This morning I woke up to the sad, but not unexpected news that Paul ‘Fat Bloke’ Sawyer, wargamer, hobbyist, co-founder of Warlord Games, beloved White Dwarf Editor, father, and Notts County fan, had lost his battle against brain cancer and passed on over the rainbow bridge. As ever, he managed to beat the odds, and beat his predicted time left in this world passing with his family around him and I hope with a bacon butty not too far away.

I first met Paul when I was leaving the Trollz in Mail Order to move to the Games Workshop Studio. I will admit I was a little grumpy about my move, as I had spent two years working as the Promotions Manager for the Mail Order department and thought I did a good job of it. The move to the studio felt like a demotion and to be frank it was forced, either go there or not have a job deal. Paul asked me for advice as I moved, and I said, likely a little obnoxiously, ‘Don’t repeat yourself here.’

Paul had moved from the running the German language studio, which I think was located above the Games Workshop Derby store, to Mail Order Promotions and not much longer after that became one the editors of White Dwarf magazine with Matt White. Which led to the start of the golden age of the magazine, known as the ‘Fat Bloke’ era.

He was still in stewardship of White Dwarf when the Studio moved from its location near Nottingham castle, to its new HQ in Lenton. At that time I had moved from boxed packaging to game production (not the games, but layout, big box production, rule books… etc.) During this time I was building a lot of gaming scenery, mostly Lizardmen terrain. Paul noticed and asked me to write an article about it. Which I did, laying it out in my spare time and submitting it. I didn’t know at that time, but it was my audition to join White Dwarf.

A month later Paul tapped me to work on White Dwarf magazine just after I finished working on Warhammer 40,000 3rd Edition (yep, all the gaming diagrams in the book were drawn by me). I was moved into the White Dwarf bunker, first as a production assistant, and ending my time there as a feature writer. Little did Paul know that one of my dreams was to work on White Dwarf magazine, ever since I opened my first magazine when I was 12 years old in WH Smiths in Melton Mowbray. To this day I don’t know what strings Paul pulled to have me on his team, or what he saw in me, Paul gave me a chance when many others would not have.

Working on White Dwarf during the Fat Bloke era was a mixed bag, I enjoyed the work, I enjoyed writing about gaming as a gamer and showing the joy the hobby gave me. I made it my mission to lift the veil and make gaming, terrain building and toy solider painting as accessible as I could. Reasoning, that if I, the below average gamer could do this, so then could anyone else. Paul was fun to work with, infuriating at times, but this was 90’s Games Workshop and those who lived that era at GW will know what those times were like. We occasionally butted heads, and I am sure I pissed him off a couple of times, as he did the same to me. At the heart of it all, Paul gave me a chance, I saw him as a mentor and because of Paul I got to live a dream.

Good times, helped by a good man, because of Paul I had the privilege to talk about my hobby and in turn help a lot of folks discover the joy I felt for it.

All good things though come to an end.

I left Games Workshop to move to the USA, and some how got a job at the Games Workshop US Studio, with an all to brief stint on the US version of White Dwarf magazine. After which, and a poor ending in a company I had given so much too, I kinda just drifted away from the hobby. Over the last few years I have reconnected with it, thanks to folk who I had help inspire to game reaching out and thanking me for getting them into the hobby (sorry for that). The knowledge that I had done a good enough job to inspire people helped reconcile my feelings about my end with Games Workshop.

Again at the root of it, thanks to Paul.

I will sadly admit we haven’t talked much since I left White Dwarf UK, living in the USA and losing your love for the hobby does that. I can say it was because of Paul that I started my comic book imprint, his just do it approach, the training under his mentorship, gave me the confidence to create the Night Guardians, and the Awakenings graphic novel. Which I sent to him with a thank you because of you this happened note. In the meantime he helped co-found Warlord Games and got to do what he always wanted to do, historical war-gaming, but making it accessible to everyone.

A good milestone for us both.

Then I learned of his cancer.

Life does that, bad things happen, it doesn’t matter who you are, which is why you must make the most of the time you have in your hand. Paul was a good guy, a mentor to me, a very good friend to many others, a family man, a loving father, fan of a terrible football team known as Notts County, co-founder of Warlord Games, a light in the gaming hobby and a living embodiment of the joy this odd little pastime can give you.

He passed March 27, 2025 surrounded by his loving family, because at heart that was Paul, the loving family man.

RIP, and thank you, Sir!

Play well, my friends.

• Read Paul Sawyer’s Obituary Here