Game Designer

Jervis Johnson

Jervis Johnson is a tabletop and miniatures designer active mainly from 1986–2016, known for miniatures, fighting and sci‑fi themed games.

14 Games

Biography

Johnson worked for over 38 years at Games Workshop and headed its Specialist Games studio. He designed and managed numerous miniatures and wargame titles and contributed to long-running series such as Warhammer and Blood Bowl. Our database lists 14 of his games.

Career

Active from 1986 to around 2016, Johnson served as both designer and manager at Games Workshop. He helped create and update rulesets and editions for franchise miniatures games, focusing on tactical, faction-driven systems. His designs frequently use dice rolling, variable player powers, grid or measurement movement and modular boards. He collaborated several times with designers like Andy Chambers and Rick Priestley.

Most Famous Games

Key titles include Warhammer 40,000 (Third Edition, 1998), Necromunda (1995) and multiple Blood Bowl editions (Third Edition 1994, Blood Bowl 2016 Edition). Other notable works are Warhammer Epic 40,000 (1997) and Epic Armageddon (2003). These games shaped specialist miniatures and wargaming lines.

Design Style

Johnson’s style emphasizes miniatures-driven combat, asymmetrical factions and tactical positioning, blending dice-driven resolution with variable player powers and modular boards.