When I heard Games Workshop was going to be running its own subscription service, Warhammer+, I was skeptical. The company has been previewing various animations in recent months, that I was vaguely looking forward to watching, but also knowing in the back of mind my mind I’d probably struggle to find the time. When I first heard it was to be a paid service, I thought, “Well, that’s that then.”
Between Prime, Netflix, and Disney+, all with more content than I can comfortably watch, I honestly couldn’t see myself feeling the need to have yet another subscription. Yet, when the full(ish) explanation of the content and the price point were revealed, I suddenly became a whole lot more interested.
Warhammer+ will cost 5.99USD (£4.99) a month. For less than the price of two cups of coffee a month (depending on where you get your coffee) it feels like a great deal. As one person I was discussing it with said, “It’s the first time we all think Games Workshop has reasonable pricing.” Annual subscriptions are also available for the overall reduced price of 59.99USD (£49.99).
Warhammer+ Will go live on August 25th. The full announcement can be found on the Warhammer Coummunity website.
Warhammer+: What do you get?
Animations!
The Warhammer+ offering is probably more attractive if you’re a bigger Warhammer 40K fan than Age of Sigmar. Most of the animations that have been revealed take place in the 40K universe. Both strands are supported and there are a host of shows from a variety of perspectives to draw in Warhammer fans of any age.
You can take a look at the full list of shows, here.
More Shows!
There are also a number of shows on offer to deepen your hobby experience. For the painters amongst you, there will be a Citadel Colour Masterclass. This won’t replace the tutorials GW already has or Warhammer TV and YouTube but will aim to take your painting further with advanced techniques. Painting is always a learning journey, so I’m interested to see how these pan out.
“Loremasters” will be a regular show dedicated to the stories behind the rules. With the latest iterations of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000 it’s clear how important the stories – the “lore,” is to both games’ backgrounds. This show will give more background on the places, events, and characters from the Imperium and the Mortal Realms.
Nearly all of Warhammer+ is dedicated to the storytelling aspects of Warhammer showing that GW sees its games as far more than just a ruleset for competitive gaming.
But those who do love their battles are not forgotten. Another show on the channel, “Battle Report,” will bring you..err…battle reports.
Free Model!
This is what really turned my head, and I think is a stroke of genius from the Warhammer+ team. Who doesn’t like an exclusive model? Each year subscribers to Warhammer+ will receive a free model. The first time around, subscribers can choose from the two models above. Considering the price and popularity of the limited edition models that GW regularly release, customers would usually be willing to part with at least $30 for either of these. When you look at it from this perspective, the Warhammer+ content becomes even better value!
And what models they are! Even though I don’t really play Warhammer 40K, I would love to paint the new Vindicare Assassin model.
Apps!
The launch of the Warhammer 40K app was less than stellar, so this perhaps isn’t quite the incentive it might have been. Nevertheless, signing up to Warhammer+ will give you access to the full features of the army building apps for both games. This is the existing 40K app and the forthcoming Age of Sigmar app.
The Vault!
Electronic access to a whole load of backlist Games Workshop products, whether that be White Dwarf back issues or old campaign books from previous iterations of the game. With promises of more stuff being added to the vault on a regular basis, I suspect we can expect to see access to lots of content that dovetails with all that lovely lore goodness talked about on the Loremasters show.
Event Extras!
An interesting one, this one. Sounds great in concept. Warhammer+ subscribers will get access to various special perks at Warhammer events, including merch, VIP, and priority access. The only problem I can see is that Games Workshop fans are used to splashing the cash on things, and have been repeatedly proven to have poor impulse control. There are going to a vast number of Warhammer+ subscribers; we won’t be able to help ourselves.
I imagine nearly everybody who goes to Warhammer events will be Warhammer+ members. Meaning that you might actually find yourself having a quieter time if you’re not at the Warhammer+ special seminar, as you wander around a mostly empty exhibition hall! Nevertheless, who doesn’t love priority access?!
Warhammer+ is arriving towards the end of August, and no doubt we’ll be hearing more about it in the intervening weeks. With all the great stuff on offer, in particular those miniatures, I’m pretty sure I’m going to take a punt on the service. I don’t have a great deal of spare time to watch TV, but hopefully I’ll have time to watch some of the animations. I keep saying I need to learn more about the lore, so now is my chance.
You can check out more details about Warhammer+ on the Warhammer community website, and or you can sign up for the Warhammer+ newsletter, here.
