Being a woman who plays Warhammer can suck. This isn’t news, of course.
At least as a woman playing video games, you can mostly cross enemy lines without a hitch, even if you play online multiplayer. After all, disguising your gender can be as simple as turning off your mic and resisting the deep-seated urge to play a healer (I’m joking… mostly).
Playing in person - often a prerequisite for wargames and the best tabletop RPGs - can throw a real spanner in the works. What you share of yourself is no longer your gamertag or your avatar. It’s your face, your body, your voice – each an element carrying with it its very own cultural baggage.
When you pick up tabletop games, you’re often looking for a little more than just someone to play with; you’re looking for a community. As the heated 'discourse' around the place of women in Warhammer 40K’s canon surges on, it’s a stinging reminder that finding that community is not always so easy if you’re not a dude.
As a 15-year-old girl with a voracious desire to play TTRPGs and a friend group who couldn't be less interested in the idea, I struggled to organically tap into the tabletop hobby. My first contact with wargames happened on the suggestion of a teacher of mine. Apparently, her son (a fellow D&D nerd) wandered into the Warhammer store after the Age of Sigmar launch drew in him like a moth to a fantasy flame. Cue the friendly sales assistants initiating him into the wonderful world(s) of Warhammer. Yes, please. I’ll have what he’s having.
Once I convinced my best friend to stray from our usual Saturday routine of drinking bubble tea and buying tat at Forbidden Planet, the plan was in motion. I was going to the Warhammer store. Unfortunately, I didn't exactly receive the same warm reception.
