Dice Men Review - The Origins of Games Workshop and Warhammer

Across the multiverse, situations regularly occur (usually somewhere between the fourth and fifth beer) where friends sit at a table and start shouting things like: "Let's make a board game together, start a band, write a book, go into business, and conquer the world!". Rarely do such plans make it to the finish line. I've experienced so many of these moments! With a group of friends, I eventually managed to launch at least the Fantastická Ostrava festival. But even so, I soon find myself back in a state of dreaming and planning.

Most large companies and corporations started with just such an idea from a few friends. Apple, Google, Microsoft, or Amazon began as a group of enthusiasts in a garage. At the beginning, there was an idea and a willingness to take risks. And today, theoretically and literally, they rule the world.

It was similar for the main protagonists of the book Dice Men. They are three young Brits: Ian Livingstone, Steve Jackson, and John Peake. They spent their free time much like we do today - listening to music, playing board games, and dreaming. They were young and naive enough to decide one day in the seventies to start a business. They chose to start distributing board games. Today, that would be an almost impossible dream. But they started at a time when the entire market was just beginning to take shape. Board games were known only to the same geeks as them.

They were incredibly lucky. At that time, an inconspicuous novelty appeared. Americans Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax released a box full of paper into the world. And on the box was an inconspicuous name: Dungeons & Dragons. Whispers about D&D quickly spread through the community, and naturally, our trio of young men, who had just founded the company Games Workshop, showed interest. Fascinated by the game's concept, they wrote a letter directly to Gary Gygax in the USA and ordered several copies of D&D, intending to try and sell them. As it happened, Gygax's company, TSR, was looking for a European distributor at that very moment. An agreement was reached quickly, and Games Workshop became the official distributor of D&D.

And so, in the eighties, things slowly started to take off. The first fan gatherings were organized, the game selection expanded, a magazine was published, sales of wargaming figures and role-playing games were supplemented by their own production in the subsidiary Citadel Miniatures, and a network of their own stores began to grow. During this time, Ian and Steve also managed to launch their famous Fighting Fantasy gamebook series.

The company Games Workshop had several close calls. However, the founding fathers always kept in mind to bring equally enthusiastic fans onto the team, so there was no shortage of new ideas. Bryan Ansell, Rick Priestley, and Richard Halliwell eventually came up with the concept for a wargaming game that would become Warhammer. And what was the result? Games Workshop currently has an annual turnover of around 700 million dollars, profits of over 300 million, and a value of around 6.5 billion dollars.

The book Dice Men presents this journey in a very readable way. It is a story full of details and personal memories, describing all successes and failures quite openly. If you are a fan of D&D, Warhammer, or board games, you will learn plenty of interesting behind-the-scenes facts. Everything is complemented by a ton of photos and excerpts. It is a fascinating look. That trio of nerds from England was simply in the right place at the right time. Sure, it took a ton of hard work and risk, but no success happens without that.

I often thought of imago while reading. We may only have one founding father, but the heart of the company beats in a very similar rhythm. From the beginning, we have also been more of a group of friends and fans. Processes happen more through collective effort and ideas rather than by imposing strict managerial rules. And after work, we all like to voluntarily meet up for a beer and a board game. I have personally worked in various companies, but that friendly atmosphere is felt most strongly here. I don't know if we will see success similar to the guys at Games Workshop. In today's tough, competitive times, probably not, but it is beautiful to read stories of people who managed to do it.

author Karel Krajča