In 2007, longtime hobby veterans John Stallard and Paul Sawyer asked a simple question: Could 28mm historical figures succeed in a market traditionally dominated by fantasy and science fiction? Their answer was Warlord Games.
Today, Warlord Games is one of the biggest names in the miniatures hobby, with a catalog spanning multiple eras and genres. Their popular rules systems include Bolt Action, Black Powder, and more. That initial idea, of producing dynamic, plastic historical miniatures at 28mm scale, has grown into a full-fledged range of
games, models, supplies, and expansions that continue to bring history and imagination to life on the tabletop.
To learn more about the company’s beginnings, and where they’re headed next, we spoke with Isaac Paul of Warlord Games.
The Importance of Scale
To understand the significance of what Warlord was trying to accomplish, it helps to first talk a bit about the size and scale of tabletop miniatures. Traditionally, historical wargaming used relatively small figures. At 20mm or even 15mm, players could more easily field armies large enough to accurately reflect the size and scope of real-world battles. Some rules, like those recreating the conflicts of the Napoleonic or the American Civil War era, relied on even smaller figures.
Larger 28mm models, on the other hand, were more commonly associated with fantasy and science fiction games, where character detail and dynamic sculpts often took priority over historical accuracy. By creating historical figures at this scale, Warlord aimed to bridge the gap with models that were time-period authentic yet visually striking on the table.
The very first set Warlord produced was a box of Imperial Romans, followed soon after by Celts (naturally, to battle the Romans!) According to Isaac, the success of those early releases “proved that 28mm historical miniatures had a market in the tabletop world.” Warlord still offers Romans and Celts today, alongside a vast collection of troops representing British, American, German, Soviet, and many other forces.
And while 28mm remains their flagship scale, Warlord hasn’t stopped there. When it comes to the sheer scale of battle, Isaac points to their Epic Battles range as a personal highlight. These smaller-scale figures allow players to recreate some truly massive conflicts, from the American Revolution to the English Civil War. “There’s nothing like thousands of troops deployed on a table,” he says, “and the Epic Battles series allows wargamers to do just that.”
Bolt Action and Black Powder
While historical miniatures are a lot of fun on their own, transforming great figures into a great battle requires rules. Warlord launched their first miniatures rules 
system, Black Powder, in 2009. Written by Games Workshop alumni Rick Priestly and Jervis Johnson, Black Powder covers 18th- and 19th-century conflicts. That includes the American Civil War, Napoleonics, as well as other conflicts of the time period like the Jacobite Rebellion and the Crimean War. A related line, Black Seas, takes the battles to the water during the Golden Age of Sail.
Warlord’s other cornerstone ruleset is Bolt Action. Now in its third edition, Isaac calls it “the leading World War II wargame on the market,” and Warlord supports the line through frequent new releases.
“Bolt Action is just fun,” Isaac says. “There really is no other way to put it. With the cleaned up rule set of Third Edition and the classic order dice mechanic of activating units by drawing your colored dice out of the bag to issue orders, games that you were sure to lose can turn in your favor when you least expect it.”
That unpredictability, combined with the immersive scenarios it produces, is a big part of Bolt Action’s appeal.
“Seeing a squad of U.S. Paratroopers behind a stone wall holding their ground against a German counter-attack in Normandy and watching the excitement of all players involved as they roll all those dice for their sub-machine guns…turn after turn as this squad fights to hold the right flank and prevail against insurmountable odds…stories like that come from every game I have played and it’s just as cinematic as it sounds.”
Beyond History
While period-specific games remain Warlord’s foundation, they have also ventured into stranger territory. Konflikt ’47, for example, is a wargame set in an imaginary World War II reshaped by dimensional rifts and super-science, where mechs and monsters fight alongside more mundane GIs and frontline infantry.
“Konflikt ‘47 is a beast of its own,” Isaac explains. “The new…release built upon the foundation of Bolt Action 3rd Edition is something we are super excited for
everyone to get their hands on. Where technological advancements run rampant and the war never ends. [It is] a game of Heroes, Horrors, Monsters, and Mechs.”
Isaac predicts Konflikt ’47 will remain a staple of Warlord’s line for years to come, and says fans can look forward to some exciting releases.
“Fans of history and science fiction will find a home in this game as you can play as close to history or fantasy as you want. Weird World War II is something that intrigues a lot of players and it unlocks the imagination of what can become a model on the board. Players get to dictate their army preference… Do you prefer a more historical basis for the formation of your army? Or do you go all out and use nothing but werewolves and reanimated corpses? [It is] absolutely killer.”
More than Miniatures
Of course, for many wargamers, the joys of the hobby extend beyond the battlefield. Assembling, painting, and customizing models is as much a part of the experience as the games themselves. To this end, Warlord offers paint sets and paint guides to help ensure those World War II troops pass uniform inspection. They also have brushes and other supplies, terrain to dress up the battlefield, dice sets, and more. Warlord also supports their fans through regular tournaments, demo days, and by publishing articles on their community site.
Looking Ahead
From its beginnings with Romans and Celts to its current catalog of global conflicts, Warlord Games has built a strong reputation on combining historical accuracy with great looking miniatures. Their ever growing lineup of rulesets and product ranges, from sweeping Epic Battles to the pulpy Konflikt ‘47, shows that the company is as committed as ever to making miniature wargaming approachable, engaging, and, above all, fun.
Check out Noble Knight Games’ full inventory of Warlord Games products here and read the rest of our interview with Isaac Paul below.
Questions with Isaac Paul
What’s your favorite historical period to game in?
Definitely a tie between Medieval and World War II. Medieval has such a rich history and unlimited modelling potential for fascinating boards and can be one step away from fantasy as well. World War II is intriguing due to the fast developments in such a short period of time, tankettes to tigers, biplanes to jets… fascinating.
What’s your favorite part of the hobby: painting, modeling, or playing?
I am definitely interested in all three, but I spend most of my time painting and kitbashing. I try to play once a week but as we know that can be shaky to schedule the older you get and life gets busier. I have more armies painted than I could ever play but that is part of the fun.
What’s the most memorable battle you’ve ever played?
This game of Bolt Action where I played my Romanians against a wave of Soviets to hold a town center. I had a full squad of riflemen in the building overlooking the square and Soviet artillery was zeroing on the building every turn. It came down to the last round and the Soviets occupying the center put as many shots into my squad as possible before they could storm out of the building, but it wasn’t enough.
Fourteen angry Romanians rushed out the door, dodging machine gun fire and artillery to clear the town square on the last activation of the game to seize victory. The whole time, the building could have been brought down on their heads but their stubborn commander (me) refused to give the order to relocate and it actually paid off! We still talk about that squad months later.
Are there any recent or upcoming games, expansions, or new model lines you’re especially excited about?
Bolt Action’s big October release of the new Armies of the Soviet Union with a range refresh of amazing plastic infantry, the Japanese getting the same treatment in January for Bolt Action.
September saw Konflikt ‘47 hitting shelves…with our partner stores receiving demo sets well in advance to generate even more hype. The new plastic K’47 kits are something that people are going to adore as they just hit that Wolfenstein/Weird WW2/Red Alert vibe so well. The US Firefly Airborne Infantry are absolutely killer and my personal favorite. The new Japanese for Konflikt coming in November will be an instant buy for those who love the vibes of Feudal Japan!
Isaac, thank you very much for your time!
