The fantasy genre opens us up to new and exciting worlds. Worlds where the abnormal is commonplace, where the impossible is routine, and where we can explore the potential of our own society in the boundless possibilities of another. Writers have long used the genre to reflect on the values of humanity or work through the trauma of their history. Ursula K. Le Guin, Terry Pratchett, and Diana Wynne Jones (to name but a few) have all made a mark on the minds of their readers. Yet when it comes to the fantasy settings of our wargames, the potential of these fantasy worlds is often limited and diminished by a key omission: gender equality.
Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History
The inevitable first hurdle when you talk about gender diversity is existing representation. The Green Lady, Samacris, Shaarlyot, Lady Ilona — those are exceptional women that immediately spring to mind, not to mention the Basilean army has an entire subsection of women warriors. That’s great, and the game is better for their presence. So what about the faceless regiments that make up the majority of models? Where is the lady who stands third spear from the left? The single best sprue for mixed representation is the Halfling infantry where 4/10 models are female presenting. Basilean Sisterhood or Naiad models are welcome outliers but specifically gender segregated in the lore. The usual ratio for the entire model range is 0/10.
What I want to convey more than anything is the need for unremarkable women. Not the heroes of legend but us mediocre women who exist as a cog in the machine. The feeling that you have no place in a fantasy world unless you stand above the crowd or exist off screen is isolating. Especially when the rank and file miniatures that make up your army don’t even recognize your existence. Huge swathes of actual history are unknown. Well-behaved women weren’t able to record their own stories which were beneath the notice of influential men. In a fictional universe there is plenty of space for women who don’t stand out to be seen in the background… if the (majority male) sculptors and writers have motivation to put us there.
Representation isn’t exclusively a simple binary choice. Inhuman species can have gender presentation unrecognizable to a modern human. Who can tell if a 28mm skeleton is a man? What about an abyssal horror? Certainly there are no Salamander lizard boobies. We live in a society that tends to default to masculine and in which martial pursuits are largely male-coded activities. In the absence of a Mantic treatise on the seven recognized genders of Abyssal Dwarf society, there is an unspoken, modern societal assumption of masculinity. It is a missed opportunity to let this state of affairs continue when there is such potential to explore.
They Draw the Line at Equality
We see the theme of exceptional women reflected in the models and lore of many wargames. Kings of War has the Basilean Sisterhood and Naiads. Warhammer 40k has the Sisters of Battle. Warmachine has Blood Weavers, A Song of Ice and Fire has Spearwives. All of these are wonderful in isolation but exist as part of a wider trend. A trend where women are set apart from the norm and allowed to excel in a domain where the authority of men is unchallenged. For example, Naiads in Kings of War are skilled fighters and have a compelling backstory; they are a significant part of the Trident Realm and can command armies as Centurions… yet they still bow to a Trident King.
Through unconscious bias, un-challenged misogyny, or simple lack of imagination, our fantasy and sci-fi worlds lack a 50/50 representation of women (or even the existence of non-binary genders) in their lore and model ranges. It’s not good enough and it’s not acceptable. If it’s possible to imagine conjuring fire from the air, skeletons rising to fight the living, and mythological beasts roaming free… how is it possible to justify a gender imbalance? Does a woman standing in the battle line with her brother challenge the suspension of disbelief more than a dragon? J. R. R. Tolkien, a giant of the fantasy genre, was particularly poor at representing women in his narratives. Why waste a chance to explore what he couldn’t?
Anyone who draws the line at equality and fails to represent unremarkable women in a box with unremarkable men wastes potential. Anyone who requires women to be segregated in their own domain to be powerful lacks imagination. Anyone who writes for a world with the unchallenged assumption that men are dominant sells themselves and their world short. We don’t need to tolerate this state of affairs when there are hugely talented women and non-binary writers ready and willing to build Pannithor with the current team.
No Taxation without Representation
Which brings me to my next point — entire wars have been fought and thousands died to secure representation in government. There are videos of young black girls bursting into joyful tears at the sight of Halle Bailey as Ariel. Representation matters and if a wargames company is willing to accept women’s custom then it should step up and show they have an equal place in its world. It’s a disgrace that America has women in their Space Force before Games Workshop has women in their Space Marines, all because of unchallenged misogyny from twenty years ago.
Representation offers so much potential for a narrative that brings imaginary worlds to life. As a race born from the tears of a Goddess, the Dwarfs of Pannithor could venerate traditionally feminine values such as nurture and warmth of the hearth. As a race forged in the Abyss and lacking mortal concepts, we could explore the Riftforged Orcs discovering gender and evolving their own identities in Pannithor. Who doesn’t want to read the love affair between two men of the Northern Alliance forging bonds in battle and then sharing the warmth of their bodies in the long, cold nights?
A failure to reflect the potential of human experience and explore how magical and mythical worlds might shape it is disappointing. Whilst Kings of War offers an enticing rule set, enjoyable battles, and a respectable tournament scene… bog-standard fantasy tropes that favor outdated concepts where male experience is the default are ten a penny. The potential was written into the very bones of Kings of War when Calisor couldn’t accept that no means no. Throwing an entire world into turmoil because he saw Elianthora as a prize rather than a person sets up a sublime feminist narrative on the importance of respect and consent.
Where Do We Go from Here?
Bringing a product to market takes time, especially a model kit. With that in mind there’s no time like the present for any sculpts in development to begin a policy of equal representation. Equality is worth waiting for but not dithering over. For ranges already in existence, Mantic has shown the ability to make upgrade sets for weapon options. If budget allows, then why not gender presentation? It could be a sculptor’s dream to work out how a Naiad outside the gender binary might re-invent themselves.
Lore and fiction can have a quicker turn around if there is a genuine will for change. Whilst a novel needs time to craft, a short story can be written, edited, and on the website in relatively quick time. New concepts can be introduced in articles that look at factions, then transferred to the upcoming digital downloads as canon. There is no need to maintain a softly, softly approach to change. There’s a rules committee; why can’t I start a lore committee?
Not all action has to come from Mantic. You the player have the power to bring about representation. Change the heads around on your models, have that general sport pigtails and a badass axe as she charges into battle. Challenge yourself to notice when you default to ‘he’ when describing models. Try referring to your general as ‘she’ or your dragon as ‘they’. Gender is a playground and your toy soldiers are ready to play with, just be kind to the other kids and have fun.
Superb Article, also for those wishing to make a better mix, the Northern Alliance Clans folk sprue can make many female and non-binary troops.
Hmm, Perhaps I need to source some female warriors to fill out my Huscarls regiments…
Wargaming is dominated by middle-aged white men for good reason. Simply other social groups are not interested in it and it is not due to the lack of an appropriate number of female models (which is high enough). Just as wargaming is a typically male hobby, crocheting is a female hobby with a negligible percentage of men. And this is not due to the limited availability of “male” crocheting patterns. We just like different things! Males like calculating percentages, abstract planning and war more than women does.
Anyone worried about the small percentage of women in carpentry? No! Why should we?
Moreover (this is my personal experience), the few women who play battle gamesI know do not play typically female armies at all. They are usually demons / vampires / rats / orcs. Which in itself gives a lot to think about.
That’s an interesting thought. Although I hope you’ll allow that assuming something is how it is because of inherent difference is an excellent way of perpetuating barriers to inclusion without the need for self reflection.
I am not assuming males and females are interested in different hobbies. I am presenting a fact. I do self reflect about that topic for at least 20 years now. I really wanted more female wargame. I am a gamer for almost 30 years and have a ton of experience ‘in the field’ but I have never seen any rules or behaviours that exclude women from gaming. Problem is wargaming itself.
Not sure if You have ever tried to introduce a girl/woman into gaming. I did that many times as a player and a person who runs a modelling club for kids and adults. Woman in general are interested in painting minis. Orcs, female wizard… Choice of models is very personal. One thing most of them have in common is lack of interest when it comes to wargaming itself. And most of females I introduced to wargaming were used to board games before so the concept was not new to them. Just boardgames are not wargames. I never heard a single complaint about lack of right minis to paint either. Problem is the essence of the hobby. Smashing your friend’s army with yours. The competitive aspect of it. Most women in gaming I know paint models for theirs spouse but do not play games. Just not interested. Even in most comfortable environment of their own homes.
I can see only one way to get equality into gaming. By forcing parities.
I really believe in the idea of equal opportunities not equal outcomes.
P.S.
On a more fun note. Mantic introduced a lot on left-handed minis to the game in recent years. I am a left-handed person myself and this stroke me when I saw so many sets with left-handed models (which is un-historical really and therefore wierd to see in fantasy). Anyway. This did not introduce more left-handed people into gaming …
As far as you know it hasn’t brought more left handed people into wargames.
Do you see though how nice it was to feel represented?
Also, left handed fighters were of great value to historical armies, especially when it came to attacking up a spiral staircase well.
Options are always welcome. Mandation is rarely so.
It’s cool to crusade for toys that you feel represent you. All power to your elbow in that. Companies like Bad Squiddo and North Star (Frostgrave) already produce some “sensible” female models (as opposed to the cheesecake variety), several of which I have bought over the years.
Its somewhat less cool to call anyone choosing not to play with them abusive names such as “misogynist”, “sexist” etc. however. Its a simple fact that females have played a less visible part in pre-modern military contexts. Fantasies that reflect that historical reality (note I said “less visible”, not “non-existent”) may lack imagination, but still not be absurd. One of the excellent things Bad Squiddo has done has been to shine a light on the female contribution in “normal” military contexts – such as the land army, spying, SOE etc.
Fantasy is fantasy, however. My vision of my army of toys is is *my* business not yours. We all have a personal vision of our fantasy worlds, gleaned over many years from many influences. Judgementalism doesn’t sit well in a hobby space. To be kind is to be wise. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Calling names is never a good look and usually, in my experience, results in an outcome opposite to the one desired.
It’s interesting how personally you are taking this. Like you are invested in a status quo that doesn’t challenge you in any way.
This article really resonated with me.
I am a transgender woman starting that journey comparatively late in life (I’m in my 30s). For decades, miniatures wargaming of various stripes has been a huge part of my life and I never had to consider whether my face ‘fit’ in the local community.
However, recent trips to my “friendly” local game store have left me questioning whether this is a hobby I want to continue investing time, money and energy into at all. Whether it’s conversations about “pronouns”, people opening with the classic “I’m not racist but…” or ‘casual’ discussion about “woke” superhero media, the wargaming space often feels regressive and unwelcoming. I don’t even necessarily think this is a deliberate decision on the part of many participants; it is part of that age-old aversion to conflict in geek spaces. We just fail to recognise that the people espousing such views are, in fact, engaging in a conflict already and allowing them to do so unchallenged is not a neutral act. It chooses a side.
The fact that conversations about this immediately cause men to come out with a barrage of defensive, angry, ahistorical and (frankly) bigoted remarks to justify why it simply isn’t possible or reasonable for any company to do better is as unsurprising as it is disheartening.
Given how difficult it often is to find a consistent playerbase for any non-Games Workshop product, I’d suggest that such environments are self-defeating in the long term as well as being morally repugnant.
I hope these attitudes die out before the hobby does. But if it doesn’t I have to wonder – was it ever really worth saving?
*hug*
My favorite Elven warrior _always_ complains when I play KoW that she has to pretend to be a King or Prince. She thinks it is particularly discriminatory given that even in the so-called “Kingdoms of Men” army, female warrior heros are welcomed with gender-neutral titles such as General and Hero (and now Monarch). She’d much rather play Dragon Rampant where she can be a Leader, and if she intends to be particularly brutal she can even take the Man Slayer special ability. Which actually works against all humans, but she likes the sound of it.
Keep swinging the hammer, Jessica. Mantic will catch up eventually.
Really enjoyed your article especially the simple call to action on players. I actually write in the Mantic fanfic group on Facebook and try to rotate male and female protagonists between stories. I still need to expand into non binary and more sexualities but they’re on my radar.
Thanks. I immediately recognised your name from the fanfic group, enjoy reading your stuff.