Paul ‘Fat Bloke’ Sawyer, co-founder of pre-eminent historical wargames publisher Warlord Games and celebrated White Dwarf magazine editor of the 1990s, has shared with the public that he’s been diagnosed with stage four brain cancer, and has “around 12 months left to live”.
In a public Facebook post last week, Sawyer says that, after he fell suddenly ill during April 2024’s Salute wargaming show in London, medics initially thought he’d had a stroke – but then explains: “following weeks of hospital stays and tests, I was diagnosed with stage 4 Glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer.”
In his post, Sawyer confirms he’s been receiving treatment for the tumor, and is awaiting the results of a recent brain scan in coming weeks – but that he’s not expecting to recover.
“I face the harsh reality that I will not beat this cancer and the truth is that I have around 12 months left to live before the tumor has its way with my puny brain,” he says.
“Working alongside many of you and gaming with more has been an absolute pleasure”, Sawyer adds in his post. “I wish I could turn back time and do more of the gaming and less of the working so I pass this same message onto each of you – make the most of your time while you have it!”
Sawyer’s fellow Warlord Games founder, John Stallard, said in an email newsletter to Warlord fans on Tuesday that his co-boss “[would] not be well enough to return to work”, but that “he remains cheerful and is surrounded by his loving family.”
And Stallard praises his colleague’s key role in the growth of Warlord Games – now the world’s best known publisher of historical miniature wargames, led by its flagship World War Two game, the mighty Bolt Action.
“Paul and I set up Warlord Games over seventeen years ago, forming a dynamic team that has made tabletop historical gaming accessible to thousands of new hobbyists,” he writes in the newsletter. “His cheery and blokey approach to getting stuff done formed the ‘Warlord voice’ for all these years.”
“He was the best partner to set up a company with, always in high spirits and working like a trooper – he will be sorely missed around the Warlord offices.”
Wargamers have also begun paying online tributes to Paul Sawyer’s legacy during his time helming Games Workshop’s White Dwarf magazine, on which he served as Editor for 14 years from 1993 to 2007 – a time often looked back on fondly as a golden era of expansion for the Warhammer hobby.
Comic book author Nick Davis, who wrote for White Dwarf during Sawyer’s tenure as Editor, said on Twitter that the ‘Fat Bloke’ had transformed the mag for the better. “Paul helped usher an era into the hobby that broke down the veil and mysteries surrounding the games,” Davis says, “making a magazine that was not much more than a fancy catalog, into a magazine for gamers, by gamers”.
Aasa Halla, a Finland-based academic researching Warhammer, also hails Sawyer’s permanent influence on White Dwarf, which is now in its 47th year of publication.
“You can see his effect on the magazine when reading the issues from the end of 90s/start of noughties, how it changed closer to the form it still follows,” she tweeted on Tuesday. “My thoughts are with his family.”
“Paul Sawyer’s editorial stewardship of White Dwarf had an indelible impact on me in my formative hobby years,” tweets popular Warhammer YouTuber Oculus Imperia, adding: “This news is absolutely devastating and I can only wish him all the comfort and joy that is possible.”
In his Facebook post, Paul Sawyer says he intends to stay active, writing “I know I will still see many of you in my remaining months be they in person, over video call or in a game or two.”
And John Stallard’s email confirms that “he is hoping to be well enough to attend our Open Day later this month on the 21st September, where I am sure he will be delighted to meet and greet old friends, both customers and staff.”
Several members of the Wargamer team were keen White Dwarf readers during the latter half of Sawyer’s tenure, and we’ve keenly watched (and covered) the rise and rise of Warlord Games, with Sawyer and Stallard at the helm. We, too, wish Paul and his family the very best wishes, and honor the deeply felt impact his work has had on the wargaming hobby.
Source: Wargamer
