The Gamer's Corner

Warhammer 40,000 is one of the most rewarding hobbies I've ever encountered. It's also, let's be honest, one of the most intimidating to walk into cold. Thousands of miniatures, dozens of factions, multiple editions, rules supplements — from the outside it looks like a wall of complexity.

Here's the truth: everybody who plays it started exactly where you are now. And the path in is much simpler than the shelf at a game store makes it look.

Step 1: Pick a faction that excites you visually

Don't worry about which faction is most powerful or most efficient. That changes with every update anyway. Instead, walk up to the display cases and ask yourself: which army do I want to spend hours painting?

Space Marines are the classic entry point — massive range, tons of player knowledge available, and they're forgiving to learn with. The Death Guard (Chaos Space Marines devoted to the god of disease) look absolutely spectacular. The Tyranids are a swarm of bio-organic alien horror. The Tau are for people who like shooting things from very far away. Whatever speaks to you aesthetically, start there.

Step 2: Buy a Combat Patrol box, not the whole army

Games Workshop makes Combat Patrol boxes for most major factions. They're a curated starter set — enough models to play small introductory games, at a discount compared to buying separately. For around $110–130 you'll have 15–25 models and everything you need to learn the basics. Don't buy the full army yet. You'll have opinions after you play a few games that will change what you want.

Step 3: Come play before you buy anything

Seriously — at Just for Fun Gaming, intro sessions are free. Come in, pick up some painted demonstration models, and play a short game with someone who knows the rules. It's the fastest way to figure out if this is something you want to invest in, and it costs you nothing but an evening.

The hobby has three parts — you don't have to love all three

Building, painting, and playing are three distinct activities. Some people (like me) are deeply into all three. Some people buy pre-painted miniatures and just want to play. Some people build and paint meticulously and barely play at all. All of that is fine. Find your own corner of the hobby.

Come by the store any Tuesday through Sunday and we'll get you started. No purchase necessary.

Amazon will get you a board game in two days. Sometimes one. The price is usually fine. The convenience is undeniable.

What Amazon cannot do is introduce you to the three other people in your area who play the same obscure miniature wargame you just discovered. It cannot look at your half-painted army and tell you exactly which contrast paint will fix the problem you're having. It cannot host a Tuesday night campaign that becomes the highlight of your week. And it definitely cannot stay open until 10 PM so you can finish the final round of a game you've been playing for three hours.

The third place

Sociologists talk about "third places" — spaces that aren't home and aren't work, where community actually forms. Bars used to be that. Coffee shops still are, sort of. Game stores, at their best, are one of the few genuinely welcoming third places left for people who don't drink.

That's what we're trying to build here. A place where you can show up not knowing anyone, sit down at a table, and leave with people you're going to see again next week.

The knowledge that lives in the room

Every experienced player in a game store is a walking encyclopedia of tips that don't exist in any rulebook. The guy who's been playing BattleTech since 1990 knows the three mistakes every new player makes in their first campaign. The woman who's been running D&D campaigns for fifteen years has solved the problem you're having with your party dynamics a dozen times. That knowledge doesn't get Amazon two-day shipped. It lives in the room.

Why we started Just for Fun Gaming

I've been playing tabletop games my whole life. For years, I drove 45 minutes to the nearest game store. When that closed, I drove further. I kept thinking: Danbury deserves a place like this. So after a lot of planning, I stopped waiting for someone else to open it.

Play time is free because I want the barrier to entry to be zero. Come in. See if you like it. The community is the point — the snacks and game sales are just how we keep the lights on.

Both Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition) and Pathfinder (2nd Edition) are excellent tabletop RPGs. They share the same DNA — both descend from the original D&D of the 1970s — but they've evolved into genuinely different games that appeal to different kinds of players.

Here's an honest breakdown to help you pick.

D&D 5th Edition: accessibility first

Fifth Edition was designed to bring in new players. Character creation is fast, the core rules fit in your head within a few sessions, and there's an enormous amount of free and paid material available — adventures, settings, character options. The Dungeon Master has a lot of latitude to make calls at the table, which keeps things moving but means rules consistency varies by group.

Best for: New players, groups that want to focus more on story and roleplay than tactical optimization, and groups where the DM wants creative flexibility over strict rules structure.

Pathfinder 2nd Edition: depth and precision

Pathfinder 2e went in the opposite direction. The rules are comprehensive and precise — there's a right answer for most situations, and that consistency is the point. Character building is deep, with a feat-based system that rewards planning and lets you construct exactly the character you envision. Encounters are more tactically demanding.

Best for: Players who enjoy optimizing characters, groups that want tactical combat with clear rules, and anyone who felt 5e was too loose or hand-wavy.

The honest answer

If you've never played a tabletop RPG: start with D&D. The learning curve is gentler, there are more players and DMs to learn from, and you can always migrate to Pathfinder later once you know what you're looking for.

If you're an experienced player who burned out on 5e feeling shallow: Pathfinder 2e will absolutely reignite your enthusiasm. It rewards mastery in a way 5e doesn't.

If you want to try either before buying books: come to Just for Fun Gaming. We run intro sessions for both. Come play a session for free and let the game sell itself.

One more thing

Both games have thriving communities here. We have a regular Thursday night Pathfinder campaign that has room for one more player as of this writing. We also do monthly D&D one-shots that are perfect for beginners — no commitment, just show up and play.

Sign up for the newsletter to be notified when spots open up. Or just come in and ask.