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I've never personally seen anyone with a 40k tattoo. Do you have one or have you seen anyone with one? If so what was it?

I don't personally, but I've seen loads - try googling "Warhammer Tattoo".

There used to be a statement on GW's site expressly forbidding the use of any of their art / IP for tattoos, but I can't see it there now.

beast_gts wrote:
There used to be a statement on GW's site expressly forbidding the use of any of their art / IP for tattoos, but I can't see it there now.

In the days of Kirby, all game store managers were equipped with cheese-graters, in case any customers were discovered to have unauthorised tattoos.

Of course, I generally don't really like tattoos, but if getting one, I would strongly recommend against something that's as likely to change as a game or setting. And, of course, there are plenty of situations where one doesn't want to be associated with such hobbies. Or worse, to meet someone with vague knowledge of it and what the different factions stand for.

Currently on two, neither 40K related.

My favourite is The Three Faces of Stupid - Quintesson body, three different Beavis faces (Normal, Cornholio, In pain)

Not a good idea, at least here, if you want to find some specific jobs. I plan to join the police academy after school, and durning health exam, there is a commission that checks if you have tatoos on you. If it is something like blood type, very popular among truck drivers in Poland, then it ain't a problem. But if it is skulls, guns or anything that the commission may find offensive, it may be hard to impossible to get in to the police force. And I am speaking about hidden tatoos here. If you get a neck, hands or face tatoos, you will never get enlisted. Same with teachers, professional army recruits, priests, customs officers etc. Hard to get in to med school or law school too. Because they may let you in, but because specific commissions decide if you are alllowed to join a specific specialisations, there is never going to be a tatooed judge or a surgeon. And not everyone wants to be a dentist or dermatologist.

beast_gts wrote:
I don't personally, but I've seen loads - try googling "Warhammer Tattoo".

There used to be a statement on GW's site expressly forbidding the use of any of their art / IP for tattoos, but I can't see it there now.

Probably because it's entirely unenforceable?

I don't have any 40k tattoos, but I do have malifaux and guildball related ones. I (obviously) don't see the problem with tats, gaming or otherwise, and more and more it's a non issue, especially as regards non-visible ones. Hands/face might still be an issue, depending on what your job is.

My only issue is with permanence of tattoos vs interest/love for a toy soldiers game. You REALLY better not get bored with your army of choice.
And if it's Imperium, you better not mind being mistaken for a fashy from time to time...

Karol wrote:
Not a good idea, at least here, if you want to find some specific jobs. I plan to join the police academy after school, and durning health exam, there is a commission that checks if you have tatoos on you. If it is something like blood type, very popular among truck drivers in Poland, then it ain't a problem. But if it is skulls, guns or anything that the commission may find offensive, it may be hard to impossible to get in to the police force. And I am speaking about hidden tattoos here. If you get a neck, hands or face tattoos, you will never get enlisted. Same with teachers, professional army recruits, priests, customs officers etc. Hard to get in to med school or law school too. Because they may let you in, but because specific commissions decide if you are allowed to join a specific specialisations, there is never going to be a tatooed judge or a surgeon. And not everyone wants to be a dentist or dermatologist.

I totally agree, but society is changing rapidly with the number and prevalence of tattoos in young people. While it still may be uncommon in many parts of the business world and society, there will be a slow acceptance as the age of our population occurs and more people that have tattoos age in to senior positions, CEOs, agencies, etc. and the curve will swing into it being an accepted part of society - heck, look how far it has come in the last 20 years, but it still has quite a way to go.

Cronch wrote:
My only issue is with permanence of tattoos vs interest/love for a toy soldiers game. You REALLY better not get bored with your army of choice.
And if it's Imperium, you better not mind being mistaken for a fashy from time to time...

Isn't that the issue with nearly every tattoo? There is little that you might see that has relevance now for a person, but many years from now will it hold the same value and importance? Sure, it can be a gorgeous work of art and all and it will transcend time; however, that is not always the case. One of my favorite shows was Inkmaster (until Covid blew up the end of the season) and I never missed a season and being an illustrator myself I truly appreciate the art and talent being displayed.

There just seem to be a lot of people that get a tattoo with a theme that will clearly be irrelevant in their lives in a number of years, so I would imagine there are a lot of people with gaming tattoos.

Myself personally? (if anyone cared!) I spent over 20 years active and reserve and retired with benefits in the US Navy and never managed to wind up with a tattoo, but if I did, it would probably be a very small starred anchor to depict the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer I achieved, as that will be something that will be with me until the day I die and always relevant.

...cheese grater... LOL!!!

Also, peeps get tattoos for different reasons.

I dare say there’s a fair number of folk who got tribal tattoos in the late 90’s early 00’s regretting their decision, as it always struck me more as a fashion statement. But there’ll also be a bunch perfectly happy with them, as they’re still part of the tapestry of their life.

Mine are pop culture references, and I started at the tender age of 38.

Once COVID is in hand, I will be adding to them. Right arm is going to be lots of smaller ones, all referencing Nerd Media I enjoy. At the moment there’s the Rocky Horror lips with “Science Fiction” above, and “Double Feature” below, setting it all up quite nicely.

What exactly they’ll be, I dunno. I tend to steer away from flash sheets, as I want mine to be unique designs. But if someone can do a really excellent TARDIS, Dalek or what have you, I’d be OK with it. After all, it’s the composition of the larger piece that’ll be unique at the end of the day.

I don't have any tattoos myself. I like tattoos, but my tastes shift too frequently for something so permanent!

That said, I have friends. And those friends .. have tattoos.

One guy who just picked up 40k for the first time about 2 years ago has a 1/2 sleeve. It's a Primaris marine standing on a demon skull and brandishing a heavy bolt rifle.

Another friend has several smaller tats. He's got a Sisters of Battlel tat, a few very small Nurgle related ones, and something else that I can't recall atm.

There also used to be a guy around here who had a huge back-piece that was one of John Blanche's old "Emperor of Mankind on the Golden Throne" sketches.

And not so much at the local Warhammer store, but at the good 'ol LGS, there are a plethora of various Ork tattoos.

 MDSW wrote:

I totally agree, but society is changing rapidly with the number and prevalence of tattoos in young people. While it still may be uncommon in many parts of the business world and society, there will be a slow acceptance as the age of our population occurs and more people that have tattoos age in to senior positions, CEOs, agencies, etc. and the curve will swing into it being an accepted part of society - heck, look how far it has come in the last 20 years, but it still has quite a way to go.

Now I can't speak for the entire world, but yeah it is changing. Only localy, as in my country, it is getting more and more conservative. I did not live 20 years ago, so can't say how things were back then. And considering how hard most of the jobs are to get in to, and the way of how you get in to them. There is no way that a bunch of 50-60y old MDs or Law professors suddenly decide that having a full blown maori tatoo as a judge or pediatrician is okey. May take a bit longer around here. Not that there aren't tatooed people here, specialy in big cities or in jobs when no one cares.

No tattoos yet, but I became firmly entranced by the possibilities after watching a lot of 'Ink Master' - a sort of reality tv show competition.

I will most definitely get one that I think will translate well, be timeless, and have an artist that can pull it off. Half of the Warhammer tattoos I've seen are kind of bleh copied of existing art work.

I wound consider these to be really well done:

I've got a tat of the Imperial Aquila. I still like the lore for 40K for the most part even if I'm not a fan of the game often. Society itself depends heavily. Safest place for a tattoo is say is shoulder if you are worried. Most people don't care as much about that, even the military.

 grrrfranky wrote:

beast_gts wrote:
I don't personally, but I've seen loads - try googling "Warhammer Tattoo".

There used to be a statement on GW's site expressly forbidding the use of any of their art / IP for tattoos, but I can't see it there now.

Probably because it's entirely unenforceable?

I don't have any 40k tattoos, but I do have malifaux and guildball related ones. I (obviously) don't see the problem with tats, gaming or otherwise, and more and more it's a non issue, especially as regards non-visible ones. Hands/face might still be an issue, depending on what your job is.

The way things are in america now i would not be surprised if big biz paid their government and courts to rule that an american citizen could be ordered by a judge to remove a tattoo and if he refused be held in jail without trial until he 'agreed' to have it removed, or was possibly removed by force and he was billed for the process.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Karol wrote:
Not a good idea, at least here, if you want to find some specific jobs. I plan to join the police academy after school, and durning health exam, there is a commission that checks if you have tatoos on you. If it is something like blood type, very popular among truck drivers in Poland, then it ain't a problem. But if it is skulls, guns or anything that the commission may find offensive, it may be hard to impossible to get in to the police force. And I am speaking about hidden tatoos here. If you get a neck, hands or face tatoos, you will never get enlisted. Same with teachers, professional army recruits, priests, customs officers etc. Hard to get in to med school or law school too. Because they may let you in, but because specific commissions decide if you are alllowed to join a specific specialisations, there is never going to be a tatooed judge or a surgeon. And not everyone wants to be a dentist or dermatologist.

Nothing against you, so nothing personal but i'm glad i don't live in your country.

Nothing 40K related. My only tattoo is the Shadow Lords glyph from Werewolf: The Apocalypse.

Veldrain wrote:
Nothing 40K related. My only tattoo is the Shadow Lords glyph from Werewolf: The Apocalypse.

That deserves an exalt!

 MDSW wrote:


I totally agree, but society is changing rapidly with the number and prevalence of tattoos in young people. While it still may be uncommon in many parts of the business world and society, there will be a slow acceptance as the age of our population occurs and more people that have tattoos age in to senior positions, CEOs, agencies, etc. and the curve will swing into it being an accepted part of society - heck, look how far it has come in the last 20 years, but it still has quite a way to go.

Police forces may have very strict restrictions though. Here in Italy visible tattoos (of any kind) are absolutely forbidden for cops: recently a female cop was fired because she had a very tiny star tattoo on her wrist that wasn't noticed before, as it could be entirely covered by wearing a watch. Rule here for cops is no tattoos in visible areas of the body. If the uniform can cover them no problem, if not look for another job. So no exception for her and she lost the job.

 Blackie wrote:

 MDSW wrote:


I totally agree, but society is changing rapidly with the number and prevalence of tattoos in young people. While it still may be uncommon in many parts of the business world and society, there will be a slow acceptance as the age of our population occurs and more people that have tattoos age in to senior positions, CEOs, agencies, etc. and the curve will swing into it being an accepted part of society - heck, look how far it has come in the last 20 years, but it still has quite a way to go.

Police forces may have very strict restrictions though. Here in Italy visible tattoos (of any kind) are absolutely forbidden for cops: recently a female cop was fired because she had a very tiny star tattoo on her wrist that wasn't noticed before, as it could be entirely covered by wearing a watch. Rule here for cops is no tattoos in visible areas of the body. If the uniform can cover them no problem, if not look for another job. So no exception for her and she lost the job.

I think they relaxed things in the U.K. in that regard.

But a blanket ban does make some sense. After all, in the internet age the meanings associated with symbols can rapidly change, even if the new meaning is widely disputed. So something I get as perhaps a Pop Culture Reference today, might be seen as distinctly unsavoury in months to come.

Example? A friend got an awesome tattoo last year. Excellent quality, and a nice piece. Of one Marilyn Manson. At the time, just an endorsement of the music, and her attraction to the bloke. Today? Erm.......umm.......yikes.

Because regardless of why you got a tattoo, or wear a tee, or piece of Jewellery? It’s the perceptions of others you have to worry about. Whilst Us Nerds would recognise an Imperial Aquila for what it is, it’d quite open to interpretation, and from there emerges conversations I wouldn’t have the energy to have. So no Aquila for me. Not even the ones from my complete collection of Koyo blind bag pins (including the golden one).

Another example is a recent effort to paint David Bowie as a fascist. This stems from an interview during his Thin White Duke period where he did indeed endorse fascism. Except....the Thin White Duke was a character. And Bowie was very clearly off his box on Rock Star Drugs. Never mind that in following years he addressed that, explained and importantly apologised, Internet Busybodies will Internet Busybody*

Now, your mileage, dear reader, may very well vary there. And genuinely completely fair enough. The above is just my take, reasoning and choice. You do you

*This term used as its entirely apolitical.

 Matt Swain wrote:

The way things are in america now i would not be surprised if big biz paid their government and courts to rule that an american citizen could be ordered by a judge to remove a tattoo and if he refused be held in jail without trial until he 'agreed' to have it removed, or was possibly removed by force and he was billed for the process.



Nothing against you, so nothing personal but i'm glad i don't live in your country.

Wasn't there some youtuber who was made to remove the word "warhammer" from his name, at the threat of a law suit, because GW deemed his content in appropriate to what they claim to support socialy and politicaly. A regular random probably wouldn't have to be worried. But if some leader of a nazi party slaped the imperial eagle on his forehead, and then appored with it not covered up in public places like TV or adds etc, they make sue him .

Plus it all depends on local law too. For example in Poland today two jewish history professors could court orders, because a niece of a ( hard to translat in to enlish with one word) szmalcownik, didn't like the fact that in a state sponsored science work, her uncles name came up as a person who killed jews, and black mailed them after the war till the 50s . And all she had for her was her being part of the ruling party, from the ruling parties home base and being supported by the right wing organisation that takes to court anyone who dares to claim Poland or Poles were ever bad.

I have a few, 2 40K (dark angels my original first army), 1 anime related, 1 battletech related and 2 heavy metal band related.

Karol wrote:

Wasn't there some youtuber who was made to remove the word "warhammer" from his name, at the threat of a law suit, because GW deemed his content in appropriate to what they claim to support socialy and politicaly. A regular random probably wouldn't have to be worried. But if some leader of a nazi party slaped the imperial eagle on his forehead, and then appored with it not covered up in public places like TV or adds etc, they make sue him .

That was Arch. From what I've seen of the issues surrounding him, he's done a Youtube video comparing Gnoblars from Warhammer Fantasy to all kinds of racist Jewish stereotypes, and there are screenshots of his private Discord server with all sorts of racist slurs being used by him and others in the server. (He claims it was all "jokes".) I'm not surprised that GW doesn't want their product associated with him.

Yeah, I don't get jokes in general, so I try to not make them. But in general making jokes about race is at best very stupid to do. Maybe about your own, or yourself, but I have no idea who the guy is, nor do I care much to be honest.

Fans are one thing, but being a content creator is another. They are kind of ambasadors of the brand and company, official or not.

I actually drew one up, and I haven't even played since 6th edition. My first army was blood angels, and I did a lot of growing up during the time of playing BA, so ever since then (about 14 years ago) I have always used the BA symbol whenever I get the chance.

The Latin says "Purified by the Blood"

Just once I'd like to see someone tell gw to go commit a physically impossible reproductive act and force gw to back down. As to yeeting all the 40k channels, i don't think they'd be that stupid but if they want to alienate more gamers, fine. Also in a lot of countries trying to do that would be a non starter.

I'd never get tatted but if I had to get tone, i think it'd be this one:

I heard it was fashionable for sailors to be tattooed with Diaz Daemonettes and a plethora of boobworms.

 Matt Swain wrote:
Just once I'd like to see someone tell gw to go commit a physically impossible reproductive act and force gw to back down. As to yeeting all the 40k channels, i don't think they'd be that stupid but if they want to alienate more gamers, fine. Also in a lot of countries trying to do that would be a non starter.

I read through that situation. The synopsis above seems like mental gymnastics and I'll leave it at that. Just jokes, bro!

I'm getting my first tattoo once quarantine ends, and I'll start with either the classic Necron heiroglyph or the skull from the album Epicus Doomicus Metallicus by Candlemass. I'm leaning towards the heiroglyph since that might be less hard to mess up.

I've seen a few warhammer tattoos in my day, I know a guy with the symbols of all the chaos gods on his arms. I've been tempted to get one myself one day but im worried about which one will be best and also I'm worried about it being confused for some nazi stuff that maybe I'll just hold off.

If i ever got a tattoo it would be a small picture of a turtle.

So nothing 40k. Not enough turtles in the game