Wargames Illustrated

What Wargames Illustrated does

Wargames Illustrated Limited is a privately held UK publishing company founded in 1987 and headquartered at Eldon Business Park, Attenborough, Nottingham. It produces the world's best-selling miniature wargaming magazine (branded Wi), released approximately monthly and delivered six times per year to print subscribers, covering historical, sci-fi, and fantasy wargaming through battle reports, painting guides, product reviews, hobby articles, and scenario content. The catalogue spans nearly 450 back issues and over 4,000 articles, retained in a digital archive called The Vault.

The company operates three product layers: a flagship magazine (single issues at £5.99 and a WiPrint quarterly subscription from £25 that bundles digital access); a WiPrime digital membership (monthly £5.99 or annual £65) providing archive access, early release windows, downloadable STL files, and partner discounts worth over £30 per month from manufacturers including Warlord Games, Perry Miniatures, Sarissa Precision, Wargames Atlantic, and Helion; and a self-published tabletop games portfolio using proprietary rules engines, notably the Ruckus system underpinning Assassins and Templars, Never Mind the Billhooks, and Here's the Ruckus, plus Valour & Fortitude (co-developed with Jervis Johnson and Perry Miniatures), Thalassa, Blam! Blam! Aargh!, and Death in the Dark Continent Lite. Supporting accessories include laminated card decks and rulebook bundles.

Monetisation is multi-stream: print and digital subscriptions, single-issue and product e-commerce via a self-serve webstore, wholesale and retail distribution through UK supermarkets (150 Tesco, 100 Sainsbury's, 100 ASDA, 50 Morrisons), UK newsagents (TGJones, WHSmith Travel), US retail (Barnes & Noble), and international partners (North Star Military Figures globally, Ironheart Artisans in the US, Khaki & Green Books in AUS/NZ), supplemented by advertising from hobby manufacturers. Content is produced by a small in-house team in Attenborough plus a global contributor base, and the community is activated through annual Readers' Awards (3,725 verified voters in 2025), event sponsorships (Historicon, Hammerhead), and active social channels on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. The company operates with 1-10 employees, has no disclosed external funding, and shows no parent, subsidiary, or M&A activity.

Name

Wargames Illustrated

Legal name

Wargames Illustrated Limited

Website

https://wargamesillustrated.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wargames Illustrated Limited, founded in 1987 in Nottingham, publishes the world's best-selling miniature wargaming magazine and operates a subscription-based digital membership, proprietary tabletop rules systems, and a self-serve webstore serving hobbyists in the UK, US, Europe, and Australasia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tabletop Wargaming Publishing

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming) (CRALAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Miniature Gaming Accessories (Dice, Mats, Tokens, Measuring Tools) (CRALAKAL), Miniatures Games & Tabletop Skirmish Games Retail (CRALALAH), Tabletop RPG Miniatures & Terrain (CRALAKAD)

Keywords

• Tabletop wargaming
• Miniature wargaming
• Hobby magazine
• Wargame rules
• Skirmish games

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Print Magazine Sales: Physical magazine sales through subscriptions (quarterly/yearly) and single issue purchases. UK/EU subscriptions delivered directly; US/AUS/NZ through distribution partners. Includes freebie model frames and printed supplements with issues (6x yearly).
2. WiPrime Digital Membership: Digital-only membership providing access to The Vault (450+ back issues), early access to new issues (10 days before stores), exclusive posts, discounts from partner manufacturers, and downloadable STL files. Available monthly (£5.99) or yearly (£65).
3. Game Rules and Publications: Sale of proprietary wargame rules systems including Never Mind the Billhooks Deluxe, Assassins and Templars, Valour & Fortitude, Thalassa, and related card decks and accessories.
4. STL Files: Digital downloadable 3D printable files for miniatures and gaming accessories.
5. Advertising: Magazine accepts advertisements from wargaming companies and hobby product manufacturers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wargames Illustrated publishes a monthly tabletop wargaming magazine featuring scenarios, painted armies, historical articles, reviews, and battle reports for the miniature wargaming hobby. The company sells proprietary wargame rules systems, scenario books, miniatures accessories (such as bunker sets, bases, tins, and stickers), and offers a digital membership programme (WiPrime) providing access to a full digital archive of past issues, audio articles, and mobile-optimised content.

Product overview

Wargames Illustrated operates as a multi-product publishing company centered around its flagship monthly magazine (published since 1987), available via print subscription (WiPrint) or digital access (WiPrime). The product portfolio spans physical magazines with freebie model frames, premium online membership services providing access to over 450 back issues, tabletop wargames (both self-published rulesets like Never Mind the Billhooks, Assassins and Templars, Valour & Fortitude, Thalassa, Blam! Blam! Aargh!, and licensed/partner games), card deck accessories, downloadable STL 3D print files, and rules booklets. The WiPrime membership serves as a digital platform layer enabling content access, discounts, and exclusive materials, while physical products are fulfilled through distribution partners. The company also publishes its own game systems using proprietary rules engines, notably the Ruckus system adapted across multiple historical settings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WiPrime: Premium online member's service offering digital access to magazines, back issues, discounts, and exclusive content.
• WiPrint
• The Vault

Products and services

• Wargames Illustrated Monthly Magazine (Print) A monthly print magazine delivering wargaming scenarios, battle reports, painting articles, historical features, rules, and product reviews for tabletop miniature wargamers.
• Wargames Illustrated PDF Edition

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 450 issues published since 1987
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• North Star Military FigurescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary distribution partner for physical products (Giants in Miniatures, games, physical magazines) to customers outside the United Kingdom. All Wi physical products available through North Star's website. Manages international shipping and distribution logistics.
• Ironheart ArtisanscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS distribution partner for WiPrint print subscriptions. Handles all US subscription orders directly with terms and conditions differing from Wargames Illustrated Ltd.
• Khaki & Green BookscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralia and New Zealand distribution partner for WiPrint print subscriptions. Manages subscription orders for AUS/NZ region with separate terms and conditions.
• Warlord GamesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWiPrime monthly discount partner - provides £5 monthly discount codes to WiPrime members. Also featured in magazine coverage and product reviews.
• Sarissa PrecisionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWiPrime monthly discount partner - provides discount codes to WiPrime members.
• Wargames AtlanticminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWiPrime monthly discount partner - provides discount codes to WiPrime members.
• HelionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWiPrime monthly discount partner - provides discount codes to WiPrime members.
• Perry MiniaturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for Valour & Fortitude Napoleonic rules (co-designed with Jervis Johnson and the Perrys). Perry Miniatures hosts free printer-friendly PDF of V&F rules on their website. WiPrime offers exclusive Perry Miniatures box set discounts.
• Yale University PressminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublisher of Assassins and Templars: A Battle in Myth and Blood by Dr Steve Tibble. This book inspired Wargames Illustrated's Assassins and Templars: A Ruckus Game release.
• Room 17 GamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of Thalassa - ancient naval battle game published/published by Wargames Illustrated.
• Andy CallanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal designer of Never Mind the Billhooks rules system, which inspired Ruckus and subsequent Wi game systems.
• Mike PetersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthor of Ruckus game system (Wars of the Roses skirmish rules) and Assassins and Templars: A Ruckus Game.
• Dr Steve TibbleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthor of Assassins and Templars: A Battle in Myth and Blood (Yale University Press). Collaborated with Wargames Illustrated to create the A&T tabletop game.
• Jervis JohnsonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-designer of Valour & Fortitude Napoleonic wargame rules alongside the Perry brothers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Modiphius Entertainment: Modiphius is a tabletop game publisher producing miniatures games, RPGs, and accessories (Star Trek Adventures, A Song of Ice and Fire, Conan). It competes with Wi for hobbyist attention and retailer shelf space in the tabletop gaming space.
• North Star Military Figures: North Star Military Figures is Wi's primary international distribution partner and a major UK-based miniature and hobby product retailer. While a partner, it operates a directly comparable wargaming e-commerce business with overlapping SKU categories.
• Osprey Games (Osprey Publishing): Osprey Games publishes tabletop wargaming rulebooks, miniatures games, and historical gaming content. It overlaps directly with Wi's proprietary rules product line (Valour & Fortitude-class offerings) and competes for wargamer purchase.
• The Army Painter: The Army Painter is a hobby supplies manufacturer (paints, brushes, miniature accessories) widely covered in Wi magazine and a frequent partner for product reviews and discounts. It serves the same wargaming hobbyist customer base with directly overlapping purchase occasions.
• Miniature Wargames Magazine: Miniature Wargames is a direct competitor magazine covering tabletop miniature wargaming, published by Warners Group Publications. It targets the same wargaming hobbyist audience with similar content categories.
• Games Workshop / White Dwarf: Games Workshop is the dominant miniatures wargaming company globally, publishing White Dwarf magazine since 1977. It is the closest direct peer: similar content (battle reports, painting guides, rules previews), similar hobbyist audience, similar physical + digital distribution model, though at vastly larger scale.
• Warlord Games: Warlord Games is a major miniature wargaming publisher (Bolt Action, Pike & Shotte, Black Powder). It is both a WiPrime monthly discount partner and a frequent magazine subject, making it a directly comparable games-and-miniatures business in the same niche.
• Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy: Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy is another long-running wargaming hobby magazine covering historical miniature gaming. It serves the same niche audience with overlapping content and is a direct competitor for reader attention and subscription dollars.
• Tabletop Gaming Magazine: Tabletop Gaming is a UK hobby magazine covering board games, tabletop RPGs, and miniature wargaming. It overlaps with Wi's audience but covers a broader hobby portfolio, making it a direct peer for hobbyist subscription spending.
• Perry Miniatures: Perry Miniatures is a leading UK historical miniature manufacturer and a co-development partner on Valour & Fortitude. It targets the same historical wargaming hobbyist with miniatures, rules, and accessories directly comparable to Wi's product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WargamesIll
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WargamesIllustrated
• Facebookfacebook.com/WargamesIllustrated
• Instagraminstagram.com/wargamesillustrated
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wargames-illustrated

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wargames Illustrated