Introduction

If you read my last article on tabletop gaming, you know that I chose Warhammer as my tabletop is a gift 2024 winner. While I played less over the last few years, my history with tabletop gaming goes back to my high school years. Some friends and I played Dungeons and Dragons weekly. Then, in college, I discovered Magic the Gathering.

I collected MtG up until earlier this year. Then, the tenuous playgroup we put together fell apart. I became more interested in other mobile games. That cut into my phone gaming usage. So, Warhammer wins mostly by default this year. If you’ve followed the page for any time, though, you know that doesn’t mean that the game isn’t deserving.

It took me some time to come around to Warhammer. I tried the other version, Hordes. But, it never quite kept me entertained for long enough. It might have been the time in my life. But, Warhammer now fills that space in my life.

Why Continue to Play Tabletop?

Part of the reason I continue to play tabletop is it gives me a way to spend time with my family. They all enjoy the traditional games like Scrabble and Monopoly. But, through me, they learned about new games. So far, we like Catan and Ticket to Ride the best.

But, I always look out for new games for us to play. I downloaded a holiday themed D&D adventure for us to try playing again. We tried a few years ago. But, I wasn’t in the right frame of mind and I didn’t set the right mood. So, I want to try again.

Tabletop gaming allows us to put aside our phones and computers for about two hours at a time and have fun as a family. And, D&D lets me share one other part of my history with them.

Why Warhammer Wins

I wrote earlier that Warhammer wins by default. While true, that sounds like it isn’t deserving. I promise you that Warhammer comes by this victory honestly. I spent at least one hour every week assembling, painting, and sometimes running through the tutorials. I haven’t spent this much time with a single game since a couple years ago when I wrote the two adventures for Quinn for D&D.

Hell, Warhammer did what D&D never accomplished. Both Chris and Christine asked to play the game at some point over the year. All of the boys showed some interest in the models as I worked to bring them to life. Also, a student asked the other day about Warhammer, so we talked some about the game together. The community will find you if you give it a chance.

The other thing that keeps me engaged with Warhammer is the rules. I’m not a huge rules nerd, but I do appreciate a game that has a massive rule set, but also condenses that rules set to make it easy to learn. The subscription that I subscribed to gives you one part of the game to play through at a time. This allows you to learn the game at your own pace. For all of these reasons, Warhammer wins this year.

What Makes Warhammer a Gift?

In addition to the reasons already mentioned, Warhammer is literally a gift every month. I receive a box (lately a bag) of models and guides. Sometimes they send paints and brushes. Twice, I received a larger scale model as a surprise inclusion. Receiving and opening these is one of the things that I look forward to every month.

Then, in addition to constructing the models, I need to organize and file the guides away. Part of those guides is lore that I haven’t even mentioned in any of my articles. You know me. I love a good story. World of Warcraft. Portal 2. The Final Fantasy series. Dungeons and Dragons. Most of my joy comes from the story within the game. While I haven’t read all of it, from what I see, the Warhammer story is a good one.

The Verdict

I think I made my case for Warhammer as our tabletop is a gift 2024 winner. It checks many of the boxes for me as a fun and interesting game. I keeps me occupied. It builds community. Speaking of that community. If you have any stories of your own from this year about Warhammer, reach out here or on any of our socials. I’d love to discuss them. Join us next week for our final gift of the year.