The world's first academic conference dedicated to all things Warhammer
In 1990, the board game Space Crusade was published by MB in collaboration with Games Workshop. It is the science fiction spin-off of the much more popular game HeroQuest (1989). Although still significantly underdeveloped, the game’s narrative borrowings from Warhammer 40,000 are clearly recognizable. For example, there are already Marines, Chaos (Marines), Orks, and Genestealers. …
This paper explores the Horus Heresy (HH) series – comprising 64 novels and over 10 million words – as a foundational myth within the Warhammer 40,000 universe, using tools from corpus linguistics and the historical approach of Critical Discourse Analysis, particularly following Ruth Wodak’s framework.While the Warhammer 40,000 setting (W40K) presents a vast and diverse …
The pre-imperial human settlers who colonized the galaxy during the Dark Age of Technology initially spoke a variety of Low Gothic. During the Age of Strife, however, their colonies were cut off from Old Earth for millennia. As a result, the standard version of Low Gothic spoken on Old Earth/Holy Terra and the many local …
Warhammer manifests in various forms, such as tabletop wargames, books, and video games. At its core, however, Warhammer is a range of miniatures. Miniatures are Games Workshop’s primary source of income, and all other manifestations of Warhammer stem from these miniatures. The essence of Warhammer is thus fundamentally visual. In this visual universe, colours play …
“There is no glory in prevention” – but Konrad Curze and his Night Lords beg to differ. Their ruthless understanding of justice and judgement embodies all of the principles of the negative general prevention: hard, cruel and swift punishment, even for small crimes, to ensure the obedience of his subjects and to prevent further criminal …
In the hypermasculinized, asexual world of 40k, the feminine seems to lack a place except as a mode of masculinity that adds a pair of breasts. Human factions such as the Sisters of Battle are exceptions that prove the rule. The presence of the feminine, however, can act as a defining thematic trait for inhumanity. …
The Unforgiven—the Legio Dark Angels and their successor chapters—hold the secret of Luther’s betrayal of the Lion and Caliban at the heart of their identity as a chapter; even to the point of prosecuting friendly forces for stumbling upon the shameful secret. While this is not unique to the Dark Angels—with the Blood Angels and …
This presentation builds on previous research relating to narrative state transitions and nemein-seeking behaviour by applying this context to the various narratives present within Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 fictional universe. By reference to Tzvetan Todorov’s theory of the minimum complete plot this presentation identifies and explores how narrative state transitions are managed within the 40k …
Alternately revered and reviled for their suicidal devotion to duty, the Death Korps of Krieg constitute an indisputable paragon of rampant nationalistic fervor—so much so that, in order to restore collective honor after their planetary governor betrays the God Emperor of Mankind, the Korps progenitor (the infamous Colonel Jurten) reduces their home planet to a …
Religious themes and the fanaticism that they bring are some of the most important to the universe of Warhammer 40K. While the Imperium of Man is steadfastly dedicated to the worship of the God Emperor, the Genestealer Cults thrive in the cracks of this mainstream religion, as a group of disorientated commoners. One defining element …
The pursuit of cognitive and physical enhancement in humans raises profound ethical and practical questions, particularly as technological advances make such interventions increasingly feasible. This presentation examines the ethical frameworks and feasibility concerns surrounding human enhancement, focusing on issues such as autonomy, justice, authenticity, and societal impact. Special attention is given to emerging neurotechnologies—including both …
The Death Korps of Krieg are a fan-favourite Imperial Guard regiment in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Born from rebellion, nuclear apocalypse and a 500-year-long civil conflict, these gas-masked, great-coated “normal soldiers” (as opposed to aliens, daemons and superhumans of other factions), serve as a condensed repository of 20th-century cultural memories of total war. This paper …
Metaphysics is an analysis of fundamental principles or of the absolute. Such lines of questioning might be directed at any worldview, whether it concerns our own actual world or fictional worlds. In my talk I want to inquire into the absolute of the Warhammer 40K universe, as the different factions see it.In the first part …
This paper explores the figure of the Emperor of Man from Warhammer 40,000 as a Master Signifier, situating him within the psychoanalytic traditions of Freud and Lacan while drawing a sharp contrast with the messianic hope articulated in the ethical philosophies of Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida. In Freudian and Lacanian theory, the Father—whether as …
In the grimdark universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Adeptus Mechanicus worships the Machine Spirit, a divine essence said to inhabit all technology. Though cloaked in ritual and superstition, the Cult Mechanicus enforces a deeply conservative system of knowledge management, system diagnostics, and behavioural control over complex, often poorly understood machinery. This paper argues that such …