Your First Spearhead Event and Your New Hobby Community

Tell us about your hobby journey

I began my hobby journey in 2016 with Warhammer: 40,000. I had purchased a second-hand Necron army and learned 7^th edition, but I wasn’t in a place in my life at the time to really delve into the hobby. Fast-forward to 2019, I got back into the hobby again, with 40k and again, Necrons. I learned how to play the game, and I was hooked; then, a friend taught me the basics of painting. I knew I had found something I would be passionate about for a lifetime.

What made you choose Warhammer: Age of Sigmar as the game you want to champion in the community?

I started with 40k, and I still love 40k — especially my Leagues of Votann. However, when I learned about Age of Sigmar and really started diving into it in 3^rd edition with Sylvaneth and then Nurgle, I realized that AoS felt like “home” to me. I love the world, the sculpts are incredible, and the rules are fantastic and seem to be only getting better with 4^th edition.

Simply put, I love this game, and I want you to love it too! I mean, come on, it has dinosaurs riding dinosaurs and walking magical trees that ride giant beetles! If that’s not fun, what is?

What excites you about Spearhead and 4th edition as a whole?

The new edition excites me because it seems that Games Workshop has learned a lot of lessons from years past and from their own games and other games on the market and really created a clean, concise, and, most importantly, FUN ruleset. 4^th edition, in my opinion, seems like it’ll be the best Warhammer game GW has made in a long time.

Regarding the new Spearhead format, I absolutely love how easy it is to pick up and play while retaining depth, tactics, and replayability. From the experiences I have seen and had with Spearhead so far, I think anyone can learn to play it and have a great time The barrier of entry is very low for anyone getting in for the first time or wanting to try a new army, just buy a box, build it, and paint it up (or don’t!) then roll dice with your friends or family!

Even more, I love the fact that the rules are essentially just the basic rules for AoS 4^th edition, so transitioning to higher point level games should be easier and not as daunting for new players (and old!)

Any advice for new players?

The best advice I could give to new players is play what you want and how you want. Do not ever feel shoehorned into an army or a way of playing the game that you don’t like. You don’t have to play the meta army or be a competitive tournament player to have fun with this hobby. Pick an army you love the look of and that you think looks rad! If you fall in love with an army, you’ll always enjoying painting or playing it — at the best of times and the worst.

How can people interested in the hobby start playing over at Level Up Games Athens?

First and foremost, if folks are interested in diving into the hobby, they should certainly join the Level Up Discord, I am on there as HauntedBagel, and I am happy to answer any questions and help in any way I can. Folks in the community there are incredibly helpful with answering questions and finding games! Beyond that, go into the store and just see if there is a game being played. If there is one being played, politely ask if you can observe and hang out and watch. When the games are over, the players will probably want to chat you up about what army you play and how long you’ve been in the hobby. New players are always welcome in this hobby, which is for EVERYONE.

In this hobby there is nothing more we love than getting new folks into the whole experience. More people lead to more games, and more games lead to more friends and people to share your passion with!