Warhammer has been around for a good long while now. In this month’s issue of White Dwarf, the team explores a whopping 50 years of its history, from the very first Games Workshop store (the old name for Warhammer stores) right up to cutting edge Warhammer video games and animation.
We’re so taken with nostalgia that we’re recreating a classic giveaway from a long-ago White Dwarf, giving you the chance to win an absolutely massive bundle of prizes, including Warhammer Quest: Darkwater, tonnes of miniatures, and HEAPS of merch and collectables!* You can enter absolutely free – just sign in to your My Warhammer account. Don’t have one? No problem, you can create one for free here.
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The White Dwarf article includes anecdotes from across the business, including one from Clive, who currently has the longest tenure at an incredible 44 years. Everyone here has their own story, whether they’ve been playing Warhammer for 5 years or 35 – here are just a few.
Becca – 5 years in the hobby
I played my first miniatures game in 2020, while most of the world was stuck inside. Two weeks working from home had turned into several months, and the novelty had started to wear off, when my partner produced a set of Necromunda terrain and two gangs.
“We’ve run out of new board games to try,” he said. “Do you want to try this game called Necromunda? The rules aren’t too complicated.”
We played Palanite Enforcers versus a Corpse Grinder Cult; my Enforcers managed to snatch a victory – with a good dose of beginner’s luck – by lobbing loads of grenades and shield-bashing any Cultists still on their feet.
Five years later, we now have a dedicated hobby room in our house, and I’ve just finished building my new Black Templars Combat Patrol, along with Chaplain Grimaldus and his retinue!
Steven – 30 years in the hobby
My father introduced me to Warhammer in Sydney, Australia, when I was young. In turn I introduced my own son in the 2000s after moving to Japan. It was here I started my “green army” that proudly evolved into my Dark Angels, and began what might possibly be Japan’s first group of Middle-earth™ Strategy Battle Game players. We couldn’t find models here at the time, and so relied on one of our members taking vacations to help us all fill out our armies.
Now, this is a family affair for me, with my four kids and I playing various games together. It is truly amazing to see what Warhammer has become in Japan in recent years, and I am extremely proud to have introduced many locals and international visitors to Warhammer! Here’s to the next 50 years!
Dave – 29 years in the hobby
In the murky darkness of the distant past – Christmas 1996! – my parents gave me the second edition Warhammer 40,000 starter box, cardboard Ork Dreadnought and all! Well, I say they gave it to me… they actually bought it for my little brother, who was only allowed to go to the local gaming club if his big brother took him, as he wasn't old enough.
Eleven year old me entered the gaming club without any foreknowledge of Warhammer, and several hours later, with the friendly help of some local experts, my brother and I left with a bunch of assembled Space Marines – sans mould lines – and a burning desire to assemble an army, conquer the galaxy and roll large handfuls of dice!
More recently, my (then) three-year-old son helped assemble the Warhammer 40,000 Leviathan box. We queued up together on release day in the Warrington store to get it, while he wielded the giant cardboard power fist. Sylvan then made all the Space Marines by himself (mummy wielded the clippers), and his Ballistus Dreadnought takes pride of place on my desk!
Emma – 21 years in the hobby
My journey into Warhammer started because of my dad! Picture the scene – it's my 12th birthday in 2004 and seeing I had taken an interest in painting at school, he thought it was time for a daughter-dad day at Warhammer World. I'm incredibly fortunate that my first experience of Warhammer was at the home of it. As a kid who liked video games, the large, blue, armour-clad warrior didn't scare me – it was impressive, awe-inspiring even. We walked around the Exhibition room (yes, back then it was just one room) and looked at all the armies, heroes and monsters. My dad pointed out his army – Skaven – and told me stories about them. I was very interested in Chaos Space Marines and Dark Elves.
Then we got into the gaming hall and the store. My 12 year old brain was transported to a fantasy world, with the tall sandstone walls of the gaming hall, archways covered in ivy, and the portcullis doors to the store. I remember shelves of blister packs, boxes and colourful books. We picked up a few bits so I could start painting. I knew I wanted just a few heroes so I could give them character when painted, and I couldn't pick any army at this point either – too many choices!
When we were looking at the paints, I remember seeing them, all lined up in the rack, the thick plastic hex pot with black lid reflecting the light like gemstones in the dark. We picked the colours we needed, had a quick stop at Bugman’s, and then went home.
That was 21 years ago... Now I work here. Warhammer isn't just a hobby, it's not even a lifestyle, it's a part of who I am.
Ken – 30 years in the hobby
I got into Warhammer 40,000 and Necromunda in the 1990s when the second edition of Warhammer 40,000 and the original edition of Necromunda were on the shelves.
My interest in the Astra Militarum, then known as the Imperial Guard, was cemented when I realised that they had tanks. Lots of tanks. I had a stroke of good fortune when a local power station needed kids for an advert – and paid a mind-boggling (for a 10 year old) £300 to appear in it.
What else was I going to spend it on but an entire squadron of three Leman Russ Battle Tanks? They could bombard the enemy from off-board and arrive at full speed in the second turn – I was the absolute terror of my local hobby club for months!
John – 45 years in the hobby
In about 1980, I discovered Citadel Miniatures when I started buying them to use for RPGs. After applying through a local newspaper advert, I started work at the Citadel factory in Newark on 1st November 1982. I have so many memories of happy times, such as the very first celebration for veterans who’d been around for 10 years or more. It was held in Christmas 1998 in what was then the boardroom, with everyone fitting into the stairs at reception for a group photo.
The launch party for The Lord of the Rings™ Strategy Battle Game** in 2001 was another special occasion. The then-manager of Bugman's Bar, Mike Owen (who sadly passed away a few weeks ago), dressed as Bilbo and delivered a wonderful rendition of the famous birthday speech.
Amber – 6 years in the hobby
I worked in the Warhammer World store before moving into the Warhammer Studio, and I cosplayed a Sister of Battle for Store Anniversaries and other events. One of my favourite parts of that time was seeing the number of girls and families getting involved in the hobby skyrocket over the years I worked in the store.
I’ve had a number of special interactions over the years, but one that will never leave me was when a young girl thanked me for being there and talking to her about the hobby because the rest of her school club were boys. Just seeing her face light up as I showed her the work of other female hobbyists will never leave me. My favourite part of the Warhammer hobby is still seeing people's smiles and knowing exactly how much this hobby means to so many people around the world.
Dave – 35(ish) years in the hobby
Like a lot of people my age – late 40s – I discovered Warhammer around 1990 through a game called HeroQuest. A friend of mine had the game, and we played it again and again, as well as its futuristic counterpart Space Crusade. In 1992 I noticed White Dwarf magazine for the first time ever at a local book store, because Issue 145 had the two game logos on the cover.
I picked it up and discovered the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 for the first time, and read it again and again. Inside was a map showing all the Games Workshop stores in the UK, and I was excited to find one in our town. I visited the very next Saturday and was amazed at the worlds and community I discovered. I knew then that I'd found my people! 35 years later I'm still here and involved in the hobby, with Warhammer forming an important part of my life.
Stu – 37 years in the hobby
I started Warhammer when I was 12 – before the internet! Every school holiday I would go stay with my Nan and Grandad for a week in Southampton and take a friend with me. My Nan would cook us a big breakfast and send us into town to the Games Workshop store each day. My friend and I would join in with whatever in-store activity was going on, buy some Warhammer miniatures and then spend the afternoon at my Nan's house painting that day's loot, then repeat every day for the week! It was a great time of friendship but also spending time with my Nan and Grandad – not a thing many teenage boys look forward to!
Working in retail in the early 2000s, my team and I built a thriving Warhammer community and now some of the people we introduced to Warhammer work for GW and are continuing that legacy – that's pretty cool!
Mark – 42 years in the hobby
I would have never thought when I purchased my first edition of Warhammer in 1983 that I would end up working for Games Workshop for over 30 glorious years (I had originally trained as a teacher).
Apart from my love of the incredible Warhammer hobby that brings so many people together as a community, one of my career highlights was being selected to project manage the building of the Warhammer World gaming hall and store. I got to make a castle! I don't think many people can put that on their CV.
Graeme – 32 years in the hobby
I can pinpoint the exact month I fell in love with Warhammer – February 1993. I spotted a copy of White Dwarf in my local newsagent with cool elves and a dragon on the cover. That issue – 158 – included William King’s tale of High Elf hero Eltharion the Grim and his sacrifices to halt the invasion of the Goblin warboss Grom. I was immediately sold on this incredible fantasy world.
As time went on, I worked in my local store while at university, then, a few years later, was lucky enough to get a job as an editor for Black Library – where I got to meet William King and tell him in person that he had inspired me to start this glorious hobby. I try to honour that legacy, most recently by painting the classic Grom miniature to add to my Gloomspite Gitz army in Warhammer Age of Sigmar. And I will confess, the High Elf Realms for Warhammer: The Old World are calling to me…
Those are some of our stories – now we want to hear yours! Share your love of Warhammer with us, from your first encounter with the universes, to the first miniature that inspired you, or a fantastic story from your time in the hobby. In a few weeks, we’ll share some of your tales right here. Send us your stories through this form.
* 18+. Geographical restrictions apply. Sign in to your My Warhammer account by the end of 25 November 2025 to enter. One winner will receive a Warhammer prize bundle (see terms for details). Full terms apply.
** Now known as the Middle-earth™ Strategy Battle Game. When it was first released in 2001, it solely focused on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring™ motion picture.
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