Games Workshop
Encyclopedia
Games Workshop Group plc (often abbreviated to GW) is a British game
production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargame
s Warhammer Fantasy Battle
and Warhammer 40,000
. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange
with the symbol GAW.L.
Founded in 1975 at 15 Bolingbroke Road, London, by John Peake, Ian Livingstone
, and Steve Jackson
(not to be confused with US citizen Steve Jackson, also a games designer), Games Workshop was originally a manufacturer of wooden boards for games such as backgammon
, mancala
, Nine Men's Morris
, and Go
which later became an importer of the U.S. role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons
, and then a publisher of wargames and role-playing games in its own right, expanding from a bedroom mail-order company in the process.
In order to promote their business, postal games, create a games club, and provide an alternative source for games news, the newsletter, Owl and Weasel
, was founded in February 1975. This was superseded in June 1977 by White Dwarf
.
From the outset, there was a clear stated interest in print regarding "progressive games," including computer gaming which led to the departure of traditionalist Peake in early 1976, and the loss of GW's main source of income.
However, having successfully obtained official distribution rights to Dungeons & Dragons
and other TSR
products in the UK, and maintaining a high profile by running games conventions
, the business grew rapidly. It opened its first retail shop in April 1978.
In early 1979, Games Workshop provided the funding to found Citadel Miniatures
in Newark-on-Trent
. Citadel would produce the metal miniatures used in role-playing and table-top wargames. The Citadel name became synonymous with Games Workshop Miniatures, and continues to be a trademark
ed brand name used in association with them long after the Citadel company was absorbed into Games Workshop. For a time, Gary Gygax
promoted the idea of TSR, Inc.
merging with Games Workshop, until Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone backed out.
The company's publishing arm also released UK reprints of American RPGs such as Call of Cthulhu
, Runequest
, Traveller
, and Middle-earth Role Playing
, which were expensive to import, having previously done so for Dungeons & Dragons
from 1977.
In 1984, Games Workshop ceased distributing its products in the USA through Hobby Games Distributors and opened its Games Workshop (US) office. Games Workshop (US), and Games Workshop in general, went through a large growth phase in the late '80s, listing over 250 employees on the payroll by 1990.
Following a management buyout
in December 1991, the company refocused on their most lucrative lines, namely their miniature wargame
Warhammer Fantasy Battle
(WFB) and Warhammer 40,000
(WH40K). The retail chain refocused on a younger, more family-oriented market. The change of direction was a great success and the company enjoyed growing profits, but the move lost the company some of its old fan base. The complaints of old customers led a breakaway group of two GW employees to publish Fantasy Warlord
in competition with GW, but this met with little success. Games Workshop expanded in Europe, the USA, Canada, and Australia, opening new branches and organizing events in each new commercial territory. The company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in October 1994. In October 1997, all UK-based operations were relocated to the current headquarters in Lenton, Nottingham
. This site now houses the corporate HQ, the White Dwarf offices, mail order operations, production, and distribution facilities for Europe, and the creative teams behind the miniatures and games designs.
By the end of the decade, though, the company was having problems with falling profits, blamed on the growth in popularity of collectible card game
s such as Magic: The Gathering
and Pokémon
.
In recent years, Games Workshop has been attempting to create a dual approach that will appeal to both older customers while still attracting a younger audience. Previously most of their special characters and vehicles were cast in white metal
/pewter
but by the 2000s most of them were replaced by plastics; with this shift Games Workshop has been able to offer greater variety in the armies offered with introductory box sets (for instance the Space Marines in the 2nd edition Warhammer 40,000 had two ten-man tactical squads, while the fifth edition has a tactical squad, terminator squad, dreadnought, and commander). This has seen the creation of initiatives such as the "Fanatic" range that supports more marginal lines with a lower cost trading model (the Internet is used widely in this approach, to collect ideas and playtest reports). However the Fanatic line has been mostly dropped, leaving Games Workshop to concentrate more and more on the younger demographic. Games Workshop has also contributed to designing and making games and puzzles for the popular television series The Crystal Maze
.
The release of Games Workshop's third core miniature wargame, The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game
(LoTR SBG), in 2000 signalled their intention to capture a new audience with a simple, yet effective and flexible combat system.
Other key innovations have been to harmonize their core products, and to branch out into new areas of growth. The acquisition of Sabretooth Games (card games), the creation of The Black Library
(literature), and their work with THQ
(computer games) have all enabled the company to diversify into new areas which have brought old gamers back into the fold; plus, it introduced the games to a whole new audience.
In the 25 years since the first edition of their flagship game Warhammer Fantasy Battle
, the cost of some like-for-like game components have risen steeply. For example, a metal "Goblin Fanatic" miniature has increased from 40p to £2.67, an increase of 567.5%.
In early 2008 Playthings magazine reported that retailers selling Games Workshop's products had seen a reduction in sales due to market saturation
and price increases.
In late 2009 Games Workshop issued a spate of Cease and desist
orders against various internet sites it accused of violating its Intellectual property
. The reaction amongst the fan community was generally anger and disappointment as many of the sites receiving orders were seen to be ones which had supported various Games Workshop games during periods where the company itself was not supporting or selling them.
On the 16th of May 2011 Maelstrom Games announced that Games Workshop had revised the terms and conditions of their trade agreement with independent stockists in the UK. The new terms and conditions restrict the sale of all Games Workshop products to within the European Union, Norway and Switzerland.
Alongside the UK publishing rights to several American role-playing games in the 1980s (including The Call of Cthulhu
, Runequest
and Middle-earth Role Playing
) Games Workshop also secured the rights to produce miniatures and/or games for several classic British science fiction properties such as Doctor Who
and several characters from 2000 AD
including Rogue Trooper
and Judge Dredd
. Alongside the rights to reprint ICE's Middle Earth Role Playing Citadel Miniatures acquired the rights to produce 28mm miniatures based on Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
.
In conjunction with the promotion of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
in 2001, Games Workshop acquired the rights to produce a skirmish wargame and miniatures, using the movies' production and publicity art, and information provided by the original novels by J.R.R. Tolkien. (Although it should be noted that the current line uses 25mm scale). The rights to produce a role-playing game using the films' art and both the book and the movies' plots and characters were sold to another firm, Decipher, Inc.
. Games Workshop was also able to produce a Battle of Five Armies game based on a culminating episode in The Hobbit
, although this game was done in 10 mm scale.
On February 10, 2011, Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced that it extended its six-year agreement with Games Workshop, continuing its exclusive, worldwide rights to produce tabletop games based on "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." Games Workshop announced plans to expand their offerings of battle-games and model soldiers, and to continue to develop and increase offerings based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy books.
The company is seen to have hard-to-reproduce, unique Intellectual Property
, a good export record, although there are several new companies which have entered the market recently and offer similar products at a lower price.
The group reported sales of £136,650,000 sterling in 2005 and employs around 3200. Sales decreased for the fiscal year ending in May 2006. "For the fiscal year ended 28 May 2006, Games Workshop plc's revenues decreased 16% to £115.2M. Net income decreased 78% to £2M. Revenues reflect a decrease in sales from Continental Europe, United Kingdom, Asia Pacific, and The Americas geographic divisions"
In 2009 Games Workshop Group plc posted a pre-tax profit of 7.5 Million pounds. Games Workshop said the rise in revenue was due to an increase in the range and quality of its plastic miniatures.
while the main company concentrated on retail. The distinction between the two blurred after Games Workshop stores ceased to sell retail products by other manufacturers, and Citadel was effectively merged back into Games Workshop.
All of these games systems have had expansion rules and supplements for them, including Mighty Empires and Storm of Magic for Warhammer Fantasy Battles, Battlehosts for The Lord of the Rings War Of The Ring and Cities of Death, Apocalypse, Planetstrike and Planetary Empires for Warhammer 40,000.
division.
These games are aimed at the "veteran" gamers. These are gamers who are more experienced in the core games produced by Games Workshop. This is because the rules and the complexity of tactics inherent in the systems are often more in-depth than the core games. This also includes games that arn't necissarily more complex, but have a smaller more specialized target audience.
s set within the Warhammer universe. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
was first published in 1986; a second edition appeared in 2005 published by Black Industries
http://www.blackindustries.com/, part of GW's fiction imprint BL Publishing
.
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargame
Wargame (video games)
Wargames are a subgenre of strategy video games that emphasize strategic or tactical warfare on a map, as well as historical accuracy.-History:The genre of wargame video games is derived from earlier forms of wargames...
s Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer: The Game of Fantasy Battles is a tabletop wargame created by Games Workshop. It is the origin of the Warhammer Fantasy setting....
and Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
with the symbol GAW.L.
Overview/History
Ian Livingstone
Ian Livingstone OBE is an English fantasy author and entrepreneur. He is a co-writer of the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, and co-founder of Games Workshop....
, and Steve Jackson
Steve Jackson (UK)
Steve Jackson is a game designer, writer and game reviewer.-History:In early 1975, Steve Jackson co-founded the company Games Workshop with John Peake and Ian Livingstone....
(not to be confused with US citizen Steve Jackson, also a games designer), Games Workshop was originally a manufacturer of wooden boards for games such as backgammon
Backgammon
Backgammon is one of the oldest board games for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits...
, mancala
Mancala
Mancala is a family of board games played around the world, sometimes called "sowing" games, or "count-and-capture" games, which describes the game-play. Mancala games play a role in many African and some Asian societies comparable to that of chess in the West, or the game of Go in Eastern Asia...
, Nine Men's Morris
Nine Men's Morris
Nine Men's Morris is an abstract strategy board game for two players that emerged from the Roman Empire. The game is also known as Nine Man Morris, Mill, Mills, Merels, Merelles, and Merrills in English....
, and Go
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
which later became an importer of the U.S. role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, and then a publisher of wargames and role-playing games in its own right, expanding from a bedroom mail-order company in the process.
In order to promote their business, postal games, create a games club, and provide an alternative source for games news, the newsletter, Owl and Weasel
Owl and Weasel
Owl and Weasel was Games Workshop's first publication, a periodical edited by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone for twenty-five issues from February 1975 until April 1977 when it was superseded by White Dwarf, which is published on a monthly basis ....
, was founded in February 1975. This was superseded in June 1977 by White Dwarf
White Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
.
From the outset, there was a clear stated interest in print regarding "progressive games," including computer gaming which led to the departure of traditionalist Peake in early 1976, and the loss of GW's main source of income.
However, having successfully obtained official distribution rights to Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
and other TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
products in the UK, and maintaining a high profile by running games conventions
Games Day
Games Day is a yearly run convention sponsored by Games Workshop. It has its origins in 1975, following the indefinite shelving of another games convention scheduled for August that year and a decision by Games Workshop to fill the resulting gap by running a gaming day of their own...
, the business grew rapidly. It opened its first retail shop in April 1978.
In early 1979, Games Workshop provided the funding to found Citadel Miniatures
Citadel Miniatures
Citadel Miniatures Limited is a company which produces metal, resin and plastic miniature figures for tabletop wargames such as Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000....
in Newark-on-Trent
Newark-on-Trent
Newark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. It stands on the River Trent, the A1 , and the East Coast Main Line railway. The origins of the town are possibly Roman as it lies on an important Roman road, the Fosse Way...
. Citadel would produce the metal miniatures used in role-playing and table-top wargames. The Citadel name became synonymous with Games Workshop Miniatures, and continues to be a trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
ed brand name used in association with them long after the Citadel company was absorbed into Games Workshop. For a time, Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
promoted the idea of TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
merging with Games Workshop, until Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone backed out.
The company's publishing arm also released UK reprints of American RPGs such as Call of Cthulhu
Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)
Call of Cthulhu is a horror fiction role-playing game based on H. P. Lovecraft's story of the same name and the associated Cthulhu Mythos.The game, often abbreviated as CoC, is published by Chaosium.-Setting:...
, Runequest
RuneQuest
RuneQuest is a fantasy role-playing game first published in 1978 by Chaosium, created by Steve Perrin and set in Greg Stafford's mythical world of Glorantha. RuneQuest was notable for its original gaming system and for its verisimilitude in adhering to an original fantasy world...
, Traveller
Traveller (role-playing game)
Traveller is a series of related science fiction role-playing games, the first published in 1977 by Game Designers' Workshop and subsequent editions by various companies remaining in print to this day. The game was inspired from such classic science fiction stories as the Dumarest saga series by...
, and Middle-earth Role Playing
Middle-earth Role Playing
Middle-earth Role Playing is a 1984 role-playing game based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien under license from Tolkien Enterprises. Iron Crown Enterprises published the game until they lost the license on 22 Sep 1999.-Setting:The setting for MERP is an expanded version of J. R. R...
, which were expensive to import, having previously done so for Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
from 1977.
In 1984, Games Workshop ceased distributing its products in the USA through Hobby Games Distributors and opened its Games Workshop (US) office. Games Workshop (US), and Games Workshop in general, went through a large growth phase in the late '80s, listing over 250 employees on the payroll by 1990.
Following a management buyout
Management buyout
A management buyout is a form of acquisition where a company's existing managers acquire a large part or all of the company.- Overview :Management buyouts are similar in all major legal aspects to any other acquisition of a company...
in December 1991, the company refocused on their most lucrative lines, namely their miniature wargame
Miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain as the main components of play...
Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer: The Game of Fantasy Battles is a tabletop wargame created by Games Workshop. It is the origin of the Warhammer Fantasy setting....
(WFB) and Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
(WH40K). The retail chain refocused on a younger, more family-oriented market. The change of direction was a great success and the company enjoyed growing profits, but the move lost the company some of its old fan base. The complaints of old customers led a breakaway group of two GW employees to publish Fantasy Warlord
Fantasy Warlord
Fantasy Warlord is a fantasy miniatures game released in 1990 by Folio Works. It was written by Ian Bailey and Gary Chalk who also did the illustrations....
in competition with GW, but this met with little success. Games Workshop expanded in Europe, the USA, Canada, and Australia, opening new branches and organizing events in each new commercial territory. The company was floated on the London Stock Exchange in October 1994. In October 1997, all UK-based operations were relocated to the current headquarters in Lenton, Nottingham
Lenton, Nottingham
Lenton is an area of the City of Nottingham in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. Politically, it falls within the Nottingham South constituency. Most of the area lies within the electoral ward of "Dunkirk and Lenton", however the "Lenton Triangle" area, considered by most residents to be part...
. This site now houses the corporate HQ, the White Dwarf offices, mail order operations, production, and distribution facilities for Europe, and the creative teams behind the miniatures and games designs.
By the end of the decade, though, the company was having problems with falling profits, blamed on the growth in popularity of collectible card game
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
s such as Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
and Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
.
In recent years, Games Workshop has been attempting to create a dual approach that will appeal to both older customers while still attracting a younger audience. Previously most of their special characters and vehicles were cast in white metal
White metal
The white metals are any of several light-colored alloys used as a base for plated silverware, ornaments or novelties, as well as any of several lead-base or tin-base alloys used for things like bearings, jewellery, miniature figures, fusible plugs, some medals and metal type.Some of the metals...
/pewter
Pewter
Pewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally 85–99% tin, with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth and lead. Copper and antimony act as hardeners while lead is common in the lower grades of pewter, which have a bluish tint. It has a low melting point, around 170–230 °C ,...
but by the 2000s most of them were replaced by plastics; with this shift Games Workshop has been able to offer greater variety in the armies offered with introductory box sets (for instance the Space Marines in the 2nd edition Warhammer 40,000 had two ten-man tactical squads, while the fifth edition has a tactical squad, terminator squad, dreadnought, and commander). This has seen the creation of initiatives such as the "Fanatic" range that supports more marginal lines with a lower cost trading model (the Internet is used widely in this approach, to collect ideas and playtest reports). However the Fanatic line has been mostly dropped, leaving Games Workshop to concentrate more and more on the younger demographic. Games Workshop has also contributed to designing and making games and puzzles for the popular television series The Crystal Maze
The Crystal Maze
The Crystal Maze was a British game show, produced by Chatsworth Television and shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom between 15 February 1990 and 10 August 1995. There was one series per year, with the first four series presented by Richard O'Brien and the final two by Ed Tudor-Pole, who made...
.
The release of Games Workshop's third core miniature wargame, The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game
The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game
The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game , and often referred to by players as Lord of the Rings, is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop . It is based on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, and the book that inspired it, written by J. R. R...
(LoTR SBG), in 2000 signalled their intention to capture a new audience with a simple, yet effective and flexible combat system.
Other key innovations have been to harmonize their core products, and to branch out into new areas of growth. The acquisition of Sabretooth Games (card games), the creation of The Black Library
Black Library
The Black Library is a division of Games Workshop which is devoted to publishing novels and audiobooks set in the Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes...
(literature), and their work with THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
(computer games) have all enabled the company to diversify into new areas which have brought old gamers back into the fold; plus, it introduced the games to a whole new audience.
In the 25 years since the first edition of their flagship game Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer: The Game of Fantasy Battles is a tabletop wargame created by Games Workshop. It is the origin of the Warhammer Fantasy setting....
, the cost of some like-for-like game components have risen steeply. For example, a metal "Goblin Fanatic" miniature has increased from 40p to £2.67, an increase of 567.5%.
In early 2008 Playthings magazine reported that retailers selling Games Workshop's products had seen a reduction in sales due to market saturation
Market saturation
In economics, "market saturation" is a term used to describe a situation in which a product has become diffused within a market; the actual level of saturation can depend on consumer purchasing power; as well as competition, prices, and technology....
and price increases.
In late 2009 Games Workshop issued a spate of Cease and desist
Cease and desist
A cease and desist is an order or request to halt an activity and not to take it up again later or else face legal action. The recipient of the cease-and-desist may be an individual or an organization....
orders against various internet sites it accused of violating its Intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
. The reaction amongst the fan community was generally anger and disappointment as many of the sites receiving orders were seen to be ones which had supported various Games Workshop games during periods where the company itself was not supporting or selling them.
On the 16th of May 2011 Maelstrom Games announced that Games Workshop had revised the terms and conditions of their trade agreement with independent stockists in the UK. The new terms and conditions restrict the sale of all Games Workshop products to within the European Union, Norway and Switzerland.
Licensing
The Call of Cthulhu
The Call of Cthulhu is a short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in the summer of 1926, it was first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, in February 1928.-Inspiration:...
, Runequest
RuneQuest
RuneQuest is a fantasy role-playing game first published in 1978 by Chaosium, created by Steve Perrin and set in Greg Stafford's mythical world of Glorantha. RuneQuest was notable for its original gaming system and for its verisimilitude in adhering to an original fantasy world...
and Middle-earth Role Playing
Middle-earth Role Playing
Middle-earth Role Playing is a 1984 role-playing game based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien under license from Tolkien Enterprises. Iron Crown Enterprises published the game until they lost the license on 22 Sep 1999.-Setting:The setting for MERP is an expanded version of J. R. R...
) Games Workshop also secured the rights to produce miniatures and/or games for several classic British science fiction properties such as Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
and several characters from 2000 AD
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
including Rogue Trooper
Rogue Trooper
Rogue Trooper is a science fiction strip in the British comic 2000 AD, created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons. It follows the adventures of Rogue, a G.I. and his three comrades' search for the Traitor General...
and Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
. Alongside the rights to reprint ICE's Middle Earth Role Playing Citadel Miniatures acquired the rights to produce 28mm miniatures based on Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
.
In conjunction with the promotion of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
in 2001, Games Workshop acquired the rights to produce a skirmish wargame and miniatures, using the movies' production and publicity art, and information provided by the original novels by J.R.R. Tolkien. (Although it should be noted that the current line uses 25mm scale). The rights to produce a role-playing game using the films' art and both the book and the movies' plots and characters were sold to another firm, Decipher, Inc.
Decipher, Inc.
Decipher, Inc. is an American gaming company based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. They began with three puzzles called "Decipher" then moved on to party games and Pente sets, but since 1994 produced collectible card and role-playing games. Their longest-running offering is the How to Host a Murder...
. Games Workshop was also able to produce a Battle of Five Armies game based on a culminating episode in The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
, although this game was done in 10 mm scale.
On February 10, 2011, Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced that it extended its six-year agreement with Games Workshop, continuing its exclusive, worldwide rights to produce tabletop games based on "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." Games Workshop announced plans to expand their offerings of battle-games and model soldiers, and to continue to develop and increase offerings based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy books.
Games Workshop Group PLC
Games Workshop has expanded into several divisions/companies producing products related to the Warhammer universe.- Games Workshop now produce the tabletop wargames, Citadel miniatures, and the Specialist GamesSpecialist GamesSpecialist Games is division of Games Workshop which sells tabletop wargames that are no longer part of Games Workshop's core market ....
range. - Forge WorldForge WorldForge World is the name of a subsidiary company of Games Workshop run by Tony Cottrell, which designs, moulds, and sells resin models for various Games Workshop games....
make complementary specialist resin miniatures and conversion kits. Forge World is also responsible for the Warhammer Historical line of historical wargames rules, including Warhammer Ancient BattlesWarhammer Ancient BattlesWarhammer Ancient Battles is a ruleset for miniatures wargames produced by Games Workshop's Warhammer Historical Wargames imprint...
, all of which were previously published by as a component of Black Library. - BL PublishingBL PublishingBL Publishing is a division of Games Workshop, and is split into three sections:* The Black Library publishes novels, art books, background books and graphic novels set in the Warhammer Fantasy world and the Warhammer 40,000 universe....
is the fiction, board game and roleplaying game publishing arm of Games Workshop. They comprise several separate imprints; The Black LibraryBlack LibraryThe Black Library is a division of Games Workshop which is devoted to publishing novels and audiobooks set in the Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes...
, Black FlameBlack FlameBlack Flame was an imprint of BL Publishing, the publishing arm of Games Workshop and a sister imprint to the Black Library and Solaris Books. Black Flame was devoted to publishing cult fiction in the fields of science fiction, fantasy and horror...
and Solaris BooksSolaris BooksSolaris Books is an imprint which focuses on publishing science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy novels and anthologies. The range includes titles by both established and new authors...
. Warp Artefacts used to produce merchandise based on Games Workshop's intellectual property; they are now folded into BLP as BL Merchandise.
The company is seen to have hard-to-reproduce, unique Intellectual Property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
, a good export record, although there are several new companies which have entered the market recently and offer similar products at a lower price.
The group reported sales of £136,650,000 sterling in 2005 and employs around 3200. Sales decreased for the fiscal year ending in May 2006. "For the fiscal year ended 28 May 2006, Games Workshop plc's revenues decreased 16% to £115.2M. Net income decreased 78% to £2M. Revenues reflect a decrease in sales from Continental Europe, United Kingdom, Asia Pacific, and The Americas geographic divisions"
In 2009 Games Workshop Group plc posted a pre-tax profit of 7.5 Million pounds. Games Workshop said the rise in revenue was due to an increase in the range and quality of its plastic miniatures.
Miniature games
Games Workshop previously produced miniature figures via an associated, originally independent, company called Citadel MiniaturesCitadel Miniatures
Citadel Miniatures Limited is a company which produces metal, resin and plastic miniature figures for tabletop wargames such as Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000....
while the main company concentrated on retail. The distinction between the two blurred after Games Workshop stores ceased to sell retail products by other manufacturers, and Citadel was effectively merged back into Games Workshop.
Current Core Games
The following games are in production and widely available.- Warhammer Fantasy BattleWarhammer Fantasy BattleWarhammer: The Game of Fantasy Battles is a tabletop wargame created by Games Workshop. It is the origin of the Warhammer Fantasy setting....
- Warhammer 40,000Warhammer 40,000Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
- The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle GameThe Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle GameThe Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game , and often referred to by players as Lord of the Rings, is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop . It is based on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, and the book that inspired it, written by J. R. R...
All of these games systems have had expansion rules and supplements for them, including Mighty Empires and Storm of Magic for Warhammer Fantasy Battles, Battlehosts for The Lord of the Rings War Of The Ring and Cities of Death, Apocalypse, Planetstrike and Planetary Empires for Warhammer 40,000.
Specialist Games
Link to the dedicated page for the Specialist GamesSpecialist Games
Specialist Games is division of Games Workshop which sells tabletop wargames that are no longer part of Games Workshop's core market ....
division.
These games are aimed at the "veteran" gamers. These are gamers who are more experienced in the core games produced by Games Workshop. This is because the rules and the complexity of tactics inherent in the systems are often more in-depth than the core games. This also includes games that arn't necissarily more complex, but have a smaller more specialized target audience.
Warhammer Fantasy universe
- Blood BowlBlood BowlBlood Bowl is a Fantasy Football game created by Jervis Johnson for the British games company Games Workshop as a parody of American Football. The game was first released in 1987 and has been re-released in new editions since...
- an American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
style game using fantasy creatures. - DreadfleetDreadfleetDreadfleet , is a limited edition two player game from Games Workshop that is set in the Warhammer Fantasy world. One player takes command of the Grand Alliance which is composed of the greatest pirate captains, whilst the other commands the Dreadfleet, a force composed of undead captains and their...
- a naval combat style board game (limited stock) released on 1 October 2011 - Mighty EmpiresMighty EmpiresMighty Empires was a board game published by Games Workshop. It was intended to add a strategic layer to Warhammer Fantasy Battle giving rise to campaigns where the results of one battle would affect later battles, although the game included simple point based rules if the players did not have...
- a hexagonal tile based campaign supplement - MordheimMordheimMordheim is a tabletop game produced by Games Workshop. It is a skirmish variant of the company's popular Warhammer Fantasy game set on a smaller scale with players fielding 15-20 models each, rather than the 150-200 models allowed in Warhammer Fantasy....
- a skirmish game. An expansion (Empire in Flames) was also released - WarmasterWarmasterWarmaster is a ruleset for tabletop wargames written by Rick Priestley, published by Specialist Games , and set in the Warhammer Fantasy setting. It is different from Warhammer Fantasy Battles in both appearance and gameplay. It is intended for 10 –12 mm miniatures. Basic troops are based on...
- a game for fighting larger battles with smaller (10 mm) miniatures
Warhammer 40,000 universe
- Battlefleet GothicBattlefleet Gothic-External links:* - An unofficial, community-driven fan wiki dedicated to providing Official & Un-official content and linking the Battlefleet Gothic community....
- a game which depicts battles between fleets of space ships. - EpicEpic (game)Epic is a tabletop wargame set in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe. Where Warhammer 40,000 involves small battles between forces of a few squads of troops and two or three vehicles, Epic features battles between armies consisting of dozens of tanks and hundreds of soldiers...
- a game for fighting larger battles with smaller (6 mm) miniatures (known as Epic Armageddon in its current edition). - InquisitorInquisitor (game)Inquisitor is a tabletop miniatures game based in Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 Universe. Whereas Warhammer 40,000 is based on squad based tactical warfare, Inquisitor focuses on a small group of adventurers and plays a bit like a Role-playing game...
- a skirmish/role play game using larger (54 mm) more detailed miniatures and intended for older gamers. - NecromundaNecromundaNecromunda is a skirmish tabletop war game produced by Specialist Games .In Necromunda, players control rival gangs battling each other in the Underhive, a place of anarchy and violence in the depths below the Hive City...
- a skirmish game set on a hive world which pits gangs of humans against each other, using 2nd edition Warhammer 40,000 rules, which are more detailed than newer editions and more suitable for skirmish games.
The Lord Of The Rings Strategy Battle Game universe
- Great Battles of Middle Earth: The Battle of Five Armies - a game for fighting larger battles with smaller (10 mm) miniatures. The game was named after (and initially centred on) the Battle of Five Armies, one of the later scenes in J.R.R. Tolkien's The HobbitThe HobbitThe Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
. - The Strategy Battle GameThe Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle GameThe Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game , and often referred to by players as Lord of the Rings, is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop . It is based on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, and the book that inspired it, written by J. R. R...
has now expanded and has recently added many new supplements to the list of its current games and scenarios. 2009 sees the launch of a new supplement entitled 'War of the Ring' which allows the players to field larger forces than previous supplements. Therefore allowing the players to play massed battles.
Forge World
- Aeronautica ImperialisAeronautica ImperialisAeronautica Imperialis is a tabletop miniature wargame set within the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The game focuses on aerial combat between the different races of the Warhammer 40,000 universe...
- a game based around Epic scale aircraft combat
Warhammer Fantasy universe
- Advanced HeroQuestAdvanced HeroQuestAdvanced Heroquest was a 1989 sequel to HeroQuest, published by Games Workshop.Changes from HeroQuest included more complex and RPG-like rules, a modular board and the use of henchmen...
- Kerrunch - a simplified version of Blood Bowl.
- Man O' War - a game of naval combat in a fantasy world. Two expansions were also released, Sea of BloodSea of BloodSea of Blood is a revolutionary novel, film, and opera created in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea about the mass killings during the Japanese occupation...
and Plague Fleet. - Mighty WarriorsMighty WarriorsMighty Warriors is an adventure board game created by Games Workshop in 1991 and set in the Warhammer Fantasy fictional universe. The core rules allowed players to explore dungeons, which were randomly generated, and fight monsters, also randomly generated...
- a simplified version of Advanced HeroQuest. - Warhammer QuestWarhammer QuestWarhammer Quest was a fantasy dungeon, role playing, adventure board game released by Games Workshop in 1995 & set within the background of their fictional Warhammer world...
- a game of dungeon exploration and questing, effectively an updated version of Advanced HeroQuest.
Warhammer 40,000 universe
- Adeptus Titanicus (original game in the Epic series, which concerned combat between Titans.)
- Codex Titanicus - expansion rules for same
- Advanced Space Crusade
- Bommerz over da Sulphur River (Board game using Epic miniatures.)
- Epic 40,000 (precursor to Epic Armageddon, although some people still use the terms interchangeably, alongside EpicEpic (game)Epic is a tabletop wargame set in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe. Where Warhammer 40,000 involves small battles between forces of a few squads of troops and two or three vehicles, Epic features battles between armies consisting of dozens of tanks and hundreds of soldiers...
.) - GorkamorkaGorkamorkaGorkamorka is a vehicle-using campaign game produced by Games Workshop, set on the desert world of Angelis, in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, prominently featuring Orks....
- Digganob (an expansion for Gorkamorka)
- Lost Patrol
- Space Fleet (Simple spaceship combat game from before Battlefleet Gothic)
- Space HulkSpace HulkSpace Hulk is a board game by Games Workshop, first released in 1989 and re-released in 2009. The game is set in their Warhammer 40,000 universe and draws a certain degree of inspiration from the Alien movies....
(three editions were published, expansions are listed below)- DeathwingSpace HulkSpace Hulk is a board game by Games Workshop, first released in 1989 and re-released in 2009. The game is set in their Warhammer 40,000 universe and draws a certain degree of inspiration from the Alien movies....
(expansion boxed set) - Genestealer (expansion boxed set)
- Space Hulk Campaigns (expansion book in both soft and hard-cover)
- Deathwing
- Space Marine (original Epic-scale game concerning troops and infantry, 1st edition is a pair with Adeptus Titanicus, 2nd with Titan Legions)
- Titan Legions (effectively an expansion of Space Marine, though it extended the game system)
- Tyranid Attack
- Ultra MarinesUltra MarinesUltra Marines is one of a series of 4 "introductory" board games released by Games Workshop in the mid-1990s. Set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, it is effectively a 'scaled-down' version of Space Hulk and Tyranid Attack, using plastic Marine Scouts from the Ultramarines, Space Wolves, Dark...
- introductory game in same series as Space Fleet
Licensed games
These games were not made by Games Workshop but used similar-style models, artwork and concepts. These games were made by mainstream toy companies and available in standard toy and department stores rather than just in Games Workshop and speciality gaming stores.- Battle MastersBattle MastersBattle Masters is a board game by Milton Bradley made in collaboration with Games Workshop in 1992. It is a game that simulates the type of battles as seen in Warhammer Fantasy Battle, but with much simpler game mechanics not based on its parent game...
(published by Milton BradleyMilton Bradley CompanyThe Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
) - HeroQuestHeroQuest (board game)HeroQuest, sometimes also written as Hero Quest, is an adventure board game that was created by Milton Bradley in conjunction with the British company Games Workshop and set in the latter's Warhammer Fantasy fictional universe, as shown by a map of the Warhammer 'Old World' being printed on the...
(published by Milton Bradley)- Kellar's Keep (Expansion for Hero Quest)
- Return of the Witch Lord (Expansion for Hero Quest)
- Against the Ogre Horde (Expansion for Hero Quest)
- Wizards of Morcar (Expansion for Hero Quest)
- The Frozen Horror (Expansion for Hero Quest)
- The Magic of the Mirror (Expansion for Hero Quest)
- The Dark Company (Expansion for Hero Quest)
- HeroQuest Adventure Design Kit (Expansion for Hero Quest)
- Adventure Design Booklet (Expansion for Hero Quest)
- Space CrusadeSpace CrusadeSpace Crusade is an adventure board game produced by Milton Bradley in conjunction with Games Workshop and was first made in 1990. While produced in the UK and available in some other countries including Finland, Ireland, France, Denmark, Australia and New Zealand, it was never sold in North America...
(published by Milton Bradley)- Mission Dreadnought (Expansion for Space Crusade)
- Eldar Attack (Expansion for Space Crusade)
Role-playing games
Several of the miniatures games (e.g. Inquisitor) involve a role-playing element, however Games Workshop has in the past published role-playing gameRole-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s set within the Warhammer universe. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is a role-playing game set in the Warhammer Fantasy setting. Over the years, it has been through a number of phases and different publishers, most of which were related in some way to Games Workshop...
was first published in 1986; a second edition appeared in 2005 published by Black Industries
Black Industries
Black Industries was the role-playing game imprint of BL Publishing, the publishing arm of Games Workshop. It was announced on January 28, 2008 that it would cease operations after its products currently scheduled for release are published....
http://www.blackindustries.com/, part of GW's fiction imprint BL Publishing
BL Publishing
BL Publishing is a division of Games Workshop, and is split into three sections:* The Black Library publishes novels, art books, background books and graphic novels set in the Warhammer Fantasy world and the Warhammer 40,000 universe....
.