THOSE who complain that Britain doesn’t make anything any more should be heartened to learn that the country’s most successful listed firm is in fact a manufacturer—sort of. Business at Games Workshop, which makes the miniature figures used in its Warhammer series of tabletop games, is booming. Shares in the Nottingham-based company have risen by 660% over the past two years, making it the most successful firm in the FTSE 250 share index.

For years, Games Workshop was known primarily for two things: pricey products (a Warhammer army can cost well over £300, or $390) and unfathomably complicated rules. Since installing a new boss in 2015, the company has simplified its Warhammer series and relaunched a number of older, more casual games, most notably “Blood Bowl”, which pits orcs against elves in violent American-football matches. The strategy is working. In the 12 months to June 2018 the firm reported net profit of £60m, up from £13m two years earlier.

Games Workshop’s growth is part of a broader rise in interest in tabletop games. Figuring out exactly how many epic battles between dwarves and goblins are taking place across pub tables is hard, because most such games are made by private firms. But 22,000 people went to this year’s UK Games Expo, the country’s largest tabletop-gaming convention, up from 12,000 two years ago.

One reason is an improvement in games’ quality. The most popular board games in the Anglosphere have tended to be ones that are aimed at children and rely on luck. Since the mid-1990s, more complex continental board games have won a following. Titles like “Settlers of Catan”, originally published in German, have proved a hit. They have also inspired competition. Tabletop games are the second-most popular type of project on Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform.

Another reason is that games have become a bit less uncool. One Warhammer player in his 20s says that his hobby made him such a target in school that he had to take up boxing to keep bullies at bay. Since then, sagas like “Game of Thrones” have sexed up the fantasy genre. Meanwhile, nerds have taken over the City and the tech industry, making them rich. One IT manager at a big bank says that tabletop games help him decompress. Warhammer may be an expensive hobby for most, but not for workers like him who are used to spending £150 on a night out.

Perhaps the biggest reason, however, is the proliferation of social media. Each Warhammer miniature takes hours to build and paint. Online tutorials on sites like YouTube have made it possible for even the artistically challenged to assemble beautiful armies of space marines. Social networks such as Facebook have made it easier for people with niche hobbies to meet up. Online games may represent a rival to the tabletop sort. But Peter Davies, founder of the London Wargaming Guild, points out that virtual gaming can be a lonely experience compared with playing in person.