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By Shane O’Neill Dec. 25, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET Looks like it’s time to break out the games again. Though, if you’re one of thousands of people around the world who play Warhammer, you probably never put it away in the first place.
Warhammer 40,000, a tabletop game set in a dystopian fictional universe, is not new. But a pandemic-fueled frenzy for science fiction and fantasy games like Dungeons & Dragons has introduced it to a whole new group of players.
Often referred to as Warhammer 40k, the game is played on tabletop terrains with models that players assemble, modify and paint. The game itself requires a lot of arithmetic, as well as a rule book, dice, measuring tape (to determine a character’s range of motion) and an optional laser (to ascertain a clear sightline to attack). The costs add up fast: Acquiring and readying enough new models for a proper game can run a player upward of $400.
But those costs don’t seem to be a deterrent.
Warhammer 40k is the most popular property made by its parent company, Games Workshop. Its popularity has helped the company’s stock price, which has risen by more than 60 percent in the last two years.
Celebrity players, including Ed Sheeran and Ansel Elgort, have drawn more attention to the game. Shayna Baszler, a WWE wrestler, has sported severalcostumes modeled on imagery from the Warhammer universe.
The actor Henry Cavill mentioned his hobby of assembling and painting Warhammer figures during a recent appearance on “The Graham Norton Show.”
“Can I come over and play?” asked Tom Holland, Mr. Cavill’s fellow superhero actor and guest on the show. “It sounds amazing.”
For longtime Warhammer players, the new embrace of the game has been a welcome surprise.
“Warhammer has always been this closet nerdy game that people just play with their weird toy soldiers and it’s like, ‘Why are adults doing this?’” said Nick Nanavati, 27, a professional Warhammer commentator who founded a coaching company for competitive Warhammer players called Art of War. “And it’s becoming more of this mainstream type of thing where nerd culture is becoming a lot more accepted by the public.”
Though the Warhammer universe is expansive and complex, it’s not necessary to understand all of its rules and lore to appreciate the game.
“If you want to build models, you can just build models,” Ruby Guest, 25, said in a Zoom interview.
Ms. Guest, the daughter of Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest, is a longtime Warhammer fan. When she was in high school in Los Angeles, she and two classmates who called themselves “the nerd herd” led a successful campaign to throw a Warhammer-themed prom.
Warhammer’s first rule book was published by Games Workshop in 1987. But over the last several years, the world of the game has expanded significantly, as has its fan base.
“We’ve definitely grown a lot in the last six or seven years, and I think a lot if it is that we engaged our fan base,” said Andy Smillie, 37, the marketing and digital director for Games Workshop. Part of that effort was the creation of Warhammer Plus, a subscription service that offers “animations apps, shows and more” for $5.99 a mont
The game’s current popularity may have something to do with its dark themes, which feel well suited to these difficult times. There are no so-called good guys in the Warhammer 40k universe. The humans of Warhammer are mostly divided between the Imperium of Man — a fascistic cohort who serve a “god-emperor” that requires 1,000 human souls to be sacrificed to him daily — and their sworn enemies, the Forces of Chaos.
Most fans have a tongue-in-cheek or campy appreciation for the various factions within the game’s universe, which include Orks, Space Marines and a murderous division of human women called the Adepta Sororitas. But some Warhammer fans have forged more direct ties from the fictional realm of Warhammer to the actual politics of present-day earth.
In 2019, Fabrizio Galli, a sculptor, unveiled a gigantic puppet depicting President Donald J. Trump in the garb of the Imperium of Man’s god-emperor at a celebration in Italy. Mr. Galli referred to the puppet as a “joke.”
This fall, at a Warhammer 40k tournament in Spain, a competitor arrived wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with conjoined swastikas and another symbol associated with hate groups. The incident, and the tournament’s decision to allow the player to remain at the tournament, created controversy in online Warhammer communities.
In response, Games Workshop issued a statement that condemned any fans’ affiliations with real-world hate groups. “The Imperium is Driven by Hate,” the statement’s headline read. “Warhammer Is Not.”
“I think there’s a difference between rooting for the Imperium of Man on a tabletop and rooting for their ideology in real life,” Mr. Smillie said. “And I think most people get that.”
Players interviewed for this article seemed to agree. “I think this hobby brings people together,” Ezekiel Lytle, 26, said at the Brooklyn Strategist, a shop where he teaches Warhammer and sells custom-painted Warhammer figurines.
Several other Warhammer fans at the Brooklyn Strategist emphasized that Warhammer games had put them in touch with people from a variety of backgrounds. Everyone interviewed for this article, however, noted that Warhammer fans skew heavily male.
Mr. Lytle cited Warhammer as an alternative to screen-heavy hobbies. Once a competitive video gamer, he returned to his childhood Warhammer hobby a few years ago. “Once I picked up Warhammer again, I never picked up my controller,” he said.
Travis Cheng, who was at the store for its brunch event, walked me through an abbreviated “skirmish.” He played as two space marines against my four members of the T’au, whom he referred to as “space communists.” The space communists technically won, but I can’t really take credit for it; Mr. Cheng was playing for both of us.
Edited for formatting/copy-paste errors
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/12/25 20:31:04
Article seems rather....... unfocused? Not really sure what the point of it is as it seems to kinda buckshot talking points about the hobby/IP and giving quotes from various people without doing anything to actually expand upon any particular idea. The topics touched upon require a lot more information to make any sense of and yet the writer didn't do anywhere near enough to provide anything remotely informative to an outsider to understand what they are talking about.
"Hold my shoota, I'm goin in"
Armies (7th edition points)
7000+ Points Death Skullz
4000 Points
+ + 3000 Points "The Fiery Heart of the Emperor"
3500 Points "Void Kraken" Space Marines
3000 Points "Bard's Booze Cruise"
At that time here in Italy no journalist from the main media got the 40k vibe on that sculpt, they all referred to it as some sort of "demonic emperor".
And I'm shocked to read that Nick Nanavati is only 27, I thought he was in his 40s.
Togusa wrote: “Warhammer has always been this closet nerdy game that people just play with their weird toy soldiers and it’s like, ‘Why are adults doing this?’”
For the love of Satan can we kill this annoying ass trope.
Why do adults watch grown ass men squat two feet from each other and throw leather around for hours?
Why do they hang solid brass nuts from their trucks?
Hahaha. Nice one/s
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Racerguy180 wrote: It's the NY Times, not exactly a bastion of journalistic excellence now is it?
It's the bastion of journalistic excellence we deserve?
I mean, it's really just a fluff piece anyways. They're not exactly putting their A listers on 40k either, lol.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/12/26 08:51:27
Acquiring and readying enough new models for a proper game can run a player upward of $400.
Cheap, isn't it.
Compare this e.g. with model train (Märklin or Fleischmann). That's the cost of one (more expensive) locomotive.
Smoking or watching sports (here it's exactly 400$ just to have access to the beloved team's games for a year) are both considered non particularly expensive activities and yet they're likely more expensive than our hobby on in the long run, aka taking 3+ years into account, on average and massively more expensive if you consider a significantly longer period, like 7-10 years.
They're simply both much cheaper as upfront costs.
Blackie wrote: Wow, I forgot about Galli's Trump sculpt.
At that time here in Italy no journalist from the main media got the 40k vibe on that sculpt, they all referred to it as some sort of "demonic emperor".
I remember seeing that and at the time and if I recall, The Emperor was listed in a funny way in one of the big 30K/AoD books implying there were plans to make him playable model and well, I got some amusing ideas. I had hoped to find an "Emperor Trump head" some where on the internet. Just for laughs and a good eye roll from my friends. Would have like to have painted it as if it were in stage show makeup, like we've seen in the show Rome when they have the pantomime shows. Grimdark and hilarious.
As to the article, skimmed it, probably a slow news day and nerdy hobbies have been trendy recently so it's just page fodder.
Not even new really but maybe someone will read it and get a starter box for their kids or remember they used to play and come back.
The rewards of tolerance are treachery and betrayal.
Remember kids, Games Workshop needs you more than you need them.
Also, the "400$" for a "Proper" army quote is insane. Ugh, more trash journalism.
Yes because it's impossible to build an army for $400. For 2k points of models, glue, clippers, primer, paint, rulebook, and codex you're looking at more than $400 unless you buy a giant pile of mistakes from someone on ebay.
Cool but an army isn't 2k points, it's whatever you have as your stuff. So it is in fact extremely easy to get an army for under £400. In fact, a Combat Patrol and the 40k Paint + Tools set will only set you back £112.50 and in every case gives you enough units to play the beginner level of 40k.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/12/26 17:29:21
Gert wrote: Cool but an army isn't 2k points, it's whatever you have as your stuff. So it is in fact extremely easy to get an army for under £400. In fact, a Combat Patrol and the 40k Paint + Tools set will only set you back £112.50 and in every case gives you enough units to play the beginner level of 40k.
Sure but a "proper" army would be the standard game size which is 2k points. You can play baseball with a round pinecone, a stick and a milk carton but I wouldn't call that "proper" baseball equipment
I'm not getting into a huge discussion about what the "proper" way to play 40k is, the only thing that is true is that £400 is not an average starter cost unless you're playing something like Knights or have decided to jump in headfirst and get expensive kits.
2000 points of Neophyte Hybrids is . . . Using 80 points per squad. . . $1,100 US.
If only armies were made up of more than Intercessors and Hybrids and GW sold discount boxes specifically targeted at newstarts. Man that would be just amazing wouldn't it?
hobojebus wrote: Yeah it's no longer a game kids can afford to play, which is a big issue since eventually older players will disappear.
That's such nonsense. The starter sets are specifically cheap and easy kits to get and the only way "kids" aren't going to be able to afford to play 40k is if local scenes price them out by exclusively playing 2k point tournament-style games.
This is the same stupid thing over and over again where people whine that 40k is too expensive to get into and then it turns out they put caveat after caveat on what "proper" 40k is. You are not meant to start 40k with 2k point armies, that has never been the case and GW has never sold it as that. You start off with the Starter sets, Battleforces, Start Collectings, or Combat Patrols and work your way through the systems of the game from Patrol to Incursion, Strike Force, and Onslaught as the end goal.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/12/26 18:22:46
I remember seeing that and at the time and if I recall, The Emperor was listed in a funny way in one of the big 30K/AoD books implying there were plans to make him playable model and well, I got some amusing ideas. I had hoped to find an "Emperor Trump head" some where on the internet. Just for laughs and a good eye roll from my friends. Would have like to have painted it as if it were in stage show makeup, like we've seen in the show Rome when they have the pantomime shows. Grimdark and hilarious.
Gert wrote: Cool but an army isn't 2k points, it's whatever you have as your stuff. So it is in fact extremely easy to get an army for under £400. In fact, a Combat Patrol and the 40k Paint + Tools set will only set you back £112.50 and in every case gives you enough units to play the beginner level of 40k.
Sure but a "proper" army would be the standard game size which is 2k points. You can play baseball with a round pinecone, a stick and a milk carton but I wouldn't call that "proper" baseball equipment
So I'd like to suggest a vocabulary adjustment.
It is true that 2k points is the most common size of game; this is because that is the most common tournament size.
It is equally true, however, that GW designed the game for 4 "Standard Sizes" - there is ongoing mission support for all four sizes of game in at least one of the three modes of play.
Therefore, I suggest that people who mean "Tournament Style Play" ie. 2k matched, should use that language, because 25 PL Crusade is equally "standard" even if YOU don't play it.
A "standard game" is whatever the group you play with says it is, honestly.
You know you're really doing something when you can make strangers hate you over the Internet. - Mauleed
Just remember folks. Panic. Panic all the time. It's the only way to survive, other than just being mindful, of course-but geez, that's so friggin' boring. - Aegis Grimm
Hallowed is the All Pie The Before Times: A Place That Celebrates The World That Was
I remember seeing that and at the time and if I recall, The Emperor was listed in a funny way in one of the big 30K/AoD books implying there were plans to make him playable model and well, I got some amusing ideas. I had hoped to find an "Emperor Trump head" some where on the internet. Just for laughs and a good eye roll from my friends. Would have like to have painted it as if it were in stage show makeup, like we've seen in the show Rome when they have the pantomime shows. Grimdark and hilarious.
I've seen a couple 40K compatible Orange Man heads on Cults for free.
You know you're really doing something when you can make strangers hate you over the Internet. - Mauleed
Just remember folks. Panic. Panic all the time. It's the only way to survive, other than just being mindful, of course-but geez, that's so friggin' boring. - Aegis Grimm
Hallowed is the All Pie The Before Times: A Place That Celebrates The World That Was
2000 points of Neophyte Hybrids is . . . Using 80 points per squad. . . $1,100 US.
If only armies were made up of more than Intercessors and Hybrids and GW sold discount boxes specifically targeted at newstarts. Man that would be just amazing wouldn't it?
It's true, you have the privelidge of paying $30 for a single character or $115 for a single tank!
Feel free to price out some builds for armies in the 1500-2000 point range. The GSC Neophytes calculation is obviously going to be pretty high, but 400-1000 wouldn't surprise me at all.
That's not even the worst offending GSC unit for price per point either.
Insectum7 wrote: It's true, you have the privelidge of paying $30 for a single character or $115 for a single tank!
Feel free to price out some builds for armies in the 1500-2000 point range. The GSC Neophytes calculation is obviously going to be pretty high, but 400-1000 wouldn't surprise me at all.
That's not even the worst offending GSC unit for price per point either.
Ok, let's do that. 50 Power is roughly 1k Points. So lets go:
Spoiler:
Drukhari - 2x Drukhari CP box = £170 (the second Ravager can be made into a third Raider if need be and one of the Kabalites can be upgraded to Trueborn)
Space Marines - SMCP box + DW/DA/BA (these contain the most generic units) CP box in any combination = £170
Space Wolves - SWCP box + DW/DA/BA/SM (these contain the most generic units) CP box in any combination = £170
Black Templars - BTCP box + DW/DA/BA/SM (these contain the most generic units) CP box in any combination = £170
Sisters of Battle - 2x SoBCP box = £170
Now of course the Battleforces are also a thing at Xmas, we usually get a Battlebox once a year and there are the Starter sets for SM and Necrons. Now most armies don't have their CP boxes yet but barring a single exception thus far (DG) all the boxes are suitable for double-ups.
So if we're going for cost effective measures for starting 40k, then it's a pretty good time IMO.
Of course we also have to consider that many GW models can very easily fit multiple unit profiles. Units like Veteran Guardsmen, Leman Russ Tank Commanders, Veteran Intercessors, Death Company Intercessors, and Celestians all use the same kits as their cheaper counterparts. That's not even going into other considerinations. What's stopping your Primaris Lt from being a Captain when they have the same wargear? Or your Necron Lord being an Overlord?
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2021/12/27 01:30:04
7000+ Points Death Skullz
4000 Points
+ 
+ 3000 Points "The Fiery Heart of the Emperor"
3000 Points "Bard's Booze Cruise" 
" I'm sorry, but after 7200 's that has to be the most annoying sign-off ever." 
