The world's first academic conference dedicated to all things Warhammer
This paper argues that the setting of Warhammer 40000 is an example of modern epic storytelling that replicates the essential functions of archaeological deposition and classical myth-making. I draw from studies of archaeological reception, classical reception, and themes established in The Siege of Terra: Saturnine to argue that each edition of the tabletop game and …
In a 2025 post courting retail partners, Games Workshop boasts of their range of 14 different miniature-based ‘games systems’ (GW 2025); the post also mentions how their hobby materials (e.g. Citadel Paints) are the ‘ideal complimentary product’ to said games. Here, I argue that GW is wrong: this hobby material isn’t merely complimentary to, but …
“Hmph, dem oomies tink deys fasta then us ladz. Well they sure as Gork aint got Burftog’s Mega Orktane Go Juice and dere wagons don’t even got a red paint job…Lets krump ‘em for tryin!” – Burftog, Evil Sunz Mekboy.
Warhammer 40,000 plays with miniatures as much as it does with contradiction. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the dreadnought: This animate, gun-laden sarcophagus of the Astartes marks a mainstay on tabletops and a powerful symbol of the Imperium’s refusal to grant peace, even to its own dead. However, despite such glaring grimdarkness, a …
During Early Modern Europe, amputees, whether they lose a part of them through war or everyday life, made up a non-negligible size of the population and having prosthesis was an important social distinction marker through multiple aspects, such as material, aesthetic or even the way they are made… This social marker is also one that …
Mental health has been named as one of the largest challenges worldwide. One-eighth of the world’s population are affected by a mental illness alerting health services around the globe to search for way to tackle a rising problem. Most mental health services are overworked and can’t cope with the increased demand. Therefore, the world-health organization …
“We were deceived. All of us.” – Horus Lupercal This accusation, echoed throughout the Horus Heresy, signals more than betrayal or disillusionment; it reveals a structural contradiction embedded within the pre-Heresy Imperium. The Great Crusade imposed absolute commitment upon its Primarchs and Legions—unrelenting violence, unwavering endurance, and total sacrifice—yet denied the emotional, interpretive, and symbolic …
Drawing on existentialist theory and ethics (Sartre 2004, Beauvoir 2015) and theories on emotional responses to fiction (Hatley 2017, Hamby/Jones 2022), the paper explores the concept of honor (Sessions 2010, Olsthoorn 2016) as depicted in Warhammer 40k lore and argues that 40k’s appeal as a Grimdark setting derives from the assuredness with which it asserts …
This paper examines the transformation of the Emperor of Mankind in Warhammer 40,000 from architect of the anti-religious Imperial Truth into the supreme object of the Imperium’s compulsory devotion. Rather than treating this reversal as mere irony, it reads the God-Emperor as a fictional test case for theories of secularization, cognitive naturalness, and political theology. …
Since its first founding Games Workshop has been an adaptable company: constantly evolving to exploit new markets, pivot to new products, and finding new growth in a niche industry. Through remarkable creativity it has created unforgettable games and through cool commerciality it has become a world-leading cultural export and financial powerhouse. Business innovations such as …
A surface-level reading of the Adeptus Mechanicus presents a grimdark vision: the transhumanist project has failed. The aspiration to elevate humanity beyond its bodily condition and discard everything that does not conform to pure reason appears fundamentally at odds with the techno-theocratic structure of the Cult Mechanicus.
The worlds of Warhammer are populated by a plethora of strange creatures. In Warhammer Fantasy, one encounters many famous figures of medieval imagery; dragons, unicorns, griffins, and many more. Other beings come more or less directly from Greek mythology, such as pegasi, minotaurs or hydras. And many real-world animals are given the typical Warhammer over-the-top …
This presentation argues that Warhammer 40,000 is best understood not as a fictional setting but as a governed techno-social system: an environment sustained jointly by industrial production, rules governance, publication rhythms, narrative canon, and audience interpretation. Mould tooling, codex releases, balance dataslates, campaign books, and fan discourse are all constitutive elements of the world.
Across the West, male loneliness is rising. Rates of isolation, social withdrawal, identity questioning and suicide continue to grow. A cause for this may be that men are finding it difficult to create deep friendships linked to shared purpose and spaces where vulnerability can exist alongside entertainment. This means men must struggle emotionally in private.
Gender representation in Warhammer fiction has been controversially discussed for decades. The issue has also featured prominently in scientific work, as well as in previous iterations of the Warhammer conference (e.g. Anjou, 2024; Keenan, 2025; Meriläinen, 2024; Naylor, 2025). A key conclusion from this previous work is that, particularly in earlier Warhammer fiction, female characters …