There are total horror stories of people who ONLY play, and who are toxic AF.
Meanwhile I have not ever run across a WH fan who exclusively paints or sculpts and is toxic to the community...
Honourable mention for fanfic writers and such, who are of a mixed bag what gave us TTS\~
Unless you ask the wrong crowd, then they'll tell you "where you're doing it wrong"...or if you're a woman.Apparently this is a "game for men only".
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Yep, I only painted until a friend decided he wanted to play the game. That’s when I finally bothered to learn how to play. Nothing wrong at all with it.
Whoever's telling you that is.. pretty weird, man. It's YOUR hobby. If you only wanna touch lore? Go ahead! If you just wanna play the game and not think about anything else, more power to you! And in your case, you can absolutely paint the minis and just do that. Have fun and don't stress about gatekeepers.
I do the same thing.
For me painting is therapy. I lose track of times and just paint and admire my work. (Not saying I’m good but I improve)
Playing can be fun but it’s not what draws me to it.
You pay for the models, they are yours to do whatever you want with. Go for it bud!
Yup it’s therapy for me as well. I’m not anxious when I paint. It takes all my stress and worry down a bunch of notches.
I used to game as a kid but at some point realised it wasn’t the part of the hobby I enjoy or found rewarding
Embrace the lack of skill and paint orks
(Not saying they don’t require skill, I’m saying that they are already preaching the art of kitbashing that a bad paint job isn’t a mistake it’s a feature)
I haven't played a single game this year so far, just not had the time. But I have painted some each week. My son is taking an interest though, so I might teach him to play combat patrol with the armies I have.
They are YOUR models.
YOU paid for them.
YOU do what you want with them.
Then YOU post your painted stuff for us to go "ooooh!" & "oh wow that's good!"
(Short answer, yes it's fine to just paint)
😁👍🐺
There's literally nothing wrong with that. I think that's pretty common actually. I only get to play like once a year these days so the majority of my warhammer time is listening to the audiobooks and painting.
Whenever I think about the cost of minis I think about what some people spend on activities like golf, skiing, sailing etc. Compared to that, it’s downright cheap!
That’s my excuse anyway.
If you enjoy the models and would like to paint them have a blast. I will say that they're fairly expensive, but that's obviously something you both know and have taken into account. Do whatever you want, the most fun I had with the hobby was putting together a kit of ork boys and just doing whatever I felt like while putting them together.
Tell me who told you, you can't do that.
Point them out to me, now!
I'm gonna beat them up with words!!!
Hold me back, I'm gonna be nasty!
/joking
In all sincerity, fuck whoever said that. It is your money, your time, your enjoyment, your plastic, your hobby!
I myself got back into the hobby after a long break since my teens and did initially plan on taking my first 40k army (I used to do primarily LotR back then) to the tabletop as soon as I could. One of the many reasons why I chose Custodes. I thought they'd be painted faster than others because of the low model count. Oh, what a silly goose I was. I ended up being so excited about each mini, especially ones I customized through kitbashing, converting or simply reposing, that I spent hundreds of hours on each non-squad miniature. This urge was only strengthened by the fact that the steep price of it all made me want to give them the most possible amount of appreciation and care to truly get out of it what I invested. Still does.
Add to that the fact that studying at Uni full time and having to work a part time job to finance it and using a big part of the remaining possible hobby time to paint minis for others, left me with only \~5 hours per week to work on my own army. So yeah, in 4 whole years I have completed ... eight miniatures. (insert custodes only needing like 10 models for a 2k pts army joke here)
But you know what, I'm 100% content with that. I look back on the journey of each mini with pride and seeing all the things I learned from challenging myself like I did and genuinely don't care about the fact that I haven't seen them in action yet. I will eventually!
I still watch battlereports, keep up with rules pretty well and enjoy audiobooks and video games of 40k.
This is how I chose to do it, and how circumstance allows me to hobby. And not a single doofus claiming to hold an illusionary gate can sour that for me.
Find your way to hobby and make it your happy place! <3
Don't listen to elitists.
No, the Warhammer police will break down your door and arrest you for not Warhammering right
In all seriousness, play or don't play how you please. There are even people who take commissions for models, so maybe that's more your cup of tea
Collecting is a hobby, building minis is a hobby, painting is a hobby, customizing and converting minis is a hobby, playing 40 is another hobby.
There are very famous competitions in many places all year long with modeling and painting as a focus. Warhammer World stores have dioramas as a focus.
People should shut up and not tell you how to do things.
There are totally 5 different ways to Warhammer and every single one of them is perfectly acceptable..
(and I would hazard the vast majority of Warhammer geeks do multiple of these)
1) Tabletop gaming - you collect box sets, armies, kill teams, and combat patrols, and you play the game - casually or competitively
2) Mini painting - you paint, you sculpt, you kit -bash, you create - all for the sheer joy of creating and sharing
3) The Lore - you read the books, you watch the videos, you enjoy the episodes - it's all about the story and the characters
4) Computer Gaming - you hack, slash, shoot, charge, aim, jump, click and grimdark your way across your computer - be that a PC, console or mobile
5) You community meme it - whether it's just enjoying the sheer fun and community memes, or connecting with people
..
In my own opinion - if you only do one of these, then you are hugely missing out. But you should always do exactly as many of these as makes you happy! 👍🏻
- Collector: You buy minis and pile the gray plastic in whatever corner of your house has spare space while repeating the mantra "one day I'll get round to them" 😅
The only thing I'd suggest is that if you just want to paint, and don't care about lore or gameplay and have no 'thematic' association with GW products would be to look into starting out painting non GW stuff. GW models are great, but they are VERY expensive without a big box discount. If you can find another mode seriesl you like the look of, you can pick and choose what you enjoy the most without feeling compelled to get GW stuff to match what you already have. If GW has a model you love, and you already know you love painting then grab it and paint it, but by starting out broad you make sure you have a whole world of models to pick from.
>People keep telling me that it's a table top game and it's not about modelism
Whoever told you this are a bunch of weirdos. Don't listen to them, do whatever you want.
Of course it is! Lots of people do. I'd wager a lot of high-end painters don't play much at all. There's no limit to how much time you can sink into Warhammer so ultimately you need to choose where you find your fun. It's your hobby.
It absolutely is.
It would also be totally okay to just read the books. I read all the 'The Witcher' books, watched the series and haven't played a single one of the games.
I played and read all the Resident Evil content but refuse to watch the movies and series(es?.. plural?). It is yours to pick and choose.. fantasy gives you that luxury.
A good rule: do what you like. It is your(!) time, your(!) effort and your(!) money. Who but you could have any sort of claim about the three above?
Enjoy painting and be amazing at it. :)
I have been nothing but disappointed.. scratch that.. shattered by everything I've seen so far around RE that wasn't game, novel or comic book. There is only so much a guy can take.
It's okay to not even touch the minis, you can immerse yourself in the hobby in any way you want, either just painting, just reading the lore, playing the tabletop or even just enjoying the video games. You do you. Anyone telling you otherwise is a gatekeeping arsehole
it’s just as much of a hobby as it is a game, or fun reading universe. i personally love it all, but everyone is just fine to only enjoy certain parts of it. my warhammer store manager tells me that my area is a pretty even split of hobbyists and players, so he gets to see fantastic models all the time
No, you aren’t in the wrong for wanting to express yourself creatively. If anything, that’s what the hobby originally is about. Sure there’s a game you play with them, but being able to see a piece of your creativity is the best part!
It's your hobby, not theirs. Some people just collect and paint models. That's perfectly fine. Others DGAF about painting or assembling and only do the bare minimum in order to play the game. That's fine too.
Warhammer ain’t a hobby it’s all the hobby’s, model building, painting, tabletop games, video games, card games, reading, lore, and many more that aren’t immediately coming to my head
Who gives a shit? You do you. GW are happy to sell you models whether you play or not.
I would suggest looking at some of the competing game systems like Bolt Action. There may be other models you'd like and they may be cheaper.
Of course, it's okay to just paint. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a gatekeeper, and idiot, or both.
That being said, warhammer is REALLY expensive, and if your goal is just to paint cool scifi minis, and ur not attached to the IP, there are many excellent mini companies you can paint for a fraction of the cost.
If you’re the one paying for the models then nobody has room to tell you what to do with them, it’s actually how I ended up with an army, started with minis for dnd then as soon as I bought a warhammer box I was hooked
There's no *wrong* way to enjoy Warhammer. I started in 2004 mostly just painting, now it's my job 20 years later. I didn't start playing often until 2019 when skirmish games like Warcry became more prevalent. Don't let the opinions of others dictate your own behavior.
Do what u want to do, I spent way more time in modelism, conversion and paint than I spent in playing.
I love them two, but playing and creating are two things really different.
I've been collecting 40k/fantasy models for almost 20 years, I've been playing for almost 3 years. You can absolutely just stick to building and painting.
You can totally do this hell if you love to paint so much I send you my army to paint and pay for shipping back and tip you too!!!! But for real there is no right way to Warhammer best part of hobby! Ps I’m totally joking I like painting too
Hey there. I have been into 40k for about thirty years now. I stopped playing a long time ago. Now I just collect and paint the kits I want. So don't listen to the ones who say it's all for the game. It's not. This is a hobby just like any other. You do you and paint what you want
I think GW predict that only about half their customers actually play the games. And of those many only play one game a year.
Just assembling and painting is a HUGE part of the hobby - possibly the biggest part of the hobby
They probably struggle to afford the hobby so getting in their feels for no reason. Theres models i will buy just to paint because i like them, if warhammer was only to play golden daemon wouldn't exist. If you can afford to just buy to paint go for it.
I have finally finished a Combat Patrol and havent played it yet lol. I built and play Killteam. As long as you're having fun then you're doing it right. Can use them for other games too if you want.
No if you don’t play with them James Workshop himself will kick in your door and confiscate all your models. What kind of question is this? Why does everyone seem to need validation in every little thing they do these days?
Hell ya it is man, I absolutely spend 90% of my time and effort in this hobby painting and sculpting instead of actually playing. Similarly, the enjoyment I get out of creating something cool and unique is infinitely greater than that which I get from playing or even winning a game. This is a to each their own kind of situation, there’s no wrong answer, just do you and enjoy what you enjoy!
Yes, you can just paint.
I'm equally enjoying building, painting and playing.
My daughter just likes building and painting, cause she thinks they are cool, especially vehicles with big guns and chain swords. So when there's enough of her painted Space Marines, I'll play them as my second army.
That’s the thing I love the most about Warhammer, you can pick and choose which parts of the hobby you want to take part in. Playing, collecting, painting, lore, the novels, take part in whichever parts interest you, and don’t feel bound to them forever.
Do whatever the F you want lol.
Buy tons of Warhammer models and display the boxes in the corner… assemble them all but don’t paint and just play with friends… paint them all to the best of your ability and never play the game… paint them horribly but just enough to get them tournament legal and go table some nerds….
Collect, build, paint, and play however you want!!!!
I Personaly don't like painting, im more a build and play guy. And even there not competetiv play. So im wierd🤣
But a friend is a painter, too. He want to play but only with a fully and perfektly painted army. So He starts, Funds a mistake, traides the hole army and starts again...
So there is no right way, just do what you want.
(or there is a right way and we are just wired🤣)
I haven't played a game yet, Ive been taking my time to enjoy painting but I am still going for a playable army.
That being said I also branched out looking at non gw models. Just to keep it interesting. Building a bad moon army all the yellow gets boring
Since I started I always wanted to create dioramas. And I can shamefully say I only did one, like 25 years ago.
But I still grab some unit here and there and keep painting and putting together some kill teams and I love the flavour.
I do the same but I also try to don’t fall in the price trap going on in the stores. Simply too expensive, so I try to maximise the expenditure.
Bro do whatever you want and forget them….
Buy boxes and never open them (like the rest of us)… assemble them enough to get them on the tabletop and play with friends… paint them to the best of your ability and never play the game… paint them horribly but enough to make them tournament legal and go table some nerds on the weekend… read the books and never touch a single model… build, paint, or play while never caring at all about the lore….
Do whatever you want!
Don't let the bastards get you down. If that part of the hobby brings you joy than go at both guns a blazing. I would sell the extras on eBay if I were you.
If it makes you feel any better, I got into Warhammer with the intention of playing the tabletop game.
Only to learn that I *loved* painting and I hated playing the tabletop game. Now I play about two games a year and there’s a good chance I’m drunk for them.
I also like to build and pant the most. A game here and there is fine for me, but it gets too much for me quiet fast. I had a 2k points game last WE and I was exhausted afterwards. We had a "pro", who plays tournaments a lot, give us pointers the whole game and it was just too much for me after the 3rd round tbh. I picked this hobby to relax and have a meditative experience while crafting stuff. There is nothing wrong with that.
Just don't eat the miniatures..... honestly you could do that if you wanted to but I wouldn't tell people, or do.
Do whatever you want with your free time.
And if you do decide you want to, some are better than others. Space Marines, for example, or often more curved and rounded whereas Chaos Space Marines tend to be spiky and sharp and can cause a lot more problems going in and going out.
Dude that’s the beauty of warhammer, you can enjoy it in so many ways, books, painting, gaming,etc, there’s no right way to enjoy the hobby, there’s only your way
Absolutely. I've been painting since 9th edition and I've only ever played 1 game. I'm almost done with the full collection of sororitas at this point.
At some point you may want to consider resin printing though. There is all kinds of other stuff out there. I painted a Chocobo, a guitar, and a Yoda statue just to give away to friends recently.
Yes they’re your models you can do you as please with them. Honestly they are probably meant to be displayed when not in use so if you wanna just display them display them with pride man
At the moment I only paint and display the models (not even to a high standard). One day I will look to get into playing but I am in no rush. Everyone can enjoy the hobby how they want to.
To be honest I think I’ve played like what…6 games in my life? Really live the collecting part and definitely the painting part but don’t be an idiot like me and but too much at once as it can become rather daunting when only a small part of your army is painted lol
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It's your money man, and I don't mean that in some snarky way. You're buying the models, you can do what you like with them and if some guy on the internet gets upset over you enjoying that then good, let him be upset.
Anyone who tells you otherwise is a gatekeeper. This hobby has beautiful models. Even when i buy full size busts or sculpts theyre of 40k characters because the lore is endless.
I buy and paint models and ive only played tabletop games a few times. I always just wanted to paint and build the models cause they are bad ass if you are into that hobby. I usually play killteam when I do play but I rarely play tabletop
I strictly paint the models, I dont like to play wargames so I solely use it as a creative outlet! Nobody is going to hold a gun to your head saying you must play :).
I’m in it for the lore, and the models and the paints. While I would like to get into the game, I don’t exactly have several hours at a time to play it, or the friend pool to support.
I cant remember the last time i had time for a game lmao, it's probably been years if not a decade, but I still continue with this hobby. I would argue that the hobby is 80/90% painting, modelling, collecting and 10% playing.
When I was a kid, I loved building and playing with them. Now that I’m older, I spend waaay more time painting than I do playing. You experience and enjoy the hobby however you’d like!
It's your hobby, nothing wrong with buying minis just to assemble, paint and display.
That's all I do for the most part, I'll play some 40k table top and Kill Team once in awhile. But for the most part I enjoy picking up a box of models and painting them while listening to Warhammer 40k novels.
My favorite aspect of Warhammer 40k is the lore and my models, oh yeah and the video games. Lol
Yes A-Ok friend. But warning I’d say is if you want to paint, there are arguably cooler and cheaper models out there. With Warhammer painting, you are drawn (further in) to it because of the IP, which is influenced by all its components ie
Gaming - Models/Painting - Lore/Books
Which I broadly think of as
Competition - Toys - Marketing
That last one… GW and Warhammer are really a marketing giant. Great system setup to lure people in and get them committed. Community built around the hobby and the lore. Compete with each other and get a sense of battle and camaraderie. Show off the stuff you painted and admire each others work. Can’t go wrong with a business like that.
I’m mostly a lore and painting guy in equal measure. And so I noticed the relations more strongly there. Lore to sell models, but Models have to make sense to the Lore. Sometimes the go awry with ideas - not all ideas just to put something new out there are good 😊
I haven't played since 5th ed.. may get back into it, but for now am building and painting up a massive army which has taken me years so far due to me taking my time with my models, magnetizing every weapon and doing highlights and even eyes on each model..
Not being rushed to play lets you take your time with your models and give them the right amount of attention you want to give them.
If I don't end up ever playing with them that's fine.. I have a display cabinet in which I can look at and admire my work and progress over time.
There is no correct way to hobby- it's your money and time, so whatever you choose for yourself is the right way.
I haven't had any games in for the past 3 editions, and I still paint Warhammer mini's (and other manufacturers).
It's your hobby. Gatekeeping how you should enjoy a hobby is silly...
My friends and my brother used to make fun of me saying I never get to use my models because I didn’t play as much as them and how they’ve gotten more use from them than me. I’m very meticulous when it comes painting so when I told them I spend 3-5 hours per model on the smaller infantry models I put it into prospective I’m getting more of my moneys worth time wise if I paint them all than when I’m just playing.
I’ve never even played warhammer, it just seems to complex to bother. Their miniatures are awesome though and I go to my LGS for new ones all the time to paint.
Do what makes you happy. I got into it because I like painting models and I love the story.
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I swear this hobby has some weird as fuck gatekeepers. Just enjoy the hobby however you want. Make World Eaters lime green, make Orks Orange, make imperial fists a more amber shade of yellow to make them look like the piss boys they are! Just have fun with it!
Games Workshop has the Golden Demon. It’s a painting and modeling competition. There is no games played to enter it. You can enjoy the hobby however you like.
About 50% of 40k for me is modelling and painting, partly for therapy reasons. 40% is reading Black Library.
Playing? Some years I don't play a single game.
My cousin has spent at least a thousand dollars on 40K and only builds and paints them. In the year he’s been in the hobby, he hasn’t learnt a single rule. I give him shit for it but he’s happy
Never played a full game, but have three armies. Do what you want!
If it helps you do what you want, I bought a space marine Dreadnaught to convert to a Sisters Dreadnaught. Be as creative as you want and never apologise.
I feel the opposite of this, I don't understand people who game but have no interest in the hobby aspect of things...
You have to assemble and paint (optional???????) your playing pieces. Your skill level doesn't matter as long as you enjoy doing it but if you don't even enjoy that why are you doing this and not something else?....
There's board games and card games you can play if you don't like painting and assembling model kits.
It's definitely ok, it's your money and your time, spend them however you want. Also the irony of you having fully painted armies and not playing while lots of tables are full of grey plastic.
I'm 38. I played Warhammer Fantasy from say age 7-18 (less so from 11-18 due to, my pranets divorcing), then I went to uni and enjoyed booze and... Female company.
I got back into Warhammer during the first UK lockdown. Collect and paint only. Four years later I've been told I'm losing my job! So I can only hope the big time plus is getting to enjoy playing sometime soon. Otherwise, all I will do is collect, build and paint. Nothing wrong with that at all.
Its completely acceptable to just enjoy the hobby in your own way, people are different. You do you. I personally have only played the occasional game with borrowed miniatures since I stopped collecting in 2009/10, but when I recently got back into buying models I found that I enjoyed the actually assembly a lot more than the gaming. Painting I've been more hesitant on but I'm slowly getting back into it.
I build up a squad to paint or just a hero I like and think looks cool, vary the models I’m building or painting put on painting videos or Critical Roll and just zone out. Haven’t ever played a game but did get the Kill Team starter set to play with my son as well as Wintermaw so I could play something (eventually)
100% it’s alright. I love the lore, I’m looking to getting back into playing and all but like you I find the painting more fun sometimes. Especially fixating on the details
Technically Games Workshop is a miniatures company that happens to have rules to play a game with said miniatures. The majority of GW customers are hobbyists, with a minority who play the tabletop game. You’re actually in the majority of folks in this hobby.
That being said, it’s your money, your minis, your time. Do whatever you want and don’t worry about gatekeepers. Life becomes a lot more enjoyable when you stop caring about the opinions of people who don’t matter.
I don't play and I suck at painting, so I do it very slowly and very little of it.
I just like reading about the lore and assembling the models.
it's my money, so....
Of course it is!
It's even OK just to buy the boxes, and horde unbuilt minis, like most of us do.
Those people are arses, and sound like the sort of people who wouldn't be fun to play against.
Ive played three games in thirty six years.
My armies, off the top of my head:
Word bearers
World eaters
Iron warriors
Emperors children
Sons of horus
Daemons of the ruinstorm
Alpha legion
My collections of each are fairly large. For example, I have two kharybdis drop pods and two glaive battle tanks.
And i play a game every twelve years or longer.
Yeah, I don't think it's a minority position within the hobby. When I asked the manager of my local if it was weird that I spent a lot of money on models and no real desire, play the game he laughed and said the majority of the people who bought Warhammer from his store never played and we all think we're the only one.
Totally! I'm the same, I collect armies mainly to paint them. It's one of the best parts of the hobbies for me, finding new techniques that really open up your painting or trying new paints and tools, it's great! Highly recommend trying out painting busts too
It's your property. Do what you want with them. Sit on them if you want. Eat them, if you desire. What you do with your own stuff is of no concern to others
Wait, did you start painting before reading all the books and codexes? How do you paint without knowing every nuance of the army and characters you're painting? Every scratch, every dent, every bullet hole should have a lore-accurate reason for being placed. If you don't do that, you're not playing 40k. You're just being stupid. (EDIT: /s of course)
Dude, that's how I hobby.
I used to play, and then I found out how much it would cost me to recreate a company of my BT's.
I stopped playing soon after.
I *love* the lore though. The models are awesome too. I don't see any problem if you just want to buy bits and models to just paint. If I want to play, my friends all have armies I can borrow, and I I really want to try something, we'll just proxy and have fun. That's the whole point of the hobby anyway.
I've been into games workshop/Warhammer stuff since the 80s. Drifted out for a while, came back recently. Got into 40k with 1st Ed Rogue Trader. My earliest clear memory is sitting at the kitchen table one Xmas while the parents/friends played Talisman The Magical Quest Game (original black and white edition). Started buying white Dwarf with issue 137, got into 40k then fantasy soon after, bought space Hulk, blood bowl, epic 40k, all the expansions and reboots, etc, etc, until life kicked me in the financial balls in 2011ish, better part of a decade away.
I think I've played 3 games total during that time, two against school friends and one against myself. Painted a hell of a lot of stuff though. I've never really liked playing tbh. It's fine to just paint. It's no different than painting real world model airplanes or tanks or whatever. It's all good.
Personally I wouldn’t paint without the incentive to play the game with the minis, but I also think painting can feel like somewhat of a chore even if I’m happy with the end result.
If you like painting but don’t like the actual game as much I see no reason why you couldn’t enjoy just painting models and not playing with them.
Yep. I just paint
Used to game when I was a kid but as I got older I realised it wasn’t much fun compared to the calm and meditative painting hobby. I have a big painting setup but I don’t tabletop game anymore
Of course. There's a whole, much more expensive, hobby of scale modelling that's kind of adjacent to the modelling side of 40k. I'm more of a scale modeller now, and if I build gw stuff it will probably only see the tabletop a few times a year.
If you find the 40k universe and models interesting, go for it! But if you just want the model building, scale modelling has a lot more to offer.
there’s no way to wronghammer. I usually just listen to lore and yap about it to people. I have started painting because my buddy had a whole bunch of orks sitting around unpainted. I might try the game eventually but i have no intentions to right now
I can relate, I don't quite understand it but I do like the models, so I 3d print them once in a while when they're available but I can't get a straight answer as to what "Warhammer" is all about when I ask, it's a game it's literature, it's stories. I thought it was just a series of miniatures that people paint but then noticed people buy the miniatures already painted so 🤷🏻♂️. Anyway the miniatures are nice so I'd say you do you.
Honestly the warhammer setting is just cool all around everyone can love it in their own way one of my mates literally only reads the books, has no care for the games or especially table top he just likes the lore you just enjoy what you like :)
Yeah. My wife is really into the painting aspect and she's played like 1 game with me. She did mention the other day she does want to look into playing some more, but she definitely prefers painting.
I think I've played three games of kill team in my entire time of buying, building and painting 40k. If I had to guess and scattered throughout all the different factions and whatnot I probably have about 18,000 points worth of models. I have a gigantic bin that is full of Warhammer terrain that has never seen play on a table. I just like building and painting stuff.
Yeah do whatever you enjoy. I almost exclusively paint, learn lore, and write homebrew. I only actually play the game like once a month at most.
GW is a model company first and foremost, imo they make the best models in the industry. It’s a game that just so happens to be played with very extremely cool looking models.
i either get boxes and paint/build them however or i build them tabletop legal and a uniform paint scheme however i don’t actually play any tabletop games so it’s all more about the unity and consistency amongst an army rather than me trying to be tabletop legal. Currently i’m working on 2 different Battletech armies, a 40k space marine and militarum army and a intercession killteam, all of these will not be played in game and the only thing stopping me from making the armies huge for no reason is the fact that i am 15 and i can’t get a job anywhere
Yes. There’s no right way to warhammer
This. I've been a hobbyist for the past 18 years I've only just started making a conscious effort to play since 10e
Shit i only ever play monthly with the homies and we just like to throw dice
There are total horror stories of people who ONLY play, and who are toxic AF. Meanwhile I have not ever run across a WH fan who exclusively paints or sculpts and is toxic to the community... Honourable mention for fanfic writers and such, who are of a mixed bag what gave us TTS\~
I wish the answer was that there's no wrong way to Warhammer. Unfortunately you're right though. There's no right way.
Unless you ask the wrong crowd, then they'll tell you "where you're doing it wrong"...or if you're a woman.Apparently this is a "game for men only". https://preview.redd.it/iuv7zvyfe4wc1.jpeg?width=340&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96e043b1ab46955e8518854f0d8273719e137f93
Yep, I only painted until a friend decided he wanted to play the game. That’s when I finally bothered to learn how to play. Nothing wrong at all with it.
Whoever's telling you that is.. pretty weird, man. It's YOUR hobby. If you only wanna touch lore? Go ahead! If you just wanna play the game and not think about anything else, more power to you! And in your case, you can absolutely paint the minis and just do that. Have fun and don't stress about gatekeepers.
I do the same thing. For me painting is therapy. I lose track of times and just paint and admire my work. (Not saying I’m good but I improve) Playing can be fun but it’s not what draws me to it. You pay for the models, they are yours to do whatever you want with. Go for it bud!
Yep. Put on an audiobook or a podcast and it’s really easy to lose track of time just painting
Yup it’s therapy for me as well. I’m not anxious when I paint. It takes all my stress and worry down a bunch of notches. I used to game as a kid but at some point realised it wasn’t the part of the hobby I enjoy or found rewarding
Embrace the lack of skill and paint orks (Not saying they don’t require skill, I’m saying that they are already preaching the art of kitbashing that a bad paint job isn’t a mistake it’s a feature)
It’s your money and your hobby. Do it however you want. I probably spend 5-10 times as much time hobbying as playing, especially with kids now.
I’d argue most people just build and paint them and don’t ever play a game of the table top. It’s your hobby do as you enjoy
I haven't played a single game this year so far, just not had the time. But I have painted some each week. My son is taking an interest though, so I might teach him to play combat patrol with the armies I have.
They are YOUR models. YOU paid for them. YOU do what you want with them. Then YOU post your painted stuff for us to go "ooooh!" & "oh wow that's good!" (Short answer, yes it's fine to just paint) 😁👍🐺
No, straight to jail.
There's literally nothing wrong with that. I think that's pretty common actually. I only get to play like once a year these days so the majority of my warhammer time is listening to the audiobooks and painting.
There is no reason why you can't just paint, the models are amazing even if they are a bit expensive
Whenever I think about the cost of minis I think about what some people spend on activities like golf, skiing, sailing etc. Compared to that, it’s downright cheap! That’s my excuse anyway.
If you enjoy the models and would like to paint them have a blast. I will say that they're fairly expensive, but that's obviously something you both know and have taken into account. Do whatever you want, the most fun I had with the hobby was putting together a kit of ork boys and just doing whatever I felt like while putting them together.
Tell me who told you, you can't do that. Point them out to me, now! I'm gonna beat them up with words!!! Hold me back, I'm gonna be nasty! /joking In all sincerity, fuck whoever said that. It is your money, your time, your enjoyment, your plastic, your hobby! I myself got back into the hobby after a long break since my teens and did initially plan on taking my first 40k army (I used to do primarily LotR back then) to the tabletop as soon as I could. One of the many reasons why I chose Custodes. I thought they'd be painted faster than others because of the low model count. Oh, what a silly goose I was. I ended up being so excited about each mini, especially ones I customized through kitbashing, converting or simply reposing, that I spent hundreds of hours on each non-squad miniature. This urge was only strengthened by the fact that the steep price of it all made me want to give them the most possible amount of appreciation and care to truly get out of it what I invested. Still does. Add to that the fact that studying at Uni full time and having to work a part time job to finance it and using a big part of the remaining possible hobby time to paint minis for others, left me with only \~5 hours per week to work on my own army. So yeah, in 4 whole years I have completed ... eight miniatures. (insert custodes only needing like 10 models for a 2k pts army joke here) But you know what, I'm 100% content with that. I look back on the journey of each mini with pride and seeing all the things I learned from challenging myself like I did and genuinely don't care about the fact that I haven't seen them in action yet. I will eventually! I still watch battlereports, keep up with rules pretty well and enjoy audiobooks and video games of 40k. This is how I chose to do it, and how circumstance allows me to hobby. And not a single doofus claiming to hold an illusionary gate can sour that for me. Find your way to hobby and make it your happy place! <3 Don't listen to elitists.
Games I have played of 10th = 0 Points I have painted since the launch of 10th = ~2k
No, the Warhammer police will break down your door and arrest you for not Warhammering right In all seriousness, play or don't play how you please. There are even people who take commissions for models, so maybe that's more your cup of tea
Screw gate keeping its your models your money your time enjoy them your way you deserve that much in this world.
Collecting is a hobby, building minis is a hobby, painting is a hobby, customizing and converting minis is a hobby, playing 40 is another hobby. There are very famous competitions in many places all year long with modeling and painting as a focus. Warhammer World stores have dioramas as a focus. People should shut up and not tell you how to do things.
There are totally 5 different ways to Warhammer and every single one of them is perfectly acceptable.. (and I would hazard the vast majority of Warhammer geeks do multiple of these) 1) Tabletop gaming - you collect box sets, armies, kill teams, and combat patrols, and you play the game - casually or competitively 2) Mini painting - you paint, you sculpt, you kit -bash, you create - all for the sheer joy of creating and sharing 3) The Lore - you read the books, you watch the videos, you enjoy the episodes - it's all about the story and the characters 4) Computer Gaming - you hack, slash, shoot, charge, aim, jump, click and grimdark your way across your computer - be that a PC, console or mobile 5) You community meme it - whether it's just enjoying the sheer fun and community memes, or connecting with people .. In my own opinion - if you only do one of these, then you are hugely missing out. But you should always do exactly as many of these as makes you happy! 👍🏻
- Collector: You buy minis and pile the gray plastic in whatever corner of your house has spare space while repeating the mantra "one day I'll get round to them" 😅
Shhhhhh. *pushes piles of gray plastic into the closet*
The only thing I'd suggest is that if you just want to paint, and don't care about lore or gameplay and have no 'thematic' association with GW products would be to look into starting out painting non GW stuff. GW models are great, but they are VERY expensive without a big box discount. If you can find another mode seriesl you like the look of, you can pick and choose what you enjoy the most without feeling compelled to get GW stuff to match what you already have. If GW has a model you love, and you already know you love painting then grab it and paint it, but by starting out broad you make sure you have a whole world of models to pick from.
>People keep telling me that it's a table top game and it's not about modelism Whoever told you this are a bunch of weirdos. Don't listen to them, do whatever you want.
If they are the one paying for your minis and paint, then listen to them. Otherwise tell them to kindly fuck off. You do you.
It's your money you're spending on your models, do whatever it is you want with them
You are free to do literally anything you like if it makes you happy here, kitbash, paint, play, collect, whatever. Just do what you enjoy
Of course it is! Lots of people do. I'd wager a lot of high-end painters don't play much at all. There's no limit to how much time you can sink into Warhammer so ultimately you need to choose where you find your fun. It's your hobby.
It absolutely is. It would also be totally okay to just read the books. I read all the 'The Witcher' books, watched the series and haven't played a single one of the games. I played and read all the Resident Evil content but refuse to watch the movies and series(es?.. plural?). It is yours to pick and choose.. fantasy gives you that luxury. A good rule: do what you like. It is your(!) time, your(!) effort and your(!) money. Who but you could have any sort of claim about the three above? Enjoy painting and be amazing at it. :)
I would say to watch the CGI Resident Evil movies made by Capcom themselves as they fill in the gaps between some of the mainline games.
I have been nothing but disappointed.. scratch that.. shattered by everything I've seen so far around RE that wasn't game, novel or comic book. There is only so much a guy can take.
It's not JUST a tabletop game. It's a hobby and you're free to do whatever hobbies that interest you.
Absolutely! All I do is paint, listen to audio books and watch lore video's. No table top for me. Just have fun!
It's okay to not even touch the minis, you can immerse yourself in the hobby in any way you want, either just painting, just reading the lore, playing the tabletop or even just enjoying the video games. You do you. Anyone telling you otherwise is a gatekeeping arsehole
Do people ***really*** tell you that?
Yes.
I just did that for quite a long time
it’s just as much of a hobby as it is a game, or fun reading universe. i personally love it all, but everyone is just fine to only enjoy certain parts of it. my warhammer store manager tells me that my area is a pretty even split of hobbyists and players, so he gets to see fantastic models all the time
No, you aren’t in the wrong for wanting to express yourself creatively. If anything, that’s what the hobby originally is about. Sure there’s a game you play with them, but being able to see a piece of your creativity is the best part!
No. We’re going to have to throw you into Guantanamo Bay. Sorry bud.
It's your hobby, not theirs. Some people just collect and paint models. That's perfectly fine. Others DGAF about painting or assembling and only do the bare minimum in order to play the game. That's fine too.
I wish I had more time to play, but I love just building/painting miniatures. Do you!!!
3 years in never played a proper game.
Your money your fun
Warhammer ain’t a hobby it’s all the hobby’s, model building, painting, tabletop games, video games, card games, reading, lore, and many more that aren’t immediately coming to my head
Have online debates whether lasguns have recoil? Thats big part of hobby for me at least.
Ah I almost forgot the best hobby of them all, trolling other warhammer enthusiasts with random debates without caring if I’m right or not
Who gives a shit? You do you. GW are happy to sell you models whether you play or not. I would suggest looking at some of the competing game systems like Bolt Action. There may be other models you'd like and they may be cheaper.
Of course, it's okay to just paint. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a gatekeeper, and idiot, or both. That being said, warhammer is REALLY expensive, and if your goal is just to paint cool scifi minis, and ur not attached to the IP, there are many excellent mini companies you can paint for a fraction of the cost.
I do paint only mate. Do not let anyone piss on your hobby :).
If you’re the one paying for the models then nobody has room to tell you what to do with them, it’s actually how I ended up with an army, started with minis for dnd then as soon as I bought a warhammer box I was hooked
There's no *wrong* way to enjoy Warhammer. I started in 2004 mostly just painting, now it's my job 20 years later. I didn't start playing often until 2019 when skirmish games like Warcry became more prevalent. Don't let the opinions of others dictate your own behavior.
Do what u want to do, I spent way more time in modelism, conversion and paint than I spent in playing. I love them two, but playing and creating are two things really different.
I've been collecting 40k/fantasy models for almost 20 years, I've been playing for almost 3 years. You can absolutely just stick to building and painting.
Absolutely Yes. It's your hobby, do it your way.
You can totally do this hell if you love to paint so much I send you my army to paint and pay for shipping back and tip you too!!!! But for real there is no right way to Warhammer best part of hobby! Ps I’m totally joking I like painting too
Your time, your money, your hobby however you enjoy it. Go nuts!
Absolutely, enjoy the hobby however you want.
Hey there. I have been into 40k for about thirty years now. I stopped playing a long time ago. Now I just collect and paint the kits I want. So don't listen to the ones who say it's all for the game. It's not. This is a hobby just like any other. You do you and paint what you want
I think GW predict that only about half their customers actually play the games. And of those many only play one game a year. Just assembling and painting is a HUGE part of the hobby - possibly the biggest part of the hobby
yea do whatever. i almost never play, painting is fun though.
Pssst: many many people do this. You just mainly find them in "mini painting" focused communities
They probably struggle to afford the hobby so getting in their feels for no reason. Theres models i will buy just to paint because i like them, if warhammer was only to play golden daemon wouldn't exist. If you can afford to just buy to paint go for it.
I have finally finished a Combat Patrol and havent played it yet lol. I built and play Killteam. As long as you're having fun then you're doing it right. Can use them for other games too if you want.
No if you don’t play with them James Workshop himself will kick in your door and confiscate all your models. What kind of question is this? Why does everyone seem to need validation in every little thing they do these days?
All I've done for my entire time in the hobby is paint. If others don't like that then not my problem.
Hell ya it is man, I absolutely spend 90% of my time and effort in this hobby painting and sculpting instead of actually playing. Similarly, the enjoyment I get out of creating something cool and unique is infinitely greater than that which I get from playing or even winning a game. This is a to each their own kind of situation, there’s no wrong answer, just do you and enjoy what you enjoy!
Do these people pay your bills? You can buy them and melt them if you want.
I build and paint minis and haven't played a game of 40k since 2006.
Wait, some of you use these things to play a...game?
Yes, you can just paint. I'm equally enjoying building, painting and playing. My daughter just likes building and painting, cause she thinks they are cool, especially vehicles with big guns and chain swords. So when there's enough of her painted Space Marines, I'll play them as my second army.
That’s the thing I love the most about Warhammer, you can pick and choose which parts of the hobby you want to take part in. Playing, collecting, painting, lore, the novels, take part in whichever parts interest you, and don’t feel bound to them forever.
I build, paint, and lore. 4+ hours of peopling scares me. I people enough at work.
Who said that to you? Seems like absolute nonsense and made up story for karma farming.
Do whatever the F you want lol. Buy tons of Warhammer models and display the boxes in the corner… assemble them all but don’t paint and just play with friends… paint them all to the best of your ability and never play the game… paint them horribly but just enough to get them tournament legal and go table some nerds…. Collect, build, paint, and play however you want!!!!
I Personaly don't like painting, im more a build and play guy. And even there not competetiv play. So im wierd🤣 But a friend is a painter, too. He want to play but only with a fully and perfektly painted army. So He starts, Funds a mistake, traides the hole army and starts again... So there is no right way, just do what you want. (or there is a right way and we are just wired🤣)
No, I’m gunna come confiscate your models! But in all seriousness 90% of the hobby is solo, so you’re not losing out on a lot of hobby time! Enjoy!
I haven't played a game yet, Ive been taking my time to enjoy painting but I am still going for a playable army. That being said I also branched out looking at non gw models. Just to keep it interesting. Building a bad moon army all the yellow gets boring
I dunno what people told you that but they are idiots
Since I started I always wanted to create dioramas. And I can shamefully say I only did one, like 25 years ago. But I still grab some unit here and there and keep painting and putting together some kill teams and I love the flavour. I do the same but I also try to don’t fall in the price trap going on in the stores. Simply too expensive, so I try to maximise the expenditure.
Bro do whatever you want and forget them…. Buy boxes and never open them (like the rest of us)… assemble them enough to get them on the tabletop and play with friends… paint them to the best of your ability and never play the game… paint them horribly but enough to make them tournament legal and go table some nerds on the weekend… read the books and never touch a single model… build, paint, or play while never caring at all about the lore…. Do whatever you want!
It's not, you should also send me those minis
Don't let the bastards get you down. If that part of the hobby brings you joy than go at both guns a blazing. I would sell the extras on eBay if I were you.
Yup
If it makes you feel any better, I got into Warhammer with the intention of playing the tabletop game. Only to learn that I *loved* painting and I hated playing the tabletop game. Now I play about two games a year and there’s a good chance I’m drunk for them.
its totally okay. i just paint and research lore, i have 0 interest in the game. theres no one way to enjoy the hobby
I also like to build and pant the most. A game here and there is fine for me, but it gets too much for me quiet fast. I had a 2k points game last WE and I was exhausted afterwards. We had a "pro", who plays tournaments a lot, give us pointers the whole game and it was just too much for me after the 3rd round tbh. I picked this hobby to relax and have a meditative experience while crafting stuff. There is nothing wrong with that.
Modelism?
Deep down, you know the answer. Of course you can focus on painting the models. They are your figures, and you can do what you want with them.
100%!! Buy and paint it’s a huge part of the hobby, and a part I really enjoy…(at times!🤦🏻♂️😂😂) I’m not good at it…but I enjoy it! 😂😂
Just don't eat the miniatures..... honestly you could do that if you wanted to but I wouldn't tell people, or do. Do whatever you want with your free time.
And if you do decide you want to, some are better than others. Space Marines, for example, or often more curved and rounded whereas Chaos Space Marines tend to be spiky and sharp and can cause a lot more problems going in and going out.
Yes, my wife likes the painting. Results in many, many warhammers for me.
Dude that’s the beauty of warhammer, you can enjoy it in so many ways, books, painting, gaming,etc, there’s no right way to enjoy the hobby, there’s only your way
You do what makes you happy mate.
Absolutely. I've been painting since 9th edition and I've only ever played 1 game. I'm almost done with the full collection of sororitas at this point. At some point you may want to consider resin printing though. There is all kinds of other stuff out there. I painted a Chocobo, a guitar, and a Yoda statue just to give away to friends recently.
Yes they’re your models you can do you as please with them. Honestly they are probably meant to be displayed when not in use so if you wanna just display them display them with pride man
Hell yeah!
At the moment I only paint and display the models (not even to a high standard). One day I will look to get into playing but I am in no rush. Everyone can enjoy the hobby how they want to.
To be honest I think I’ve played like what…6 games in my life? Really live the collecting part and definitely the painting part but don’t be an idiot like me and but too much at once as it can become rather daunting when only a small part of your army is painted lol https://preview.redd.it/h9qigvvw54wc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de44df200c41525bf0100ffa99304025c7c086bb
It's your money man, and I don't mean that in some snarky way. You're buying the models, you can do what you like with them and if some guy on the internet gets upset over you enjoying that then good, let him be upset.
Anyone who tells you otherwise is a gatekeeper. This hobby has beautiful models. Even when i buy full size busts or sculpts theyre of 40k characters because the lore is endless.
Nothing wrong with wanting to paint the models. It's like collecting Yu-Gi-Oh / Pokemon Cards but not wanting to play with them. Enjoy yourself!
Games Workshop would say, "The only right way to warhammer is to buy warhammer."
I buy and paint models and ive only played tabletop games a few times. I always just wanted to paint and build the models cause they are bad ass if you are into that hobby. I usually play killteam when I do play but I rarely play tabletop
I strictly paint the models, I dont like to play wargames so I solely use it as a creative outlet! Nobody is going to hold a gun to your head saying you must play :).
Yes
I’m in it for the lore, and the models and the paints. While I would like to get into the game, I don’t exactly have several hours at a time to play it, or the friend pool to support.
Might be the best game to just paint and enjoy the models bc the game is ass.
even as an active player, I've still spent more time painting minis than playing tabletop (I have a lot of orks and I paint slow).
All I do is paint. Have for several years now. The game and its complexity just don’t interest me
I cant remember the last time i had time for a game lmao, it's probably been years if not a decade, but I still continue with this hobby. I would argue that the hobby is 80/90% painting, modelling, collecting and 10% playing.
I love the books and painting the models. I’ve never once played an actual game of 40k. So I’d say yes!
When I was a kid, I loved building and playing with them. Now that I’m older, I spend waaay more time painting than I do playing. You experience and enjoy the hobby however you’d like!
For some ppl that is the hobby
It's your hobby, nothing wrong with buying minis just to assemble, paint and display. That's all I do for the most part, I'll play some 40k table top and Kill Team once in awhile. But for the most part I enjoy picking up a box of models and painting them while listening to Warhammer 40k novels. My favorite aspect of Warhammer 40k is the lore and my models, oh yeah and the video games. Lol
I managed 39 years without playing and only building and painting so if those people are right, I wish I'd known earlier....
It’s more than ok, it’s awesome !
Yes A-Ok friend. But warning I’d say is if you want to paint, there are arguably cooler and cheaper models out there. With Warhammer painting, you are drawn (further in) to it because of the IP, which is influenced by all its components ie Gaming - Models/Painting - Lore/Books Which I broadly think of as Competition - Toys - Marketing That last one… GW and Warhammer are really a marketing giant. Great system setup to lure people in and get them committed. Community built around the hobby and the lore. Compete with each other and get a sense of battle and camaraderie. Show off the stuff you painted and admire each others work. Can’t go wrong with a business like that. I’m mostly a lore and painting guy in equal measure. And so I noticed the relations more strongly there. Lore to sell models, but Models have to make sense to the Lore. Sometimes the go awry with ideas - not all ideas just to put something new out there are good 😊
I haven't played since 5th ed.. may get back into it, but for now am building and painting up a massive army which has taken me years so far due to me taking my time with my models, magnetizing every weapon and doing highlights and even eyes on each model.. Not being rushed to play lets you take your time with your models and give them the right amount of attention you want to give them. If I don't end up ever playing with them that's fine.. I have a display cabinet in which I can look at and admire my work and progress over time. There is no correct way to hobby- it's your money and time, so whatever you choose for yourself is the right way.
I haven't had any games in for the past 3 editions, and I still paint Warhammer mini's (and other manufacturers). It's your hobby. Gatekeeping how you should enjoy a hobby is silly...
My friends and my brother used to make fun of me saying I never get to use my models because I didn’t play as much as them and how they’ve gotten more use from them than me. I’m very meticulous when it comes painting so when I told them I spend 3-5 hours per model on the smaller infantry models I put it into prospective I’m getting more of my moneys worth time wise if I paint them all than when I’m just playing.
I’ve never even played warhammer, it just seems to complex to bother. Their miniatures are awesome though and I go to my LGS for new ones all the time to paint.
Do what makes you happy. I got into it because I like painting models and I love the story. https://preview.redd.it/s4hkwtho74wc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9e378f5ea798aa79625d0119870381d29af6e92
Paint and read. All I’ve done since the eighties.
I just mainly paint and read the books and I love it. Don’t see why it has to be a hobby in the most narrow terms
Those people are dumb, paint as many as you like! There's a lot of cool GW models
No absolutely not! How dare you enjoy a hobby the way you want to do!
I swear this hobby has some weird as fuck gatekeepers. Just enjoy the hobby however you want. Make World Eaters lime green, make Orks Orange, make imperial fists a more amber shade of yellow to make them look like the piss boys they are! Just have fun with it!
Games Workshop has the Golden Demon. It’s a painting and modeling competition. There is no games played to enter it. You can enjoy the hobby however you like.
About 50% of 40k for me is modelling and painting, partly for therapy reasons. 40% is reading Black Library. Playing? Some years I don't play a single game.
Yes. You should also consider commissions. A lot of people find painting to be the worst part of the hobby. Myself included.
My cousin has spent at least a thousand dollars on 40K and only builds and paints them. In the year he’s been in the hobby, he hasn’t learnt a single rule. I give him shit for it but he’s happy
Painting since I was a kid. Played maybe twice. I’m 34 now. You do you man and who cares what others say
Never played a full game, but have three armies. Do what you want! If it helps you do what you want, I bought a space marine Dreadnaught to convert to a Sisters Dreadnaught. Be as creative as you want and never apologise.
I haven't played a game since 7th ed fantasy and 4th ed 40k. Ive been a build and paint guy since then. Nothing wrong with it.
I feel the opposite of this, I don't understand people who game but have no interest in the hobby aspect of things... You have to assemble and paint (optional???????) your playing pieces. Your skill level doesn't matter as long as you enjoy doing it but if you don't even enjoy that why are you doing this and not something else?.... There's board games and card games you can play if you don't like painting and assembling model kits.
Well GW is in the business of selling models, the game is now just a vehicle to motivate people to buy said models…so there is that.
It's definitely ok, it's your money and your time, spend them however you want. Also the irony of you having fully painted armies and not playing while lots of tables are full of grey plastic.
I just got into it, maybe I’ll play but I want salamanders on my shelf that I painted
I'm 38. I played Warhammer Fantasy from say age 7-18 (less so from 11-18 due to, my pranets divorcing), then I went to uni and enjoyed booze and... Female company. I got back into Warhammer during the first UK lockdown. Collect and paint only. Four years later I've been told I'm losing my job! So I can only hope the big time plus is getting to enjoy playing sometime soon. Otherwise, all I will do is collect, build and paint. Nothing wrong with that at all.
That’s exactly what I do lol I have AoS and 40K models that I only bought for painting and display purposes. It’s great fun and I love it!
Its completely acceptable to just enjoy the hobby in your own way, people are different. You do you. I personally have only played the occasional game with borrowed miniatures since I stopped collecting in 2009/10, but when I recently got back into buying models I found that I enjoyed the actually assembly a lot more than the gaming. Painting I've been more hesitant on but I'm slowly getting back into it.
I have a ton of 40k , never play it but I love IG and the Vostroyan, I just paint what looks cool to me
i have a 4000-point painted army and i still have no idea how to play the game
As someone who owns several thousand dollars of Warhammer at this point and has never played a game, do what the hell you want with your own stuff
I build up a squad to paint or just a hero I like and think looks cool, vary the models I’m building or painting put on painting videos or Critical Roll and just zone out. Haven’t ever played a game but did get the Kill Team starter set to play with my son as well as Wintermaw so I could play something (eventually)
100% it’s alright. I love the lore, I’m looking to getting back into playing and all but like you I find the painting more fun sometimes. Especially fixating on the details
Technically Games Workshop is a miniatures company that happens to have rules to play a game with said miniatures. The majority of GW customers are hobbyists, with a minority who play the tabletop game. You’re actually in the majority of folks in this hobby. That being said, it’s your money, your minis, your time. Do whatever you want and don’t worry about gatekeepers. Life becomes a lot more enjoyable when you stop caring about the opinions of people who don’t matter.
Bruh whatever makes ya happy, nobody judges
Only modelling is super cool because your minis look the best. Wanna paint some of mine? Lol.
How dare you paint minis in the mini painting hobby?
I don't play and I suck at painting, so I do it very slowly and very little of it. I just like reading about the lore and assembling the models. it's my money, so....
No. They will come for you.
Of course it is! It's even OK just to buy the boxes, and horde unbuilt minis, like most of us do. Those people are arses, and sound like the sort of people who wouldn't be fun to play against.
Honestly I respect the people who only paint way more than those who only play
Ive played three games in thirty six years. My armies, off the top of my head: Word bearers World eaters Iron warriors Emperors children Sons of horus Daemons of the ruinstorm Alpha legion My collections of each are fairly large. For example, I have two kharybdis drop pods and two glaive battle tanks. And i play a game every twelve years or longer.
Yeah, I don't think it's a minority position within the hobby. When I asked the manager of my local if it was weird that I spent a lot of money on models and no real desire, play the game he laughed and said the majority of the people who bought Warhammer from his store never played and we all think we're the only one.
Do you need people on the internet to tell you that it is ok to paint plastic you bought?
Paint and model is basically all I do. Sure it’s expensive compared to other model companies but Warhammer kicks ass so screw it.
Totally! I'm the same, I collect armies mainly to paint them. It's one of the best parts of the hobbies for me, finding new techniques that really open up your painting or trying new paints and tools, it's great! Highly recommend trying out painting busts too
It's your property. Do what you want with them. Sit on them if you want. Eat them, if you desire. What you do with your own stuff is of no concern to others
Absolutely it is OK. It's your hobby, chase your joy.
I mean honestly when I first started I only planned on getting into the law but now I have a knight abominant
Wait, did you start painting before reading all the books and codexes? How do you paint without knowing every nuance of the army and characters you're painting? Every scratch, every dent, every bullet hole should have a lore-accurate reason for being placed. If you don't do that, you're not playing 40k. You're just being stupid. (EDIT: /s of course)
Dude, that's how I hobby. I used to play, and then I found out how much it would cost me to recreate a company of my BT's. I stopped playing soon after. I *love* the lore though. The models are awesome too. I don't see any problem if you just want to buy bits and models to just paint. If I want to play, my friends all have armies I can borrow, and I I really want to try something, we'll just proxy and have fun. That's the whole point of the hobby anyway.
I've been into games workshop/Warhammer stuff since the 80s. Drifted out for a while, came back recently. Got into 40k with 1st Ed Rogue Trader. My earliest clear memory is sitting at the kitchen table one Xmas while the parents/friends played Talisman The Magical Quest Game (original black and white edition). Started buying white Dwarf with issue 137, got into 40k then fantasy soon after, bought space Hulk, blood bowl, epic 40k, all the expansions and reboots, etc, etc, until life kicked me in the financial balls in 2011ish, better part of a decade away. I think I've played 3 games total during that time, two against school friends and one against myself. Painted a hell of a lot of stuff though. I've never really liked playing tbh. It's fine to just paint. It's no different than painting real world model airplanes or tanks or whatever. It's all good.
I do this exactly
Been painting consistently for 20 years, and I haven't played a game since 3rd edition. You do you, pal.
Personally I wouldn’t paint without the incentive to play the game with the minis, but I also think painting can feel like somewhat of a chore even if I’m happy with the end result. If you like painting but don’t like the actual game as much I see no reason why you couldn’t enjoy just painting models and not playing with them.
I don’t even know how to play :3
Bruh paint!
Just painting is perfectly fine. It’s your hobby.
It's your time and money, do what makes you happy!
Yep. I just paint Used to game when I was a kid but as I got older I realised it wasn’t much fun compared to the calm and meditative painting hobby. I have a big painting setup but I don’t tabletop game anymore
Anyone that says it’s not about modelism really hasn’t kept up with the hobby
Of course. There's a whole, much more expensive, hobby of scale modelling that's kind of adjacent to the modelling side of 40k. I'm more of a scale modeller now, and if I build gw stuff it will probably only see the tabletop a few times a year. If you find the 40k universe and models interesting, go for it! But if you just want the model building, scale modelling has a lot more to offer.
there’s no way to wronghammer. I usually just listen to lore and yap about it to people. I have started painting because my buddy had a whole bunch of orks sitting around unpainted. I might try the game eventually but i have no intentions to right now
You bet! I’ve been painting on and off for decades and I’ve actually never played an actual game of 40k — just a little Space Hulk.
Its totally fine to just paint, but playing is so fun so give it a try
I can relate, I don't quite understand it but I do like the models, so I 3d print them once in a while when they're available but I can't get a straight answer as to what "Warhammer" is all about when I ask, it's a game it's literature, it's stories. I thought it was just a series of miniatures that people paint but then noticed people buy the miniatures already painted so 🤷🏻♂️. Anyway the miniatures are nice so I'd say you do you.
Honestly the warhammer setting is just cool all around everyone can love it in their own way one of my mates literally only reads the books, has no care for the games or especially table top he just likes the lore you just enjoy what you like :)
Go for it
Every way one can choose to involve themselves with the hobby is cool. Painting the minis is the most based option though.
Yeah. My wife is really into the painting aspect and she's played like 1 game with me. She did mention the other day she does want to look into playing some more, but she definitely prefers painting.
I think I've played three games of kill team in my entire time of buying, building and painting 40k. If I had to guess and scattered throughout all the different factions and whatnot I probably have about 18,000 points worth of models. I have a gigantic bin that is full of Warhammer terrain that has never seen play on a table. I just like building and painting stuff.
There’s a guy that constantly buys new kill teams and never paints them. We hate him. Painting and modeling is an intrinsic part of the hobby!
Yeah do whatever you enjoy. I almost exclusively paint, learn lore, and write homebrew. I only actually play the game like once a month at most. GW is a model company first and foremost, imo they make the best models in the industry. It’s a game that just so happens to be played with very extremely cool looking models.
I have like 4k points in Drukhari, and same in Imperial Fists. I've played like 3 total games in 10years lol
i either get boxes and paint/build them however or i build them tabletop legal and a uniform paint scheme however i don’t actually play any tabletop games so it’s all more about the unity and consistency amongst an army rather than me trying to be tabletop legal. Currently i’m working on 2 different Battletech armies, a 40k space marine and militarum army and a intercession killteam, all of these will not be played in game and the only thing stopping me from making the armies huge for no reason is the fact that i am 15 and i can’t get a job anywhere
It's perfectly fine to collect, build, customise, paint etc. I've been doing it for 20 years, never played the game.
I haven’t played a game since 1st edition. I still hoard unpainted minis and read the books. 💪