Games Workshop is a game production company that was founded in 1975. Their headquarters is located in Nottingham, England. They own a chain of over 340 hobby centers and also sell their products through more than 3,700 separate retailers in the world.http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?aId=9600007

Their main table-top wargame franchises are Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, and The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle game. They also support a number of other 'specialist' games such as Warmaster, Mordheim, and Necromunda.http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?aId=9600007 They have several publishing agreements with various American and British role-playing and science-fiction properties, including a license for miniatures based on The Lord of the Rings films from New Line Cinema.http://www.worldlingo.com/ma/enwiki/en/Games_Workshop#Licensing

Games Workshop was founded in 1975 by Steve Jackson, Ian Livingstone, and John Peake.http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/Feature/233422,a-brief-history-of-warhammer.aspx While John left the company after a single year, Steve and Ian proceeded to expand the company.

Games Workshop's initial business was a licensing deal for the distribution of Dungeons & Dragons in their country. The success they gained from this deal allowed them to begin publishing the White Dwarf magazine in 1977 and open their first store in 1978.http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/Feature/233422,a-brief-history-of-warhammer.aspx They did not begin developing and distributing table-top games of their own until the 1980s.

The first edition of Warhammer was released in 1983.http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/Feature/233422,a-brief-history-of-warhammer.aspx The game's sci-fi spin-off Warhammer 40,000 started several years later in 1987.^http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/11106/warhammer-40000-rogue-trader In 2001 Games Workshop was given the rights to produce a table-top wargame based on assets from The Lord of the Rings films by New Line Cinema.http://www.worldlingo.com/ma/enwiki/en/Games_Workshop#Licensing

Games Workshop divides its supported games into 'core' and 'specialist' categories.http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?aId=9600007 The 'core' category is comprised of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000. The 'specialist' category contains rarer games such as Necromunda, Battlefleet Gothic, Blood Bowl, and Mordheim. The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game is not directly listed in either group, though Games Workshop recommends it alongside the 'core' games.http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?aId=9600007

Ever since the first edition of Warhammer was released in 1983, the game has been re-released several times and is now currently in its eighth edition. Warhammer 40,000 is now in its fifth edition.

The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game was initially based on The Lord of the Rings films being released at the time. As the films were released, Games Workshop released additional booklets to coincide with these releases. After The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was released, Games Workshop continued to release additional supplements for the game not directly based on the films.http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/armySubUnitCats.jsp?catId=cat450005a&rootCatGameStyle=lotr

• • Beasts of Chaos
• • Bretonnia
• • Daemons of Chaos
• • Dark Elves
• • Dwarfs
• • High Elves
• • Lizardmen
• • Ogre Kingdoms
• • Orcs & Goblins
• • Skaven
• • The Empire
• • Tomb Kings
• • Vampire Counts
• • Warriors of Chaos
• • Wood Elves

• • Blood Angels
• • Chaos Daemons
• • Chaos Space Marines
• • Daemonhunters
• • Dark Eldar
• • Eldar
• • Imperial Guard
• • Necrons
• • Orks
• • Space Marines
• • Space Wolves
• • Tau Empire
• • Tyranids
• • Witch Hunters