Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I would imagine that there are even more varieties of races, due to people living on various worlds over many more years than they've existed on earth. Kind of fun to imagine, if you ask me.

 Adeptus Doritos wrote:
I would imagine that there are even more varieties of races, due to people living on various worlds over many more years than they've existed on earth. Kind of fun to imagine, if you ask me.

I think humans have existed on Earth for a pretty long time too. Not to forget that they have technology like gravitic generators.

Maximus Bitch wrote:

 Adeptus Doritos wrote:
I would imagine that there are even more varieties of races, due to people living on various worlds over many more years than they've existed on earth. Kind of fun to imagine, if you ask me.

I think humans have existed on Earth for a pretty long time too. Not to forget that they have technology like gravitic generators.

Probably. But keep in mind that void-born look kind of freaky. Underhivers and Feral Worlders tend to be musclebound monstrousities. Not only would we be 'racially' different, we'd have evolved to have lots more traits.

 Adeptus Doritos wrote:
I would imagine that there are even more varieties of races, due to people living on various worlds over many more years than they've existed on earth. Kind of fun to imagine, if you ask me.

GW would be profiling their own fictional universe though.

You can't say its by chance, unless you say that GW rolls the die when they decide what kind of character they wanna feature.

No lives matter, its the imperium, there is only one race "human...ish"

 Formosa wrote:
No lives matter, its the imperium, there is only one race "human...ish"

Nah, almost all the races in 40k fight amongst themselves. With the exception of the Tau, who are under mind control, and the Tyranids, who have a hive mind.

Maximus Bitch wrote:

 Formosa wrote:
No lives matter, its the imperium, there is only one race "human...ish"

Nah, almost all the races in 40k fight amongst themselves. With the exception of the Tau, who are under mind control, and the Tyranids, who have a hive mind.

Exactly, no lives matter lol

 Galas wrote:
70% human. 15% Ogryns. 10% Ratlings, 5% Navigators and 100% Faith in the Emperor

This is the correct answer.

Extremely varried by the sheer number of people, planets, situations, mutations..

So so so many different factors. Someone could be purple.
Sqauts, rattlings, oygans, navigators, gene modified humans, catchans, and many infinite other variables.

Yeah, and even the Terran-born humans wouldn't look "normal", what with all the radiation and toxins from the Age of Strife.

Human-ish people from across the galaxy, all with their different cultures and languages. Go nuts.

 EmberlordofFire8 wrote:
Yeah, and even the Terran-born humans wouldn't look "normal", what with all the radiation and toxins from the Age of Strife.

They look pretty ok in the HH series art though.

Not much I can add but I'll say it again. Pretty much every imaginable race/ethnicity based on millennia of independent development on hundreds of thousands of different worlds. The fact that you don't see representation of this in GW's featured models is somewhat odd, but understandable given their own somewhat insulated culture and customer base.

 Luciferian wrote:
Not much I can add but I'll say it again. Pretty much every imaginable race/ethnicity based on millennia of independent development on hundreds of thousands of different worlds. The fact that you don't see representation of this in GW's featured models is somewhat odd, but understandable given their own somewhat insulated culture and customer base.

Racially profiling a fictional universe.

 Luciferian wrote:
Not much I can add but I'll say it again. Pretty much every imaginable race/ethnicity based on millennia of independent development on hundreds of thousands of different worlds. The fact that you don't see representation of this in GW's featured models is somewhat odd, but understandable given their own somewhat insulated culture and customer base.

You forgot to call them racists...
In fact, the burden of diversity is on your shoulders. GW provided us with some basic image, and its up to you and YOU ONLY if you follow it or not. Feel free to paint your miniatures in any way you like, give them any background you like. This universe is so vast that almost everything can be somehow justified.

 Hawky wrote:

 Luciferian wrote:
Not much I can add but I'll say it again. Pretty much every imaginable race/ethnicity based on millennia of independent development on hundreds of thousands of different worlds. The fact that you don't see representation of this in GW's featured models is somewhat odd, but understandable given their own somewhat insulated culture and customer base.

You forgot to call them racists...
In fact, the burden of diversity is on your shoulders. GW provided us with some basic image, and its up to you and YOU ONLY if you follow it or not. Feel free to paint your miniatures in any way you like, give them any background you like. This universe is so vast that almost everything can be somehow justified.

But don't dare to paint Space Marine Oficial Chapters in incorrect colours or Female Space marines!

Or the rage of the neckbeards will make the Horus Heresy look like childs arguing.

And I don't think the point that was made is incorrect. GW painted mostly white dudes because they where white dudes selling miniatures to white dudes. Now they are more inclusive, because they have realiced that they are a multinational with a good range of customers profiles. Just a change in marketing strategy. Nothing wrong with that.

 Galas wrote:

 Hawky wrote:

 Luciferian wrote:
Not much I can add but I'll say it again. Pretty much every imaginable race/ethnicity based on millennia of independent development on hundreds of thousands of different worlds. The fact that you don't see representation of this in GW's featured models is somewhat odd, but understandable given their own somewhat insulated culture and customer base.

You forgot to call them racists...
In fact, the burden of diversity is on your shoulders. GW provided us with some basic image, and its up to you and YOU ONLY if you follow it or not. Feel free to paint your miniatures in any way you like, give them any background you like. This universe is so vast that almost everything can be somehow justified.

And I don't think the point that was made is incorrect. GW painted mostly white dudes because they where white dudes selling miniatures to white dudes. Now they are more inclusive, because they have realiced that they are a multinational with a good range of customers profiles. Just a change in marketing strategy. Nothing wrong with that.

I wouldn't call them racist for appealing to their target audience.

But they have racially profiled their own made-up universe, if that universe is diverse.

 Luciferian wrote:
Not much I can add but I'll say it again. Pretty much every imaginable race/ethnicity based on millennia of independent development on hundreds of thousands of different worlds. The fact that you don't see representation of this in GW's featured models is somewhat odd, but understandable given their own somewhat insulated culture and customer base.

Yeah this fits, and seems pretty realistic.

I'd love to see people introduce some more racial diversity (above and beyond current day diversity) to the modelling of their dudes, if only for the sheer conversion opportunity it represents. There's so much inspiration to be found in current and historical cultures (beyond vaguely medieval european) that can be twisted and seasoned with grimdark to make some really sweet models

I'll actually credit this thread with sparking off my imagination on that front. I've got my first lot modeled already, with a couple more ideas in the works

 Ynneadwraith wrote:

 Luciferian wrote:
Not much I can add but I'll say it again. Pretty much every imaginable race/ethnicity based on millennia of independent development on hundreds of thousands of different worlds. The fact that you don't see representation of this in GW's featured models is somewhat odd, but understandable given their own somewhat insulated culture and customer base.

Yeah this fits, and seems pretty realistic.

I'd love to see people introduce some more racial diversity (above and beyond current day diversity) to the modelling of their dudes, if only for the sheer conversion opportunity it represents. There's so much inspiration to be found in current and historical cultures (beyond vaguely medieval european) that can be twisted and seasoned with grimdark to make some really sweet models

I'll actually credit this thread with sparking off my imagination on that front. I've got my first lot modeled already, with a couple more ideas in the works

Spoiler:

Grimdark Techno-Greeks!

Agreed. Are those Interex?

Nearly the background is that they're a human planet (descended from Greek-related colonists) who developed a unique culture during the Age of Strife, before being subsumed into the Imperium. Imperial Archaeographers believe that at some point in their history they had encouters with the Interex, and their elite soldiers are biologically modified to ape the Interex warriors that appear in their myths.

I thought about making Interex, but the fluff was pretty specific that they were regular humans inside mechanical centaur war machines so it didn't fit quite right, and I like the idea of them having the Interex as mythic characters

 Maximus Bitch wrote:

 EmberlordofFire8 wrote:
Yeah, and even the Terran-born humans wouldn't look "normal", what with all the radiation and toxins from the Age of Strife.

They look pretty ok in the HH series art though.

Yes, but then again those aren't the entire Terran population.

 EmberlordofFire8 wrote:

 Maximus Bitch wrote:

 EmberlordofFire8 wrote:
Yeah, and even the Terran-born humans wouldn't look "normal", what with all the radiation and toxins from the Age of Strife.

They look pretty ok in the HH series art though.

Yes, but then again those aren't the entire Terran population.

Yeah, perhaps so.

 Galas wrote:

 Hawky wrote:

 Luciferian wrote:
Not much I can add but I'll say it again. Pretty much every imaginable race/ethnicity based on millennia of independent development on hundreds of thousands of different worlds. The fact that you don't see representation of this in GW's featured models is somewhat odd, but understandable given their own somewhat insulated culture and customer base.

You forgot to call them racists...
In fact, the burden of diversity is on your shoulders. GW provided us with some basic image, and its up to you and YOU ONLY if you follow it or not. Feel free to paint your miniatures in any way you like, give them any background you like. This universe is so vast that almost everything can be somehow justified.

But don't dare to paint Space Marine Oficial Chapters in incorrect colours or Female Space marines!

Or the rage of the neckbeards will make the Horus Heresy look like childs arguing.

And I don't think the point that was made is incorrect. GW painted mostly white dudes because they where white dudes selling miniatures to white dudes. Now they are more inclusive, because they have realiced that they are a multinational with a good range of customers profiles. Just a change in marketing strategy. Nothing wrong with that.

I didn't know there was female Space Marines?

 Galas wrote:

 Hawky wrote:

 Luciferian wrote:
Not much I can add but I'll say it again. Pretty much every imaginable race/ethnicity based on millennia of independent development on hundreds of thousands of different worlds. The fact that you don't see representation of this in GW's featured models is somewhat odd, but understandable given their own somewhat insulated culture and customer base.

You forgot to call them racists...
In fact, the burden of diversity is on your shoulders. GW provided us with some basic image, and its up to you and YOU ONLY if you follow it or not. Feel free to paint your miniatures in any way you like, give them any background you like. This universe is so vast that almost everything can be somehow justified.

But don't dare to paint Space Marine Oficial Chapters in incorrect colours or Female Space marines!

Thats because there aren't any female space marines. Its like if you were a midwife that specialised in a pregnant men. People would look at you funny.


Actually women *could* become half space marines, like Kor Phaeron or Luther. They just wouldn't be full marines, with all the organs.

You are correct, there aren't any female space marines in the official fluff.

What luck we have that people is free to model and paint their miniatures as they want because their have invested they money and time in them, not yours! (Respecting WYSIWYG if you go to tournament, etc...)

Theese are pictures from two pages of the 3d ed guards codex. I think they're relevant for this thread:


Also, greek guardsmen exalted.

Edit: not sure why the sizes got so weird but I'll just leave it like this...

There are only a few "races" in the 40k universe, tithes, those to be taxed, and those that do the taxing haha.