Yes, we’re 11 days into January and I’m still talking about it ‘being a new year’. Wait, when are you reading this? 12 days into January? February? Surely it can’t be October already? No matter when this article is published or when you first read it, I hope you keep coming back to check in on my tabletop predictions as the year progresses. I’m going to be right, I can feel it.
Warhammer is going mainstream. It’s been headed that way for a while, but its dramatic entrance onto the FTSE 500 list will undoubtedly turn more heads and bring our hobby to the centre of global attention. That means more scrutiny, more players, and (probably) more sales for Games Workshop.
Aside from that, more people are going to look for their games elsewhere. Whether they’re veteran hobbyists wanting to taste from fresh mud after years of loyal ‘Workshop hobbying, or new bloods eager to unleash their creativity on miniature ranges that go far beyond the relatively sanitised offerings of a global company with a pristine reputation to uphold, small wargames will benefit from the biggest fish growing larger still.
This isn’t trickle-down economics, but it might be some trickle-down gore leaking from the open stab wounds of an Aeldari Guardian to nourish the boggy soil of the wider wargaming industry.
Trench Crusade
We’ve already seen this happen with Trench Crusade, which will officially launch in 2025 after an eye-wateringly successful Kickstarter campaign at the tail end of last year. The horrors of Hell will be unleashed on tabletops across the globe as this grimdark skirmish game starts honouring pledges and eventually moves to general sale.
There are already Trench Crusade communities popping up around my local gaming stores, thanks to 3D printers which can print off the miniatures from STL pledges on the Kickstarter. Aside from that, the free experimental rulebook and miniature-agnostic, conversion-friendly approach to wargaming means that anyone can try their hand at a game with no up-front cost.
Add into this the big names on board (Mordheim creator Tuomas Pirinen leads the pack) and a few Warhammer-adjacent designs, and you’ve got a recipe for runaway success. I would have said without a doubt that Trench Crusade would be the biggest non-Warhammer wargame to release in 2025, if it wasn’t for the next announcement.
Gundam Assemble
Gundam are going small. While the only thing we know about Gundam Assemble is that it exists, I can already feel that it’s going to be massive. Gundam, or more specifically its plastic miniature range Gunpla, has been undergoing a boom in recent months, and a miniature wargame is the perfect way to capitalise on that interest. It’s getting bigger by going smaller.
The excitement surrounding this meagre announcement (we got a trailer and some digital mock-ups of miniatures and sprues) suggests that, whenever Gundam Assemble releases, it will be hotter than an Archmagos’ Volkite Pistol.
Warmachine
One of these games is not like the others. Yes, I know Warmachine has been around for years. But it has just changed hands, and is now owned by Steamforged Games, known primarily for the excellent board game adaptations of classic video games. Steamforged has produced beautiful miniatures and innovative games for the likes of Dark Souls and Elden Ring, and now it’s turning its hand to an already-successful wargame.
While my only experience of Warmachine is the new two-player starter set, I can see this taking off in the wake of Warhammer’s success. With a strong push from the new owners, a refreshed and rejuvenated Warmachine could move out of its niche and become a mainstream name in the tabletop wargaming scene.
As Warhammer and miniature wargaming grows in 2025, it’s not just the biggest companies that will prosper. So I urge you to keep your finger on the pulse, your eyes on new Kickstarters, and your paintbrushes on indie wargames now more than ever.
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