Not that long ago, we covered Tambocon, Tamborine Mountain’s first-ever Warhammer convention dreamed up to bring the community a little relief after the devastating tornado over Christmas. While there, we connected with The Hammertime Bros, a local gaming store operating on the mountain for close to a year and specializing in the game of Warhammer, along with a few other surprising niches. The Hammertime Bros is the passion project of Chance Fakaanga, and a few days after the convention we were lucky enough to sit down with him along with friend and fellow employee Daniel Navue to get a clearer picture of what it’s all about.

by Kyle Hitchmough

What was your inspiration to open this store?

For a long time, it was just a hobby but then I started looking at it from a different angle. I enjoyed it, and I decided with my family that I wanted to make it into a business where people can come and play together.

For those who might not be familiar, can you explain what Warhammer is?

Warhammer is a tabletop wargame, like a board game with miniatures. It teaches you to strategise and plan before you move your pieces.

And what is it that you sell in store here for this game? What do you offer?

If you don’t know much about Warhammer, we sell starter kits and we run classes. We help new players with knowledge of the game, and teach them to build and paint their own miniatures. It’s a little community get together. We also have a gaming room with PCs, PlayStations and XBOXes all ready to go, loaded up with a wide variety of games. Originally it was designed for kids with disabilities to have a space where they could chill out and unwind with some gaming, but now everything is open to the general public to come down, have fun, play games, paint miniatures, talk and socialise.

Can you tell us more about your involvement with disability care?

Hammertime Bros exists as a subsidiary of Bloom, which is a disability outreach group, so this is the Bloom Hub. We offer a lot of things. One of the things provided by Bloom is the Warhammer workshops, but they also do get-togethers for gel-blasting and waterskiing, like beach days. There are a lot of branches of the Bloom Hub, and this is just one of them. We want to keep morale up.

What got you interested in Warhammer originally?

What drew me to it was the stories about the different planetary systems and different factions of orcs and humans and others. I was on the Gold Coast one day when I saw this Warhammer shop. I was curious so I went to have a look and they were having a grand tournament between these different factions. The people I was talking to told me they enjoyed the painting aspect, the playing aspect, and the stories behind it.

What factions do you prefer personally?

For me, one of my favourites is the Death Korps of Krieg. They’re all about siege trench warfare. They’re a strong, reliable, full-fledged honourable force, a human military faction. Daniel’s just getting started and the orcs have drawn his attention.

Is the name just a reference to the game, or is there more meaning behind it?

The first game I ever played in my life was Super Mario Bros. The Hammer Bros are a boss battle in that game. Mario got me into video games, and from there I got more into board games, which eventually led me to Warhammer. It’s all connected in a weird way, and that’s what the name means.

Is there a most popular or bestselling item you carry?

The bestsellers right now are definitely the introductory sets and the starter kits.

Have you noticed any particular trends in your clientele?

Lots of kids with parents. Though we did have this lovely elderly couple come in. It was hilarious. The husband said he was a big fan of Warhammer, but his wife was trying to save their wallets by dragging him back out!

Do you have any intentions to expand your range into other tabletop games or communities?

We were thinking of doing D&D and Magic: the Gathering, so we can have a full selection and people can come in at any time. This space can be free for anybody wanting to use it.

How did you come to be involved in the Tambocon event? What did you think of that experience?

Jon contacted us to ask if we wanted to help out with that. The team thought it would be a great idea, and from there it all came to fruition. It was absolutely amazing! It’s nice to meet new people and be more involved in the Warhammer community on the mountain.

Are you a local? What’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?

We live just down at Bonogin. It’s beautiful in my opinion. All the people are kind and generous. They’re straight up nice people! It’s like its own little world up here, everyone’s so relaxed. It’s good vibes all round, like a giant family up here. We love it.

What’s your favourite thing to do on the mountain?

The lookout is top notch! And the local fish and chip shop, The Local Codfather, that’s real good. I’ve gotta give it to the staff at Mountain Brew who make their amazing hamburgers, too.

What do you think The Hammertime Bros really provides to the area?

A place where people can come and chill out, relax, meet new people and socialise, and above all, have fun. I just enjoy seeing people come in with smiles on their faces. Life’s too short to be sad.

What do you enjoy most about doing this?

Seeing people smiling when they walk out.

What’s been your most memorable moment in your time here?

For me, it was the first time that the shop opened. I was downright ecstatic. My dream had become a reality, and I’m happy to share it with people. When we got our first clients and saw how happy they were, walking out of the shop with a smile on their face to go home and tell their parents all about it, it was awesome. They always want to come back.

Is there anything else you’d like to go on the record?

We’re planning to expand a lot more into doing more things for the community, so keep an eye out!

The Hammertime Bros
1/39 MAIN ST, TAMBORINE MOUNTAIN QLD 4272

We are always looking for new topics for our blog. If there’s something you like to see more of, send your suggestions to: social@professionalsserendipity.com.au, or email the writer at kyle.hitchmough@hotmail.com.