The winners are in! Warhammer Heroes is an initiative designed to reward those who go above and beyond in their local communities and, for those who selflessly give back to the wider Warhammer hobby.
These are people who run hundreds of intro games to teach new people to play, champion local gaming scenes from the casual to the competitive, and devote their time to teaching people to paint online and providing resources for hobbyists. That’s just a slim cut of the type of people who have been nominated in the past. The awards are open to anyone – you just had to vote and let us know who you thought was the most deserving.
And vote you did. We put out the call last year, and you responded in kind with a mountain of nominations that were then narrowed down based on their unique contribution to the Warhammer hobby at large – not an easy task!
There are a huge number of fantastic winners this year, and we wanted to highlight each of them and share just a little of what the people who nominated them had to say.
Stephen Duall
A hero of the Washington DC scene, Stephen helps run the NOVA Open and the Kidshammer event that gets children and teens playing Warhammer. He also runs the Victory Gamers gaming club, which brings together hundreds of players.
Josh Price
Besides being a full-time carer, Josh runs the Three Spires Gaming Club, which provides a place for people to play Warhammer and a safe social space for those who suffer from mental health issues. He’s also run tournaments, tutorials, charity events, and plenty more.
Sebastian Baldriz
Nominated as a beacon of the Warhammer community in Uruguay, Sebastian has been cultivating the local community for over 10 years, running events and tournaments, all while fostering a safe environment, and even using his own home as a hub for the club.
Alex Newhouse
Alex runs the Model Citizens club, which uses the principles of the Warhammer hobby – building, painting, and gaming. The club brings together a neurodiverse group at an over-16s Academy, and provides a supportive environment of social inclusion.
Louis Burnett
Louis has been described as single handedly holding up the Leeds Warhammer scene for students, from his work at the University of Leeds Warhammer Society. Not only does he run events, from weekly painting and gaming sessions to larger outings while raising money for charity, but he’s also doing so sustainably while creating a safe space that fosters a wider community.
Eiiti Uozumi and Kazuya Kaneko
A double from the Japanese scene, Eiiti and Kazuya run the Warhammer 40,000 Officer School, which helps people transition from Combat Patrol to full 2,000-point games. This January, they also ran the Demi-Bato 1,000, a 48-player tournament estimated to be the largest in Japan’s history.
Findlay Fraser
Findlay runs the Toss Yer Cabers non-profit charity dedicated to helping the most vulnerable people in society. To date Findlay has used Warhammer events as a catalyst to raise over $40,000 in donations, as well as collected clothing and personal hygiene items. Starting with a pool of just 17 attendees, Findlay’s events now often top out over 200 people. As if this wasn’t enough, he runs an extensive hobby blog.
Lee Morris
Lee is a paramedic who has brought many other London-based paramedics together with his love of Warhammer. He uses meetups as a way for people to unwind and destress from what is a difficult and important job. Multiple individual testimonies speak to the support and kindness Lee has shown to this unique group of hobbyists.
Brendon Moore
Running an after-school Warhammer club in his own time that offers a nurturing, supporting and engaging space for younger hobbyists has had a direct impact on the well-being of individuals that was commented on extensively in the nominations, with one child saying he is more of a hero than Marneus Calgar!
Little Bear and Big Bear / Noah Brown and Craig Brown
This father-son duo runs a YouTube channel together, their online presence creating a hub for enthusiasts worldwide. Noah’s commitment to inclusivity and celebrating creativity and Craig’s experience running Warhammer clubs at schools and Scout groups have blended to create something unique.
Dom Proctor
Dom has revived his local Warhammer Community in New South Wales through his own time and expense. He runs smaller weekly events and 70+ player major tournaments with prizes that include fully painted 2,000-point armies from Dom himself. Over time, he has raised over $20,000 for mental health and veterans charities.
JC Watts
Over the past two years, JC has raised over $30,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association, while himself battling cancer. Since recovering, JC has started running various one-day events and is also active helping the local Warhammer scene with painting advice, and other volunteering.
Jon Rollason
A regular of the local scene in Hong Kong, Jon has put in a sterling effort to help bridge the language difference between English and Cantonese players. Nominations describe his work bringing together a diverse group of people with his love for Kill Team, his effort in painting terrain and running events, and the kindness he shows those in his community who struggle.
Dan Rattigan
Dan runs Warhammer Alliance Canterbury, one of the biggest Warhammer youth communities in the South East of England, and runs a number of tournaments, and events with a friendly atmosphere. These events have helped raise over £700 for the local food bank and provided hundreds of hours of activity time for local youths.
Charles Roller
Characterised by his selfless dedication to the hobby and the local community, Charles consistently organises charity events on his own time, loans out his own armies and collections for events, and is always on hand to give hobby advice. A recent Charity GT gathered over $5,000 in donations for St. Judes Hospital.
Michael Marshall Power
Michael is regarded as a hobby hero in every sense of the word, and beyond running a Warhammer School club, he helped one of his gaming group with a terminal cancer prognosis complete a bucket list of ambitions. Since his friend’s passing, Michael has been helping the family catalogue and sell their hobby collection, with all proceeds going to the MacMillan Cancer Trust.
John Yeager
The de facto head of the local Warhammer gaming scene in College Station, just north of Houston Texas, John is a dedicated event organiser. He has brought together the local community and runs the Verin V series of narrative events which have so far raised almost $27,000 for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospitals.
James John Stewart
Over five years of hard work has resulted in James turning a small gaming group in Tasmania into a community with over 300 members. Beyond running events and founding the non-profit gaming group Thyalcine Tabletop Gaming, James has bought, built, painted, and currently stores a catalogue of terrain for the local community.
Colin Faires
Colin is an ambassador for Warhammer's mental health benefits and an advocate for sharing his hobby with the next generation. Through the Army Welfare Service, Colin has established a Warhammer club for Service Family Children, providing one-on-one support and a community for dozens of younger people.
Mathieu "Manwe" Bach
As President of the French Warhammer 40,000 Federation, Mathieu co-created the French Wargame Café in Paris, and is part of a team responsible for running over 100 events a year. The nominations for Mathieu were keen to point out his own helpfulness and commitment to the community, as well as the work that the rest of the Federation put in throughout the year.
Sebastián Parra Correa
Sebastián has fostered a unique Warhammer scene in Bogota, Colombia by organising events, tournaments, and community meetups. Not only has he promoted competitive play, but his activities include providing spaces for casual players and painters to meet and socialise, and he is always willing to help new players
Xandre Ramos
The host of the La Voz De Horus podcast, (a name you’ll recognise from Warhammer Community painting articles) Xandre is considered a cornerstone of the Spanish-speaking Warhammer community. A skilled player and respected judge, he's a welcoming presence who has brought thousands of hobbyists together.
Stacie Mclellan
Stacie co-founded a club for underprivileged children and a club for adults in a local hall, and made this club entirely free through the donation of funds and miniatures from the linked adults’ club.
Special Recognition
Two further awards are to be handed out posthumously to pillars of their local communities: Viet Ngyuen and Eddie Draper.
Viet was known for his incredible hobby skills, ambitious Titan-scale projects, and one of the largest collections of Warhammer miniatures in the continental United States. He was a major figure on the Texas Warhammer circuit, and a very popular one to boot (not least for his famed sportsmanship) – as the number of nominations we received in his name proves.
Eddie, meanwhile, was a mainstay of the Indianapolis scene, the force behind many narrative campaigns and events. He was instrumental in spearheading the Warhammer hobby at Gen Con (the largest gaming event in the world), and he is sorely missed by everyone.
All of these worthy winners are soon to be added to the online Roll of Honour, and they will join previous Warhammer Heroes commemorated on the wall at Warhammer World in Nottingham later in the year. The chosen heroes will also be awarded a beautiful Warhammer Heroes medal and other goodies, as well as an invitation to one of our special Awards Evenings – including accommodation for one night and admission for a companion.
Congratulations to everyone who was nominated – you all help make the Warhammer hobby better every day.