If you enjoy Warhammer then you’ll probably enjoy other geeky hobbies that share similarities to it such as model-building, painting, and board games. With that said, we want to really niche down to explore hobbies that are very much like Warhammer in format and style.
Perhaps you’ve played Warhammer for a long time and are starting to get bored of the universe or lore. Or maybe you haven’t been able to indulge in enough fantasy so you want to add some extra to your life. Alternatively, it may just be a case of burnout where you need to take a break from your chosen hobby for a while. It’s very common when you spend all day every day doing what it is you love doing.
Whatever the reasons for seeking hobbies like Warhammer, we’ll be sure to help you today or at least should be able to offer you some inspiration.
1. Magic: The Gathering
Although not strictly the same format, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) can offer a similar investment in the fantasy world it takes part in allowing you to play some powerful characters or wield devastating spells.
Magic is a trading card game (TCG) where you can collect a variety of different sets or powerful cards to build your deck.
You can go for a custom deck if you’re good at creating card sets or alternatively you can play some of the pre-made deck sets that usually feature a champion card, several “land cards”, and a variety of spells or monster cards.
This is a good basis to start from but we recommend getting familiar with the rules which you can usually find online via the official MTG website or through YouTube to give you some visual assistance of what to expect.
MTG also has a separate video game version of the trading card game where you can upload some specific card packs for use in the game, or if you prefer, you can buy the cards in the game itself.
Just like Warhammer, Magic: The Gathering requires strategy, focus, and an ability to foresee how a battle will play out.
It has similar collecting aspects too meaning you’ll be able to buy old and new iterations of card releases to add to your shelf to show off to friends or family.
As a replacement, MTG is a strong choice to rekindle those interests that you had in Warhammer and can be played with others in a similar fashion.
2. Dungeons & Dragons
Another behemoth fantasy hobby that millions play is Dungeons & Dragons which has the capacity to offer you and a bunch of friends to make up and tell your own story about your prowess with a sword, or perhaps, your ability to raise the dead.
Dungeons & Dragons can be played in many different ways but there are some core rules that usually revolve around dice roles (similar to Warhammer) which can dictate the outcome of your story or how successful you are in-game.
There are no limitations to the character you can pick; you could be a warlock who flirts with demonology, a noble knight who saves the townspeople from a tyrannical warlord, and even a mighty wizard who wields devastating arcane powers to vanquish their foes.
Although the name Dungeons & Dragons imply a classic fantasy setting, in truth, you can play in any world you want to provide you follow the core rules.
This could be a dystopian future, a steampunk invention world, and even an underwater Atlantis-style setting.
Dungeons & Dragons as a game have quite a few rules to get to grips with and it isn’t something you’ll learn overnight.
In general, you’ll have a Dungeon Master (DM) who usually sets the details of the game and can organize certain aspects of it. You’ll also have the player characters who role-play their chosen in-game characters such as a mighty orc or noble knight as we mentioned.
If you’re not sure where to start you can actually get a beginner D&D set that will usually include a set of rules, a theme, and some dice to get you going.
It’s also worth doing some research beforehand via YouTube or the official D&D website to help you understand the intricacies.
3. Model-Building
Next on our list is model-building which is one of the main aspects involved in Warhammer.
Model-building as a hobby is far more extensive in comparison as you won’t be limited to only Warhammer figures.
You’ll be able to build scaled-down battleships, submarines, aircraft, cars, engines, and basically anything else you can think of.
Sometimes the models will come pre-assembled and you’ll only have to paint them but most of the time they will be in a variety of bits for you to glue together and eventually paint.
Most of the time they’ll come with a mount so once you’ve put the finishing touches on your model it can be mounted on a shelf or somewhere to display for when your friends or family come over.
The options are really limitless and even if it’s just temporary, model-building will give you something slightly different to focus on for a while.
4. Diorama Creation
We’ve talked about diorama creation in a few of our other articles due to how invested it is as a process.
It’s especially great for people who love the fantasy behind a scene or some of the specific detail.
A diorama is basically a three-dimensional representation of a scene; sort of like a painting but has topographical aspects and often makes use of models like war vehicles and scaled-down people.
If you’ve ever visited a Warhammer store you’ll notice they play the game on a diorama which sets the scene for the battle.
Typically, most people create dioramas of famous historical moments such as World War 2 or epic battles that have occurred throughout history.
In truth though, you can make dioramas of whatever you want even if that’s a fantasy landscape.
In case you want some further inspiration here is a mind-blowing tank diorama showing a shell being shot with the flame effects:
5. Painting
If you like the painting aspect of Warhammer then it could be worth taking up painting as a dedicated hobby.
Painting can be done in many ways and has many niche areas such as portrait painting, landscape painting, wildlife painting, abstract painting, and graffiti-style painting.
There’s no end to the creativity you can put into your paintings or how you accomplish them which is why it’s a good replacement if you find you only focus on the painting side of Warhammer.
There are also a few different types of paint you can get for your preferred painting style which are usually oil-based paints or acrylics.
They can help you achieve a different effect for your painting and over time you’ll learn which one suits your style best.
6. Board Games
Last up on the hobby list we have board games that share many of the same traits that make Warhammer such an enjoyable hobby to partake in such as dice rolling and a strong fantasy backdrop.
In fact, over the past ten years, we’ve seen a huge boost from investors going towards board games that feature defining rulesets, beautiful fantasy worlds, and picturesque character pieces to play with.
Some of them have even been created from already established fantasy and sci-fi universes such as Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and more.
It can sometimes be hard to find these types of board games for sale through traditional retailers but you should be able to find them on dedicated hobbyist/geek websites that have them in stock.
Alternatively, you’ll find a number of board games to invest in through crowd-funding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo.
Conclusion
Hopefully, our list has helped you find some hobbies like Warhammer to wet your whistle with or to add to your nerdy repertoire.
We believe these are the best options on the market at the moment that can make great side hobbies or can be added in favor of your dwindling Warhammer interests. Most of them will take a good bit of research beforehand to help you get invested properly but it can be well worth it for the end result.
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You can also browse our ultimate list of hobbies for hobbies similar to the ones mentioned and more.
