Sir Ian Livingston and Steve Jackson just released the book Dice Men, about early Games Workshop and going from the back of a van to the London Stock Exchange…
A lot of us have always wondered about the early days of Games Workshop, and how a company goes from the back of a van to the London Stock Exchange. What was it all like, and how did the company come about?
Well, we don’t have to wonder much longer, as the book is now available to order in the US!
Dice Men: The Origin Story of Games Workshop:
This book is all about the beginning of Games Workshop and is actually written by Sir Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson, so you know it’s going to go deep into the true orgins of the company! It will be a fun read for anyone who loves any of the Warhammer games or lore!
Dice Men has a lot of fantastic images and posters from the early days, the first Games Day, and why they actually started up Warhammer! If you want to know more about how the game started, you might as well get it from the source!
Since this is their book, we’ll let them tell you a little more about it.
From the founders of Warhammer—the full color, highly illustrated story of legendary gaming store Games Workshop
From the back of a van to the London Stock Exchange…
Since 1975, Games Workshop has been the cornerstone of the UK, with a gaming store in nearly every town and city. They are best known for creating Warhammer but their story, and their origins, are full of nerd-tastic lore and legendary moments. From launching Dungeons and Dragons in the back of their van (and then securing rights to sell it through the whole of Europe) to creating the Fighting Fantasy series, co-founders Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson tell their remarkable story for the first time in Dice Men. Dice Men is not just the story of an iconic store, but tells of the birth of an industry, one that has changed gaming forever—in full color, and highly illustrated with early memorabilia that will thrill fans.
Click Here to Get Yours!
That does it for this one. Now get yourself a new book!
Dice Men Book Exposes the Beginning of Games Workshop
The book will be published on November 10th, 2022, but unfortunately, the pledges are all sold out on unbound. However, Sir Ian has let everyone know where copies will be available from other publishers below.
We’ve all heard about the early days a little bit here and there, and a lot of people know the small bits about how they started in a van, and now Games Workshop is what it is today! However, having a 288-page book will tell many cool stories and unknown facts.
Plus, you can (or could have) get a signed book, some really cool extras, and way more. Unfortunately, at the time of writing this, the tiers are sold out, which means you’ll have to fork out a little more cash on the secondary market to get the signed copies.
At last, it’s a thing! DICE MEN has arrived from the printers and I’m delighted with it. Steve Jackson and I signed 1,600 copies today. Phew! It will be published on 10th November and there is still time to pledge here: https://t.co/5pjtDCIDUx pic.twitter.com/20bsCrCUlf
— Ian Livingstone (@ian_livingstone) October 19, 2022
There are also some cool extras, and we expect to see some of them floating around.
Dice Men: Games Workshop 1975 to 1985:
Let’s hear a little more about what to expect about what we can read in the book:
Ian Livingstone, Steve Jackson and John Peake were the three games geeks who founded Games Workshop in their flat in Shepherd’s Bush. Not being a fan of D&D, John left the company, and Ian and Steve turned Workshop into a fantasy games specialist.
And that’s what this book is about. A history of Games Workshop, not just the business narrative but the story of its founders and their journey, along with all the people they picked up along the way.
How did Ian and Steve do it? How did they get to that first Workshop store? What’s the story behind Dungeons & Dragons coming to the UK, and starting a whole new hobby? How did Games Workshop grow after that? It’s now so big that it spans the globe. And along the way they invented an entirely new book publishing genre, too!
As we said, unfortunately, the tiers are sold out, but this is still super cool to see!
Availability Update:
After selling out, Sir Ian tweeted all the places you can still pre-order copies of the new book below:
Unbounders are temporarily out of stock of DICE MEN but you can order it from
Were you able to pick a copy of Dice Men up? Will you try to grab one later?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
