PAGE TO TABLE - PART ONE
Welcome to the first in a series of articles that will chart the rough history of Games Workshop’s efforts over the years to bring characters from their fiction, to the tabletop.
And I’ll admit that I was inspired to write this by both Adam’s WHAM! Show with Andrew Turnbull - where they have been going issue by issue through Warhammer Monthly - and Jay Kirman’s series over on The Goonhammer covering the evolution of what became Black Library (if with a focus on the 40k-side of things), as both have reminded me of just how different things were, especially in the 90s.
Compared to today where it’s become fairly common to have characters from the Black Library receive miniatures, but also for characters from the tabletop to become the stars of their own books (something that early on GW actively shied away from to avoid locking them into narratives that could be restrictive to players).
I’d also like to offer a shoutout and my thanks to the work done by The Stuff Of Legends, Miniset, and Lost Minis Wiki, for their efforts in cataloguing the miniatures released not just by Games Workshop, but nearly all the manufacturers across this hobby.
Now, let’s set some ground rules shall we? Firstly this series is focused on characters who moved from fiction to miniature form. This means that, with two notable exceptions, the Special Characters introduced in Campaign books, Codexes, Warhammer Armies or Battletomes are going to fall outside the remit of what we will be looking at.
Such named characters as Emperor Karl Franz - who was name-checked in many of the Boxtree-era WFB stories (and appeared in-person during Drachenfels) - won’t be appearing.
Sorry Karl, cameos don’t count here
Secondly we’ll be approaching the topic in two ways, initially looking at each of the broad “eras” of Games Workshop bringing characters from Warhammer Monthly, Inferno and their novels, then going back and giving each character a bit more of a focus, especially where they’ve had multiple incarnations. But to start we’ll be leading with these:
Pre-Black Library: for any minis released before the launch of our favourite grim-dark imprint in 1997.
Limited Editions: 1999-2006
Lead On The Table: 2002-2019
Plastic Fantastic: 2020-present
So please, check back next time as we get started proper.
-Dawfydd