Historia Squataticus Supplement: Squats Summary from 1994 to 2004

A Comparison Squats material and game-design decision-making from 1994-2004 in White Dwarf and The Citadel Journal (Historia Squataticus Appendix 1)

This table provides a year-by-year summary of the treatment of the Squats from the release of Warhammer 40K 2nd Edition in 1994 to the final reference in 2004. Both 40K and Epic are included in this comparison of White Dwarf and Citadel Journal information.

Living Ancestors Never Forget

Year	White Dwarf	The Citadel Journal
1994	Frequent Epic, not much 40K.	Same as White Dwarf
1995	Continued Epic without new minis, not much 40K.	Continued Epic, including 40K/Epic crossover rules
1996	Incidental Squats 40K & Epic but no really bad news until end of year's report that the new Epic 40,000 would not have the Squats included at the start.	Frequent 40K and Epic material
1997	Only incidental pictures and references, reported as a former army when Epic 40,000 appears in Spring.	Squats Army List for Epic 40,000 published, reports that Squats left out because they could not get them right in time (same with Epic Knights) but high level of response from Squats generals demanded an “unofficial” list until an official army list was developed. Squats rules included in 40K and Necromunda articles.
1998	Febuary issue (217) notes that greatest concern from Warhammer players is “What's happening to the Squats?” but does not address the issue. Later in the year, 40K 3rd edition is announced without any mention of the Squats, but it also massive underestimates of the impact on usability of older models and units, Squats or nots.	Squats featured in several articles for Warhammer 40K, but a Convention Report from late March states that the decision to exclude the Squats from Warhammer 40K 3rd edition has been made, but that they are planning to revive them for 4th edition. So it seems likely that the decision to keep the Squats out of 40K 3rd edition was made in late 1997 or sometime in 1998. We can speculate that the decision evolved from trying to reintroduce the Squats to Epic 40,000, but cannot be certain, and there are no known prototypes or unreleased Epic Squats items from the late 1990s. There are also no known 40K Squats from the time either, the 8 Warhammer 40K 2nd edition Squats were done in 1993 or 1994. But it also clear that GW did not plan on totally eliminating the Squats in 1998, and instead hoped to bring them back to Warhammer 40K (eventually) and Epic 40,000 (hopefully sooner).
1999	Nothing	Discussion of how to use Squat miniatures in Warhammer 40K by Jervis Johnson, Warwick Kinrade, and others. Squats are mentioned in all but one of the 1999 issues. Johnson reports that Squats have been left out of 40K 3rd Edition because the designers have failed to come up with enough good ideas about how to make them into a distinct and coherent army. The general recommendation is to use Squats as Imperial Guard stand-ins or as units within human-dominant IG armies.
2000	January issue (240) features the “Eaten by Nids” customer-service fail by whoever was responsible for the Letters page.	Mostly comments in letters from readers.   However, the final issue from the year reports that Epic Squats infantry sprues are available again; the metal vehicles have likely been continuously available as well.
2001	Nothing	Just one comment in a reader letter.
2002	Nothing	The last year for the Citadel Journal, with Warwick Kinrade mentioning the Squats “Counts As” article from Issue 33 (Late Summer 1999) as a favorite.
2003	Nothing	Citadel Journal no longer published.
2004	Increasingly jittery denials of Space Skaven fail to fully assuage guilt over treatment of Squats, leading to an editorial error in the February issue (289) leaving a reference to the Squats of the Forge World Golgotha being conquered by Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Thraka due to insufficient support from alleged Imperial allies. Warhammer 40K 4th edition is released in the fall with no revitalized Squats.	Citadel Journal no longer published.

The Grudge Master Remembers.

Of Space Marines and Armadillos

By now, the story of Games Workshop's attempt to envelope the well-worn term "Space Marine" in its intellectual property dungeon is well-known. Hungry Ghosts is not interested replaying the indignant arguments against this action. While, yes, Hungry Ghosts is wordy, he also likes to let pictures do the talking.

So let us turn back the clock to an earlier time, when GW was not so keen on respecting intellectual property rights. The year is early 1989. The scene is the back cover of White Dwarf 110. The crime is unlicensed and unattributed use of the intellectual property of another for commercial purposes.

 Here we have a merry band of Space Marines who have found themselves a nice tank. But where did they find that tank? Why, they found it on the shelves of the local toy store. Because it is the Armadillo Mini-Tank from the GI Joe series of action figures made by Hasbro. 

The Armadillo was originally released in 1985, and was available in various forms throughout the rest of the 1980s, and came back in the late 2000s. The Armadillo appeared in the GI Joe cartoon, comic book, television commercials, trading cards... So many places that it is almost impossible to believe that Games Workshop did not know that they were using a product from one of the most popular toy lines of the time manufactured by one of the world's largest toy companies.

But...

It seems that our Armadillo, known to thousands and thousands of boys as the GI Joe Armadillo, quite the popular choice for battlegrounds such as my backyard, is merely a "converted...toy tank model". As opposed to an IP-protected commercially successful product that should have been licensed for use from Hasbro. Or at least identified as what it was. I knew exactly what it was when I bought my copy of White Dwarf 110 in 1989, as my own Armadillo was lurking somewhere in my closet, and even then wondered how GW could use such a popular product for its own purposes without noting what it was.

Now, we do get told that the tank was "converted". But that converting consists mostly of painting it black and removing the roll bar. Or maybe the roll bar got lost, as YoJoe.com points out that it was an easy-to-lose piece.

Here is our link to YoJoe.com, containing a wealth of information about our Armadillo, including a nice Left Front Isometric picture of the tank from the same point of view as the White Dwarf photo.

(It also has a picture of the cover of GI Joe issue 37, featuring the Armadillo being airlifted under the Dragonfly helicopter over an amusement park with Flint leaping off to attack Xamot at the top of a roller coaster. Yeah. Despite Xamot's machine gun pointed his way. And Flint having an M16 and pistol. And the multitude of weaponry on the tank and the assault helicopter.)

http://www.yojoe.com/vehicles/85/armadillo/

Are we being unfair? Are we picking on the little guy, just trying to make it in a tough market? Should we think that maybe GW didn't have the intellectual property savoir-faire to know what it was doing?

Nah. There's the first page of White Dwarf 110, with a slew of IP notices. Games Workshop had already licensed the IP of many other companies - Judge Dredd, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Runequest, Dr Who, Paranoia, Lone Wolf, Dungeons & Dragons, Eternal Champion... in fact GW got its start as a licensed distributor of US roleplaying games for the UK market.

We could say that the Armadillo was an "oops" moment. But that would mean that we'd have to ignore all of the pieces of Zoids, Transformers, Macross, Gundam, and other toy lines that made frequent appearances in Warhammer 40K photos in the late 1980s and early 1990s. And Dark Future, a game blatantly based on a certain popular film series that was nearly unplayable without unlicensed use of Matchbox and Hot Wheels toys.

 So, Games Workshop, stop being a dick. Space Marines existed decades before you did, and you had no compunctions about encouraging the use of the intellectual property of others to fill the gaps in your own product lines for years, despite your full awareness of intellectual property rights.

Mark Ratner, 1977, FanTac Games (picture not taken by me)

Epic Space Marines Drop Pod, first version, from 1991 Blue Citadel Catalog

http://solegends.com/citcat19911/c2122epicimptanks-00.htm

Thunder Chiefs Rough Riders Number 10: Trollo Foutengeur

The Hungry Ghosts Thunder Chiefs Rough Riders squad is finally complete with the addition of Trogoth "Trollo" Foutengeur, a shameful 19 months after his primordial gestation in the bits box. Trollo here raises the question, though he is clearly 1 miniature for gaming purposes, what does he score as for miniature painting progress? 1 base = 1 mini? Trollo's bike's wheels are sliding over the edges, and our Pit Slave is barely hanging on. Vehicle + Driver = 2, Pit Slave is large angry base-flocking? Vehicle + Driver + Victim = 3, and we have a mini-diorama on the cavalry base? Is this best left as an argument for Legolas & Gimli?

Anyway, we've gone completely Road Warrior with this Biker. Like a spiky bat out of hell, Trollo is waving his shotgun in the air in a mad attempt to plow down his foe from the Cursed Earth using his bike's engine pipes before getting his head blown off by what even our Chaos Squats must recognize as a freakishly large pistol.

Trollo's Land Rocket starts with the very-pointy Spiked Skull Battering Ram from the Warhammer Siege series. To maintain the round shape, the rear section of the Ram is surrounded by 2 curved toothy jaw-plates from the Ogre Hand with Bear Trap, by getting rid of the hand part. To maintain proper skull levels, the gap in the top was filled with the Skull with Spike bit from the GorkaMorka Wrekka Trukk.

The front part of the engine was made to spread out to the sides, similar to the handlebars, Trollo's arms, and his seat back, with a tilt upward for a triangular shape. The central dome is the rear cover of the plastic Dwarf Cannon with a nice curved spike from the decades-old Skeletons sprue. Once again, smoke launchers are called to duty as exhaust pipes, this time a double-stack of the Space Marines Dreadnought launchers.

The bulk of the front engine section, wheel, and axle is made from most of the Seat from the 2nd version of the Blood Bowl Dwarf Death Roller (minus the long pipe). As we can see, the Seat provides a nice set of pistons and pressure chambers, while the front wheel fits into the bottom gap between the Ogre-trap-jaws. On the other hand, substantial regions of the Seat have a wood grain pattern which needed to be hidden with a nice Shovel (metal from the old Dwarf Miners Equipment sprue) and some greenstuff to strap down the shovel and attach the front an rear halves of the motor-trike.

Trollo from the right, with Dwarf Beer Stein close at hand. The curved studded engine pipes about to pummel our Pit Slave are from a 1990s Chaos Warriors Musician Horn bit. Both hide the wood grain pattern on this side. The rear wheels and chassis under Trollo are from the Ork Hop-Splat Gun. The handle bars are the top half of the Ork Bike Front Wheel part, with the front wheel and spokes used for fellow Thunder Chief Ken. With a similar rivet pattern, a conveniently sized curve, and a reasonable amount of skulls, Chaos Terminator Trophy Racks have been placed behind the rear wheels.

The Trophy Racks also fit right in between the wheels and the rear section of the engine, which is a Space Marine Servitor Heavy Bolter Backpack with some plastic bits to make it more interesting - ribbed thin tube from the Rogue Trader Eldar Arms, thick tube from RT Ork Power Axe, curved canister from IG Flame Thrower Backpack; Explosive Tipped Axe from the usual source, the Empire White Wolves sprue.

Trollo's fearsome-but-luxurious winged skull seat is from 1990s Vampire Counts Lord Melkhior, bent to Squat-height with the bottom nicely sliding under Trollo.

Trollo himself is one of the Squat Pirates with no official name. His cyber-arm and shotgun are from the Necromunda Pit Slaves Chief. His wooden peg-leg was replaced with a metal peg of long-forgotten origin. Aside from his fat belly, we gave Trollo some more 3-dimensionality with another Eldar Guardian Arm tube added to the Pit Slave Arm, some little belt pouches, and a Khorne Berserker grenade conveniently placed right below the lit cigar.

Armless Trollo was supplied with a right arm from the Confrontation Human Bare Arms sprue (hurray for GW proportionality!). It has been made less bare with the addition of an armored shoulder plate from a WFB Empire something-or-other, supplemented with a small backpack bit from the Mordheim Accessories sprue and some cloth-streamers waving in the wind, chopped off of an Empire Knight Head.

Trollo also violates the all-Citadel regulation with an Antenna attached behind his ear, from a very old Dark Horse Miniatures Robotech Veritech mecha. His foot pedal is just a lump of greenstuff.

A closer look at Trollo's prey - this one is Necromunda Pit Slave 2. That pistol is bigger than his head (huzzah for GW proportionality!).





Oh, I also added a
big-ass Horn in the
center of Trollo's forehead -
Look Mommy, Unicorns do exist!
















Trollo versus the Eldar. The inclusion of an action-posed enemy on the base makes things a little weirder on the table-top, compared to the usual use of corpse-position additions. This Eldar War Walker appeared in White Dwarf 323, as part of the new round of Eldar made for 40K 4th Edition (eBay, not painted by me, color-scheme is not nearly complex enough).

Col Iron Beard's Bodyguards, Lt Kipper Kabeljauw

We all know that a warrior as powerful as Col Iron Beard doesn't really need bodyguards. But more Space Dwarfs are Better. Today, the second of Schtarken's wing-dwarfs, Lt Kipper Kabeljauw. Though potent, Iron Beard needs his wing-dwarfs and supporting Khorne Renegades, as he is faced with quite a large group of Champions of Tzeentch and Slaanesh.

In contrast to the usual Hungry Ghosts practice, three of the Chaos Champions were not painted by me (or converted in the case of the winged warrior), but came from the cyberseas of eBay already finished. Except for the disk-rider, who has been on my shelves for many years.

Back to the Squats. Lt Kabeljauw is another of the White Dwarf 108 series of Squat Warriors. Kipper is armed with both a Bolter and a mystery pistol, ensuring that he was dropped from the roster before the 1991 Blue Catalog. Also tough to modify, Kabeljauw was instead painted in a shimmery-zombie style, with the white-on-red eyes of the damned.

Thus, Lt Kabeljauw is the ideal foe for the (never permitted even in the crazy Rogue Trader times) Mind Flayer that has popped up on the battlefield: his zombie-brain is both immune to flaying and hungers for the sweet thought-spaghetti hidden in the head of the Ithilid.

Like the other troopers in Col Iron Beard's command unit, Lt Kipper is in a shooting-while-moving position that fills most of the area of the base, so he was also just given small pieces of debris to pass by on his way to the kill (IG cannister).

To give Kipper his glossy appearance, a smaller range of colors was used, with the metallic tones closer to the color of the clothes, and stronger highlights. The sculpt of the mini also gives it natural shadowing in various locations as well. A similar paint style was used on the Space Pirate Nightwing to a lesser extent.

The equipment on Lt Kabeljauw's back provides the opportunity for the metal of the guns to continue across the shoulders, with the orange gloves and tunic blending with the metal. His blue helmet was given multiple highlight spots to increase the glossy appearance, while his boots almost disappear into the base debris providing a bit of a forward gliding motion to his positioning.

The stance of the WD 108 Squats allows them to be placed as flanking on either side of Col Iron Beard, working with his out-stretched weapons and arms. While his wing-dwarfs take the flanks, Schtarken's pet rats stare-down the enemy with their stern forward gaze.

Col Iron Beard's Bodyguards, Lt Horst Haakhoeken

In the center of the fray, we now find Lt Horst Haakhoeken, one of Col Iron Beard Schtarken's pair of bodyguards. The Space Pirates our Chaos Squats face a is heavily armed band of malcontents, with the Ventolin Pirate and a Bolter-bearing Ork taking aim at Haakhoeken. Ah, Ventolin, a most precious substance to the young asthmatic, and a reminder of days long gone when intellectual property law was not Enforced With An Iron Fist (TM).

The Ork is obviously after Haakhoeken's lunch, a nasty pinkish rotting torso from an old metal Zombie. Horst bears a symbol of a wild boar's head on his shoulder pad, which he shares with Zwartwaal. While the boar's head may indicate a quality luncheon meat in modern America, Haakhoeken's zombie bits are not recommended for consumption by live mammals.

Taking the Squat's-Eye view, we can see the snarling teef of the Ork with the dangerously poorly constructed Heavy Flamer. It also becomes clear that the Hungry Ghosts face one of the more bizarre characters in the Warhammer universe, the Iron Claw Space Pirate known as Nightwing. And that the pirates are being surrounded as our Khorne Renegades appear behind the wall readying their weapons.

Lt Haakhoeken lunges at the green menace, Bolter firing, large backpack and sidearm making simple conversions difficult. Horst is from the Bob Olley Squat Warriors released in White Dwarf 108 in 1988, many of which are in a lunge-and-fire position. Horst's Bolter resulted in his swift disappearance from the Squats line, as rules modifications made the weapon a symbol of the Space Marines (and Orks). He is one of 6 Squats from the WD 108 set left out of the 1991 Blue Catalog.

And to ease the curious mind (a thing of great danger in the Warhammer Universe), that Ork Runtherd is riding on a Giant Wildcat. Giant on the Warhammer scale, but an average sized bobcat for the GI Joe action figure he came with (Spearhead, cat named Max). The Wildcat was also painted for Warhammer use, originally a uniform and icky orange-brown color.

Squats in The Citadel Journal 1994-1998

Squats in The Citadel Journal 1994-1998:
Historia Squatitcus Appendix 1

Starting in the mid 1990s, Games Workshop began expanding its array of periodicals, first with magazines devoted to “unofficial” rules by staff and readers, and on to a vast range of graphic novels and fiction. For most of the 1990s the focus was on mixed coverage of different games or lines of miniatures, many of which would eventually have their own periodicals (usually of short life).

The two longest lasting not-White Dwarf magazines were The Citadel Journal and Troll. The Citadel Journal consisted of 50 issues, starting in 1994 and ending in 2002, with several changes in page size and page count. Though it appears that The Citadel Journal was intended to be a bimonthly, some years have only 4 issues (according to copyright date), and some years have 7 issues (which makes dates after 1998 particularly fuzzy). Only issues 22 to 25 are labeled with a precise date, the others only contain a copyright year. So some publication dates are probably off a bit, but the order is correct. I have provided the issue number of White Dwarf at the start of every year to help keep track of their contemporaneous content.

We are concerned here with the second incarnation of the The Citadel Journal. The first Citadel Journals were released from 1984-87 at irregular intervals, containing WFB miniatures, rules, scenarios, painting guides, before the Rogue Trader 40K rulebook and WFB 3^rd Edition were released. At this point, some of you are thinking, “WFB miniatures, rules, scenarios, painting and converting guides? That sounds like White Dwarf?” And you would be right. But the 1^st Citadel Journals were published at a time when the Dwarf was a general gaming magazine, featuring much excellent content for Middle-Earth Roleplaying, Call of Cthulhu, Paranoia and other popular games from beyond the shores of Britain. So the CJ gave a chance to focus on content for GW's own games, which would become the standard for White Dwarf by 1987.

Ye Oude Citadell Yournall

Anyway, Citadel Journal Mark 2 was devoted to experimental and unofficial rules from GW staff and readers. It also provided material for the smaller Specialist/Fanatic games that were not featured in the pages of White Dwarf.

In the first few years, The Citadel Journal provided substantial amounts of original material ranging from multiple-part army lists to extremely detailed conversion guides, with much content from GW employees. In its Middle Period, there was a much stronger focus on publishing reader-submitted material. In the late 1990s, Citadel Journal was redirected toward "experimental" rules by GW regulars, in particular providing the first source of rules and catalogs for the Forge World models and books.

Once the internet was widely available, much of the point of these tree-pulp publications, and similar ephemeral zines by Warhammer fans, evaporated into the Tiny New Land of Tron. Now there are internet fanzines devoted to almost every army type, and more ways to be involved in the worlds of Warhammer than ever before.

As a consequence, printed publications would have to become more artistic and luxurious, or contain exclusive information, to be successful, or both.

Today, we will look at the first 4 years of The Citadel Journal.

Welcome to Forge World, You May As Well Just Give Us Your Wallet Now.

The Squats in The Citadel Journal

The Citadel Journal would provide a temporary home to the Squats in various ways, from army lists to incidental references. The Citadel Journal provided similar refuge for the forces of the Imperial Adeptus Arbites and Adeptus Mechanicus, as well as the old favorites Eldar Harlequins and Exodites. It was nice to see those prancing clowns come back, but I miss the days when there were 30 different individual miniatures in series instead of 7.

Variety is nice but there are still too many Farseers!

*****

For most of its first 3 years, The Citadel Journal was printed on what I believe the UK calls A4 size paper, with 48 black and white pages. The Citadel Journal at this time also featured full color covers that contained additional gaming or artistic material, frequently expanded into multiple-page gate folds of tables, rules, and counters.

Citadel Journal 1 (January 1994, White Dwarf 169)

The Squats army is included in an article about selecting Epic Armies with random card draws (p. 26).

Mark Gibbons's 1992 drawing of 2^nd Edition -style Squats fighting World Eaters appears on p. 35.

*****

Citadel Journal 2 (Mar 94)

Epic Space Marine article “Storm the Breach” about urban warfare in Epic includes rules for Squat buildings and weapons (p. 30-41).

Back cover shows an Epic battle-scene featuring Squats fighting Khorne Renegades.

*****

Citadel Journal 3 (May 94)

Warhammer 40K “Assault” article includes rules for the Squats Mole Mortars. (p. 24-31)

Replay of the Squats v. World Eaters drawing, p. 39.

*****

Citadel Journal 4 (Jul 94)

Warhammer 40K “Assault Part 2” article includes rules for Squat Gunners and Mole Mortars (p. 12-23).

Re-Replay of the Squats v World Eaters drawing, p. 30. What secret does this picture possess? It appears in White Dwarf and p. 58 of the 40K 2^nd edition Wargear book as well.

What does it mean?

Warhammer 40K “Tinboyz” (p. 42-43) features rules for the 3 Ork Tinboy models (Squat, Eldar, Space Marine).

*****

Citadel Journal 5 (Sep 94)

“Epic Special Characters” includes the Squat Ancestor Lord (p. 16-21).

*****

Citadel Journal 6 (Nov 94): None

Citadel Journal 7 (January 1995, White Dwarf 181): None

Citadel Journal 8 (Mar 95): None

Citadel Journal 9 (May 95): None

*****

Citadel Journal 10 (Jul 95)

The front inside cover displays a color battle-scene of Epic-scale Squats fighting Tzeentch Renegade Titans. The Tzeentch Titans are excellent conversions by James Funnell.

“Mega Wars” a set of rules for combining Epic and 40K includes Squats in the mix (p. 4-15). Unfortunately, the rules torpedo the Squats by making anyone allied with them suffer the same movement penalties (also known as “Fat of Foot”).

Ratlings and Ogryn are said to keep up with the human IG without explanation. But presumably the Ratlings use their slick buttery skin to wriggle into crevices in the back of the Chimeras. Thus causing the Ogryn run after the tanks, drawn by the irresistible smell of hot buttered Ratling.

*****

Citadel Journal 11 (Sep 95)

Part 2 of the “Mega Wars,” the Epic-and-40K linking rules supplement (p. 4-17), which includes the Squats army throughout the article.

Since the article is Human propaganda, though, the special scenario for the Squats is a raid against a Homeworld to steal more of the higher technology of the Squats. The authors falsely describe Squat Homeworlds as “dark and desolate” places, but accurately warn that fighting the Squats in their homes will be “particularly deadly” (p. 12-13).

Most interestingly, the authors state that the Tyranids would be the race least likely to attack a Squat Homeworld (p. 13).

The Squat-created Leviathan is briefly referred to in an article on Epic Imperial Guard characters and troops (p. 37).

Squat Leviathan. No Guardsmen Need Apply

*****

Citadel Journal 12 (Nov 95)

Consistent with the “Difficult to Differentiate from Dwarfs” hypothesis of Squat Extinction Theory, the 2nd Ed 40K Squats symbols used in CJ 11 (e.g., p. 45) and 12 are very similar to several used in this issue in Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Blood Bowl articles in this issue (p. 14-16, 22) and others.

40K, WFB, or Blood Bowl?

40K, WFB, or Blood Bowl?
40K, WFB, or Blood Bowl?

*****

Citadel Journal 12a/13 (January 1996, White Dwarf 192)

Part 1 of “Avast There! Ye Scurvy Dogs! Pirate Armies in Warhammer 40,000.” Though the stats for the Pirate Squats appear in CJ 14, the entry for the Pirate Captain provides the interesting editorial interjection below:

The Captains “are the biggest, meanest, most evil pirates that ever charted the seven segmentums (that's including the Eye of Terror and the Squat Homeworlds for those about to write in with 'there are only five segmentums in the galaxy'- Ed).” (p. 26)

An illustration of a Squat Pirate, perhaps a Captain, by John Blanche appears on p .25 as well.

Hungry Ghosts from the Squat Pirates 1990 series

In addition to Pirate Squats, this issue of The Citadel Journal is also honored to include rules for the Daemon-Titan Abominatus, Khorne's Despoiler of Worlds, so mighty It looms over 8 pages of rules.

*****

Citadel Journal 14 (Mar 96)

Epic Squats were the topic of many submissions to Citadel Journal in response to the Editor's call for reader article submissions in issue 13/12a. These are compiled in an article titled “Steel and Stone” which featured new rules for two Gyrocopter variants named Steel Hawk and War Hawk and additional Specialist Land Train Battlecars named Fire Shield, Skyhammer, and Iron Eagle, as well as several vehicle upgrade options.

This article also provided a detailed system for experience-based improvements and new skills for Squat vehicle crews (a flocking million pointy-eared Autarchs cry into their BS3-brand beer). Finally, a special Titan-killer squadron formation, and a special character, Grand Warlord Grimtrek.

The article features the usual recycled art, several 2^nd edition style Squats symbols, the Gibbons World Eaters attack, and an illustration of a couple of 2^nd edition style Squats by John Blanche (p. 27-31).

We Invoke the Power of the Gibbons Illustration thru Our Humble Replication!

“Ahoy There! Ye Mutinous Dogs! Pirate Armies in Warhammer 40,000 Part 2” provides rules for Squat Pirates and Pirate Captains (p. 41-48).

*****

Citadel Journal 15 (May 96)

Editorial apology for not crediting Lee Garner for writing the Grand Warlord Grimtrek material (p. 2).

In a 40K Tyranid-player strategy guide titled “It's Good to Stalk!” by David Camburn, the Tyranid general writes “Except for Squat Hearthguard and Terminators, I have never come up against any real assault squads.” (p. 43-48, quote from p. 45)

Hungry Ghosts from the Squats Hearthguard series

A notable Tyranid defeat is also described (p. 47):

“In one battle versus Squats a result of “Something wrong with Trooper Jones...” [on the Event Tables] meant that six Squat Hearthguard, the Squat Warlord and their chief Librarian ally were all under the Strangler's template. Eight targets needing a 4+ to hit. I missed every single one of them.”

Some say coincidence. I say those eight owe a blood-debt to Khorne for his capricious favor.*****

Citadel Journal 16 (Jul 96): None

*****

Citadel Journal 17 (Sep 96)

An article on Epic Eldar Special Characters reports plans for future articles featuring Squats and Space Marines Special Characters (p. 47-48). Vapor Rules!

***** ***** *****
With issue 18, the Citadel Journal changed to a much smaller but fatter A5 format with 96 pages, while full-color content was limited to the smaller covers that were used for displaying painted or converted minis rather than gaming material. As time went on, more and more space was devoted to topics like painting, modeling, and scenarios rather than the new armies, units, and rules that dominated the Journal earlier. The digest-size lasted until 2000's issue 39, when the CJ reëmbiggened.

Citadel Journal 18 (Nov 96): None

*****

Citadel Journal 19 (Winter 1997, White Dwarf 204)

Necromunda article “House Specialties” provides an alternative to the standard gang advancement rules (p. 18-23). The technophile House Van Saar is given the option of having up to 2 Squats in the gang, Squats who “enjoy the chance to show humans who is the superior race.” The Squats are further praised as “notoriously stubborn and full of self-belief.” (both p. 22)

*****

Citadel Journal 20 (Spring 97)

This issue and Issue 21 supplement the newly released Epic 40,000 rules with material that did not make it into the official rulebooks. Issue 20 presents a Squats army list with stats for the various vehicles (p. 32-46), which are advertised as available from Mail Order (p. 34 ).

Jervis Johnson, one of the great expositors of GW's dragon-like beer-spilling thrashing about in the Strongholds of the Squats, explains (p. 32):

“So why exactly did we leave out the army lists printed in this issue [and in 21] of the Journal, especially the Squats? Fortunately, there is a fairly simple answer to this, which is that we were not at all happy with the way the Knights and the Squats have been presented in the past, and we wanted to put them on a 'back-burner' for a while so we could do a good job on them. The alternative was to 'bash out' a couple quick army lists and simply ignore the problem...”

Johnson says that the GW Overlords made the decision to leave out the Squats & Knights until they were further developed (p. 32), but Warwick Kinrade reports that “the demand from ardent Squat players was overwhelming,” compelling them to produce an army list for the many Squat armies already existing (p. 35).

The background fluff accompanying this Squats army list places their divergence from Humans “over fifteen millennia past” and provides another source of evidence for the technological superiority of the Squats (suspicions of the Adeptus Mechanicus, p. 35).

And consistent with a comment from one of the Hungry Ghosts blog readers, the tunneling Moles and Termites follow the drop pod rules in this Squats army list (p. 36).

*****

Citadel Journal 21 (Summer 97): none

*****

Citadel Journal 22 (Oct/Nov 97)

In a 40K anti-Chaos tactics guide, “Dealing with the Damned III: Vehicles and Daemons” it is noted that the best method of isolating a Daemon-host in bloom is that of the Squats Living Ancestor's Force Dome psychic power, while the Grey Knights or the Inquisition will have a hard time (p. 15).

*****

Citadel Journal 23 (Dec/January 1998, White Dwarf 216): none

Citadel Journal 24 (Feb/Mar 98): none

*****
Citadel Journal 25 (Apr/May 98)

A letter from a reader containing a lengthy parade of house rules for Warhammer 40,000 includes a rule that the Mole Mortar and Thudd Guns use similar targeting rules as the Whirlwind.

*****

Citadel Journal 26 (Summer 98)

Reader Daniel Hill provides a Warhammer 40K campaign outline that illustrates the typical ineptness we have come to expect from the Human Empire (p. 5-15). “The Caudrax Campaign” takes place on the planet of Caudrax Tertius, which lies just outside the Squat Homeworlds Segmentum of the galaxy. The Adeptus Mechanicus uses Caudrax 3 as a research station where they can “obtain exotic new materials from the Squats to use in their experiments” (p. 6).

Unfortunately but predictably, concentrating a bunch of military R&D development projects with exotic materials in one city attracted the attention of a huge Chaos Fleet. And then, another unfortunate oversight, the city is right on top of a gateway into the warp bound shut by a trapped Greater Daemon. Who is waiting for that Chaos Fleet to come open the warp-gate and “bring forth an unstoppable torrent of Daemons, Chaos Marines, and Chaos Titans which would turn transform the tranquil, idyllic planet into a living hell where the oceans burn with fire and mortals are tortured horribly under the rule of their Daemonic masters (p. 6-7). So Marines of all colors come and blow each other to bits with the help of Daemons and their Hunters.

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As attractive as all this bloodshed is to Hungry Ghosts, the Squat part of him must point out that this is why you do the engineering surveys before colonization.

Now let us move on from stupidity to treachery. In “Outriders: The Ultimate Gamers?” two brothers from the USA (Scott and Jason Hill) describe their Warhammer obsession, and provide some rules and special characters made by them (p. 44-55).

First, a Warhammer 40K campaign featuring the Imperium fending off the invading Tyranid Kraken Fleet with the assistance of their Squat allies is discussed (p. 46). Then, in typical Human fashion, the brothers go on to describe a new unit for the Imperial Guard, the Patracian Demolition Team. These Patracians “were first utilized during the Crusades against the Squat Homeworlds just after the Emperor gained power and formed the Imperium. They were deployed as small strike teams to infiltrate the Squat mines and tunnels to cut off escape and supply routes (p. 50).”

*****

Citadel Journal 27 (Early Fall 98)

“Get Yer Motor Runnin'” provides rules and conversion advice for using Motorcycles in Necromunda. The author, Isaac Tobin, prefers the Squats cycles for their more ramshackle and Harley-Davidsonesque appearance compared to the Space Marine bikes (p. 30-38).

This issue includes several Convention Reports for late 1997 and early 1998 events (p. 54-67). Mr. Ian Roberts reports on the “Mighty Empires Campaign Weekend” held at GW Headquarters in Lenton UK on 21-22 March 1998.

Roberts (p.60) writes that he “hung on to the bitter end” of the event, drinking at Bugman's Bar, listening to discussion about the event and upcoming Warhammer releases. During this barroom chatter, it was revealed that “the Squats are to be left out of the next issue of 40K so they can be totally re-written for the issue after.” However, “At that point we were literally thrown out and the weekend's events faded into legend” much like the Squats themselves ...and Mighty Empires for the next 10 years.

3 kinds of Squat Motor Bikes Head for the Sunset

*****

Citadel Journal 28 (Late Fall 98): none. But isn't that a crazy place to put an explanation in CJ 27?

*****

The Squats Who Might Have Been

It is a bright new year and it is time to ask: Was there a place for the Squats in the Warhammer 40K Galaxy after the Rogue Trader era and its d1000 Tables of Mutations and endless Vehicle Targeting Grids gave way to saner rules?

There's Squats in those there Citadel Journals

Of course there is a bias here in Hungry Ghosts Country, but Games Workshop was basically right- there was no reasonable way to make the Squats a distinct army.

A large part of the problem would have been financial risk. Really putting effort into the Squats would likely have involved turning the Epic-scale Squats vehicles into 40K form. And the Epic vehicles that were unique to the Squats tend toward the gigantic and expensive to produce. And the basic transport and tanks would still have to be created. Even the Termite would require special rules for underground movement. I think if there was a great enough demand for Squats vehicles other than the Termite, Epicast or Armorcast probably would have made some steps to fill those gaps.

A Squat Can't Survive on Termites Alone!

So the Squats fail at a Codex Army level. But the Squats could, and should, have been kept in the game by giving them a lower-level position in the Imperial Guard. The Squats would be like the other initial abhuman strains, the Ratlings and Ogryns. Reflecting the nature of the Squats, a nice choice would be tank and transport drivers. This would have had no practical effect in gaming terms, there would just be bearded little heads popping out of the hatches instead of clean-shaven humans.

We Demand More Jobs for Retired Blood Bowl Players!

Squat drivers could even be just an option on the tank sprue along with human types.

Smoking, Drinking, & Driving. Don't try this unless you are made of Metal.

Squats are superior Adeptus Mechanicus Tech Priests!

This AMTP made an appearance in the Chicago Golden Daemon contest in 2006. The Paranoia Scrub-Bot continues to dwell in obscurity. But don't let his Disney Eyes fool you, that right arm is a Melta-Gun.

Squats are enthusiastic operators of stationary artillery!

The motley band of rapscallions and scallywags known as Lt. Shaffer's Last Chancers would have been a welcome home for a Squat with a big gun. That is my Darksider version of Lt. Shaffer shown above.

And finally, with its vast range of possibilities, the Inquisitor game could have used a Squat character. No, I have not been crazy enough to convert an Inquisitor scale Squat, but now the genie's out of that bottle...

Great Job, Games Workshop!

Let us remember 2010 as the year Games Workshop gave us a Squat version of The White Dwarf. And a fine figure it is, one that says GW is also more relaxed about the strictness of the GRIMDARK Warhammer Universe, letting out a few GRIMDARKgiggles.

(See The White Squat painted at http://solegends.com/citle/citle2000/wdsub/sub2010wdspace.htm)

Offering a new variant of The White Dwarf each year with the subscription sounds like a great plan to me. I would be very pleased by a White Dwarf Skier reminiscent of the Alpine Ski Dwarf below (a limited release from 1989).

Be very very quiet, we're hunting assassins.