Latest news with #Warhammer
Gizmodo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Games Workshop Removes Gendered Language From ‘Horus Heresy' Rulebooks
Games Workshop's ongoing, fraught relationship with conservative elements of its Warhammer fanbase has led to increasing flashpoints whenever the miniatures maker has attempted to diversify the worldbuilding of its beloved tabletop game. But one lingering back-and-forth among fans simmering long before Games Workshop found itself in the crossfires of the culture war has been brought into light again thanks to the latest edition of one of its games: whether or not a female Space Marine could exist. Last week Games Workshop opened pre-orders for the third edition of Horus Heresy, a Warhammer spinoff tabletop game set during the titular civil war, 10,000 years before the ongoing events of Warhammer 40K. Inspired by the beloved book series of the same name, Horus Heresy lets players live out the conflict between the loyal forces of the Imperium of Man and the Traitor Legions that fell to the corruption of Chaos under the sway of Horus Lupercal, the primarch of the Luna Wolves Space Marines who turned against the Emperor. But as reviews and access to the new rulebooks for the latest edition have gotten into players hands, so too have they discovered that Games Workshop has rolled back specific mentions of gender when it comes to the process of creating a Space Marine as described in the lore within the new rulebook. As Wargamer reports, a sidebar section of the new rule book describing the Space Marine creation process titled 'Process of Initiation' no longer explicitly acknowledges the necessity of gender for potential recruits Although, of course, vague—the new rulebook does not go so far as to mention the possibility of female Marines but simply removes any discussion of gender from the process entirely—it stands in stark contrast to the rulebook for the game's second edition released in 2022, which was criticized by progressives at the time for its specific notation that the creation of a Space Marine requires the 'hormonal and biological make-up of the human male,' for its parallels to transphobic language around trans identities. Putting aside the fact that this is a heavily fictionalized process, the creation of a Space Marine has always been a transhumanist idea regardless of any particular gender binary, even if Warhammer's world has, up to this point, kept Space Marines as masculine identities in both the fiction around 40K and the miniatures it offers. The process of elevating a human into a Space Marine relies on chemical, hormonal, and surgical transformation, adding extra organs and increasing the physical density and strength of their bodies to become a superhuman ideal. Even though the science behind it is fiction, there is nothing inherently gendered about it despite what the previous edition stated. If anything, it's easy to see why fans have expressed interest in seeing female Marines or reading allegories of trans identity into them. The question of whether or not female-presenting Space Marines could be possible in Warhammer 40K's setting, then, has been the topic of debate for fans for a long time, well before Horus Heresy's rulebooks clumsily waded in and out of that debate in the last few years. Games Workshop has, outside of that 2022 rulebook, had a hands-off approach to that debate themselves, largely leaving the Space Marines, 40K's most popular faction (and the face of the company, for better or worse), out of its attempts to diversify its storytelling and model offerings. Instead, it's simply been left open to players themselves to come up with their own custom miniatures and headcanons to incorporate female forces into their own imaginings of the Adeptus Astartes. The closest Games Workshop itself arguably came to advancing the matter in an official capacity came last year when it introduced a female member of the Emperor's personal guard, the Adeptus Custodes (a faction that is distinct from, but adjacent to, the Space Marines), for the first time in Warhammer fiction. The addition—alongside a statement from Games Workshop declaring that female Custodes had always existed despite a lack of representation in either the fiction or in physical tabletop product in an official capacity—centered the company as a target of right-wing cultural commentators eager to present the choice as a capitulation to 'wokeness.' It was the latest in a series of recent examples that strained Games Workshop's reconciliation of its own progressive values and ideas as a company with segments of its audience that do not see Warhammer 40K's grim, dark future as the satire of conservative and authoritarian politics that the company has long struggled to communicate the intent of. But the decision to explicitly remove the gendered language from the latest edition of Horus Heresy at least indicates the company's desire to continue making steps to reflect the broader diversity of Warhammer's player base in spite of these struggles with its complicated legacy in the culture war. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Metro
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
We recreated the January 6th insurrection through a wargame - here's how it went
In January 2021, thousands of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC. But four years later, in one of his first moves as President for a second term, Trump issued mass-pardons to all those who were charged and convicted in relation to the insurrection. So, what's the best way to tackle the all-consuming frustration, grief and despair over Trump's decision? Create a tabletop wargame about it, of course. Enter Fight for America! – an immersive art installation where players are invited to revisit the moments leading up to the storming of the Capitol and are faced with questions of 'division, democracy, and dialogue' as they take part. It was created by the American Vicarious, an American not-for-profit organisation that makes pieces designed to grapple with America's identity crisis. Their past work includes a theatre reproduction of the famous Cambridge Union debate between the writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. Last week, they launched the game in the UK. The creators told Metro they felt it was right to relocate its premiere due to the turbulent political situation in the US, one which they had 'never imagined' when they began production two years ago. The game experience was run for a month and saw people take part in recreating the events of January 6th (Picture: Izzie Jones and Owen Davies/Metro) How it works is, players are broken up into sides – the 'red team' or the 'blue team' – and asked strategy-based questions about how they're going to proceed, similar to Warhammer. In fact, the game was designed by Alessio Cavatore, a renowned Warhammer games designer responsible for penning the rules to Games Workshop's flagship three tabletop titles – Warhammer, Warhammer 40k, and The Lord of the Rings. If you're a bit lost here and need a sense of how important this guy is, he was given a cameo in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. There's a running question throughout that the players need to bear in mind when making their controversial moves – What about America is worth fighting for? As members of Metro's GameCentral team, we were invited along to take part in one of the games at their month-long residency in central London to see what it was all about. Owen was assigned to the 'blue team', representing the police officers who were on duty to defend the Capitol building that day, and faced off against Izzie, who in her own words, 'magnanimously' volunteered to join the 'red team'. She took charge of a host of tiny painted figures of The Proud Boys and QAnon, who were intent on breaching the doors to overturn an election that they considered was 'stolen.' Owen pledged his allegiance to the flag before the game (Picture Izzie Jones and Owen Davies/Metro) While Izzie pledged her allegiance to…Aladdin's Proud of Your Boy (Picture Izzie Jones and Owen Davies/Metro) We were also assigned real-life individuals who were at the Capitol that day. Owen was given the role of Commander Robert Glover of the DC Metropolitan Police while Izzie was appointed Enrique Tarrio, chairman of the Proud Boys. Neal Wilkinson, co-creator and designer, told Metro the game was created in consultation with DC police officers, who were present on January 6th. The tabletop battle was, to put it bluntly, totally one-sided. Just like on the day, police officers at the Capitol were vastly outnumbered by the insurrectionists, hell bent on forcing their way inside the building. Needless to say, the only way the police could win any clashes at all was through sheer luck. While playing it, we found it gave us just a small glimpse into what the mindset of the police must have been on the day – it was soon no longer about 'winning', it was about buying time for the people inside to get out with their lives. Each unit had a corresponding number of dice to be rolled – a group of Proud Boys were worth three dice, for example – and they could be backed by other units to increase that number, in turn increasing the likelihood of success (Picture: Izzie Jones and Owen Davies/Metro) Lose a dice roll by more than three and the losing unit is removed from the board completely (Picture: Izzie Jones and Owen Davies/Metro) Even against the overwhelming odds, only one Proud Boy unit made it inside the Capitol before time was up, although Owen's forces had been reduced to just a single riot police squad to guard the doors. The final minigame now was to find then-Vice President Mike Pence, hiding within the Capitol Building. One mad scramble later and he was discovered. But the highs of winning were short-lived. Almost immediately after victory was declared, TV screens in the venue displayed real-life footage of January 6th – showing the maiming that we had been so gleefully recreating for the past couple of hours. While we had not devised the game, its rules or its irreverent tone, it was hard not to feel a sense of guilt at taking part in it. Christopher McElroen, one of the games' directors, emphasised that despite being a fun time, there are serious messages about the current state of American democracy at the piece's heart. 'We decided to pursue this as a game, as a metaphor for democracy because a game only works if people participate,' he told Metro. 'Democracy only works if people participate.' Neal added they had initially planned to premiere the piece in New York City on January 6th earlier this year. But these plans changed after Trump was re-elected. 'We quickly came to realise that a New York crowd would not be willing or interested in gaming about those events,' he said. 'We thought a critical distance of an ocean would be good for us.' Certainly none of the audience showed any signs of trepidation about the evening's premise. The mini figures were mocked up to look like members of the police and also of the insurrectionists (Picture: Izzie Jones and Owen Davies/Metro) At the end of the game, the goal was to find former Vice-President Mike Pence (Picture: Izzie Jones and Owen Davies/Metro) Izzie, who played on the side of the insurrectionists, won the game. But at what cost?(Picture: Izzie Jones and Owen Davies/Metro) Before the game began, Christopher said: 'It was a violent insurrection and that history is actively being rewritten. On the President's first day in office, he chose to pardon or commute the sentences of everyone who participated in that act of violence.' Indeed, this included Izzie's 'character' for the evening, Enrique. He is currently suing the US government for $100 million alleging that they 'violated his constitutional rights'. It seems that even if we did, for a moment, consider the events of January 6th a game, there are quite a few who have never taken it seriously at all. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: 'Hide your bridesmaids': The inside story of Wedding Crashers as it celebrates 20 years Arrow MORE: Maga faithful warn Trump 'we won't fall in line' over Epstein investigation Arrow MORE: Rosie O'Donnell posts fiery response after Trump threatens to revoke citizenship
USA Today
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
George Kittle will play 'until I don't have fun anymore,' pursue WWE career
George Kittle is entering his age-32 season in 2025, but the San Francisco 49ers tight end doesn't appear to have retirement on his mind any time soon. Kittle was asked in a Tuesday appearance on "Bussin' With The Boys" about when he might walk away from the NFL. "Literally until I don't have fun anymore," Kittle replied. "Or if Claire (his wife) looks at me and goes, 'You kinda look like (expletive) out there, you should retire.' I'll be like, 'All right.'" Kittle hasn't reached the latter stage yet. He continues to be one of the NFL's top tight ends and is coming off a season during which he posted 78 catches, 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns across 15 games. He made his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl and was named to the All-Pro second team for the third time in his career. As such, Kittle believes he still has at least a few years left in the tank – provided he can remain healthy. "I think if I get to like I'm 35 and it hurts just to put pants on in the morning, I think I'll be like, 'Ah, this isn't that much fun anymore,' and I'll have a conversation with myself," Kittle explained. "But I'm feeling great right now." NFL COACHING HOT SEAT: Brian Daboll, Mike McDaniel facing pressure in 2025 While Kittle is happy to be playing in the NFL and "hasn't daydreamed" about retirement, he is excited about the potential opportunities he might have when he does call it quits. He believes he could eventually "talk football" somewhere and also noted he is hoping to be an extra in Henry Cavill's upcoming TV series based on the "Warhammer" games. However, there is one opportunity he is hoping to pursue above all else. "I would love to do WWE," Kittle said. "I think there's definitely opportunity within that world, and I would love nothing more than to be a part of it." Kittle, a long-time wrestling fan, has appeared in WWE programming before. Most notably, he was at WrestleMania 39 in 2023, where he came out of the crowd clad in a "TEU" tank top and helped Pat McAfee defeat The Miz. That said, Kittle acknowledged any future effort he makes to join WWE full-time would take a lot more practice than his guest spots in the past. "I would only do WWE if I bought a ring and practiced my ass off for a while so I wouldn't look like an idiot out there," Kittle explained. "I've been in a WWE ring like three times. I don't know what I'm doing out there. I have an understanding of how it works, but I haven't moonsaulted off the top rope at WrestleMania like Pat McAfee did." The 49ers will be hoping Kittle's WWE training won't begin for another handful of years. San Francisco signed Kittle to a four-year contract extension in April that will tether him to the organization through his age-36 season in 2029.
South Wales Argus
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Newport's comic book shop Sin City relocates in Kingsway Centre
Residents of Newport should be no stranger to the business, who have seen their flagship shop previously based on the high street and in Friars Walk but this new unit promises that customers new and old will have somewhere to come and be themselves and enjoy their spare time. Co-owner Laura Austen said: 'We want to offer people a comfortable place. 'There's a room in the front of the shop where customers can come and sit with a coffee and just read the world away. We have a gaming space and a coffee machine, so people can come and enjoy themselves.' The shop has everything and more that fans of any franchise could wish to purchase, with this new unit in Kingsway being all about the business' regeneration – and as a shop with its own TARDIS, it couldn't be more on theme. Previous customers of Sin City will no doubt have fond memories of evenings spent gaming with friends. Unfortunately, these evenings had to stop due to a need to downsize their space temporarily but will now be making a return in their new unit, with a dedicated spade for those of all ages and skill levels to play trading card, tabletop and roleplaying games like the ever-popular Dungeons & Dragons or Warhammer. Laura says: 'We're really excited because we're back to where we were a year ago. 'We took a hit some difficult economic times last year and had to downsize to a new unit purely to stay alive, but our biggest setback will be our greatest comeback.' With a grand re-opening this weekend that promises a 'geek haven', the shop has been transformed into a space that is inclusive and embracing. The new unit also means that Sin City can carry on hosting their much-loved comic book and trading card fairs that take over Kingsway Shopping Centre, giving the businesses around them chance to take in the dedicated community that the shop has already built. With shelves stocked full of products that any self-proclaimed geek would love to own and over 50,000 comics scattered across the shop floor, the relocation gives customers a chance to expand their horizons and find new and exciting interests, and build their existing collections.
Wales Online
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Wales Online
The three things terrorist Alexander Dighton blamed for his vicious attack on police officers
The three things terrorist Alexander Dighton blamed for his vicious attack on police officers The 28 year-old loner said his grievances which led to his attacks on police had been brewing for 15 years or more. He made a fire under a police van to lure officers out (Image: PA ) Sentenced to life for a ferocious attack on a police station in South Wales loner Alex Dighton launched into an unhinged tirade against what he sees as government corruption. He blamed three things that he saw as being possible reasons for violence against the state. Addressing the judge Mark Lucraft KC at the Old Bailey on June 13 the 28-year-old from Pontyclun, said he was "not interested in fame" but wanted a "conversation" about matters that bothered him. Airing grievances ranging from lockdown parties held by Boris Johnson to the Tavistock gender clinic, Dighton, who represented himself in court, cited issues he said had been bothering him for years. Sign up for our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here. The Old Bailey heard he defendant harboured extreme anti-Islam, anti-immigration and anti-government views. He had sympathy for far right politics and misogynistic Incel groups. Alexander Dighton has been jailed for life (Image: PA Media ) A police investigation into Dighton's activities after the attack showed he had shared some of these entrenched views on social media, including X, and in chat rooms , but they had not been so extreme as to have broken the law. The gamer also identified with characters on Warhammer. Article continues below Addressing the court as he faced a life sentence behind bars Dighton said in a matter of fact tone: "I don't care about myself being noticed. Fame is not important to me. What I think is important is having a conversation about where Britain is right now. Whether violence against the state is justified. "Has the state got to a point where violence is justified? You have grooming gangs and Boris Johnson having parties in lockdown. Open corruption. You have the Tavistock Clinic mutilating children. 'I have been watching this for 15 years…this is years of build up. People have such a short memory. 'I will be done. It doesn't bother me." Dighton was armed with a knife, sharpened poles and Molotov cocktails when he attacked Talbot Green police station on January 31 this year. Today he was jailed for life with a minimum of 22 years in prison for the attack. The loner, who lived in Pontyclun, previously admitted 10 charges relating to the attack, including attempting to murder of a police officer. Dighton, who the court hard has been of good behaviour in custody and had no previous convictions, was considered to have been motivated by terrorism, the judge said. He had shown no remorse for the attack which left police officers needing hospital treatment and still held "rigid" and extremist views. The former prize winning student, who won a Wales-wide competition in advanced mechanical engineering for his computer-aided design of a wobbler engine aged 18, told the court his unhappiness with the system had begun at school. Diagnosed with Asperger's aged seven he spent two years at a special educational needs primary before going on to mainstream secondary and university. The court heard he had had some mental health problems and a "difficult" family upbringing. Article continues below But the judge deemed there were no mitigating factors for the violence he committed at Talbot Green police station, other than early guilty pleas, and he represented a continuing danger with his lack of remorse and entrenched views.
