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Warhammer is a miniature hobby where players build, paint, collect and play tabletop games with small model armies. There are many different avenues in which Warhammer can be enjoyed: painting, collecting, gaming, or lore.
What Is Warhammer?
Warhammer is a miniature tabletop game that was created by the company Games Workshop. Players use small figures that are made out of plastic and take the shape of armies, characters, monsters, vehicles. These make up fantasy or sci-fi units.
Warhammer is unique for combing a few different but adjacent hobbies:
- Model building
- Miniature painting
- Strategy games
- Story and worldbuilding
- Collecting
The great thing about Warhammer is that you don’t have to do every single part of this to get involved. You can make and paint figures without having to play games, if desired.
What Are the Main Types of Warhammer?
There are a few different sub-brands within Warhammer.
Warhammer 40,000
This is also known as Warhammer 40K and is the science fiction version. It involves characters such as aliens, other supernatural creatures, and space ships. It takes place in a future, dystopian space world.
Warhammer Age of Sigmar
Age of Sigmar is the fantasy, more ‘magical’ version of Warhammer. It involves armies with magical creatures, such as elves or orcs.
Smaller Games
There are also a few spin-offs that don’t fit into the 40K or Age of Sigmar franchises. There are other games such as The Horus Heresy (which takes place 10,000 years before Warhammer 40,000 and is also known as 30,000, or 30K) or Blood Bowl (a sort of American football- style game).
What Do You Actually Do in the Warhammer Hobby?
Warhammer primarily involves the following activities:
- Building miniatures
- Painting models
- Collecting armies or teams
- Playing tabletop games
- Following lore
As Warhammer is a mixture of different activities under the same umbrella, you do not have to take part in every single activity or area to enjoy this hobby.
Is Warhammer a Board Game?
Warhammer isn’t really a board game in the traditional sense; it’s more of a miniature tabletop game. Instead of moving pieces around a fixed, pre-printed board, players use model scenery, measuring tape, dice, and rulebooks.
However, it does have a few overlaps with a board game in that it is played on a table top and has rules.
Is Warhammer Hard to Start?
Whilst it can look complicated at first, beginners do not need to know everything about Warhammer to get started. The easiest way to get started is to pick just one small set, build a few models, and try out painting them.
Armies are built piece by piece, not all at once!
Is Warhammer a Brand?
Yes. Warhammer as an umbrella brand is owned by British company Games Workshop, which is based in Nottingham, England.
What Do You Need to Start Warhammer?
You only need a few, basic starter items. These may include:
- A small box of miniatures
- Plastic clippers
- Plastic glue
- A few paints
- A paintbrush
- Primer
- A simple starter rules guide for games
Is Warhammer Expensive?
It can get expensive if you buy lots of large armies, paints, terrain, books, or other accessories. Beginners can start small by choosing a starter set or a few small models.
It is more of a hobby to start off slowly and get into over time, rather than something where you need to buy everything at once.
Who Is Warhammer Good For?
Warhammer may be a good fit for people who enjoy:
- Painting and creative hobbies
- Fantasy and science fiction
- Collecting miniatures
- Strategy games
- Building scenes and other worlds
If you want a very cheap hobby that can be unlocked instantly, Warhammer may not be for you.
Is Warhammer the Same as Dungeons & Dragons?
No, although both Warhammer and Dungeons & Dragons involve fantasy worlds, characters and dice games, they are quite different.
D&D is mainly a roleplaying game where players act as characters, whereas Warhammer has a bigger emphasis on miniature modelling. What both games do have in common is a broad lore attached.
Best Way to Try Warhammer as a Beginner
The easiest starting point is to choose only one small box of models that appeal to you. You don’t need to understand every rule or the entire world of Warhammer.
You can start by choosing a faction that you like, building and painting a few miniatures, and perhaps trying a beginner game.
Final Points
Warhammer can be thought of as a hobby that combines several other hobbies together: painting, collecting, gaming, and storytelling. For beginners, it’s a good idea to start with one element, and perhaps expand into other ideas if you enjoy it. Avoiding buying everything is a good way to rein in costs as a complete beginner.
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