About us

A bit of history to get to know me better. The idea of having a brick and mortar store has been a dream since 1998. Fueled by mountain dew and brainstorming “what if” during marathon RPG campaigns. Fast forward a bit and let me explain “TBL” Early 2000 I ran a D&D campaign that had a central figure, The Benevolent Lich. He was there to help while simultaneously scaring the hell out of the party and it was great fun. Later I remember needing a handle online and “The Benevolent Lich” was a bit long so I was abbreviating it one way or another. While I still lived in Alaska I actually started TBL Hobbies for the first time. Infinity had just come out, Privateer Press and others were putting out really cool skirmish games and I dove in.

While I still lived in Alaska I actually started TBL Hobbies for the first time. Infinity had just come out, Privateer Press and others were putting out really cool skirmish games and I dove in. I quickly found that shipping to Alaska was abysmal and moved to Ohio. No jokes needed lol I like being near several large cities and major gaming conventions. And I really liked that it reminded me of when I lived in Germany. I made the move but shortly afterwards some major life event happened, then the market crashed and my focus went elsewhere. I became pretty involved in the local communities and made some amazing friends. The key thing I kept wanting was that hobby hangout and the opportunity to share or teach others.
Whenever possible I tried to learn something new like web development, photography and business development. There were a few, ok a lot of missteps and several shifts in scope but I have always refused to give up on the dream. Always being there in the back of my mind I have thought about what I really “want” from all this. I realized that the entrepreneur in me needed to work in parallel with the Artist and instructor. I love all these things, but the key is to share my passion. To teach others and see the “aha moment” in their eyes when something clicks. To push my creative side as far as possible. To create something my own and be excited about it where you stop counting how many hours you have worked because you would do that “thing” no matter what.
In 2023 I dove in and began streaming on twitch and loved it. The hobby hangout and teaching, sharing things I am excited about, seeing others passion is rocket fuel to me. I had experimented a bit with Esty and drop shipping and started learning how to use adobe illustrator to make designs for merch (coming soon by the way). I began experimenting, filming and testing out lighting and all the behind the scenes stuff I would need. And then in August I dropped my first vid. Something small, a showcase of models I had painted for a commission and as I slept, I realized where I needed to take things. I had to fire up the online store finally and get rolling.
I want to do something different. I want to do unboxings and reviews for the products coming in and share the videos and pictures in the product descriptions. I want to do tutorials and guides so that those getting into a new hobby don’t feel lost scrolling through page after page of random products. I plan to do battle reports not just because it would be fun but so that new players can see the game played. I plan on attending events to share with everyone what is coming out, what the new technique is for painting or modeling. And occasionally go on one of my TBL Tangents and tell a story or three.
As far as the store goes, I am going to be snowballing the inventory. So when you would like something but see it is not in stock, or not listed yet please reach out. If I can find a distributor for what you are looking for, I will add it to the inventory and invest in even more product for the store. I plan on setting up either a subscription service on this platform or having a Patreon account with membership levels. These will give patrons a bit deeper discount and access to flash sales that only they will see. All this does is help me get the time to create more tutorials, reviews and offer classes.
Thanks for checking out the store and I look forward to hearing from you. Follow me on my socials and don’t forget to like and subscribe (practicing for YouTube lol)

TBL's Hobbies timeline milestones

While stationed in Germany I had my official intro wargaming and painting as a hobby.
2000 Began running Rogue Trader tournaments. Also explored many other games.
2008 Sold my home and moved from Alaska to Ohio.
I got out of the hobby for about 8 years while working as a contractor.
October 2020 I jumped back in and started buying more/ better hobby supplies.
January 14th Began volunteering at Ohayocon
January 20th bought my first Gundam models.
February 15th Began seriously streaming on twitch.
March 18th became a Twitch Affiliate
4/1/23 First Twitch subscriber
4/22/23 First patreon sub
8/11/2023 Released my first Youtube video
8/14/2023 Opened TBLHobbies.net