Grotmas is over for another year. The Blood Angels calendar on the wall has been replaced with an Emperor’s Children one – there’s a great picture of Fulgrim for the month of [REDACTED]. And as the rest of the Warhammer Community team emerge from their hypercrypts and actual crypts after ringing in the New Year, we’re already thinking about what #WarhammerChallenge we’re attempting to achieve this year.
This year’s #WarhammerChallenge is simple. Pledge yourself to a new hobby goal for 2025, whether that’s clearing those frames, building and painting a Combat Patrol or Spearhead, or catching up on those Black Library novels you’ve got sitting on your bookshelf.
There’s a New Year New Challenge card at your local Warhammer store if you fancy some encouragement. Finish a row and you can earn a medal! You can also post pictures of your progress on X/Twitter or Instagram with the #WarhammerChallengeCompetition hashtag, while there’s even a chance to win some gift vouchers – read on for details.
Here’s what the Warhammer Community team are pledging…
Luke: I spent a lot of last year painting one-off models for Warhammer Community, many, many hours pushing pigment around in thin glazes and on thinner edge highlights in an attempt to improve my painting.
I'd now like to play more games while continuing to push my painting skills, so I'll be aiming to paint at least one Warhammer Underworlds warband from each Grand Alliance, and a Kill Team or two for the inevitable work league. Otherwise, I'll maybe even try and enter at least one Open Competition at Golden Demon…
Rob: Would it really be New Year without ambitiously declaring a project far in excess of my ability to deliver? With the looming deadlines of regular updates to motivate me, and the fun and games of the Grand Narrative in my back pocket, my big plan is to run a narrative play campaign in my local area for a group of fresh-faced new Kill Team and Warhammer 40,000 players.
So how will I weave dozens of games from different systems together into a fun and cohesive story? I have no idea, I’ve never done this before. Luckily, the Global Events Team wrote a series of articles about this very topic ahead of the Grand Narrative, so I have plenty of giant shoulders to stand on.
Joel: I’m hoping to expand my converted Krieg army with all the new models coming out next year. I love the new Death Riders and Engineers in particular, so I’ll definitely want to get my hands on those.
Being a huge Aeldari fan, I’m also eyeing up the new Phoenix Lords and Aspect Warriors to add to my Ynnari project. I’ve been waiting most of my life for new Warp Spiders, and it’s extremely exciting to see their Phoenix Lord after so many years.
Daniel: As a dad of three, my pile of shame opportunity is slowly piling up, and my plan for this year is to carry on keeping that pile in the corner of my room, and jump back into the mammoth challenge I set myself last year, which was to listen to all the Horus Heresy novels in order. Last year I managed to get all the way to Fulgrim. Hopefully by this time next year I will have at least reached Tales of Heresy – and perhaps l’ll even be finished by the 31st Millennium.
Tom: I have a scenery painting project that I kind of have to finish for an article, so my first challenge will be to avoid RSI from heavy drybrushing. I will then aim to finish my Ironhead Squat gang from Necromunda, the Trans-Palatine Workers’ Party.
I’ll also be buying a lot of Empire miniatures, and I’d really like them to look like they’re from Marienburg, rather than whichever Sigmar-forsaken region of the Empire dresses its state troops in uniform mid-grey.
Andy: I am notorious among my gaming group for spending endless hours converting Orks and Dark Angels, and then never actually getting round to painting any of them. Building miniatures is the funnest part of the hobby anyway!
But my venerable 20-year-old Ravenwing army is now certainly looking its age, and my mates are getting tired of me explaining “well, bikes used to come on rectangular bases”. So my hobby challenge for this year is to finally get some Contrast paint onto the Deathwing army that I’ve slowly been converting for the last twelve months. I have a tournament planned in a few months’ time, so I have a strict deadline to work to.
Having said that, those new Astra Militarum guns would look great if they were looted for my Ork army. And Galen and Doralia: Outnumbered definitely needs to be added to my Cities of Sigmar force. And I haven’t started reading Lazarus: Enmity’s Edge yet. That’d technically be research….
Jon: I began 2024 full of hobby excitement due to the return of my first hobby love, Bretonnia, in Warhammer: The Old World. My illustrious knights sit forlornly beneath my desk as I type, clothed still in the drab heraldry of grey plastic. This year I’m aiming to actually begin the project, and maybe even get a game or two under my belt! Having said that, I also have my eyes on the excellent Abraxia, and with the doggo-riding gobbos of the Gitmob on the horizon, this year might also be my opportunity to finally take the plunge into Warhammer Age of Sigmar.
Gadge: Last year’s Skaventide launch got my passion for Warhammer Age of Sigmar fully fired up. After completing a massive Skaven army with lashings of Clanrats last year, I thought I'd work on a counterpoint and build a Slaves to Darkness force. I initially intended to go compact and elite, with mainly Chaos Warriors and Chosen… but those savage new Darkoath really got my attention, so it looks like another horde army is on the cards! I think I’ll start small and complete the Spearhead force first so I can get stuck in with gaming, and then expand the tribe as time goes on.
James: I’m going to be indulging in a bit of heresy, delving into dark and sinister tomes and learning terrible secrets. By which I mean I’m going to read a lot of Horus Heresy books. I’ve read about two-thirds of all the Horus Heresy novels and short stories, so in 2025 I’m going to finish the set. The main goal is the reading itself, but that’ll no doubt inspire more painting of miniatures – Marduk Sedras, the currently-unbuilt Lord of the Twenty-Third Order is glaring at me from a shelf…
Graeme: I have a number of Warhammer 40,000-playing friends who’ve yet to step into the Age of Sigmar, so my 2025 goal is simple – paint some Spearhead forces to lure my pals from the grim darkness of the far future to the Mortal Realms. I’m starting with the Carrion Retainers of the Flesh-eater Courts, because who doesn’t love noble crusaders and their faithful squires?
I’m off to a galloping start with the Varghulf Courtier – next up are Morbheg Knights to join this virtuous paladin in routing any foe foolish enough to stand against Ushoran’s finest.
Riccardo: I'm just at the start of my painting career, and jumping in at the deep end I’ve decided to go with a Thousand Sons Sorcerer. For the coming year, I'll probably try to please the Changer of the Ways by improving my skills in gold trimming. Learning how to edge highlight or properly use washes should also be beneficial. I'll have to watch hundreds of hours of our very own painting tutorials to learn how to paint. The Sorcerer and the five grey Deathwatch Veterans sitting next to him will greatly benefit from the wisdom of our painters and from my willingness to improve.
Paul: Nothing derails a New Year’s resolution like having children, but I’m looking forward to taking some time to myself and recapturing my love of painting.
After joining the team earlier this year, I’ve been really inspired by hearing people talking about what they’re working on. I’m going to start with some miniatures, but I’ll have some fierce competition – my 15-year-old son is an avid Warhammer fan, and he’s kicking off 2025 by painting his Death Guard Combat Patrol. Something tells me I’ll be assisting him before I get to work on my own projects!
Hopefully this has inspired you to set your own #WarhammerChallenge. If it has, you could be in with a chance of winning prizes with our New Year New Challenge competition!
Post a picture on of your 2025 hobby progress to X or Instagram using #WarhammerChallengeCompetition to be in with a chance of winning.
Six hobbyists will win £100 of virtual gift vouchers (or local currency equivalent) for use on warhammer.com. There will be prize draws on the 29th of January, the 26th of February, and the 26th of March 2025. Terms and conditions apply.
