by As the bell rang, the lecture hall emptied in a burst of enthusiasm. The students rushed out to enjoy the bright afternoon sun. As for Professor Mellal, he carefully packed his lecture notes into a worn leather satchel. He didn’t notice the two men in black suits—discreet and immaculate—waiting patiently by the door. One of them cleared his throat:
– “Your ability to hold your audience’s attention for two hours is quite the feat, Professor. Especially these days. Perhaps that whip on your desk had something to do with it?” said the man with a playful look in his eye.
Mellal allowed himself a smile and picked up the object in question.
– “It’s a working tool, indeed, but not for teaching or keeping order. No, I use it during my field expeditions,” replied the professor, adjusting his fedora.
The man nodded, as if he had been expecting that answer.
–“Exactly. It’s your adventures that brought us here today, Professor. Your curiosity for artifacts from the far corners of the world is remarkable. My client would be delighted to have you for dinner this evening.” The professor was about to wave them off with a polite gesture when his eyes caught a glimpse of their lapels, where a small pin gleamed: a stylized orange crack, like a bullet impact on glass.
“Dinner? Perfect. I’m starving… and I’ve got a ton of stories to tell him!”
Indie games, hidden treasures?
Jack Brussell: Talking about major franchises like Star Wars, Game of Thrones, or Marvel is easy. They come with hordes of fans, and just a little nudge is often enough to get them diving into miniature games — sometimes even before reading the rulebook. Indie games (Dr. Jones likes your post), on the other hand, don’t enjoy that luxury. They rely solely on their mechanics and systems to attract curious minds. But how can they shine when they’re barely given a voice — or worse, drowned out by louder publishers?
If Critical Hit wants to spotlight miniature games that live in the shadow of Games Workshop, we can’t ignore certain titles just because they’re “too small”. Defending the underdog means giving everyone a chance — not just the loudest ones.
However, with our internal logic of “1 writer = 1 game”, it’s hard to multiply writers endlessly. Gathering fifty of them? Totally unmanageable! So to overcome this issue, we needed rare profiles. Swiss army knives. Versatile players, endlessly curious, capable of jumping from one universe to another. And in that category, Mellal hit the bullseye.
Mellal is your new writer. He won’t focus on just one game, but on an entire section: indie games. He’s going to introduce you to some hidden gems — as long as you’re ready to follow him on his adventures.
So what are you waiting for? Step off the beaten path and join the expedition!
Who is Mellal?
Mellal: people often compare me to Obelix… Not because of my waistline, but because I fell into gaming when I was little and never climbed back out! I was lucky to grow up with gamer parents — my dad was even into miniatures, so you can imagine… Metal, then plastic, and now resin minis have always been my thing. Of course, I played Blood Bowl, Lord of the Rings, and Warhammer, but it was when I started exploring the countless other rule sets and miniatures out there that a whole new world opened up. From Frostgrave to Alkemy, Relicblade to Freebooter’s Fate, from sci-fi to historical — with plenty of fantasy, post-apocalyptic, and steampunk in between — I love diving into these different time-spaces that let us escape, travel, and, most of all, have a good laugh! I used to write for *Ravage* back when it still covered miniatures, and I share my favorites, battle reports, painting projects, and hobby events on my blog Palabres et songes. Last but not least: I translate a few games into French when the opportunity arises (like the rulebooks for Rangers of Shadow Deep, Relicblade, Test of Honour).
