Chris “Peachy” Peach of Warhammer on the Games Workshop, awkward interviews, and going solo<br>

Chris “Peachy” Peach no longer gives a damn if he’s quoted accurately or not. He is a Warhammer community legend who has been the focus of innumerable interviews and articles, not the least of which appeared in White Dwarf. I originally came across Peach’s possibly misattributed remarks in the Tale of Four Warlords column of Games Workshop magazine, but it was so long ago that I can’t even recall which army he painted at the time. Peach thinks it was Necrons, but I felt it was a pale blue Eldar force. Since I was only a child at the time, I will submit to his judgment.

Peachy is legendary among Warhammer users. He was already halfway through his Games Workshop career when I first started reading his pieces in White Dwarf ten years ago. Over the course of his 21-year career at the top miniatures firm, he progressed from store manager to army painter to video producer. He was a recognizable figure on Warhammer TV and at Warhammer World, where he still meets up with old pals at Bugman’s for a pint.

But there are drawbacks to having such a significant position in Warhammer.

“They used to cite me incorrectly all the time in White Dwarf, so I’m really used to it. After I would say anything, [writer] Dan Harden would write something and add it. I would then say, “I’ve never used words like that!” What is the source of that?'”

He was most recently misquoted in an online interview that sought to intensify the problems that caused him to leave Games Workshop, but he is no longer concerned. He assures me that I may say anything I want as long as I don’t put hate words in his mouth. I’ll still give it my all.

But his experience hasn’t given him any self-assurance or arrogance. He actually has the opposite issue. Taking a drink of his brew, he informs me, “I have massive imposter syndrome.” “I have and I always will.” Who would want to follow a forty-year-old bald man who paints quickly and has an egg-like appearance? However, it seems that people do.


Peach has announced his departure from The Painting Phase, which feels like his second solo venture to date. He has created his own Patreon-funded YouTube channel, Peachy Tips (yes, I meant a pun), where he will post painting tutorials for a variety of game systems. He is amazed by the community’s support, which has also provided crucial assistance during a time when he is taking a significant risk.

Less than a week after its debut, his YouTube channel boasts nearly 20,000 subscribers, even though he hasn’t uploaded any videos aside from the announcement. In the same time frame, he had 350 paying clients who had their first painting lesson. Peach’s wife has been convinced that he is not ending his career by this support from the community, which has done wonders to reassure him that he is doing the correct decision.



“Mrs. Peach and I feel much more confident knowing that there is financial support there thanks to Patreon,” he explains. And it’s absurd to assume that all people want to do to support you is give you £3 or £5 a month. It’s incredible.

Although creating content can frequently seem like a young person’s game, Peach must feed her family and pay her mortgage. However, there are advantages, such as the ability to edit movies at night and work around the school run. He actually left The Painting Phase and Games Workshop because he was craving for more independence—more specifically, artistic freedom.

“I believe I want to do one Star Wars video, one historical film (which may be about the Napoleonics, World War II, or the Ancients), one 40K video, and one video with a Warhammer [Fantasy Battle/The Old World] or Age of Sigmar theme once a month. They could be four-long videos or just shorts. However, I should note that it may take me a little less than a month to begin with because it has taken me some time to master editing.


His position during the Painting Phase, where he notes that 32 of his 43 painting guides were 40K, stands in sharp contrast to this flexibility. He wants to get away from the algorithm and have some fun. He wants to create a following of people who enjoy his movies, where he paints miniatures to match the insignia of his suit of armor or transforms himself into a Space Marine.

There weren’t any altercations with his co-hosts in the parking lot, though, which appears to be his only genuine issue with the Painting Phase. It wasn’t like his time at Workshop, when he lost faith in the administration after seeing his ideas rejected time and time again. Peach insists that the poor supervisors were not those in charge of him when he left, and that he loved his work there overall, otherwise he wouldn’t have stayed for more than 20 years. However, there’s a tinge of resentment (or is that melancholy?) for every amazing video he had the chance to make there and every chance he lost.

Want assistance painting a horde of miniature Dreadnoughts? Take a look at one of Peachy’s lessons on dark armor.

Having said that, he’s hoping to reunite the band. In addition to expanding the range of games he covers, he has space in his office for two more people, which will allow him to do more of the enlightening interviews with legendary Workshop members that he did during the Painting Phase. He hopes to work with fellow Warhammer TV alumnus Duncan Rhodes, the first well-known figure to abruptly quit the show, as well as Louise Sugden, the host of the Citadel Colour Masterclass in the past. He even hopes to recruit Dermot McDonald, his former video editor from the Warhammer era, if his Patreon campaign is sufficiently successful.

He says that Sugden has already been the biggest aid to him. She recently went solo and has her own line of goblin miniatures in addition to a highly popular Patreon and YouTube channel.

“Suggs and Rob [Sykes, aka The Honest Wargamer], who have been so supportive of this, have my sincerest gratitude. Suggs gave me a crash course on editing, so she had me beat in that department. They have also provided moral assistance.


Peach appears to be deeply humbled by the help he gets. from family, friends, Patreon backers, and subscribers, among others. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that he is at the heart of this loving, upbeat community. He is an old hand at Games Workshop, a character lifted straight out of the pages of White Dwarf back when it was just one big advertisement. Furthermore, he strikes me as a sincere man. Contrary to what certain misquotes may lead you to believe, he doesn’t harbor resentment. Plus, he’s eager to repay.

He laughs when I ask him what his long-term objective is, if he’s thinking of hitting a certain subscriber milestone or getting a Golden Demon trophy. Eventually, he hopes to create a community streaming place for ambitious creators, enjoying all the freedom that comes with being an independent contractor. He wants to leave room for future generations because he recently spent most of his savings on lights and photographic gear.

“I envision a large area filled with cubicles or streaming rooms for individuals without a place to work or the necessary equipment,” he says. “Every piece of equipment, or at least most of it, will be present. So, if you’re new to streaming and want to start a painting channel, or perhaps you want to start streaming games to some extent, there will be a place where you can come and rent it for a while, and if you grow, you can go off and find your own space.


Peachy is well aware of the expenses associated with operating his 20-booth studio, but it’s a long-term, very altruistic aim that’s his way of giving back to the community that has helped him so much. Naturally, he would get paid in rent and a share of stream earnings, but as he has just discovered, renting is significantly less expensive for a budding producer than purchasing their own streaming PC, webcam, and other gear.

Peach, who spent decades at Games Workshop before going it alone again and starting Peachy Tips, has created a friendly community of wargamers who reject the toxic expectations that are still present in the internet fanbase. Peach’s tale demonstrates the strength of the Warhammer community, friendliness, and mutual support.