The Legendary Outriders….What Happened To Them?

 

CrazyredPraetorian here with more ramblings about the hobby we all love. Gather round kiddies because today I’ll be telling the tale of the gone and nearly forgotten GW Outriders.
 Yes, they really did exist. They were not a figment of some ancient hippy gamer’s acid trip. They really did exist and they existed solely to spread the word of table top gaming. Sadly, they have since disappeared. A tragic loss to the gaming community, for sure.

Some of you may be wondering what the heck I am talking about. If you’ve never heard of a GW Outrider, let me clue you in. The Outriders were hardcore fans that volunteered to do in store demos, teach entire communities to play games, and run RTTs and GTs. They didn’t do this for money but rather for love of the game and a few freebie model kits. They used to make Games Day special. They were the grunts in the trenches.
  
I used to know one of these Outriders. He was instrumental in founding the GW play in my store. His name was Steve, and without him I doubt if 40K would have taken off like it did at my store. He owned something like twelve 40K armies plus a few Fantasy armies and Blood Bowl and BFG, as well. His knowledge of the hobby was scary at times. My group didn’t have any veteran players – we were all noobs. Outrider Steve taught us all to play and educated us on the fluff as he taught the game. He was our Yoda. He also ran campaigns and RTTs for me. He dedicated his weekends to fostering a group of new players and in return he received a model kit here and there. His efforts were greatly appreciated by my group and I.

I want to thank Steve and all the other Outriders that helped make this hobby what it is. I’d also like to hear your tales of the Outriders.

So do you guys think the days of volunteer corps of gaming community leaders is over, or has bright days ahead for wargaming?

Author: Guest Columnist

This article was written by a Guest Columnist who requested anonymity.