"I could see there was a growing community of people playing Age of Sigmar on TTS and as a competitive player I knew that people wanted tournaments," Jackson says. Age of Sigmar had been increasing in popularity as a competitive game, with even Games Workshop itself acknowledging the rise of competitive play in its 'Metawatch' articles on Warhammer Community. "From there I basically attended every tournament I could, I think it was around 27 in 2019 and a couple before lockdown - you could say I caught the bug!"ĭespite having never touched Tabletop Simulator before lockdown hit in the UK last spring, Jackson could see there was a demand for some form of outlet in the tournament community. Later that year, he attended his first Age of Sigmar tournament, Warfare - a local event in Reading. In early 2018, Jackson found himself in a familiar place: back in a Games Workshop store, inexplicably drawn towards the over-the-top, post-rock album cover fantasy of Age of Sigmar. "My brother Will and I collected Warhammer in our early teens - Dwarves were our army - but much like many peeps in the hobby we got distracted with frivolous activities in our late teens."
Jackson is a self-professed Warhammer nerd like many, he got into it when he was younger. Run by Owen Jackson, the online-only tournament is well into the planning stages for its eighth iteration. One of the biggest Age of Sigmar events on Tabletop Simulator is Hammertime. I could see there was a growing community of people playing Age of Sigmar on TTS and as a competitive player I knew that people wanted tournaments.
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The program lets people play a variety of board games by simulating a fully 3D environment, and features many mods created by users. In response, players have taken to playing matches via Tabletop Simulator in order to chase the highs and lows of the tournament scene. The desire to play with these new units, new factions and new rules is high, especially within a game as healthy in its competitive environment as Age of Sigmar. Games Workshop has not stopped its release train, however although the publisher has slowed down its release frequency from a pre-order every week to one every other week, rules and models are still coming out. Face-to-face interactions are not possible right now, and for the last 12 months, in-person games of Warhammer have been few and far between across the world. Players are able to scan in their real-life miniatures to show off paint jobs and conversions.
Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, Games Workshop’s Fantasy Battle replacement that got off to a shaky start in 2015, has become one of the more popular tournament games of recent years. Until 2020, one scene in particular had been incredibly healthy, not only in the UK, but worldwide. It's so great a joy, in fact, that regular tournaments are held across the country by many different groups, from the official Warhammer events orchestrated by Games Workshop at its Lenton Lane headquarters in Nottingham to the wide variety of tournaments by the various independent scenes in the UK. Despite the occasional awkwardness, the fun of rolling dice, pushing around minis, and laughing as you share in a succession of triumphs and failures is for many the peak of the hobby that they are involved in. Figuring out a way to transport a force of delicate minis is another hobby in and of itself, especially as companies like Games Workshop keep making more and more elaborate minis - such as the Void Dragon and Morathii - that are a challenge to put in any kind of carry case. Rules formalise interactions with strangers, allowing you to have a great experience with all of the checks and balances worked out for you.ĭespite all the upsides, miniature wargaming can have its drawbacks. It is something you do in person with friends. One of the biggest benefits of tabletop gaming is that it is a social event.