Ian Livingstone 
Dice Men 
The Origin Story of Games Workshop

It never seems like the right time to start a business. The idea to start our own company first cropped up during one of our many ‘beer and a board game’ sessions after work at our flat. And when Steve began writing reviews of board games for Games & Puzzles magazine, we all got even more interested in the idea. So, one day, we did. It was January 1975.

Since then, Games Workshop has grown into a cornerstone of the UK gaming industry. From the launch of Dungeons and Dragons from the back of a van, to creating the Fighting Fantasy series, co-founders Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson tell their remarkable story for the first time.

An initial order of only six copies was enough for Games Workshop to secure exclusive rights to sell Dungeons and Dragons in the whole of Europe. Hobbyists themselves, Steve and Ian’s passion for the game soon spread and in 1977 they opened the first Games Workshop store. They went on to become bestselling authors and created an entirely new genre of interactive stories.

Dice Men is more than just the story of an iconic shop which has changed gaming for ever, it’s an insight into the birth of an industry. Games Workshop has grown from its humble beginnings to become a global company listed on the London Stock Exchange, a FTSE 250 company with a market capitalisation of more than £3.5 billion.
Dice Men is the story of the rollercoaster early years.

Tentang Penulis

Sir Ian Livingstone CBE co-founded Games Workshop in 1975 with Steve Jackson, launching Dungeons and Dragons in Europe and later Warhammer, White Dwarf and Citadel Miniatures. In 1982 he co-wrote The Warlock of Firetop Mountain with Steve Jackson, the first title in the Fighting Fantasy gamebook series which went on to sell 20 million copies worldwide. He wrote fifteen titles in the series including the bestselling Deathtrap Dungeon. He is the former Executive Chairman of video games publisher Eidos where he launched blockbuster titles Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Hitman. He is currently Non-Executive Chairman of Sumo Group plc and a co-founding partner of Hiro Capital.

Twitter: @ian_livingstone
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