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First off: Points are 1500 value in the UK and can be played on a 4x4 table. Some GW stores don't even let games above 1500 pts be played in stores. In the US standard values are 1850. Maybe it's a matter of in the US everything is bigger? (The games, the food, the people?) Also it might be because incomes are lower in the UK vs. America so smaller armies?

Secondly there are not as many independent stores so often times the GW store is where you will play. Apart from historicals, 40k is by far the most popular sci-fi game and Warmahordes, Infinity, etc are all niche games.

Thirdly: There are not as many tournaments like the ITC in the UK/Europe - No NOVA no adepticon... focus on more on causal play.

Fourthly: There are more 2/3 man GW stores in the UK whereas in the US it is almost exclusively one man stores. There are even some HUGE Warhammer stores like the one in Glasgow and Aberdeen with big playing table spaces. Warhammer World honestly is nothing too special but it also has lots of gaming tables.

Anything I'm missing? Fill me in

40k in the uk/Europe is way more competitive then it is here in North America. Don't get me wrong we are competitive but they are next level. Want prof just ask anyone on the etc team from the USA, they have someone really good players on there team.

Really? I've always gotten the impression it was America that was super competitive.

To your first point: I'm not sure why that is. As I understand it the UK in particular has more of a broad fanbase for Warhammer/40k, generally speaking. It could simply be that the wider range of people playing the game in the UK results in a lower median points value readily available or comfortably played. Most people at NA FLGS tend to either be beginners or what I'll call 'enthusiasts' (borrowing from the PC world). Enthusiasts tend to buy more, paint more, and thus may wish to play larger games to make use of new or different models.

As to your second I'm sure that GW being based in the UK has some effect on the prevalence of the titular stores. That said there is no doubt that the FLGS is the standard in NA. Canada and the US are both rather large geographically which may affect GW's ability to saturate with the stores which already face significant competition from FLGS.

In terms of other games, I think most of the people in that broader Warhammer/40k base I alluded to above may be content to play games with fewer points in the UK where in NA they seem to have gravitated to alternate games. The skirmish games are quite popular here and I think part of that is to do with GW's reduced hold on the hobby here in NA relative to the UK.

I couldn't really speak to the tournaments. I play casually; I've run many groups and campaigns for casual games/gamers and never lacked for participation. I think that the casual gamers are as much a thing here as in the UK but I will say that most of them aren't the sort to be on Dakka arguing over rules interpretations.

GW stores struggle here in NA. No doubt about it. Part of it has to do with existing FLGS and cultures which encourage entrepreneurship. Part of it has to do with GW having a more narrowed fan-base here in the NA with fewer older brothers/sisters/parents introducing the next generation to the hobby (which is conversely something I read quite often from UK posters in particular). Then there is the prevalence of skirmish games, board games, and MtG.

Ultimately I think that most of the marked differences between NA and the UK are a result of GW's appealing to a wider base in the UK. It's rare to meet a UK gamer that doesn't participate in a GW game or know somebody who does. Here in NA a gamer you meet is just as likely to be playing Warmahordes or X-Wing, perhaps even more so. I have less direct interaction with European gamers but whilst the competitive scene may be similar with regards to the UK, alternate games and such do seem to be quite popular in Europe as well.

It massively varies, even within a small local area.

For instance, just within the major metro area of my home city, there are four major 40k playing groups.

-one plays at a relatively large space, has a lot of players who rotate in and out, relatively few regulars, and a very competitive play level

-Another plays in a somewhat smaller space, has nearly as many players, but has a far lower competitive level generally sitting in the middle

-Another is crammed in a basement play space and is generally shoved into the back by a huge number of card gamers/other mini game players. They are fairly competitive, but their playerbase is always declining as they get screwed royally by their store

-A final one rents out a bar, has a tiny but incredibly dedicated player group, and outright bans people if they play anything that even indicates the person might have designed their armies with gameplay in mind.