How Warlord Games Became One of Britain’s Biggest Wargaming Companies

For many tabletop gamers, Warlord Games is now one of the most recognisable names in historical wargaming.

From Roman legionaries and World War Two infantry to strange alternate history walkers and black powder battlefields, the Nottingham-based company has helped bring historical miniatures gaming to thousands of players across the world.

At BATG, Warlord Games has a clear presence on the tables. Bolt Action, Chain of Command adjacent historical gaming, and the renewed interest in Konflikt ’47 all show how strong the appetite remains for games rooted in history, tactics, and character.

But Warlord Games did not appear overnight.

Its rise is a story of experience, timing, creativity, and a belief that historical wargaming could reach a much wider audience.

From Games Workshop to Historical Wargaming

Warlord Games was founded in 2007 by John Stallard and Paul Sawyer, both of whom had previously worked at Games Workshop.

That background matters.

Games Workshop had already shown how miniature wargaming could become more than a niche hobby. It could be colourful, accessible, organised, and supported by strong model ranges. Warlord Games took some of that understanding and applied it to historical periods.

The early idea was simple but ambitious, to produce high quality plastic historical miniatures in 28mm scale.

Their first major focus was ancient Romans. From there, the company began expanding rapidly into different periods and rule systems, building a catalogue that now covers everything from ancient warfare to World War Two and beyond.

Making Historical Gaming More Accessible

For a long time, historical wargaming had a reputation for being difficult to enter.

New players often faced large rulebooks, unfamiliar periods, specialist figure ranges, and a sense that they needed significant knowledge before they could begin.

Warlord Games helped change that perception.

By producing boxed sets, accessible rulebooks, plastic miniatures, and clear army ranges, they made historical gaming easier to approach. Players could choose a period, buy a starter set, build forces, and get games onto the table without feeling lost before they began.

That approach is one of the reasons games like Bolt Action became so popular.

Bolt Action and the World War Two Boom

Bolt Action is arguably Warlord Games’ most important title.

Published with Osprey Games, it brought World War Two tabletop battles to a broad audience through a ruleset that was tactical, characterful, and relatively easy to learn.

The order dice system gave the game a dynamic feel. Instead of each player moving their whole army in sequence, units activate in an unpredictable order. This creates tension, decision making, and a strong sense of battlefield chaos.

For club play, that matters.

Bolt Action is easy enough to introduce to new players but deep enough to reward regular play. It also benefits from a familiar setting. Many players already have an interest in World War Two, which gives the game an immediate hook.

With the arrival of Bolt Action Third Edition, Warlord Games has shown that it intends to keep refining and supporting the system for years to come.

More Than One Game

Although Bolt Action is the company’s flagship, Warlord Games has never been a one game publisher.

Its range includes Black Powder, Hail Caesar, Pike and Shotte, Victory at Sea, Blood Red Skies, Epic Battles, and many more. Each game serves a different part of the historical gaming community.

That breadth is important.

Some players enjoy large formation battles from the age of muskets and cannon. Others prefer ancient armies, naval warfare, aerial combat, or smaller skirmish games. Warlord’s catalogue gives hobbyists many ways into history.

It also helps clubs like BATG offer variety.

A member might start with Bolt Action, then become curious about Black Powder or Epic Battles. Another might come in through painting historical miniatures before discovering the games behind them. The range gives players room to explore.

Konflikt ’47 and the Weird War Appeal

One of Warlord Games’ most interesting recent developments has been the renewed focus on Konflikt ’47.

Konflikt ’47 takes the familiar foundation of World War Two gaming and pushes it into alternate history. Walkers, experimental weapons, strange science, and horror elements transform the battlefield into something recognisable but unsettlingly different.

For Bolt Action players, the appeal is obvious.

There is a familiar core of infantry tactics, vehicles, orders, and battlefield positioning, but with enough strange technology and weird war flavour to make it feel like its own game.

At BATG, that sort of game has real potential. It appeals to historical gamers, science fiction fans, painters, modellers, and players who enjoy a strong narrative hook.

It also shows Warlord Games doing something clever. Rather than choosing between historical accuracy and imagination, Konflikt ’47 creates space for both.

A Company Still Growing

Warlord Games has continued to expand its presence within the hobby.

Recent developments have included ongoing support for Bolt Action Third Edition, new army books, renewed Konflikt ’47 releases, and the announcement of a standalone retail and hobby space.

That matters because it shows long term confidence.

A company opening a dedicated hobby space is not simply selling products. It is investing in community, demonstrations, events, and the social side of tabletop gaming.

That idea should feel familiar to any club gamer.

Miniatures games thrive when people have somewhere to play them, somewhere to learn them, and somewhere to meet others who share the same enthusiasm.

Why Warlord Games Matters to Clubs Like BATG

The strength of Warlord Games is not just in its miniatures or rules.

It is in how well its games work in a club environment.

Bolt Action can be taught in an evening. Konflikt ’47 can grab attention with its dramatic models. Black Powder and Epic Battles can create huge spectacles. Historical gaming can spark conversations about real events, tactics, uniforms, and modelling choices.

These games give members reasons to talk, teach, plan, paint, and play.

That is exactly what a good gaming club needs.

At BATG, we see the value of games that bring people together around a shared table. Whether someone is a long time historical gamer or completely new to the period, Warlord’s systems offer clear entry points into the hobby.

The Wider Hobby Picture

The rise of Warlord Games also tells us something bigger about tabletop gaming in Britain.

The hobby is no longer defined by one company, one setting, or one style of play. Players now have more choice than ever before. Fantasy, science fiction, historical, skirmish, mass battle, board games, roleplaying games, and hybrid systems all sit comfortably alongside each other.

Warlord Games has played a major role in that broader landscape.

It helped prove that historical wargaming could be accessible, commercially successful, and visually exciting without losing its character.

That is no small achievement.

A Lasting Place in British Wargaming

Nearly two decades after its founding, Warlord Games has become one of the most important names in British tabletop wargaming.

Its success has come from understanding both sides of the hobby. The love of history, and the need for games that people can actually get onto the table.

For clubs like BATG, that combination is invaluable.

Good rules matter. Good miniatures matter. But what matters most is whether a game creates memorable evenings, shared stories, and reasons for people to come back.

Warlord Games has done that again and again.

That is why its games continue to appear on club tables, and why they are likely to remain part of the British wargaming scene for many years to come.