The Squats are Warhammer 40k’s original space dwarfs, a race of heavy-gravity miners who first appeared in Rogue Trader and spent decades in lore limbo before returning as the Leagues of Votann.
Origins in Rogue Trader
The Squats started life in the first edition of Warhammer 40,000, Rogue Trader, as a sci-fi restyle of Warhammer Fantasy Dwarfs. Their background cast them as descendants of human settlers who adapted to mineral-rich, high-gravity worlds, eventually diverging into a subspecies called Squats.
They kept a lot of Dwarf DNA: ancestor worship, beards, a grumpy streak, and serious metalworking skills. Their strongholds were autonomous mining colonies that banded together into allied Leagues, and they rode into battle on heavy bikes and trikes, looking like Viking warriors crossed with a biker gang.
The Epic years and the quiet decades
The Squats got their biggest expansion through Titan Legions and the Epic scale, which is where their enduring feud with the Orks took shape. Epic also gave them machines you wouldn’t see in the Imperium: gyrocopters, armoured dirigibles, land trains, and huge siege weapons like the Cyclops tank.
Late Rogue Trader added trikes, living ancestor psykers, and elite troops in round exo-armour. But second edition only gave them stopgap rules in the launch box, and no full codex or new models followed. For years the Squats survived mainly in old artwork and fan memory.
Why the Squats matter
The Squats are a big part of why 40k’s history feels lived-in. They show how the setting grew out of fantasy archetypes and then outgrew them, and their long absence became one of the hobby’s most famous running jokes.
They also matter because they came back. Their return turned a half-remembered footnote into a full faction, which is rare for any old lore thread.
From Squats to the Leagues of Votann
In 2022 the Squats returned as the Leagues of Votann, revealed by Warhammer Community on 5 April. The new faction keeps the core ideas, mining, ancestor reverence, and heavy industry, but builds them into a distinct galactic power.
The old Squats were powerful enough to trade and negotiate rather than just fight, and that independent streak carries over. If you knew the Squats from Rogue Trader, the Leagues are their spiritual successor rather than a straight reissue.
Key facts
- The Squats debuted in Rogue Trader, the first edition of Warhammer 40,000.
- They were human settlers who evolved into a subspecies on mineral-dense, high-gravity worlds.
- Their strongholds were autonomous mining colonies that formed allied Leagues.
- They got their biggest expansion in Titan Legions and the Epic scale, including a lasting feud with the Orks.
- They never received a full codex or new models after second edition.
- They returned in 2022 as the Leagues of Votann.
FAQ
What happened to the Squats in Warhammer 40k?
They faded out after second edition, with no full codex or new models, and spent decades as a lore footnote. In 2022 they returned as the Leagues of Votann.
Are the Squats and the Leagues of Votann the same thing?
They’re closely linked. The Leagues of Votann are the modern successor to the Squats, keeping the mining, ancestor worship, and heavy-industry themes while standing as their own faction.
When did the Squats first appear?
In the first edition of Warhammer 40,000, Rogue Trader, as space dwarfs descended from human settlers on high-gravity mining worlds.