If there’s one thing I’ve learned since we started stocking Warhammer 40k at LithGeek, it’s this: minis don’t magically sell themselves just because they look awesome on a shelf. To turn our hobby corner into a proper part of the business, we knew we had to do more than “sit around and hope”. The answer was simple — get involved in the Warhammer community and help a local Warhammer group have a regular place to meet.
So we started opening the shop on Thursday nights from 6–9pm, setting up a few game tables, and letting local players come in to play for free (yep, at the moment we’re not charging). What happened next honestly surprised me.
I wasn’t expecting the Lithgow Warhammer community to be this active. Every week at 6pm, people roll in like it’s a sacred ritual of the Imperium: cases open, terrain goes down, and suddenly we’ve got the next Space Marines vs Orks throwdown underway. There’s always someone building, someone painting, and someone laughing about how their dice are clearly cursed by Chaos (or possibly just mildly offended by the Emperor).
And the vibe? Genuinely brilliant. This Warhammer 40,000 crowd is incredibly welcoming to new players. More than once a brand-new hobbyist has walked in with a whole list of questions — paints, brushes, what glue to use, where to start — and instead of anyone getting grumpy, the locals jump in to help. They answer everything, show off techniques, and then invite them to come back and play next week. That kind of friendly energy is rare, and I feel like I’ve struck gold with this group.
From a shopkeeper standpoint, I love having the place buzzing. Not everyone buys models or paints every week, but it happens often enough (and the community goodwill is strong enough) that we’re definitely keeping Thursday nights going.
If you’re from Bathurst, Katoomba, Leura, Oberon, Portland, Dubbo, Zigzag, Bilpin, Blackheath, or even Mellow Bath, and you’ve been searching for a [town in our service area] Warhammer gaming group, consider this your invite. Pop in, have a game, ask questions, and don’t stress if you’re new — mistakes and practice are how you get better, and the only real hobby fail is giving up.
We’ve got items in stock (including starters like the Warhammer 40,000 Starter Set and essentials like Citadel Colour paints), and if we don’t have something on the day we can order directly from Warhammer. If you want to browse official kits too, check out https://www.warhammer.com/en-GB/home.
Come visit us at 85 Main Street, Lithgow — we’re a computer shop as well (gaming computers and even phone repairs), but Thursday nights? That’s for rolling dice, painting minis, and watching an Ork player yell “WAAAGH!” loud enough to reboot a PC.
Join our Lithgow Warhammer gaming group and keep up with our Warhammer community updates.
