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.

Hey everyone,

I am looking to start a Leagues of Votann army, and wondered if anyone is aware of any Black Library books or anything on Votann?
I couldn't see anything on their website so assuming not but worth an ask to a wider audience!

There is a book just about to come out which will be the first LoV novel.

It's called The High Khal's Oath. It should be coming out relatively soon, but it's Gav Thorpe, so it will either be good-ish or decisively mediocre.

D'oh! - How did I not see that on BL, it's literally the first result when you search Votann!

Thanks!

Something to read whilst I eagerly wait (for a long time) for the LoV Codex!

There is their codex and 2 rulebooks for Killteam (Gallowfall and Termination) that contains the majority of their lore.

There is the short story "A Million Years", which is a Necron Perspective with the Votann as antagonists.

There is the Dawn of Fire series book "Hand of Abadonn" which involves them

There is the upcoming book "High Kahls Oath" by Gav Thorpe available to pre-order today

And there is, technically, the Necromunda Ironhead Squat lore in the book of the Outland and the upcoming book Halls of the Ancestors. But those aren't QUITE Leagues of Votann, even though they are from there originally.

 Gert wrote:
There is a book just about to come out which will be the first LoV novel.

It's called The High Khal's Oath. It should be coming out relatively soon, but it's Gav Thorpe, so it will either be good-ish or decisively mediocre.

He wrote a lot of WHF Dwarf background lore, and several stories for them that are considered to pretty good. I think he'll do alright with 40ks Space Dwarfs.

Amazing, thank you! - I will take a look at these.

In the meantime, there’s this thread from their original launch, which threw up a bunch of interesting observations and theories about the Kin.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/807357.page

Check out White Dwarf #503.

Page 72 to 95 is all votann fluff and rules. It's where I got 99% of my intel on them, and learned they aren't foul xenos like I had been told earlier.

Since the LoV codex states that they are known as the Demiurg and mistaken for aliens, Battlefleet Gothic Demiurg lore is LoV lore

Since Necromunda states that Squats are LoV Kin colonies within the Imperium, Squat lore is LoV lore

the leagues by themselves don't have a lot of lore yet (both in universe and out of it, as much of their own history is forgotten), but they have a lot of old lore to draw upon

Like all GW fluff, nothing is untrue.

The original squat lore from 2nd is still valid, and is a lot closer to current votann than many might realise.

Even going through it and replacing names with new ones, nothing is really that different.

They never went into the specifics of their reproduction, so that's not an issue. They always had access to imperial robots and their guild and clan structure is pretty much unchanged.

Most of what they changed is squat aesthetics. They were always knowledgeable engineers who didn't follow mechanicus doctrine, had living ancestor psykers, lords, berserkers, bikers etc.

The biggest cultural difference is the votann core and gene breeding, which you can apply right over the top of classic squat lore with no issue whatsoever.

Aye, much of old Squat lore still works. Most of the new and wonderful Leagues of Votann background works excellently with the old lore, expanding and exploring rather than replacing it.

Notable replacements would be rule by Hearthspake thing councils rather than Squat Lords (thank the Ancestors, that was always a wart in the old background, because it was way too fantasy Dwarven), and psykers being special template clones rather than living ancestors (both work fine, but living ancestors is a concept unique to Squats, so you may want to endorse it in headcanon anway). But of course you can run a monarchical League, being different from the norm.

By the way, I recommend to embrace "breeding is true" in this original Squat background. Clone breeding and natural breeding can coexist without breaking Votann control over Kin populations. The cloning is obviously meant as a sci-fi answer to slow Dwarf reproduction, so the vast majority of Squats will still be clones. But it leaves space for isolated groups persisting by natural breeding alone.