Forge World (company)

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Forge World logo

Forge World (sometimes styled Forgeworld[1b]) is a division of Games Workshop that specialises in the production of highly-detailed resin miniatures and conversion kits, large-scale models, and terrain pieces, as well as supplemental rulebooks and expansions for both Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40,000, as well as Games Workshop's other game systems.

History

The original Forge World logo (ca. 2000)

Forge World was established in October 1998, the brainchild of John Stallard and headed by Paul Robins, the man responsible for the original Thunderhawk Gunship. The new division was first announced in White Dwarf 236, coinciding with the release of the 3rd Edition of Warhammer 40,000.[2]

Forge World would go on to produce a broad range of resin models and terrain for both Warhammer Fantasy Battles and Warhammer 40,000, as well as many of Games Workshop's specialist games, including Necromunda, Battlefleet Gothic and Warmaster. Forge World also produced conversion kits for plastic Citadel models in Games Workshop's main range, a series of large-scale collectors' pieces including busts and full figures, and a small number of etched brass accessories including faction icons and barbed wire for Warhammer 40,000.

Beginning in the mid-2000s, Forge World began to produce ranges of models to represent entire factions that either lacked models or were limited to old and out of production kits. The first of these ventures was the previously unexplored Elysian Drop Troops, released in 2005. Other notable examples include the Death Korps of Krieg and a new resin line of Chaos Dwarfs. Eventually, this culminated in Forge World producing their own game system in 2011, set during the Horus Heresy.

Games Workshop quietly removed the Forge World brand from public view between 2023 and 2024, absorbing its products and online store into the main Games Workshop website, newly rebranded as Warhammer.com.[3] The "Forge World" brand continues to exist through the production of resin miniatures for all of Games Workshop's main games. These are marketed as 'Expert Kits', with the material frequently referred to as 'Forge World Resin'.[4]

Product ranges

Forge World has developed a number of distinct product ranges over the years.

Imperial Armour

Imperial Armour logo

Imperial Armour was launched in 1990 and announced in The Citadel Journal 32, described as a product range of "ultra-cool, ultra-detailed, ultra-specialist add-ons for Warhammer 40,000 tank kits."[1]

Over time, the range expanded to include tanks and vehicles from all of the major Warhammer 40,000 factions. Beginning in 2000[8], a series of rule books were also published under the Imperial Armour name. These provided background information and official rules for fielding Forge World miniatures in games of Warhammer 40,000.

As of November 2023, a small selection of miniatures from the Imperial Armour range were still available for purchase through Games Workshop's online store; however, the Imperial Armour branding was no longer in use.[9]

Warhammer Forge

Warhammer Forge logo

Warhammer Forge was announced in White Dwarf 374 and launched in 2011.[5] The range focused on miniatures and publications for Warhammer Fantasy Battles.[5] Inspired by the success of the Imperial Armour series, Warhammer Forge produced two hardback rules supplements authored by Alan Bligh: Monstrous Arcanum and Tamurkhan: The Throne of Chaos.[6]

The Warhammer Forge branding was removed from Forge Worlds marketing material following the demise of Warhammer Fantasy Battles and the subsequent release of Age of Sigmar in 2015.

The Horus Heresy

The Horus Heresy logo

In 2011, Forge World began producing a range of miniatures and accompanying rules for playing games during the period known as the Horus Heresy, set roughly ten thousand years before Warhammer 40,000. This developed into its own popular game system. Owing to the commercial success of the Horus Heresy, Games Workshop's main studio took over production of the second edition of the game, slowly replacing the resin miniatures produced by Forge World with new plastic equivalents following the new edition's release in 2022.

Busts, Collector's Series and Showcase Series

Showcase Series Abaddon the Despoiler Warmaster of Chaos (275mm tall)

In addition to producing miniatures for tabletop wargaming, Forge World produced a range of larger-scale resin figures designed for display. These figures were marketed under three distinct categories: Character Busts, Collector's Series and Showcase Series.[7] Each range featured highly detailed depictions of characters and creatures from worlds of Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy Battles.

Other games systems

In addition to producing miniatures and books for Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy Battles, Forge World has created resin miniatures for the following Games Workshop games:

Trivia

TriviaScrollTrans.png

The following information is not to be regarded as officially sanctioned and/ or is not written from an in-universe point of view. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here.

Before the founding of Forge World, itself designed to streamline production of his models, Mike Biasi produced Games Workshop licensed models under his own company Mike Biasi Studios. Forge World, and by extension Games Workshop, now owns the license to Mike Biasi Studios' models in full and models produced by the studio can be considered Forge World models.[10]

Biasi would produce other Games Workshop-licensed smaller production size miniatures with Tim Dupertuis, publisher of the Inquisitor fan-zine in their joint venture Armorcast, until their license expired in 1998.[10]

See also

Sources

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