel lining and highlights. There are details across the titan that still need painting too.
September 5, 2025 at 2:18 PM
cj.shearwood.games
Continuing work on my reaver titan Vocat Cataegis. Spent last night working on the top plate and rendering out all the details here, but still need to write the titan's name on the scrollwork.

#paintingWarhammer #horusHeresy #warhammerCommunity #nerdlings #paintingMiniatures
The carapace plate of a Games Workshop Reaver Titan. It has been partially painted: the armour is halved left to right with the left side a mottled dark blue, the right side is a black and white diamond pattern. The bulk of the plate is taken up by a large bronze aquilla above heavily rendered scrollwork and a large heraldic shield. The shield is light blue (with a gradient running to a dark, desaturated blue) with three yellow lightning bolts. The trim is unpainted and there is overspray from the armour panel on the carapace weapon mount.
September 3, 2025 at 9:53 AM
cj.shearwood.games
It’s titan o’clock
The head of a reaver titan, with the interior painted in a cream colour. The crew are wearing silver armour with uniforms that are quartered between blue and white and black checkers. The interior is quite heavily beaten up. The same model, but from behind now, showing the view screens which are edged in brass. The main view screen shows an ork titan dead ahead, whilst the right hand the screen shows a screenshot from the game X wing.
August 25, 2025 at 11:38 AM
cj.shearwood.games
Vocat Cataegis might not be walking yet, but her cockpit is nearly done.

#warhammerCommunity #nerdlings #paintingMiniatures #adeptusTitanicus
The head of a games workshop reaver titan, with the interior almost completely painted. The exposed front section is painted black as you will not see it when the head armour is on, but the islands have all been painted a bright green. Inside is painted ivory with plenty of accumulated dirt and scratches. The two moderati I’m wearing steel coloured shoulder plates with one blue sleeve and one black and white diamond pattern sleeve. Behind them is a grey door with a hazard stripe running down the middle of it. Continuing from the previous photo this photo is taken from behind and to the right, and it shows several screens, many dials and some pipework. The right hand crewmember is playing X-Wing on their display. The centre display shows the targeting view of the Titan, with an ork Titan in the distance. This image follows on but shows it from the rear left, giving a better view of the dials on the left-hand side of the cockpit. Below the dials is a heart rate monitor.
August 22, 2025 at 10:14 PM
cj.shearwood.games
Finally, my misspent youth is worth something
Ughh! You got 9 correct answers out of 20 questions
August 18, 2025 at 8:49 AM