On March 27, 2025, one of the most important men in the history of Warhammer 40,000 passed away. Paul “Fat Bloke” Sawyer helped build the franchise during its “golden years” and brought it closer to the fans.
Who is the man?
- Paul Sawyer co-founded Warlord Games in 2007, a British game publisher that primarily sells historical tabletop games along with all kinds of accessories.
- However, Sawyer started in the industry back in 1993 at Games Workshop, the creators of Warhammer. At that time, he was a driving force behind the content of the “White Dwarf” magazine.
- On March 27, 2025, Sawyer passed away after a six-month battle with a brain tumor.
This is Sawyer’s work: From 1993 to 2007, Sawyer worked as an editor for White Dwarf, the monthly magazine of Games Workshop. At that time, the magazine was the primary source for Warhammer fans to get new information and assistance with their hobby.
One of the most important contents of White Dwarf included reports on played battles, crafting guides, and tips for painting armies. Sawyer’s favorite army was the White Scars, one of the first chapters of the Space Marines.
In 2007, Sawyer then co-founded “Warlord Games” with John Stallard and worked there as “Head of Product Design.” Sawyer was mainly responsible for Bolt Action, one of the largest historical tabletop games in the world.
“Hope he gets an endless supply of Bacon Buttys from the Emperor”
The news of Sawyer’s death hits many fans in the community hard. Especially veterans remember the White Dwarf editor and his contributions, and some still have old issues of his at home.
In the community, Sawyer is regarded as a legend, and particularly fans of the White Scars thank him for helping them with painting and playing. Some fans only started playing Warhammer or the White Scars because of him.
Reading the White Dwarf and Sawyer’s contributions was, at that time, the best way to learn more about Warhammer. Sawyer’s time at Games Workshop was for many the “golden years” of Warhammer because people felt like they were being presented with a hobby by people who truly loved the world. One user writes on Reddit:
There is a White Dwarf issue with a photo of Paul sitting there with his daughter after they bought two Chaos chariots. Both have the biggest, honest smiles.
With Paul Sawyer, a part of some people’s childhood has died.
Warhammer has existed for over 40 years and has captivated countless people since then. The world, with its absurd size, fascinates fans and keeps leading them into deep lore disputes, but it also helps them handle problems: Warhammer 40,000 helped a fan through tough times – his collection is worth thousands of euros.
