Warhammer Fantasy Matchmaking: how to find local players and gaming groups

Warhammer Fantasy players are a far-flung bunch. Like Dwarfs exiled from their mountain home, we are stoic, patient, determined. Some might say we hold a grudge. Whatever the case, there are many “Oldhammer” players out there, scattered across the globe and hungry to dust off their square bases.

Since rekindling my love of Fantasy I’ve located a handful of players in my corner of Norfolk, UK. These range from Herohammer old timers and 6th edition stalwarts to 8th edition/WAP players, fielding everything from Tomb Kings and High Elves to Bretonnia. These people have been pooled together in a Facebook group, and now all the locals have a dedicated space to arrange matches.

You can do this too!

Quick Navigation

1. Finding players yourself
2. The great (growing!) list of WHFB groups
   1. United Kingdom
   2. Republic of Ireland
   3. Europe
   4. USA
   5. Australia

How to find Warhammer Fantasy Battle opponents in your area

In a nutshell: you’ll join online communities, search posts for certain keywords then note down potential players. To tie things up, you may want to create your own gaming group so that locals can connect and arrange matches among themselves.

Step 1: Join Warhammer-specific Facebook groups

There are several core groups that WHFB players flock to for news, camaraderie and paint praise. Join these groups using your Facebook account. Besides finding new players, these are great places to nurture the hobby and share with likeminded gamers:

• Warhammer: The Old World
• Warhammer Fantasy Battles
• Middlehammer
• Herohammer (Warhammer Fantasy 4th/5th)
• Warhammer 4th/5th Edition Community
• Warhammer 5th: Tactics & Strategy
• Warhammer Fantasy Battle 6th Edition
• Warhammer Fantasy Battle 7th Edition
• Warhammer Fantasy Square Based Edition
• Warhammer Armies Project
• Champions of Destiny: UK 8th Edition WHFB Players
• The Oldhammer Community
• Hardcore Warhammer: The Old World
• Warhammer Fantasy Battles / Age of Sigmar
• Squarehammer

Now, search each group for mentions of your town/city/county/country. You may find posts from fellow hermits wondering if anyone plays in your local area. The posts might be from years ago, but the submissions will remain.

Bookmark these people for later.

Step 2: Member Maps

The following groups allow you to pin your location to a shared Google Map:

• Warhammer Fantasy Battle 6th Edition (see Featured Posts)
• Warhammer Fantasy Battle 7th Edition (see Featured Posts)
• Warhammer Fantasy Discord Channel (see pinned post on #LFG)
• Warhammer Armies Project Discord Channel (see pinned post on Who’s Who)

See who is nearby and bookmark them as well.

Step 3: Join wider interest gaming groups in your area

You know your area best. There’ll be gaming stores, clubs or hobby groups where tabletop gamers hang out. While many will have moved on to AoS or other games, there may still be an appetite for good old rank and flank.

Search these groups too, but look up terms like “Warhammer Fantasy”, “Oldhammer”, “WHFB” etc. Someone may have asked about it long ago, and would be delighted that you’ve answered their call to arms.

Bookmark these people too.

Step 4: Check Discord Channels

There is an active and welcoming Warhammer Fantasy group on Discord, as well as a thriving community for Warhammer Armies Project. Their members span across the globe and take part in regular paint challenges, list critiques, memes, discussion and more.

The #LFG (looking for game) channel allows players to find one another and arrange matches. Search for previous mentions of your area to see if anyone’s nearby. Failing that, you can always arrange a virtual game with somebody over Tabletop Simulator.

Step 5: Reach out/make a community

All being well, you now have a list of individuals that live locally and play (or have played) Warhammer Fantasy Battles.

Of course you can DM these people to ask for a 1v1 game. You could also create your own Facebook group specifically for Warhammer Fantasy players in the area. You can send the group link to your prospects, and they can join with less pressure to make an immediate commitment. Members can introduce themselves, chat about favourites editions and discuss the best local venues.

Share the love

Finally, go back to the local gaming groups and ask permission to post a link about your WHFB community. There may be others who never mentioned it and fancy hopping on board. You’ll be meeting at these venues anyway, so it’s in their interest that you grow your pool of players. More battles = more snacks, coffee and impulse purchases instore!

Best of luck! And enjoy the ohhhs and ahhhs as passers by revel in your square-based skullbashery.

Warhammer Fantasy Groups by Location

I will post links to WHFB gaming groups by location here. To add your group please let me know in the comments/email hello@rollforwounds.com.