It’s the 5th of April and they’re still real – the Leagues of Votann have returned! But unless you’ve been at this hobby for quite some time, you might find yourself wondering who these bearded starfarers are – and just where they’re returning from? Join us as we stroll down memory lane…
The Early Days
The first edition of Warhammer 40,000 was called Rogue Trader, a game chock-full of fantasy standards reimagined in a grim futuristic setting. Instead of Orcs, you had Space Orks, Elves became Eldar (and then Aeldari), Ogres were Ogryn, and so on. And then there were the Space Dwarfs.
These first models were clearly Dwarfs wielding lasguns with a generous smattering of heavy weapons. Their background positioned them as miners – the descendants of human settlers who had evolved to survive on mineral-dense worlds with heavy gravity. Over the millennia, they’d diverged into a subspecies named ‘Squats’ – similar to humans in many ways, but culturally and physiologically distinct.*
Squat strongholds – autonomous mining colonies – formed allied Leagues, with recognisable Dwarf traits from Warhammer Fantasy Battles such as ancestor worship, facial hair, a hefty dose of grumpiness, and a knack for metalwork. A more futuristic twist was their favoured mount – the Leagues rode heavy bikes and trikes into battle, combining the aesthetics of Viking warriors and leather-clad biker gangs.
War On Another Scale
The first major evolutionary step came in Titan Legions, a game of massive battles using tiny models at the Epic scale – just 6mm! Many of the larger units for the modern game of Warhammer 40,000 have their origins here, including all those lovely Titans and Knights. It also went on to inspire modern games like Adeptus Titanicus and Aeronautica Imperialis, though these are at a slightly different scale.
The Epic system brought with it an enduring enmity with Orks,** along with loads of machines you couldn’t find in the Imperium – including gyrocopters, armoured dirigibles, land trains, and ludicrously massive siege weapons. And while they never produced Titans, ordnance like the Cyclops (the big green tank with the Gargant-killing cannon on its prow) was no less deadly.
The studio continued to flesh out the background, giving the Leagues a distinct aesthetic, history, and style of warfare. Where else would you find biker gang space dwarf industrialists piloting battle-trains?
The later years of Rogue Trader brought plenty of trikes, living ancestors (psykers), and elite infantry in big, round suits called exo-armour, but while the second edition of Warhammer 40,000 offered stopgap rules in its grand launch box, our heroes would never receive a full codex or any more new models.
For a while, however, the Leagues continued to evolve through the vividly coloured artwork of this era. These stout warriors were shown wielding more sci-fi standard weapons, armour, and iconography – but you could still see lots of golden ancestor sigils and plenty of beards, axes, and hammers.
The Quiet Years
Homo sapiens rotundus may have started life as a sci-fi restyle of fantasy Dwarfs, but as the setting grew, they too became more unique. A galactic power in their own right, the Leagues were powerful enough to trade and negotiate with the Imperium on an even footing – in fact, Imperial Commissars were forbidden from executing their soldiers – and such skilled technologists that the Adeptus Mechanicus sent tech-priests to study with them, which would probably be considered tech-heresy nowadays.
And then… nothing. They weren’t officially updated for the third edition of the game, and Epic came to an end. Eventually, the great Jervis Johnson mentioned in passing that the worlds ruled by the Leagues had been attacked by a Tyranid hive fleet, and that was that. Not a peep for decades – both in-universe and out.
Still, there were hints that something was out there.
Clues and Cameos
A decade after Warhammer 40,000’s second edition, Battlefleet Gothic – a naval game of spacebound fleets – introduced the Demiurg, a mysterious group of void-faring miners and traders. Technologically-advanced industrialists with a grudge against Orks, a number of Demiurg brotherhoods aligned themselves with the T’au Empire, lending their powerful ships to the Air Caste fleets.
Were these the Leagues sneaking back into the setting, or a new alien species filling a similar role? We’re still not sure, but the modern edition of Necromunda brought fresh hope for fans of futuristic facial hair. At the end of the ‘10s, the underhive skirmish game introduced two new characters you could add to your gang – and though their design had once again evolved, everyone knew what we were looking at.
Grendl Grendlsen and Ragnir Gunnstein sport a host of familiar details, from quilted armour and fancy breastplates to magnificent facial hair and ancestral belt buckles. They are also, notably, still called Squats – albeit unkindly by the Necromundans they live amongst.
This shock return got folks thinking about what had happened to their kin. The Leagues were no strangers to Necromunda – there were even rules for a Squat Miners gang*** back in the day – but were these the last two survivors of a Tyranid rampage? Or were others of their kind still out there?****
They’re Back
Enter the Leagues of Votann. You can expect to see loads more information about the next step of evolution for this venerable race, and you’re going to love what’s coming.
The new background for the Leagues of Votann builds off the old lore in interesting ways – including how they interact with their ancestors. Old-time fans will enjoy the references and twists, while new fans will be into their funky tech, unusual appearance, and unique playstyle.
The Leagues of Votann may not technically be a “new” faction, but they’re bringing some great new dynamics to Warhammer 40,000, expanding the game and the setting. Keep your goggles on for more news about the Leagues of Votann, and sign up for the newsletter if you want it all delivered straight to your inbox.
* The specific term for these subspecies is “abhumans” – the Imperium doesn’t treat them well, but some have survived, such as Ogryn, Ratlings, or even Beastmen.
** Turns out the engineers who mine asteroids don’t get along with the lunatics who strap giant rockets on them. Who’d have guessed?
*** In Gang War 4, in fact.
**** The Book of Judgement confirmed that Squat prospectors are still around, and buying energy drills from Demiurg.