Event Recap: Games Workshop Tacoma Open 2026
The Waystone Community recently completed our fourth annual trip to the Games Workshop Tacoma Open—a huge bonanza of blood, sweat, tears, and joy.
Well, it wasn’t quite that dramatic…
But it’s an intense event! Folks commute down or rent rooms and spend upwards of 9 hours per day on their feet playing in tournaments or taking part in painting classes and submitting work in various competitions. The space is packed with over a thousand people, so when you enter you exist in a ceaseless cloud of (to quote Ben) “murmuration”. Voices, sounds, lights, and MINIATURES are everywhere. It is both amazing and a serious test of mental endurance.
Stefan, Jon K, and I always drive down early on Friday feeling fresh and excited for this confluence of hobbyists, and by Sunday morning all we want is to find a greasy spoon nearby and drive home.
Alex S. experiencing some Orky solidarity with Adrian of Tabletop Titans.
Solidarity Through Snacks
Being our fourth year at the event, I’ve developed a little personal rhythm. One year I’ll steel myself for the gauntlet of playing in the Warhammer 40,000 GT, and the year after that will be a “chill year” where I take some painting classes and help with handing out snacks to players.
The tradition of a grassroots snack crew that supports players both in and out of our community is one of the coolest things about how our club shows up at the event. The breaks between rounds in many of the events can be super short, and there aren’t a wealth of food options within the convention center, so getting a little bag with a hearty snack and some sugar is something that’s really appreciated by a lot of players.
The back of my car loaded up with drinks and snacks.
This year, support from our club’s Community Amplifiers and a number of anonymous donors meant we were able hand out cold drinks, fresh cookies from Ellipsis, and about 120 snack bags to members of our community and their opponents.
Big thank you to folks like Valerie, Connor, Nick, Ollie, Mark, Remy, Umbra, and Ben who helped bag and distribute snacks, and to folks like Wes, Allie, Ollie, and Nick who have kept this tradition alive in years past.
Games Overview
Walking around the auditorium handing out snacks is always neat because I’m able to get a peek at the different armies our players are facing, as well as a sense of the basic state of Warhammer 40,000. The mood this year was pretty great—I heard a lot of chatter about how despite some beginning-of-the-edition flaws, folks are loving 11th Edition. It probably also helped that a lot of our players had some really strong initial runs.
We also had players taking part in the 40k Narrative campaign, the Kill Team GT, and the Age of Sigmar Grand Tournament. Attitudes around the Kill Team tournament ranged from “I want that Golden Ticket!” (Naomi, who ended up in 3rd place), to “I’ve hardly played this game—I’m here to win Best Painted.” (Josh W, who got his prize!)
Many players at Waystone work year-round to help each other become the best players they can be, and Tacoma is a celebration of all that communal effort. It’s awesome seeing everyone cheering one another on and giving pats on the back after a game has gone south.
Matt painted up this Wolf Priest for the individual mini competition that takes place on Saturday and Sunday (he won Gold!)
Hobby Overview
After taking a painting class at the Open in 2024 that really empowered me to improve as a painter, I’m a huge evangelist for this side of the event. Instructors from all over the world like Albert Moreto Font (Spain), Katarzyna Górska (Poland), and Erik Swinson (USA) were here this year teaching, and I saw more folks than ever signing up (there were at least 4 friendly faces from the club in both the classes that I took, which was awesome).
In terms of painting at the event, I noticed that the bar for army painting feels like it went WAY UP. I always expect to walk around the auditorium and see a bunch of hastily painted “battle-ready” armies from folks chasing the game’s meta, but the good majority of armies looked spectacular.
RJ painted up this incredible space marine head in one of the even’ts hobby classes.
Closing Thoughts
After what has been a tumultuous year, it felt good to embark on this yearly pilgrimage. Despite how big and overwhelming it can be, it is also a tradition that brings so many folks from our community together—old and new—in a way that we simply can’t replicate within the walls of the club.
I always recommend that folks in our community stop by this event, even if they aren’t signed up for a tournament or class. So mark off your weekends in mid-July 2027 off early and keep an eye on Warhammer Community for announcements about next year’s dates. For more information on the event and how to get the most out of it, also check out our Wych Pigeon’s Guide to the Tacoma Open.
Awards and Accolades
Here’s a summary of all the awards and accolades folks from the club earned (that I’m aware of):
Josh W (Best In Show in the individual mini painting competition)
Josh W (Best Painted in the Kill Team GT)
Naomi C (3rd Place in the Kill Team GT
Matt M (Gold in the individual mini painting competition)
Valerie S (Bronze in the individual mini painting competition)
Flint M (Silver in the individual mini painting competition)
Jake D (Best in Faction for Chaos Knights)
Chris L, Aidan Y, Brian W, Jake D, and Jack H, Alex L, and Aaron H were all featured in the army showcase
All the best,
Dustin
