Saturday 28th September Archives – Warhammer Conference

Clinical Use of Warhammer 40K for Treatment of PTSD in Veterans

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among combat veterans presents a complex challenge for mental health professionals. Traditional therapeutic approaches often fall short in addressing the intricate layers of trauma experienced during military service. However, emerging research suggests that unconventional methods, such as utilizing immersive and narrative-driven activities, could offer novel avenues for therapeutic intervention. This abstract …

A corpus analysis of Warhammer fanfic on Archive of Our Own

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Fanfiction — that is, ‘stories produced by fans based on plot lines and characters from either a single source text or else a “canon” of works’ (Thomas 2011, 1) — is a form of cultural production in which female writers and readers are widely recognised to dominate. By contrast, Warhammer enthusiasts are stereotypically male. However, …

Rule Consequentialism and the Edict of Nikaea

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In the Horus Heresy series, the Edict of Nikaea looms large as one of the setting’s most pivotal narrative events. With the Edict, the Emperor proscribed the use of Warp-derived psyker powers by the Legiones Astartes and nominally disbanded the psychically-gifted Librarius orders—at great cost both to the individual Astartes of the Librarius and to …

In the Name of the Emperor? Authority and Pluralism in the Grim Darkness of the Far Future

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Superficially, the Imperium of Man within Games Workshop’s ‘Warhammer 40,000’ fictional universe is presented as a pastiche theocratic autocracy. Its sprawling territory is ruled by the Lord Commander of the Imperium and the Council of the High Lords of Terra on behalf of the God Emperor of Mankind. At a mundane level, Imperial authority is …

Modeling for Advantage: constructing the miniature

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This paper is an exploration and examination of a series of interlinking rules for the game and in the parlance of Carter, Gibbs and Harrop, the “pastime” of Warhammer 40k (and Warhammer Age of Sigmar, Fantasy Battles or Warhammer in general). These rules are True Line of Sight, Proxies, What You See is What You …

The incomplete reformations of Warhammer 40,000 – influences from the sixteenth-century on the theology and iconography of the Imperial Cult

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Warhammer 40,000 draws its influences from across history; notably the in-universe history, theology, and iconography of the Imperial Cult and the Adeptus Ministorum are inspired by the medieval and early modern Roman Catholic Church. One instance of the history of the Adeptus Ministorum paralleling the history of Catholicism can be seen in origin of one …

In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war… And gorgeous women

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Warhammer 40,000 is the world’s largest and most significant miniature wargame, with some of the highest-quality models produced in the industry. It is a hobby beloved by many fans of all ages and genders. In addition to the game, Warhammer 40,000 enjoys a wealth of novels released by the Black Library – a company dedicated …

Who is the enemy? Genestealer Cults and the Diverging Political Paradigm of Warhammer 40,000

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We examine how class issues, domestic terrorism, extremism, and insurrection play out in Warhammer 40,000’s Genestealer Cults, against changing British political paradigms between 1989 and 2021. Genestealer Cults are human-alien hybrid guerilla insurrectionists, concealed among the civilian population. Introduced in 1989 and rebooted in 2016, the Cults are both part of the native population and …

Warhammer Lore as Apocalyptic Literature: Finding Purpose in the Grim Dark

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Abstract Jaques Derrida is quoted as saying, “The end approaches, but the apocalypse is long lived.” The lore of Warhammer 40K is an apocalyptic myth created explicitly in the image of the Roman Empire. But the obvious connections to Imperium Romanum are only part of the picture. WH40K portrays an extension of the cycle of …

The Future of Animated Fear: Grimdark as a Genre Framework for Speculative Horror in Animation

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Abstract Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40K (WH40K) is widely regarded as the progenitor of the Grimdark genre: a simple tagline in a magazine advertisement that read ‘In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war’ spawned a universe of hopeless, superstitious and terrifying visions of mankind’s future. It was a black mirror that …

Tyranid xenobiology compared to real-life eusocial insects

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Abstract The Tyranids are a biological species that do not rely on technological or mechanical devices, utilizing biotechnological alternatives instead. Despite the significant amount of available xenobiological information, there are still several areas that require further investigation. A comprehensive examination of the Tyranid race poses certain challenges. Therefore, drawing comparisons with entomological concepts, particularly those …

In Praise of Depth: WH40K Minis as Borgmannian Things

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Abstract In his 1984 study Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life—published shortly before the first edition of WH40K—philosopher Albert Borgmann provided an analysis of modern technology centered on the dichotomy between things and devices. For Borgmann, a device is an object that provides a commodity (energy, information, entertainment, etc.) while making the mechanism of …

Beyond the Human: Exploring Non-Spatial Becomings in Warhammer 40k

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Abstract The grim darkness of the far future harbors an ontological abyss – the Warhammer 40k universe unfurls as a delirious cosmology of hyperspatial paradoxes and spectral becomings that undermine all conventional spatio-temporality. My contribution plunges into the vertiginous “non-spaces” permeating this dystopian cosmos – rifts, folds, and lines of deterritorialization that deconstruct rigid human …

The Architectural Model and the 41st Millennium

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Abstract There are several facets to the architecture of the setting of Warhammer 40,000. This has evolved over time, but grounded in the artwork of a range of early contributors such as John Blanche, Ian Miller and Jes Goodwin. The use of scale models in architectural practice intersects with the hobbyists of Warhammer, and a …

Sex & Death in Warhammer 40,000

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Abstract My paper is to be an examination of the juxtaposition of sex and violence in the setting of the 41st millenium. 40k has expanded across the decades to become a fully realized fictional vision, with an intellectual depth that is simply not found in almost any other fictional game worlds. Where as almost every …