The Northern California Warhammer Circuit is a new way to participate in competitive and collaborative wargaming within your existing gaming communities.
By taking part in tournaments that participate in our circuit, you earn points based upon your performance, just like in the International Tournament Circuit (ITC). At the end of the “wargaming year” (for 2025, this will be November, matching the ITC changes for the year), both overall winners and faction specialists will receive prizes and recognition in the community provided by our delightful sponsors. You are automatically awarded points just by attending the circuit’s events. The circuit includes many events in NorCal and the Central Valley, as well as a few “special guest” events in southern California.
In addition to generalship, the circuit also includes a hobby track. Just as with generalship, the hobby track recognizes hobby greatness overall and in individual factions. Since paint and hobby judging is not automatically included in some tournaments, your tournament organizer(s) can tell you if a circuit event will also be tallying hobby track points (sometimes this information is also included in the player packet for events).
Prizes for best overall performance in both gameplay and hobby track will be distributed; this will be for overall performance, rather than faction-specific.
The players in the Top General and Best Overall positions as of August 31, 2025 will receive coveted Golden Tickets for the 2025 World Championships of Warhammer. Other prize support (including the official winners in all categories) will be issued at the conclusion of the 2025 circuit on November 9. In future years (after 2025), all aspects of the circuit year will end on August 31.
Although players may collect the prizes (and any associated recognition/trophies/certificates) for all categories in which they win, a single player may only receive prize support for Best General, Best Overall, or Best Hobby. Similarly, a player may only collect prize support for a single faction’s generalship and a single faction’s hobby victory. In the event a player wins “top general” for more than one faction, they will get to choose which faction’s prize support they prefer.
Teams can see their performance in the circuit, and team events may contribute points to your overall score(s), but this is for entertainment purposes only. Future editions of the circuit may include prize support for teams, but this is not currently planned for 2025-2026.
Right now, the circuit only includes Warhammer 40k, but we are looking at ways in which to integrate other Games Workshop systems, either in future years or later in 2025-2026.
Factions included for prize support and recognition are as follows. This list is subject to change upon release/retirement of GW factions. Please note that, for 2025, Best General and Best Hobby awards will be granted for factions, not Best Overall.
- Adepta Sororitas
- Adeptus Custodes
- Adeptus Mechanicus
- Aeldari
- Astra Militarum
- Blood Angels
- Chaos Daemons
- Chaos Knights
- Chaos Space Marines
- Dark Angels
- Death Guard
- Deathwatch
- Drukhari
- Emperor’s Children
- Genestealer Cults
- Grey Knights
- Imperial Agents
- Imperial Knights
- Leagues of Votann
- Necrons
- Orks
- Space Marines (Astartes)
- Space Wolves
- T’au Empire
- Thousand Sons
- Tyranids
- World Eaters