The Madministratum

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...

 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...