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More Ratmen in 40k: An interesting little detail in the lore

In a prior post, I discussed the very rare occassions in which the Skaven have appeared in/been linked to 40k lore, which can be found here: https://madministratum.blogspot.com/2026/04/skaven-in-40k-not-as-crazy-as-you-might.html In future, I will uploaded a series of posts about the space hulk The Gallowdark and its history and denizens. And, you know, you can find some very interesting things hidden away in its depths. Including, it turns out, a reference to ratmen I missed in my initial post: The denizens of the Gallowdark are countless in number and myriad in their diversity. The screams and howls of tortured machine spirits, strange sentiences and unnatural, malign entities haunt the corridors. Deformed arachnid predators and flesh-craving ratmen dwell in the darkest tunnels, while winged monsters hang from iron rafters ready to strike at any unfortunate who roam into their territory. Many of the Gallowkind’s monsters defy any kind of categorization and hail from long-forgotten ti...
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Skaven in 40k? Not as crazy as you might think… A look at the lore

 Now, I know what you think: “Rodents of unusual size? I don’t think they exist”… …in 40k. Well, aside from the Giant Rats of Necromunda, anyway… ( https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Necromundan_Giant_Rats ) But Ratmen? These so-called Skaven? Inconceivable! They have absolutely no connection to 40k, surely?* Well, that’s not quite true… In this post I will: 1.      Very briefly cover GW’s plans to introduce Skaven to 40k as a faction, which never materialised. 2.      Showcase some actual connections between the Skaven and 40k which did make it into the lore. Then in a later post I will survey some elements of the lore which facilitate headcanon and homebrew to justify why Skaven might appear in 40k in a more robust fashion, should you so wish. *(Then again, some claim they are merely a myth in the Old World of Warhammer Fantasy too…) Section 1: Plans to introduce the Skaven to 40k As is well known, many of the races from Warhammer Fantasy were ported d...
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Fun fact: the Slann may be amphibian due to a bad pun

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The concept of an ancient progenitor race who seeded the galaxy/universe hundreds of thousand or millions of years ago is hardly unique to Warhammer. The general idea was evident in Scifi and Fantasy before the Slann were incorporated into Warhammer in such a role (because, of course, Warhammer lore was shaped by nabbing ideas from various sources of inspiration, sometimes quite wholesale, and mixing them together), and we have seen it become an ever more prominent trope, especially in computer games, what with the Precursors of Halo, the Xel'Naga in Starcraft, and many more besides. The Slann in Warhammer, who were the ancient precursors on both the Warhammer World of Fantasy and in the 40k galaxy (with the former being stated to be situated within the latter in the early lore, just isolated by Warp storms) were quite distinctive, though, in part due to their relationship to the Warp (and various hints their empire may have spanned different realities and across time). But also be...
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Reminder: The Warp is explicitly stated to not follow logical rules of cause and effect and is ultimately incomprehensible

I feel like is worthwhile to post a reminder (or perhaps an explainer, for those who are unaware of the relevant lore) about the nature of the Warp (also called the Realm of Chaos, the Immaterium, the Sea of Souls etc), with some supporting quotes. It is very common to see people online claiming that certain things related to the Warp aren't true or cannot be true because they are illogical and/or don't seem coherent and consistent. But this misunderstands the whole point of how the Warp is conceptualised and goes against what the lore actually says and has said. Many times. Over decades. And some of the things people claim aren't or cannot be true are in fact very much a part of the lore. The Warp has consistently and explicitly been stated to defy our expectations of notions of cause and effect, of temporality, to be formless and infinitely malleable, and to be ultimately incomprehensible - even if it sometimes has some relation the laws of reality, at least when the dime...
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A deep dive into the multiversal nature of the Warp, part 3: ‘Worlds of Warhammer: Unleashing the Dark Gods of Chaos’, White Dwarf 514

Previously,  I made a couple of posts surveying the history of the concept of the Warp as being a multiversal presence which connects to myriad realities, including each of the main Warhammer settings. They surveyed lots and lots of different sources, and can be found here: https://madministratum.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-deep-deep-dive-into-what-lore-says.html And here: https://madministratum.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-deep-deep-dive-into-what-lore-says_10.html In this post, I am going to focus on one specific article from the July 2025 issue of White Dwarf , for a few reasons: First, because it is one of the most in-depth discussions of the metaphysics of the Warp and Chaos to have been published in recent times. Second, because although others have made posts about it before, the article is very extensive and dense, and is worthy – I think – of a more in-depth overview rather than just a few snippets. Third, because most fans and users of this sub won’t have read, nor are likely to – a...
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A deep, deep dive into what the lore says about multiversal nature of the Warp, part 2: Older lore

 In a prior post (available here: https://madministratum.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-deep-deep-dive-into-what-lore-says.html ) I surveyed the way in which a multiverse connected by the Warp has featured in recent lore in what could be called the ‘current era’ (post-End Times and start of AoS, and post-Fall of Cadia and Great Rift), including both in the individual lores of 40k and AoS as well as mentions of a connection between the 40k galaxy and the Mortal Realms of Age of Sigmar via the Warp. Now I will chart some older sources (from 40k and the Horus Heresy books, and WHFB, as well as other GW games too) which also present a multiversal view, with the same Warp and Chaos touching different realities. This is not to claim that all of the old lore is still relevant (or completely relevant), though some bits may be. It is rather to help trace how enduring the concept in question has been, and to help track how it has evolved in implementation over the decades. Indeed, as will be seen, t...
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