What's the appeal of a miniature wargame when you live in a country locked in an ongoing, all-too-real war? That's the question that Warhammer 40k YouTube channel 52 Miniatures sets out to answer in its latest video, a documentary interviewing members of the tabletop wargaming scene in the Ukrainian town of Lviv.
The Warhammer 40k fandom is international, with people sharing photos or swapping lore about their fave Warhammer 40k factions on social media all around the world, or playing games across international borders via Tabletop Simulator. If you came across the social media accounts for any of the interviewees from 52 Miniatures' documentary, you might not even realise that they live in a country in a state of war.
The Westhammer Game Club of Lviv uses its social media to share photos of games and players at the club; miniature artist Olha shares immaculate models on her Instagram; American migrant Ed of GoblinSkunkworks reports on everything happening in his local hobby community via Telegram. It's the kind of stuff you'd see on American social media.
The interviews in 52 Miniatures' short video - which you can watch below - expand on these stories, revealing that for everything that is the same, an equal amount is utterly different.
In some ways, wargaming in Lviv is unchanged: the front lines are far away. But people think differently when they know they could die at any time by rocket strike. Olha started running painting classes for the local community, and says she's one of many people with a sudden urge to seize the day, driven by the knowledge that their future is not certain.
The Westhammer Game Club includes members of Ukraine's 40k World Team Championship team, who have been unable to attend international tournaments since the war started. Founder Svyatoslav says the game lets people relieve stress and focus on something beyond the precarious state of Ukraine. The club has turned from a hobby spot, to the community hub of a mutual support network. He thinks it has saved lives.
Ed reports that there's a lot of guilt in Ukraine about spending money on yourself, which is a bit of a problem in the miniature painting hobby. He runs painting workshop that accept donations, and says the price actually encourages more people to come - they can spend on something they want without feeling guilty, knowing they're contributing to the community.
A lot of donations go to the military, since almost everybody has a family member or friend serving. Other targets include animal shelters, refugee support agencies, and medical support for people in east Ukraine.
Ed adds that miniature painting, gaming, and the social hobbies they represent, are part of what Ukrainians are fighting for. Life can still be fun even when it is precarious, and he thinks that Ukraine's joy in its way of life has given the people of his adopted home the will to keep fighting.
It's a fascinating video, albeit necessarily brief. If you've found other great media about how the wargaming hobby has taken root somewhere else in the world, we'd love to see it - come and share it in the official Wargamer Discord community.
Wargamer has interviewed several members of the Ukrainian Warhammer fandom since the Russian invasion in 2022: here's master papercrafter Denys Tsiokhla recounting his experiences as a hobbyist across three years in a warzone; and a 2023 interview with Oleh Smorchkov, commander of a volunteer anti-drone unit, who used games of Blood Bowl played over video call to stay in touch with his evacuated son.