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Baldermort is a different kind of Warhammer 40k lore YouTuber. Baldermort’s Guide to Warhammer doesn’t just tell you the lore, doesn’t just rehash stuff from the books, doesn’t simply recite Lexicanum articles. No, Baldermort is different.

Baldermort is a YouTuber who seems to have everything: amazing lore, terrific storytelling ability, a marvelous voice acting ability, and an encyclopedic knowledge. A typical Baldermort video will have him read–very well–a piece of his own Warhammer 40k fiction, followed by commentary on the subject at hand, followed by a reading from the appropriate Codex or rule book. And the astounding thing is that he does it so professionally. He puts out videos at a rapid clip–usually three a week–and each one is really top tier in quality.

I honestly don’t know why Games Workshop hasn’t snapped him up as a Black Library writer, or even a Black Library voice actor.

I was lucky enough to get to interview Baldermort this week.

Wargame Explorer: What originally got you involved in wargaming?

Baldermort: My older brothers got me into wargaming while I grew up.  We played a lot of games with figures as children then developed onto board games.

My father introduced us all to Dungeons and Dragons and then from there we started to get miniatures for our adventures.  And the next step into mini wargaming was logical and fun.

So tunnels and trolls went to D&D and then into Warhammer fantasy armies, Skaven and the like for RPGs, then eventually I walked into a shop and there was Warhammer 40K.  I got a set immediately and was hooked.

WE: How did you decide that lore was going to be your focus?

Baldermort: Lore isn’t my focus.    Sorry, but it’s not.  I enjoy playing, owning, collecting, messing about and battling with miniatures.  Honestly, I would rather be throwing dice or building a kit than reading most of the time.  I find painting a chore, as it takes so long and I am not a natural artist.  Not so good with my hands.  I adore a lot of the lore of Warhammer, don’t get me wrong, but I am no lore master.  They have all read every single book in the heresy and know it backwards.  I do not.  I enjoy the Warhammer 40K setting more than heresy, so have an interest in it.

It’s a great tale and a great setting.  I enjoy narrative campaigns and wrote a few.  I enjoy the lore to justify the battles, but I have to state that the hobby for me is more the games and the community.  Its a social game and I love it.   I just think the lore adds a little something more to the units and characters we have. So I put out very easily consumed videos to put on in the background while people are painting or gluing.

WE: What made you take the plunge into YouTubing?

Baldermort: Redundancy and a wish to be a welcome wagon to the newer fans on YouTube.  I had always advised new players to look up lore on YouTube.  Most down the club would come back reporting that it was either very dry or it was very overwhelming.  Too detailed, or assumed a mass of prior knowledge.  And going to wiki or Lexicanum was a spider web that was very intimidating.

So, I thought I would start a wee guide and help the truly starting player or fan of Warhammer’s grim darkness.  I ended up doing a lot of work out of boredom. Yes, I had a dream that maybe one day I could do it for a living.  Then numbers started going up and my interviews were going no better for employment.  So I continued doing YouTube until it suddenly exploded and I could feed myself on that alone.  It’s very simple really.  No magic, no luck.  Just hard graft and trying to entertain people a bit. Listening to them and taking tips on how to improve.  As one should when making any form of entertainment.  Give them what they want.

WE: You write very very well. Do you have a background in writing? Have you written any books?

Baldermort: None.  I have been a GM for most of my life and always wanted to write, but I have no training in it, no experience in it and no idea what I am doing.  It sounds a lot better than it is. I have to read this stuff.  But it is just one tiny part of what makes a video. At the rate I have to release videos, I do not get more than one attempt at it and then I edit as I read it out.  So it’s all entirely flying by the seat of my pants and leaning into the fact that I will hopefully make it sound good enough with the assistance of distracting music and pictures.  Trust me, it’s not great.  I would dearly love to have the time to edit and hone my work, but there is none.  So if it ever gets better it will be purely through feedback and hearty dollops of failure.  You learn more from failure than success, in my experience anyway.

WE: You are also a phenomenal voice actor. How did you learn that skill?

Baldermort: It’s my phone and gaming voice.  That’s it.  Sorry to be disappointing.  I have zero experience in performance, voice work or acting of any sort before 2019 when I opened my YouTube channel.  (Starting in batreps actually. But they were awful)  I have done a lot of work over the phone, as many have.  I honed a relaxing tone and style when in a fast paced role where I had to gain information from people when they were exceptionally stressed, but I needed information to help them.  Hence my attempt at a smooth and relaxing voice that also had the gravitas to denote trust.  Because who I had to talk to had to trust me to work on their behalf.  So if you can gain trust and a tiny modicum of respect, then people open up quicker and easier.  That’s it.

Then I made a vast amount of errors in delivery and the community on my channel gave me enough pointers.  I watched and read advice from voice acting pros and I just tried my best.

You can never please all of the people all of the time.  So I just give it a go and see if I can relax people one video at a time. 🙂

WE: If you could make a change to any wargaming IP, what would it be and why?

Baldermort: Sorry, but I am not qualified to do that.  Aye, I could discuss anything as a fan, but I literally have no idea about game design.  I am just wise enough to know I can moan and complain all I like, but I cannot actually do better than the designers.  So, on this one I will take the 5th.

WE: What makes you pessimistic about the hobby?

Baldermort: Alas, there is a lot of entrenched grumpiness and posturing in the community at the present.  Mostly down to factors that are outside of the hobby.  If you are a member of one ‘tribe’  then you will back up whatever someone of the same ‘tribe’ says, no matter how negative or vacuous it may be.  I find that people do not leave their issues at the door and just enjoy themselves.  This is what a hobby is supposed to be all about.  Just relaxing.   One might say that corporatization of the hobby is another issue.  But let’s see how that plays out.

WE: What makes you optimistic about the hobby?

Baldermort: The figures, the rising popularity of wargaming and the wide community. because when people are not being polarized by external issues, this is a fantastic community. Very humorous and very passionate. And the figures have come on in leaps and bounds. The vast majority of the new sculpts from GW and other providers have been like a hobbyists dream. It’s a golden age for gaming. Oh yes it is.

WE: Are there any artists, YouTubers, or other wargamers who you feel don’t get enough attention? Who are they and why?

Baldermort: Tough one.  Most actual visual artists really.  The ones who create the art I and everyone else enjoys, that gives colour and depth of vision to our universes.  Writers are great, youtubers are generally nice. but it is the art of Warhammer as much as the figures that draws me in.  Gives flight to the mind and soul to permit others to dream.  So, yes, artists.  Far too many to ever list here.

Thank you so much for coming on the website!

To follow Baldermort, visit his channel on YouTube, Baldermort’s Guide to Warhammer. And in his famous words: “Now, no matter what you do today, do try to make some time for fun. Toodeloo.”