Many people associate the name” Warhammer” with a variety of feelings and ideas. From fans of the many well-known movie game adaptations to the broad lore of Black Library, to fans of the classic table franchise. Warhammer is large, but how did a small business from Nottingham, England become one of the most recognized brands in nerd society?

It all started in 1983 with Warhammer Fantasy Battle. Set in a medieval-style earth, partially inspired by what Tolkien had created with Lord of the Rings, and a bit of DnD. Which in itself owed a lot to Tolkien’s job. It had it all: Orcs, Elves, Dwarfs, Humans, Lizard individuals, Trolls, and everything in between. In the early 2000s, a friend and I would travel a few towns over to the Games Workshop store ( now all called Warhammer stores ), where we would just walk around and watch the models. Weirdly, I have very few memories of ever actually buying any models, I certainly do n’t have any of them any more, sadly. But my introduction was much afterwards, in truth it was in the 40k time that I was first introduced.

A few years later, Games Workshop went futuristic with Warhammer 40, 000 ( 40K), and the rest was truly history. Imagine a humorous, dark humor from a bunch of people in Britain, with the” Are we the systems” meme, expect all is. Then fill that World with towering Space Marines, mystical Eldar ( Aeldari), Orks, Samuri-inspired robot fish people? If you’ve previously encountered the name” Grimdark”, then you know what Warhammer 40k is all about. The iconic line from the television show” In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war” perhaps captures it best.

Since replacing the previous Fantasy activity, Warhammer Age of Sigmar has then taken the story setting to new levels. Though, you can also play Fantasy in the fresh Old World environment.

Today, Warhammer has grown way beyond the tabletop—there are novels ( Black Library ), video games, and even animated series. Physically, the charm comes from being portion of a World that grows all the time. While I do n’t play Warhammer much, I do play the video games, paint the minis, and read novels. One of the most recognizable businesses in the World of Geeks is that the Worlds of Warhammer are constantly expanding.

The Origins of Warhammer: From Table Portraits to a Cultural Phenomenon

Then that Warhammer is a World-wide trend, it’s hard to imagine the roots of the company. The first store opened in 1978, in Hammersmith, London. While the company then is closely associated with the city of Nottingham, it started in London. In the image below, Citadel metal miniatures were first produced for smaller role-playing games like DnD. GW and DnD had a near collaboration, in fact, never long after the two firms about merged. Before Steve Jackson and Sir Ian Livingstone’s departure, TSR, INC, the company that owned DnD at the time, planned to combine with Games Workshop.

One of the first big goes Games Workshop did was to secure the UK producing freedom for the RPG game Call of Cthulhu, Runequest, Traveller and Middle-earth Role-Playing. The business had now done it for a number of years before the incident. This action reduced UK residents ‘ expensive transfer fees, making GW a major player in the country.

Later, in 1983, Games Workshop released Warhammer Fantasy Battles. The company’s extremely unique small game. Young people who wanted to learn more about the story, the characters, and aggressive game rapidly gained a following. See, while DnD left a lot up to the person, Warhammer was much more focused. You had distinct groups, principles, and ways to engage. It may occasionally feature hundreds of miniatures spread across a large table, creating a sight for anyone present. This is a significant factor in the company’s first success with actual Warhammer locations, and it continues to do so today.

But, in 1987, all changed when Warhammer 40k replaced the fantasy environment in which it was originally set. Although the company experienced anomalies since, the agency’s Lord of the Rings film giving may be the reason it is still around today. Beyond the milestone in Warhammer’s record, which is hard to ignore, is the 40k mark. It’s wonderful to see such a niche game still popular today and enjoyed by new people as the 40th anniversary of the game draws near.

Warhammer Goes Digital: The Advancement of Warhammer Video Games

Many Medieval movie games have been released. Going back to the 1980s on the ZX Spectrum, but it’s the previous generation where Warhammer, and particularly 40k has started to find its feet. There have been a number of activities that stand out, but Dawn of War was the one that really caught my attention. The Warhammer miniatures had for the first moment felt appropriate when it was adapted for video game use. Sun of War incorporated a Warhammer spin to the Real-Time Strategy play from names like Red Alert or C&amp, C. The game had brood two sequels, though the 3rd would be the last in the line.

The best work is when Warhammer sticks to the table, which is where it has tried its hand at about every video game genre. Space Marine, and presently Space Marine 2, are frequently cited as “one of the game that “got” Warhammer 40k. Ironically, Space Marine is heavily influenced by the Gears of War video game, with the titular Space Marines usually portrayed as the base for the characters. For Fantasy people, the Total War: Warhammer line was the game-changer, unfortunately the game was released correctly when Fantasy Battles entered their “end days” function, ending the game and replacing it with Age of Sigmar. Since then, the line has had two more sequel, and despite some anomalies remains as popular as ever. Though however based on the Fantasy sport setting, and no Age of Sigmar.

Warhammer Going Forth

Warhammer is n’t showing any signs of slowing down, while the hobby had a huge peak during COVID-19, it has continued to do well. 2024 saw a new version of Age of Sigmar, Kill Team, and Underworlds. With Horus Heresy and perhaps Warcry, the Lord of the Rings Fantasy Battle, and possibly Warcry, things will go a much slower in 2019.

2026 will be the great time for Games Workshop, with a new model of Warhammer 40k likely to be dropping.