Greetings, my fellow Spwugians.

Remember that six-week-long course you were forced to take to fulfill some ridiculous college requirement?  You probably came out of those “how to study” or “find your true calling” classes with an armload of books you never cracked open and only an ounce more useful information than you started with.  What if I told you there was a six-week course that was actually interesting and gave you something useful for your hard-earned money?  If you’ve got six free Sunday afternoons and some extra cash (yeah, I know, I just snickered too) , the makers of Warhammer 40,000 and the new War of the Ring tabletop games have a proposition for you – to join them in the “Games Workshop Academy.”

For your fifty dollar academy fee (yes, that’s a “5” and a “0”), you’ll be enrolled in a six-week class made up of you and up to five other students.  Each week, you’ll focus on a different gaming-related topic – from figure construction and painting to rules and gameplay of some of the tabletop games the workshop offers.  During that time you may possibly score yourself a free (no slight of hand required) figure or two, and at the end of the course, each student receives a large case to house your future armies or any other game elements.  So sure, sounds fantastic on paper, but is the course really worth the hefty price-tag?

All sugar-coating aside – this academy is not for everyone.  If you’re just curious about model building or painting, you’re better off buying a book or searching for tutorials on the Internet, and spending the fifty dollars on materials.

This class is best-suited for people who are very interested in the Games Workshop games or similar tabletop games, want to know how to get started, and how to build the same awesome armies and terrain displayed on each Games Workshop game table.  The majority of the classes (obviously) are geared towards setting players up with the figures, paints, books, and other tools necessary to play the game.  In other words, in place of that fifty-dollar “Study Skills” book, you’ll be encouraged to buy the fifty-dollar game bible.  If you’re planning on playing the game, you’re pretty set.  If not, as with any other course, you can skip the homework that requires the book, deal with your instructor’s sighs, and move on.

Luckily, in my experience at least, the instructors never force the game on you – they’re more excited to show you how much fun you can have and how you can customize the game to your liking.  They don’t work on commission, so they’re free to treat you like a fellow human being, not part of a quota.  Just as with any other class, the instructor can make or break each session.  I definitely experienced a distinct range with my instructors.  My favorite instructor kept the class light and extremely nerdy, while my least favorite decided to spend most of the time talking (mainly about his awesome painting skills) and only allowed us a few moments of hands-on learning.  My advice is to check out your nearest shop beforehand and get a feel for the people working there.

One last piece of advice – if at all possible, try to take the classes with friends.  Not only will you have a better time (duh), you may be able to score a larger terrain set (i.e. a fort) to share collectively, and you’ll have more freedom over your schedule (i.e. Freedom to collectively postpone classes if need be.  Be advised that if you miss a class, your instructor will insist you make it up at some point during the week!)

My final verdict?  If you’re looking to get into these types of games or want to do something fun and nerdy with your friends, this is a good way to go.  If not, you’re better off sinking the money into materials and scouring the Internet.  I think I’ve learned some useful information from my time spent as an academy student – especially on how to build terrain.  Let me put it this way, if my home someday includes a miniature replica of Rivendell, complete with tiny working lanterns, you know why.

For more information about Games Workshop and their collection of games, visit:

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/home.jsp

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 at 1:43 am and is filed under Jennifer Eatherly, events, games, stuff. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.