Warhammer Open Maastricht 2026 – Part 2

In the second part of our coverage on Warhammer Open Maastricht 2026 we continue with more tables and impressions from the event.

In a corner of their own was the Narrative Event, and they really caught my eye as they went above and beyond to really bring the narrative across, most of them wearing costumes fitting to their army.

The second largest format was the Age of Sigmar Grand Tournament. I noticed that they had taken care to base the terrain pieces fitting to the gaming mats, creating a better immersion at the tables.

The Kill Team Tournament had quite a lot participants as well, making the Underworlds Grand Clash for the smallest event of the Warhammer Open.

The acoustics and lighting overall were generally very well handled. Even with 1,000 people playing at the same time it wasn't overwhelmingly loud, even as you can see how close some of the gaming was to the other areas, like the Hobby Challenge.

If you didn't feel like gaming, there is always the Warhammer Hobby Challenge, which picks up the old format of the Scrap Demon, where the hobbyists have access to a huuuuge pile of sprues to build something really wild.

But that wasn't the only creative part at the Warhammer Open. There were multiple hobby and paint classes, hosted by several major miniature artists, Erik Swinson, Sergio Calvo and Roman Lappat.

• Non-Metallic Metal techniques
• Faces and skin tones
• Object Source Lighting and storytelling
• Freehand patterns and textures
• Speed painting and volumetric lighting

On Saturday I met Roman Lappat, who hosted three different master classes  (Speed Painting, Object Source Light & Storytelling and The Power of Colour Composition) at the Warhammer Open and will return to upcoming events as well.

What a day! I took the chance and jumped upon the huge hero base at the entrance and took a picture with the Mark X helmet in full scale (you can pick up various variants of these at the Warhammer Merch store or JoyToy) and the Premium Swag Box, along with two T-Shirts.

Just make sure to open your swag box at the event, as I missed the opportunity to use my 10 EUR gift voucher, as it is fixed to the store at the show.

Maastricht proved to be a very successful debut for the first Warhammer Open in Europe. The event felt like a major Games Workshop showcase, combining competitive gaming, hobby content, classes, retail, and a well-organized event structure into one weekend. It was not a Warhammer Fest replacement, but it did show that Games Workshop can create a strong European event format that puts both the hobby and the community front and center.

With about 1,000 players spread across multiple systems, the event had impressive scale without feeling overwhelming. The layout worked well, the atmosphere was lively but still controlled, and the hobby side added a lot of personality to the whole weekend. The Narrative Event, the Hobby Challenge, and the painting masterclasses gave the show more depth than a standard tournament weekend, while the on-site store, and catering made the experience feel complete.

For visitors, Maastricht was also a very convenient location, especially for anyone in the Netherlands, Belgium, or western Germany. The event offered a lot of value for attendees, whether they came to play, hobby, shop, or simply explore the show. It will be interesting to see how Games Workshop develops this format in the future, but as a first European Warhammer Open, this was a strong start and a very encouraging sign for more events like this in Europe.

The price to participate in the Warhammer Open depends on the format you're joining. The Hobby Challenge and Underworlds tickets were 50 EURs, the larger tournament packages were 130 EURs and If you just wanted to visit and take a look, admission was free! In case you want to sign up for one of the classes on the upcoming Warhammer Opens, be fast as the seats are quickly taken.

Thanks to the Warhammer Events team for a great show. Looking forward to the next opportunity to drop by and enjoy the hobby.