July 31, 2026
Greetings from The Voice…
Once again, The Engine is too busy to bother answering, but I did say last month that I’d walk through the process of character concept to final sculpt. I’ll jump into that right after a little update on regular proceedings.
As we get closer to the launch of T2E Season 1, work continues on all aspects of the remainder of work that needs to be completed. I’ve started concepts on some of the remaining characters for The Guardians of the 100 Acres Woods, and am refining most of Tesla’s Shadowcoils. As for the remaining Company’s, The Orphanage still has an outstanding DegenUrkin to do, I’m not happy with the third option I put together as I don’t think it quite fits the overall aesthetic of the line (it’s a bit too creepy). The Wailing Death are sketch complete. The Journeymen are sketch complete. The Scruitineers are color complete. The Guardians still need half a dozen concepts. Scotland Yard has need of three concepts, and The Inquisition is sketch complete and roughly 80% color complete. Now I don’t expect to have everything color complete before the crowdfunding campaign (CFC), but they will be for the book release.
On the rules front, I have been working on a new algorithm and system for character generation to better balance all the abilities and bring characters closer to ‘on point’...that’s taking a while as there are a number of systems in the character stats and abilities to valuate. I am also working on additional campaign rules, updated Alchemancy rules (including levels, new schools and some additional details to be revealed later), along with what I would call a ‘Design Bible’ that lays down ground rules and basic laws to follow when creating for Twisted.
And finally…writing continues as the last dozen or so stories for Season 1 come together. If y’all have been keeping an eye on the website, I hope you’ve noticed a couple of entries in the Chronicles section. This section will continue to grow and expand as we lead up to the CFC and well beyond as we continue to provide back story for characters, introduce new plot lines and develop the lore in and out of the main timeline.
Also of note, the Twisted Companion App is live on both Google and Apple stores. It is currently up to date for all T1E rules and stats, and will be updated when any changes are made, on top of that, it will get a complete update once T2E rolls out.
The more savvy users will find some well hidden Easter Eggs.
In my time as an artist, animator, designer and developer, I’ve had the honor and privilege of working on some well known and well loved characters in various ways, Gizmo, Wreck-It Ralph, the cast of the Dark Crystal, monsters from Labyrinth, Fraggles, Sonic the Hedgehog and company and Conan the Barbarian to name a few. I have also been blessed to create and develop many unique characters in multiple genres and platforms over the course of my career as well, from books to video games, board and tabletop games, I’ve been able to spin up and spin down the lives of many imaginary heroes, villains and just plain old regular joes. For this update, let’s take a look at moving from conversations and ideas to artwork and finally physical model.
As Twisted is obviously a tabletop game with many a character crawling from the pages of history in one way or another and their random supporting cast, how do we get from asking ‘who do we add next?’ to literal miniature in hand?
For Sir Winston Poogh, the answer begins with a sketch from our friend and former contributor Craig Clark, who first pitched the character and produced the wonderfully loose sketch shown here. Craig has sadly since passed away, but his ideas remain part of Twisted. Sir Craigstopher Robbins, another member of the Commandos, was named in his honour.
Craig’s original pitch was wonderfully straightforward: Sir Winston Poo, a heavily armed gentleman who is “done hunting Hephalumphs.” The rough sketch already contains most of the character’s essential visual ingredients—a large, imposing hunter dressed for the field, an unreasonable amount of firepower, and a much smaller companion carrying an equally unreasonable number of guns.
That small companion would become Gruntles, Winston’s Ammo Pyg and Gentlefolk familiar. The relationship between the two was present almost from the beginning. Winston carried the authority and selected the target; Gruntles made certain he never suffered the indignity of running out of the appropriate ammunition—or the appropriate gun.
A rough drawing does not need to answer every question. In fact, it probably shouldn’t. Its job is to capture the idea before too much practical thought frightens it away. Once we decide that an idea belongs in Twisted, we begin asking the less entertaining but very necessary questions. Who is this character? Where do they belong? What distinguishes them from the rest of their Company? What will players understand by looking at the miniature from across the table? Most importantly, does the idea feel Twisted rather than simply a historical or literary reference dressed in steampunk clothing?
After approval, the finished sculpt is prepared for production. The exact process depends on the intended material, the requirements of the model and the production partner handling it. Masters are prepared, molds or tooling are created, and test pieces are checked before the miniature moves into full production. This is another stage where tiny adjustments can become necessary, because what works perfectly as artwork—or even as a digital sculpt—must still work as a physical object that can be produced reliably and assembled by players.
Interestingly, the completion of a miniature does not always mean the completion of the character.
The Winston originally presented alongside the sculpt was primarily a lone hunter: a gentleman roaming the wilds in search of Heffalumps and other dangerous quarry. That idea remains part of him, but as the Queen’s Court and the Commandos of the Hundred Acre Woods developed for T2E, Winston’s role grew considerably.
Sir Winston Poogh is now a highly decorated military officer and commander of one of the Crown’s most specialised forces. He is aloof, self-important and absolutely certain of his own authority, but he is not merely posturing. Winston has the experience and firepower to support that confidence. Where the original character hunted monsters, the current Winston is responsible for the security of the Crown’s interests in the Hundred Acre Woods—and, when necessary, well beyond them.
The physical design still works because Craig’s original idea contained the right foundation. Winston already looked like a character accustomed to entering dangerous country heavily armed and expecting to prevail. The story simply revealed that his responsibilities were much larger than we first knew.
That, in many ways, is the full Twisted character-development process. An idea may begin with a joke, a historical figure, a piece of literature, an old myth or a rough sketch in the margin of a page. It passes through writers, artists and sculptors, each adding something while trying to preserve what made the original idea worth pursuing. It eventually becomes a physical miniature—but even then, The Engine may not be finished with it.
Sir Winston Poogh and Gruntles will return as part of the Commandos of the Hundred Acre Woods in T2E. We’ll have much more to reveal about Winston, Craigstopher Robbins and the rest of the Company as we move closer to the crowdfunding campaign.
Until next time, may The Engine show you the way forward.
An independent tabletop game studio creating immersive experiences set in the Victorian steampunk world of Twisted.
THE GAME
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Getting Started
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THE WORLD
Dickensians
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Scions of the Sand
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THE MINIATURES
About our Miniatures
Painting Guide I
Painting Guide II
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