As Warhammer: Age of Sigmar turns ten, I’ve been reflecting on how much the game has changed. and, more importantly, how much my relationship with it has changed. Somewhere along the way, the joy I used to feel slipped out of reach. I still love the models, I still love the worlds, but playing? That’s another story. And honestly, I don’t want it to stay that way. I want to find the fun again.
I was there on day one. I tried the new rules, I liked the look of the Stormcast Eternals (even if they did get called “Sigmarines” by everyone on the internet), and I stuck with it. The early days were rough, no points, no balance, just arguments about how to make a fair game. It really was the Wild West, and plenty of people hated it. They hated the death of the Old World, they hated the move to high fantasy, they said it looked like a game for kids.
But I kept going. And when the General’s Handbook finally landed, it clicked. Suddenly the game worked. By Second Edition, I was all in. Endless Spells were amazing fun, the Sacrosanct Chamber gave me my favourite models, and the Nighthaunt were some of the best villains we’d seen in Warhammer. Add in writers like Josh Reynolds, and the Mortal Realms felt alive and fresh. That was peak Age of Sigmar for me.
Then came Third Edition. The new Thunderstrike Stormcast were… fine, but they didn’t excite me like the chunky Liberators and Sequitors had. More than that, the whole tone of the game seemed to shift. Competitive play had always been there, but now it felt like the focus. And by Fourth Edition, things just broke for me. My beloved Sacrosanct models — not even six years old — were squatted. Yes, the Stormcast range was bloated, but wiping away entire playstyles in one go? That stung.
I’ll admit it: I was bitter. Very bitter. I didn’t buy the new starter box, shoved my Stormcast into storage, and picked up Greenskins instead. I joined an escalation league, but even then, the magic wasn’t there. The narrative side of the game had all but vanished, terrain felt like a box-ticking exercise, and every match seemed to orbit around the latest “meta” list. I wasn’t showing up to play anymore, I was showing up to hang out with friends, with the games themselves feeling like chores I had to get through before the actual fun started.
The return of Chaos Dwarves should have set my heart racing, after all, they were my very first army in any system, my first love in the hobby. The models themselves are incredible, beautifully sculpted, and exactly the kind of army that should make me excited to get painting and building. And yet… the thought of playing them in the current version of Age of Sigmar just turns me off. It’s not the models; it’s the game around them. The overly competitive focus, the meta-driven play, the lack of narrative feel, all of it saps the excitement I should feel for something so personal. It reminded me that no matter how much I love an army, if the game around it isn’t fun, the joy doesn’t follow and that’s something I need to fix for myself.
And part of that’s on me. Since my brain injury, I can’t hold rules in my head the way I used to. I was sharp once, but now I forget things, I get muddled, and honestly? I lose a lot. I’m used to that. But when the whole culture around the game feels like it’s built for hyper-competitive play, it leaves me feeling like there’s no space for someone like me who just wants to throw dice and tell a story.
But here’s the thing: I don’t actually want to give up. I still love the models. I still get excited when I see a new sculpt, even if I can’t muster the will to buy it. And deep down, I still want to enjoy the game. I just need to change how I approach it.
So here’s my new plan: stop chasing the meta. Stop pretending I care about tournaments. Stop playing like winning matters. Instead, I’m going to lean into the stuff that actually makes me smile. If that means turning up with a weird, suboptimal list, great! If it catches my opponent off guard, even better. And who knows? Sometimes those “bad” lists surprise people, and suddenly you’ve not only given your opponent a more memorable game, but you might even scrape an unexpected win.
That’s the kind of joy I want back. Games where my Orks run around being loud, messy, and hilarious. Games where my Knights crash into things just because it looks cool on the table. Boards that look like real places with varied terrain, even if it’s not ITC compliant. I’ve got 17 boxes of terrain that the competitive crowd says are useless, but they’re going on my tables anyway. I want battlefields that tell stories, not perfectly symmetrical chessboards where people measure gaps for half an hour before rolling a single dice.
I need to play more Heresy, it’s the game I love most. I’ve seen how stepping back from the competitive grind can change the experience. Take Graham, for example. He was once the most cutthroat, WAAC-focused player I knew locally. But since he started playing Heresy more for fun, he’s mellowed out. He still likes to win, of course, but he’s way more relaxed and chill these days. Watching him enjoy the game without stressing about the meta has reminded me that maybe I can do the same, that the joy of gaming doesn’t have to come from trophies or “perfect” play, but from simply loving the game itself.
And maybe I’ll spread my wings a bit more. Try Trench Crusade. Dip into The Old World if I can decide on an army. Play some historical with Bolt Action and maybe even some Napolionics. Explore games that don’t have the same competitive baggage, where the focus is back on narrative, creativity, and having a laugh.
At the end of the day, I don’t care about trophies or titles. I don’t care if I’m not “keeping up.” What I care about is fun. I want opponents who smile when they see my army, not because they think it’ll be an easy win, but because they know it’s going to be a fun game. That’s the whole point of this hobby.
Because let’s be honest: most of us got into this for joy. For the excitement of a new box of plastic, for the thrill of rolling that clutch dice, for the stories we tell after the game’s over. Somewhere along the line, I lost sight of that. But I’m ready to start looking for it again.
And that’s why I’ve started drafting my own little manifesto for fun gaming: a set of rules to keep myself honest and make sure the hobby stays joyful, for me and for anyone I play with.
My Manifesto for Fun Gaming
- Play what I love: If I like the model, the lore, or the look, it belongs in my army, meta can go to hell.
- Every list needs a curveball: At least one “weird” choice that isn’t optimal but makes me smile, and might just surprise my opponent.
- Paint at my pace: If a model sits on my desk for two months, that’s fine. This isn’t a race, it’s a hobby.
- Terrain should tell stories: Symmetry is for chessboards. I want tables that look like real places worth fighting over.
- Winning is optional, fun is mandatory: A memorable story beats a victory every single time.
- Celebrate the silly moments: A goblin felling a gargant with a lucky stab should be cheered louder than a finely-tuned combo working as intended.
- Make the game fun for my opponent: If they walk away smiling, it was a success, win or lose.
- Keep exploring: Try new games, new armies, or new scenarios if they spark excitement. Stagnation kills joy.
- No guilt, no grind: If I’m not enjoying it, I step back, take a breather, and come back when the spark’s there.
- Remember why I started: Dice, stories, friends, and toy soldiers. Everything else is optional.
What I Am Modelling
I started out the week by painting this Knight-Draconis, with the scheme of a Blue-Eyes white Dragon which my sister in law, Jane will get a kick out of
After that I finished up this Griffin from the BattleTech Beginners Box for the Federated Suns
For the Red Brigade I painted a Yeoman
A Trench Cleric
And a Trench Dog
I also cracked on with these Armiger Helverins for my House Taranis force
So what’s up next?
- Blood Angels Land Speeders
- Stormdrake Guard x 4
- Blood Angels Intercessors x 5
- Ultramarines Tactical Squad x 10
- Myari’s Purifiers
- Tempestus Aquilons x 11
- Red Brigade Warband
- Ork Warboss in Mega Armour
- Death Korps of Krieg Engineers x 6
- Dark Angels Firestrike Servo Turrets x 2
What I Am Reading
I finished The Silent King by Guy Haley, that was a lot of fun and wove together a lot of the novels published since 8th Edition, bringing together the Pariah Nexus and Dark Imperium stuff along with a few other bits I have yet to read
Its a shame the Dawn of Fire series has ended, if they had all been as good as that book, it would have been amazing!
I am now listening to Singularity by James Swallow, only about a quarter of the way through but so far, so good!
Also made some great progress with Era of Ruin as well, and should finish that in the next day or two, on the last story now!
What Tabletop Games I Am Playing
Myself and Megan played Unlock! Game Adventures and went through the Mysterium pack, and that was fine, a little confusing at times however.
I also played a game of Heresy with Graham, and weirdly I won!
But later on we realised that Graham remembered his Comptroller rule, he would have won by 1 point instead of me winning by 3!
What I Am Spending
I bought myself a paint top up, so glad Gamers-At-Hart are now selling Fanatic paints
I also picked up Liber Astartes, and a third Dracosan for the Solar Auxilia
In terms of video games, I did buy The Expanse: A Telltale Series, Silver Box Classics and Gimmick! Special Edition
- Mood:- Knackered
- Caffeinated Beverages Consumed:- 2
- In My Ears:- There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) – Eurythmics
- Tabletop Game Last Played:- The Horus Heresy
- Video Game Last Played:- Cyberpunk 2077
- Book Last Read:- Era of Ruin – Various Authors
- Audiobook Last In My Ears:- Singularity – James Swallow
- Movie Last Viewed:- Star Trek: Section 31
- TV Show Last Viewed:- Chicago Fire
- Podcast Last In My Ears:- The Imperial Truth
- Current State of Projects:- Ultramarines Autocannon Squad about 70% done
