Games Workshop Offers Free Cryptguard Mini at Warhammer Stores in April

Walk into any Warhammer store from April 4 and ask the staff for the Miniature of the Month. That is the full eligibility requirement: show up, say the words, walk out with a free Flesh-eater Courts Cryptguard. The only real catch is the phrase "while stocks last" buried in Games Workshop's official announcement, and anyone who has watched a popular monthly freebie evaporate inside the first week of a promotion knows that language functions as a timer, not a formality.

Games Workshop confirmed the promotion through its community channel on March 30, framing it in characteristic style: "You are cordially invited to your local Warhammer store from 4 April 2026 to pick up a Cryptguard from the Flesh-eater Courts and join April's banquet." Theatrical, yes, but the date and the action are unambiguous. One mini per person, worldwide, starting Saturday.

The Cryptguard is a ghoul bodyguard with prominent skin, fur, and rusted weapons across the sculpt, which Games Workshop specifically flagged as the reason it works well as a practice piece. Three distinct surface types means three distinct painting problems to solve, each with a different technique. If you want to follow the official YouTube guide, GW built a specific paint kit around it: Morghast Bone and Rakarth Flesh handle the pallid skin, Stegadon Scale Green pulls shadow tones into the recesses, and Ratling Grime weathers the rusted metal. Those four colors, applied in sequence over a spray undercoat, can carry the model to a finished tabletop standard in a single evening.

For a faster result, a contrast-heavy pass over a white or bone-toned prime coat completes the skin and fur in under thirty minutes and leaves the metal and basing as the only remaining tasks for the session. Going darker is equally manageable: a deep grey prime followed by a zenithal white spray and controlled drybrushing produces a grimmer, more desaturated ghoul that reads clearly on a crowded display board without demanding hours of blending. Either way, bring a primer, pick your skin tone, and commit to finishing before the night ends. The model's straightforward silhouette rewards that kind of decisive approach.

The in-store Pick 'n' Mix paint offer runs concurrently with the Cryptguard promotion: pick any ten paints and get the most expensive one free. If your Morghast Bone is running low or you have been putting off picking up Ratling Grime, a trip to claim the free mini doubles as the most efficient moment to restock. GW's Million Miniatures pledge drive is also active during the same window, so a single April store visit can realistically net a free miniature, discounted paints, and a logged hobby pledge.

A separate collectible coin is available for the month, this one featuring an Adeptus Custodes design. The threshold in the US is a $100 purchase (£60 in the UK, €80 in Europe), and the coin is also stock-dependent, so pairing it with the paint restock is the practical move.

Two new US stores are joining the network this month and will carry the full April promotion from their opening days: South Bend, Indiana opens April 11 and Arlington, Texas opens April 18. In Poland, new stores in Szczecin and Poznan open on April 11 and April 25 respectively.

The Cryptguard is the kind of model that rewards a focused Saturday afternoon rather than a weeks-long project. Get there early in April, grab your paints while the Pick 'n' Mix offer is live, and the finished mini on your shelf by month's end is a realistic target at any skill level.