Texas punches above its weight in the wargaming world. The state’s major metros host official Games Workshop retail stores, dozens of FLGS with dedicated wargaming nights, and a competitive circuit that draws players from across the Southwest. Whether you’re hunting for a pickup game of Warhammer 40K in San Antonio or looking to break into competitive Age of Sigmar in Dallas, this guide maps the full scene city by city.
Warhammer Stores in Texas: Official GW Locations
Games Workshop operates company-owned Warhammer stores in three Texas cities, each running a packed event calendar of painting workshops, open play days, and beginner intro sessions. The Austin store sits in the Arboretum-area corridor and draws UT students alongside veteran hobbyists every weekend. Dallas has a location in the Plano-Frisco zone, right in the heart of the DFW suburban gaming corridor where table-time is rarely hard to book.
Houston’s Warhammer store anchors its local scene independently of the bigger FLGS ecosystem, giving players a dedicated home for official GW organized play. San Antonio does not currently have a standalone Warhammer store, so players there rely heavily on Heroes and Fantasies on Bandera Road and local clubs to fill the gap. Each official store runs free introductory games of both 40K and Age of Sigmar on a rotating schedule — walk in on a Saturday and you’re almost guaranteed to find someone at a demo table.
Beyond the branded stores, GW-authorized retailers like Dragon’s Lair in Austin and Austin Books and Comics carry the full range of miniatures, paints, and rulebooks. The Warhammer store staff track their local meta closely, so they’re the right first call if you want to know which codex is dominating Tuesday nights right now.
Local Game Stores Running Weekly 40K and AoS Nights
The FLGS wargaming night is the true backbone of the Texas scene, and the best ones treat their tables like real event spaces rather than afterthoughts. Rogues Gallery Games in Dallas runs 40K leagues on Thursdays that fill up weeks in advance. Dragon’s Lair Austin schedules Age of Sigmar events on Sunday afternoons and keeps a living league season going year-round with posted standings on their Facebook group.
In Houston, Nan’s Game Store and Dr. No’s Comics and Games both run Warhammer nights where the table count regularly hits six or more games simultaneously. Empire Games in the Houston area is another hub for both narrative campaigns and matched-play practice ahead of tournament season. Players driving in from the suburbs know to call ahead, because league spots fill fast when a new season kicks off.
San Antonio’s Heroes and Fantasies on Bandera Road hosts weekly 40K play every Thursday evening and has done so consistently enough that it functions as the de facto regional meetup point. The store’s back room fits four full 6×4 tables and the regulars run a casual ranking system tracked on a whiteboard. Houston players have their own dedicated breakdown of where to find games, covering a half-dozen venues across the metro.
One practical tip: most FLGS wargaming nights post their schedules in Facebook groups or Discord servers, not on their main websites. Join the local group for your city before showing up with your army — it saves a wasted trip when an event gets rescheduled around a convention weekend.
X-Wing, Star Wars Legion, and Other Miniature Games
Texas has a strong community for non-GW miniature games, and X-Wing from Atomic Mass Games has roots here that go back to the Fantasy Flight era. Austin’s Dragon’s Lair runs X-Wing Organized Play events that have historically drawn 30-plus players for System Opens and regional qualifiers. The competitive X-Wing Dallas crowd gathers at Madness Games and Comics in Plano, which has tables reserved for it on weekend afternoons.
Star Wars Legion found its audience in Texas quickly after release, with dedicated communities in Austin, Dallas, and Houston running casual skirmishes and scenario campaigns. The Legion Dallas Discord links players for pickup games and annual in-store tournaments. Infinity, the sci-fi skirmish game from Corvus Belli, has a loyal player base in Houston centered around Empire Games, where the local meta leans heavily into competitive ITS play.
Malifaux players in Texas are concentrated in Austin and Dallas, with organized seasons running through hobby stores that track Gaining Grounds results. Warmachine and Hordes lost ground nationally after the MkIV transition, but Texas retained a small competitive core in DFW who run events at Madness Games. Check the Dallas geek guide for a broader view of the table-gaming ecosystem in that metro, including venues that support multiple miniature game systems under one roof.
Historical Wargaming Communities in Texas
Historical wargaming in Texas is quieter than the Warhammer scene, but it is real and it is organized. Flames of War players in Dallas gather through the DFW Historical Miniatures club, which meets at rotating venues and uses Madness Games as a home base for larger events. The scale work on display at these events — 15mm infantry lines, painted terrain boards representing Normandy or the Eastern Front — is some of the most impressive modeling in the Texas hobby scene.
Bolt Action has a growing presence in both Austin and San Antonio, where groups coordinate through Facebook and run participation games at local comic conventions. Texas also has dedicated clubs for ancients gaming, particularly Hail Caesar and ADLG, which appeal to history enthusiasts who want a slower, more scholarly game compared to sci-fi alternatives. The Lone Star Historical Miniatures group covers this niche and posts event recaps and army showcases regularly.
One Under the Sun gaming café in Austin occasionally hosts historical wargaming demo days that draw new players who wandered in for a coffee and stayed for a game of Saga. Age of Hannibal and other ancients titles get played there on weekday evenings. The Texas wargaming convention circuit includes dedicated historical tracks — events like MillenniCon in Houston have historically featured Flames of War and Bolt Action alongside fantasy and sci-fi games.
If you’re new to historical gaming in Texas, the easiest entry point is a Bolt Action demo at a local FLGS or convention. The rules are more accessible than Flames of War for beginners, the starter sets are affordable, and the painting community is welcoming to people who show up with gray plastic.
Grand Tournaments and Major Events in Texas
Warhammer Grand Tournaments are official Games Workshop-sanctioned competitive events that award ranking points toward national and global standings. Texas hosts several GTs annually, making it one of the more active competitive scenes in the country. Crucial Blow Gaming runs some of the highest-attended GTs in the region, drawing players from Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico who can’t find comparable events closer to home.
The DFW area has historically been the GT hub of Texas, with events at venues like the Irving Convention Center and hotel ballrooms in the Plano corridor. Austin hosts at least two major GTs per year, typically coordinated through Dragon’s Lair with support from the Austin Warhammer community Discord. Houston’s MillenniCon weekend incorporates Warhammer events alongside the broader gaming convention programming, making it a rare hybrid of competitive play and casual convention atmosphere.
Beyond GW-sanctioned events, Texas runs major tournaments for X-Wing, Star Wars Legion, and Infinity. The Legion World Cup qualifiers have come through Texas multiple times, with the DFW results carrying weight in national rankings. The Texas Open series for various miniature games typically runs on quarterly schedules, announced through Tabletop.to and the respective system Discord channels.
The Texas con calendar tracks major wargaming tournament weekends alongside anime, comics, and gaming conventions — bookmark it before the fall season, when GT schedules stack up fast from September through November. Prize support at Texas GTs usually includes store credit, limited-edition models, and custom trophies, and the top finishers earn invites to national championship events.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I play Warhammer 40K in Texas?
Warhammer 40K games run weekly at FLGS venues across Texas, including Dragon’s Lair Austin, Rogues Gallery Games Dallas, and Heroes and Fantasies San Antonio. Official Warhammer stores in Austin, Dallas, and Houston also run open play days and league nights on rotating schedules. Check the local Discord or Facebook group for your city before you go, since table availability and event times can shift week to week.
Are there Warhammer stores in Austin or San Antonio?
Austin has a company-owned Warhammer store in the Arboretum area that runs intro games, painting workshops, and organized play events. San Antonio does not have an official GW retail location, but Heroes and Fantasies on Bandera Road carries the full GW range and hosts weekly 40K and Age of Sigmar nights. San Antonio players also make the drive to Austin for major store events and Grand Tournaments.
What are Grand Tournament wargaming events in Texas?
Grand Tournaments are official Games Workshop-sanctioned competitive events that award ranking points used in national and international standings. Texas hosts multiple GTs annually, primarily in the DFW area and Austin, run by organizers like Crucial Blow Gaming and the local Warhammer club networks. These events typically draw 60-120 players over a weekend and include matched-play rounds under the current GW Season rules pack.
Is there a historical wargaming community in Texas?
Texas has active historical wargaming communities centered around Flames of War, Bolt Action, and ancients systems like ADLG and Hail Caesar. The DFW Historical Miniatures club runs regular events and uses Madness Games in Plano as a home venue, while Bolt Action groups operate in Austin and San Antonio. The Lone Star Historical Miniatures group connects players across the state and posts event announcements on Facebook.
Where do Texas 40K players go to find pickup games?
Texas 40K players coordinate pickup games primarily through city-specific Discord servers and Facebook groups linked to their local FLGS. Dragon’s Lair Austin, Rogues Gallery Dallas, and Nan’s Game Store Houston all maintain active community channels where players post looking-for-game requests. Tabletop.to lists upcoming public events statewide, and the Warhammer store staff in Austin, Dallas, and Houston can point new players directly to active local groups.
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