Dice Men: The Origin Story of Games Workshop offers a fascinating look at the rise of one of the most influential companies in tabletop gaming. Written by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson, two of the key figures behind Games Workshop, the book provides an in-depth account of how a small mail-order business evolved into a global giant in miniature wargaming and role-playing games.
The book explores the challenges and triumphs of Livingstone and Jackson as they navigated the early days of the industry, from humble beginnings in the 1970s to the eventual launch of White Dwarf magazine and the distribution of Dungeons & Dragons in the UK. It explores their passion for gaming, the risks they took, and the business decisions that shaped Games Workshop into a powerhouse known for Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000.
Through behind-the-scenes stories, rare photos, and first-hand insights, Dice Men paints a vivid picture of the gaming landscape at the time, highlighting the rise of role-playing games, the expansion of the tabletop scene, and the impact of Games Workshop on geek culture. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in the history of gaming, the evolution of the hobby industry, or the entrepreneurial spirit that drove two friends to change the face of tabletop gaming forever.
A Look at the Origins
The book details the humble beginnings of Games Workshop, tracing back to 1975 when Ian Livingstone, Steve Jackson, and John Peake started selling games from their cramped flat in Shepherd’s Bush. With limited resources but a deep love for gaming, they initially focused on mail-order sales, operating the business from their kitchen table while holding down other jobs. Their early catalogue featured board games, traditional wargames, and emerging hobbyist titles, but their big break came when they discovered Dungeons & Dragons, a revolutionary role-playing game from the United States.
Fascinated by its open-ended gameplay and storytelling potential, they realized that no one in the UK was selling it at the time. Seizing the opportunity, they secured a deal to become the exclusive UK distributors of Dungeons & Dragons, effectively introducing the British gaming scene to the RPG phenomenon. This decision set Games Workshop on a trajectory that would transform the hobby industry.
As demand grew, they expanded beyond mail-order, opening their first physical store in Hammersmith in 1978. Around this time, they also launched White Dwarf, a magazine that initially covered a wide range of role-playing games but gradually became synonymous with Games Workshop’s own products. The publication played a crucial role in building a dedicated community of gamers, offering articles, scenarios, and insights into the growing RPG and wargaming market.
Beyond distributing games, Livingstone and Jackson saw the potential in producing their own miniatures, leading to the creation of Citadel Miniatures. This allowed them to develop unique game worlds and lay the groundwork for Warhammer, a franchise that would eventually dominate tabletop gaming. The book explores these formative years in detail, showcasing the creativity, financial struggles, and pivotal decisions that shaped Games Workshop into a company that would go on to redefine the wargaming industry.
The Business Struggles and Triumphs
What stands out is the sheer determination and resourcefulness of the founders, who built Games Workshop from the ground up with little more than their passion for gaming and a willingness to take risks. The book vividly recounts how Ian Livingstone, Steve Jackson, and John Peake operated on a shoestring budget, often working out of their tiny flat and borrowing typewriters to produce the first issues of White Dwarf. Every decision was a gamble, from choosing which games to stock to navigating the logistics of importing titles from the U.S.
One of the most pivotal moments covered in the book is their negotiation with TSR to secure the UK distribution rights for Dungeons & Dragons. This deal not only introduced British audiences to the revolutionary RPG but also gave Games Workshop a foothold in the growing hobby market. Their ability to recognize the potential of role-playing games and capitalize on it was instrumental in their success.
The book also covers lesser-known moments that shaped the company’s identity, including their early forays into board game design and miniature production. Before Warhammer became their defining brand, they experimented with a variety of games, testing the waters of what would resonate with players. Another key decision was the launch of their first retail store in Hammersmith in 1978, a move that signalled their shift from mail-order to a more prominent presence in the gaming community.
These stories illustrate the relentless hustle required to keep Games Workshop afloat in its early years, from scraping together funds for printing costs to navigating the challenges of distribution and manufacturing. Dice Men captures this energy, offering a fascinating look at the struggles and triumphs that laid the foundation for one of the most dominant companies in tabletop gaming.
Nostalgia and Industry Insight
For fans of Warhammer, Dice Men offers a fascinating glimpse into the era before Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000 became the pillars of Games Workshop. It paints a picture of a time when the company was still defining its identity, experimenting with different products, and navigating an industry that was in its infancy. The book is packed with anecdotes from the early days, stories of attending conventions with handmade displays, the excitement of introducing new games to a growing audience, and the logistical headaches of importing and distributing niche products.
One of the book’s most compelling aspects is its insight into the game design process before Warhammer existed. Readers get a behind-the-scenes look at how Livingstone and Jackson evaluated different types of games, how they identified what would appeal to their customers, and how their experiences with role-playing games and board games eventually led them toward miniatures wargaming. There’s a sense of discovery throughout, as they move from selling other companies’ games to publishing White Dwarf, creating their own miniatures, and ultimately laying the groundwork for Warhammer.
Beyond the business side, the book carries a strong sense of nostalgia. Livingstone and Jackson reminisce about their formative years, the friendships that shaped the company, and the moments that could have sent everything in a different direction. They discuss the risks they took such as quitting their jobs to focus on Games Workshop full-time and the camaraderie they built within the early tabletop gaming community.
For anyone interested in Warhammer, RPGs, or the history of tabletop gaming, Dice Men provides an engaging look at the origins of a company that would go on to change the hobby forever. It’s about the passion, creativity, and resilience that drove its founders to turn a niche pastime into the global phenomenon that is Games Workshop.
A Must-Read for Tabletop Enthusiasts
While Dice Men is mostly a celebration of Games Workshop’s early days, it’s also a compelling story of entrepreneurial grit. It doesn’t just chronicle the rise of a company; it showcases the relentless drive, adaptability, and risk-taking required to turn a niche hobby into a global business. Livingstone and Jackson weren’t seasoned business professionals, they were gamers with a vision, willing to take financial and personal risks to build something they truly believed in.
The book captures the uncertainty of those early years, from struggling to make ends meet to the challenges of securing stock, dealing with suppliers, and expanding beyond their small mail-order operation. It highlights the trial-and-error nature of entrepreneurship, how they pivoted from selling other publishers’ games to producing their own, how they learned from setbacks, and how they steadily grew their brand into something much bigger than they had initially imagined.
What makes Dice Men so engaging is that it appeals to a wide audience. If you’re a long-time Warhammer fan, you’ll appreciate the deep dive into the pre-Warhammer era and how the company laid the groundwork for its future success. If you’re a tabletop gaming enthusiast, you’ll enjoy the behind-the-scenes look at a pivotal moment in gaming history. And if you’re simply interested in business success stories, the book offers valuable insights into how passion, persistence, and a willingness to take risks can turn a small idea into a worldwide phenomenon.
Dice Men is a reminder that even the biggest names in gaming started with nothing more than a dream, a few dice, and a lot of determination.
A Nostalgic Celebration, but Not Without Its Flaws
While Dice Men offers a nostalgic and informative look at the origins of Games Workshop, it isn’t without its flaws. The book is, first and foremost, a celebration of the company’s history, and as such, it often glosses over the more controversial aspects of its growth. It does an excellent job of capturing the energy and excitement of the early days, highlighting the entrepreneurial drive of Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson. However, for readers looking for a more balanced or critical perspective, the book might feel a little too sanitized.
The biggest strength of Dice Men is its ability to immerse the reader in the era. It effectively conveys the passion and resourcefulness of its founders, from their early struggles selling games from a cramped London flat to the eventual establishment of a company that would dominate the tabletop gaming industry. Their enthusiasm for the hobby shines through, and for fans of Warhammer or role-playing games, there’s a real thrill in reading about the moment they first encountered Dungeons & Dragons and realized its potential.
The inclusion of behind-the-scenes anecdotes and archival materials, such as photos and old advertisements, adds a lot to the book’s charm. These details help illustrate just how much of a shoestring operation Games Workshop was in its earliest days. There’s something undeniably appealing about reading how they manually typed and printed their first magazines or scrambled to import games from the U.S. before any real distribution network existed. It’s a reminder that many of the biggest names in gaming today started with little more than a passion for the hobby and a willingness to take risks.
However, where the book falls short is in its depth of analysis. While it provides a thorough account of how Games Workshop was built, it does so largely from the perspective of its founders, who naturally have their own version of events. This leads to a somewhat one-sided narrative, where the struggles and triumphs are framed primarily through the lens of their perseverance and innovation. The book doesn’t spend much time examining missteps, controversies, or the wider consequences of some of their business decisions.
For example, Games Workshop’s later approach to intellectual property protection, pricing strategies, and community engagement has been divisive, to say the least. Long-time fans will be aware of the company’s history of aggressively protecting its IP, often at the expense of fan projects and community initiatives. While it makes sense that Dice Men focuses on the company’s formative years rather than its more modern era, a bit more self-reflection on how the company evolved from an ambitious start-up to a corporate powerhouse would have provided a more complete picture.
The writing itself is engaging, if a bit self-congratulatory. Livingstone and Jackson clearly take pride in their achievements, and while their enthusiasm is infectious, it can sometimes feel as though they’re glossing over more difficult moments. There’s very little in the way of criticism or discussion of the challenges they may have faced beyond the typical struggles of starting a business. A more nuanced approach, perhaps with perspectives from former employees, competitors, or other figures from the industry, could have added more layers to the story.
Additionally, while the book does a great job of setting the scene for the tabletop gaming industry in the 1970s and 80s, it doesn’t always delve into the broader context. Games Workshop didn’t exist in a vacuum, other companies and creators were also shaping the hobby, and it would have been interesting to see more discussion of how these influences played into the company’s growth. Similarly, the transition from Games Workshop being a distributor of other companies’ games to becoming the home of Warhammer is covered but not explored in as much depth as some readers might like.
One of the book’s more glaring omissions is a deeper discussion of John Peake, the third co-founder, who left early in Games Workshop’s history. While his departure is mentioned, the book doesn’t really dig into the details of why he left or what role he played in the company’s early days beyond being a third partner. Given that Games Workshop’s story is often framed around Livingstone and Jackson, it would have been beneficial to get a fuller picture of how Peake contributed to the company’s founding and why he ultimately moved on.
For all its shortcomings, Dice Men remains an enjoyable read for fans of Games Workshop, tabletop gaming history, or entrepreneurial success stories. It provides a valuable look at an era before Warhammer dominated the company’s identity, and it’s full of interesting details about the early days of role-playing games in the UK. It’s just a shame that the book feels so intent on maintaining a celebratory tone that it avoids digging too deeply into some of the more complex aspects of Games Workshop’s history.
Ultimately, Dice Men is best read as an affectionate memoir rather than a critical history. If you’re looking for an in-depth analysis of Games Workshop’s business practices or a broader discussion of the tabletop industry, you may find it lacking. But if you’re interested in an engaging, nostalgic trip through the early days of gaming, told by the people who built one of its most successful companies, then it’s a worthwhile read.
