Miniatures Archives – Warhammer Conference

Miniatures and Masculinities: Community, Creativity, and Gender from Warhammer 40,000 to Mars

This presentation draws on an ongoing research project exploring how Warhammer 40,000 fosters community, creativity, and social connection within contemporary gaming culture. Conducted during a research fellowship at the University of Groningen, the project combines participant observation at local Warhammer groups with analysis of online fandom discourse to examine how hobby practices create belonging across …

Fulgrim vs Ferrus Manus (c) Games Workshop

The Lives of Objects: Warhammer miniatures as artefacts of craft, gameplay and narrative

Warhammer miniatures have the distinction of being able to transcend from mere objects to meaningful “things” by their multifaceted nature. Supported by their rich contextual background, they are objects of meticulous craft, enablers of complex gameplay, and manifestations of rich intangible characters and enduring identities. As physical artefacts, they are products of effort and expressions …

Modeling for Advantage: constructing the miniature

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 …

In Praise of Depth: WH40K Minis as Borgmannian Things

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 that …

Miniature Mindfulness: Finding Spiritual Flow with Warhammer 40,000 Figurines

Warhammer 40,000 (40K) is the most popular miniature wargame. While gameplay is a large part of engaging with Warhammer 40,000, the miniatures are often bought and painted. These painters spend hours painting the models in deep concentration. Drawing on interviews and journal entries of a participant study of 14 painters over a six-month period, this …

In Conversation with… John Blanche

For many fans of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000, John Blanche needs no introduction. He simply is Warhammer. His work has inspired thousands, if not millions of hobbyists across the globe in a career that spanned decades, and has literally shaped a whole genre of art and literature, known as Grimdark. In this keynote John joins …