In a double bluff April Fool, Games Workshop have confirmed that the Squats are coming back to Warhammer 40000.
It has come to our attention that yesterday’s stunning reveal of the next Warhammer 40,000 faction fell on an unfortunate date. This was an honest mistake that absolutely anyone could have made. To make it up to you, we have a rather special announcement.
They’re real.
Humanity’s long-lost cousins actually are making their return to the 41st Millennium as a full Warhammer 40,000 faction.
The Leagues of Votann are a new faction in Warhammer 40,000 and are by any other name Squats.
Although their civilisation shares common roots with Humanity, the Leagues of Votann have an uneasy relationship with the Imperium of Man. Unlike their superstitious Human cousins, the Leagues emerged from the Age of Strife with far more of their ancient technology intact, including some infamous advances the Imperium would consider extremely heretical.
So expecting to see some powerful and reliable weaponry. We also know that Squats used Rhino transports as well.
Will we see bikes and trikes? These when they were originally released did divide opinion.
What about the Iron Eagle Gyrocopters which function as a fighter-bombers and Overlord Armoured Airships for Aeronautica Imperialis? I can see that at some point we might see models for the Leagues of Votann.
Unlike most other Imperial armies, the Squats don’t build Titans. Instead, the Engineering Guild provides the army with a variety of Praetorian Super Heavy War Engines. Will we see these in Adeptus Titanicus. These would be ideal opposition for Imperial Titans, but I think this is probably a no. We’ve not see Ork Gargants, or Eldar Titans, so unlikely we would see Squat engines of war.
Will Forge World make bigger versions for Warhammer 40,000? Well they already make the termite assault drills, which can be used by Squats. As for the aircraft, maybe, as for the Praetorian Super Heavy War Engines I would have thought not.
I would like to see for Adeptus Titanicus or Warhammer 40,000 the Squat Land Trains, these would be fun models, even if they were released more as terrain rather than unit models.
In the meantime here are some photographs of my Warhammer 40,000 Squats from the last century!
These are original Space Dwarfs, which I enjoyed painting in a particular style, which for some reason included pastel colours.
The bases were enhanced with milliput and then holes were made with the end of the paintbrush.
These also demonstrate my early attempts at blending and highlighting.
There was a real mix of weapons on these old models, from las rifles to bolters to power fists.
I loved the power armour on the leader of my little group of Squats and the Heavy Weapons Dwarf was certainly carrying something probably way too big for him.
I wish I had been able to buy more of these at the time of their release. I much preferred the high-SF scheme I went for compared to the space bikers look that the squats eventually evolved into, before disappearing…
And now they’re back!
