The revolution will not be televised

This weekend, some friends of mine went to a hangout at Warhammer World, it was packed as ever… absolutely bustling with Warhammer fans, playing games and eating food at Bugmans, and a little corner reserved where my friends were all painting and having fun. It was really beautiful to see in the brief glimpses I got during my flying visit to say hi and drag a couple of them off for lunch!

However me not being able to join them was definitely not the sad news you might expect, because whilst all that was going on in the most famous hotspot for miniatures in England… not a 5 minute walk away, I was working at an event that was altogether reshaping my view of the community of wargamers and miniatures enthusiasts.

On Saturday 22nd August, Warlord Games (also of Lenton, Nottingham) hosted their annual Warlord Open Day event and yours truly was lucky enough to be asked to come as a guest to see the facility, meet the people behind the miniatures and spend the day basking in the glory of all things Warlord.

There were some surprises during this event and some really lovely moments of feel good too, and I want to take you through my day, and a lovely new experience I had in the magic of miniatures.

The Warlord Warehouse, acting as a chillout spot over the course of the day

On arrival in the morning we were ushered in to the Warehouse, where Warlord had set up a bunch of benches for people to chill away from the sun, and a little speedpainting competition area, where people could paint a British Konflikt 47 model and possibly win a lovely branded Warlord water bottle!

At the back of the room, they even set aside a little space for myself and Chris of Unrelenting Hobby to display our businesses and get a little face-to-face time with folks. My first impressions were lifted even higher, when I saw a boiler with free tea and coffee, plus water and squash, provided for all attendees, all day. These folks know their audience!

Now my day at this event was a little odd compared to what I would have normally planned in the past. Whilst I was there as a guest of the company and so I was “at work” so to speak, I didn’t really want to spend the whole event pushing TMS as a business. Primarily because…well… we don’t really take commission work from the public (only the occassional slot and out new PMMM service which you can check out by clicking the underlined text). But also for other reasons that made more sense. For a start Warlord sell their own brushes, and I have zero interest in taking potential business away from our hosts.

Chris, of Unrelenting Hobby also DOES take public commissions, they are his living so it’s really not interesting to me to peddle a service we don’t even offer any more, when Chris winning those jobs is part of his well deserved every day.

Moreover than all of that though… I wanted an opportunity to be in full on journalist mode, to be able to be a quiet observer when needed and an active interloper when desired. I wanted to be able to understand Warlord from the inside out and hopefully see past any polish they might be applying for the general public.

And after a day in that mode, it turns out that…well… They’re just really bloody nice folks, who really love wargaming.

Warlord staffers and event attendees relaxing together and having a great time.

Before I get too in the weeds talking about this, I want to mention that my lovely friend Tracy AKA MiniGeekBoutique (click her name to see her stuff - she’s AMAZING) volunteered to help me at this event as my second camera and MANY of the shots you’re going to see today came from her. She’s a brilliant, lovely, wonderful human and was happy to take pictures and chat minis for a mere Five Guys and a hug in payment. She deserves all the kudos and thanks!

With dues duly paid, lets now talk about the day…because I have a sneaking suspicion that Warlord games are quietly doing a lot of things the way we all want to see them, and this little inside journey honestly felt like Golden Era 2000’s Games Workshop in so many ways (and honestly even better in others!)

Firstly lets talk about what Warlord do and why you should care. I think it’s really easy to look at Warlord as The Bolt Action folks, or The Black Powder folks… to pigeon hole them in to stuffy sexagenarian friendly historical wargames peddlers, assume there’s nothing there for you and trot on.

Whilst Warlord do indeed make many historical games… they approach them as Wargames and miniatures collections first, with the history usually being fed to you as an optional add on. Moreover, they are definitely not shy to make games that break this mould in to a million pieces. They’ve had licenses in the past for both Judge Dredd and Slaine (both made famous by cult British comic 2000AD) and produced fantastic skirmish games and miniatures for both. They also have an INCREDIBLE sci-fi game called Konflikt ‘47 which is set in a post WW2 alternate reality and is having a serious renaissance at the moment.

Secondly, Warlord was founded by EX GW employees after a string of lay-offs in the early 2000’s… yes the same early 2000’s that are usually referred to as the golden age of Warhammer, when miniatures were affordable, rules were accessible and transparent, and games were highly interactive and fun to play. They went in to the game, from the off, during that heady time where all our favourite ideas were floating around in the wargaming world.

For those of you reading this who might be a little newer to Wargaming, and perhaps have only really looked at stuff like 40K or AoS - what this translates to for you is boxes of 30 men for £30, walkers and tanks still costing £25-30, game turns that don’t ask you to watch your opponent play for an hour before you get to react, and rules where what’s in the printed book rarely changes far from what’s actually current and accurate. Very good stuff for making playing and collecting games more fun and accessible.

A scene from one of the stunning Bolt Action boards

What they also have is a very open and approachable attitude towards their audience. They’re not afraid to show you models early and make you feel like you’re getting an inside scoop, or talk to you about how casting works and where materials come from. I suppose considering their pigeon-holed reputation, it’s kinda fitting that interacting with Warlord often feels (in the good ways) like stepping back in time.

That transparency was one of the things about the open day that really made me smile throughout it, too. I was allowed to freely wander the facility, with basically the only areas I wasn’t allowed in being those that were unsafe to be in…and that wasn’t a “media perk”… EVERYWHERE that I explored, visitors from the general public were also exploring.

The Warlord Photography Studio

For example, as a photographer, you can imagine how excited I was not only to have unfettered access to the Photography studio and all their sweet kit, but even to their actual in-house photographer, Chris, too. Whilst I did leave Chris to talk to the public rather than chew his ear of about the click-clicks all day, it was still a wonderfully enjoyable time to see him talking wargamers through how to use Lightroom to make their miniature photos look nicer.

Warlord’s painting studio, with painters hard at work on new releases.

Even more surprising than that was being allowed inside the painting studio, not just to walk about but to strike up conversation with the painters, see their current projects and eye up their little bags of Haribo in the background. Could you even imagine in 2026, members of the general public being allowed in to the Eavy Metal studio? We’re not even supposed to know who painted what minis, let alone see them doing it! Yet here I was, face to face with the painters, talking to them about their work. Incredible.

The Warlord facility isn’t massive. It doesn’t take forever to get around. But everywhere you go there were staff who looked relaxed, sounded friendly and just wanted to bring you in to their world for the day. Nothing I asked or wanted to know felt like it might be off the table. There was no sudden intake of air through teeth when I asked “Are we getting plastic partisans, and when?” …I was just answered, honestly (it’s yes by the way, but not for a while yet).

Chris and I, delivering our panel.

After a bit of wandering and noseying, it eventually came time for me to fulfil one of my obligations for the day. Chris (that’s Unrelenting Hobby Chris, not Photographer Chris) and I were asked to deliver a panel about well… anything we fancied, and that gave us a really unique opportunity. Ya see Chris is a Wargamer’s painter, through and through. He LOVES painting high volume to a good standard, but he doesn’t enjoy agonising over a single mini to make it the best he can. On the other hand, I represent what could be seen as an opposite to that, being someone who loves nothing more than pulling every last bit of pretty I can find out of a single mini… but breaks down and rocks in a corner when I get asked to paint any more than 5 models at once.

Having these very different stances on painting afforded us a really fun opportunity to compare, contrast and eventually conclude that they’re not actually that different… they just work from a different set of priorities. This is a subject I find really fun and it gave us a few nice little side quests too, to chat about mental health, colour and all sorts of little tidbits. Considering I wasn’t even sure anyone would have a clue who we were, we even got a lovely bit of Q&A going at the back end of the talk.

Chris is a BEAST btw and if you want affordable army painting, he’s definitely someone you can rely on to do a good job in good time. Check him out HERE!

Painters enjoying the Speedpaint Challenge

There were so many things to be joyful about at the Warlord Open Day. Seeing the passion, creativity and genuine care for the community. Seeing the painting tables literally never empty from 10-4. Being reminded that wargaming IS for everyone - and amongst that everyone we also have to include people with limited budgets, interests outside protectable IPs and those who don’t have the time or attention span to keep up with “dynamic ever-changing rules”. Everyone means EVERYONE, and the Warlord Open Day seemed to encapsulate that. The attendees were diverse in background but universally united in the love of miniatures in one form or another. That is exactly everything I want to see at a Wargaming event.

And the funny part? One of those weird little things that stuck with me? Not once, when anyone mentioned Warhammer, or compared Warlord minis to GW ones, not a single time did anyone sneer, or exclude, or make people feel unwelcome or like an outsider.

Wargaming is indeed for everyone, and that statement rang true all day at Warlord. Warhammer fans, history fans, wargaming fans, painting fans, art fans, creativity fans… we’re all the same people.

Attendees catching some chill and talking about their goodies.

Now I want to be clear… the intention of this article was never to compare Warlord and Games Workshop. That wasn’t what I sat down wanting to create today. However, some of the comparisons in this article just need to be there for context and contrast.

I was probably very heavily influenced by fact that we popped in to Warhammer world around lunch time, and then again at the end of the day… it’s hard not to compare and contrast when your environment on the day you’re writing about was one of comparison and contrast.

All I know is that what I saw at Warlord felt real. Genuine. Human. So I guess either I’m an absolute mark for Warlord’s marketing team and got my ass psi-opped, or maybe… just maybe, the world we want to see is quietly being built in the most unexpected places. In places we write off as being for stuffy history buffs and boring miniatures… when the reality of the situation couldn’t be further from that.

The revolution will not be televised. You won’t even hear about it. You’ll just see more and more people having a great time, celebrating life and miniatures as connected things that don’t mutually exclude each other. The revolution is already happening. It’s whisper quiet. It doesn’t have an Amazon Prime Video deal or rebranded chain pub. It just has humans who love what they do, sharing themselves with others and saying “If you dig this, you’re welcome here”.

Big and flash and corporate can be super fun… intoxicating even. It’s easy to get swept away and feel like you’re part of something huge and cool and exciting. These days I’m intoxicated by humanity. By people loving life, having a great time and making moments. My friends had a lovely time at Warhammer World, and I had a lovely time at Warlord. We all won. There was no competition, because the experience we wanted (and got) was our own, and unique to us.

I think this single picture sums up what was special about the day better than anything I’ve shat out on to the page today.

Behind, a group of gamers are playing Bolt Action. In the foreground a gamer sits alone, admiring their new pickup.

Miniatures as a hobby is many things. It’s people have many faces. Many needs, desires, ideals and goals. Its our differences, our quirks and our insights that make us special. Not the badge on the box. Warlord and their open day reminded me of this.

In the shadow of the beast, there they are, just doing their thing, loving what they do and inviting you to come see if its for you. No strings, no hard sale, no pipeline… just come and see, and stay if you like it.

I love that. So so much.

Its at times like this that I’m reminded why this hobby became so special to me in the first place. As an infant it was a way to connect with my older brothers. In secondary school it united sporty kids, nerds and the naughty kids who smoked behind the bike sheds. As a young adult it became a time sink and a way to spend my first wages on something that meant something and lasted…and now it’s offered me a career and a lifestyle that is like living in a literal dream.

Miniatures and wargaming are full of reward, excitement, challenge, and some of the most interesting, strong and beautiful humans I’ve ever encountered. In my whimsy I find myself thinking of all the amazing people I’ve met. Of Jos from Greyhawk Miniatures, of Annie from Bad Squiddo, of Pete from Fourscore, of Steff from Warlord, and of Louis from CMA, amongst many many many more that listing each of would make this article boring (not to mention look like a guest list of who not to invite to a posh function).

The community is the people. Just the people. Not what games they play, or what miniatures they collect, or how they approach painting, or how good they are, or how many Instagram followers they have.

Just. The. Fucking. People.

If you love them, cherish them. Celebrate them. Have fun with them doing whatever unites you and don’t sweat your differences. They’re no bad thing and they give each of you insight that when shared in good faith will only make your friendships stronger.

Thanks for reading, gang.

Love,

Stu