How might Squats return to the setting?

[WrathOfTheLion]

Some sort of extant secondary planet or population that's been around isn't exactly inconceivable or hard to envision, so I'm not certain it would take all that much justification. Might be the laziest way though. Would be kind of amusing if the imperium thought they were extinct because of a clerical error that forgot about the other populations.

Edited September 22, 2021 by WrathOfTheLion

[Karhedron]

An easy explanation would be that the Squats battened down the hatches and waited for the swarm to pass. Meanwhile the shadow in the warp led to a loss of communication with the Squat homeworlds and the Imperium assumed (mistakenly) that they had been wiped out. Then M42 rolls around, the Great Rift opens and disrupts the shadow in the warp. One of the few benefits is that sporadic communication and travel from the galactic core is once again possible. The Squats return and there is interesting potential for friction with the Imperium as it has been a long time since they were last in contact. You could use this as a reason to reinforce or negate the independence that the Squats seemed to enjoy in the old lore.

 

You could also put a little footnote that very few people call them "Squats" to their faces if they want to keep all their body parts attached.

[OttoVonAwesome]

I always figured they'd roll squats into the Imperial Guard considering thier place in the necromunda lore as being auxiliary fighters, mercenaries and prospectors as they are still rebuilding. Especially if the heretics and renegades stuff is true with mutants and beastmen, cultists and traitor guard all being options it would leave the standard guard a bit short on diversity by comparison.

 

I think it's also mentioned there's like battlestar galactica style fleets of Squats out in the galaxy with said mercenaries, auxilia, and prospectors kind of being like migrant workers in the sense they are doing it to support the fleets financially. 

Edited September 22, 2021 by OttoVonAwesome

[jarms48]

Controversial opinion probably, but they fled to the Eastern Fringe and joined the Tau as the Demiurg. The Demiurg are literally described as:

 

"The Demiurg are an intelligent alien race of short, stocky humanoid traders and asteroid miners allied with the T'au Empire." Sounds pretty Dwarfish to me. 

Edited September 23, 2021 by jarms48

[phandaal]

Controversial opinion probably, but they fled to the Eastern Fringe and joined the Tau as the Demiurg. The Demiurg are literally described as:

 

"The Demiurg are an intelligent alien race of short, stocky humanoid traders and asteroid miners allied with the T'au Empire." Sounds pretty Dwarfish to me. 

 

Not controversial, just wrong.

 

Squats are abhumans (i.e. an offshoot of humanity) and Demiurg are xenos.

 

They were never the same race, but Demiurg were an attempt by the Games Workshop team of the '00s to do "Space Dwarves" without actually doing Space Dwarves.

[jarms48]

Not controversial, just wrong.

 

Squats are abhumans (i.e. an offshoot of humanity) and Demiurg are xenos.

 

They were never the same race, but Demiurg were an attempt by the Games Workshop team of the '00s to do "Space Dwarves" without actually doing Space Dwarves.

You don’t think I know they’re ab-humans? That’s why I said controversial. You’re literally exhibit A.

Edited September 23, 2021 by jarms48

[Schurge]

Imperium mandated exercise routine.

[Skaorn]

The Squats were eaten by the nids but the hive mind found they were a near perfect species. Now the hive fleets are producing Squats.

 

I don't think that GW would make returning Squats antagonistic to the Imperium. Right now they're writing the Imperium in a bit of an upswing thanks to the Primaris and RG's Indominus Crusade. I doubt they'll want to taint that with more internal strife right now.

[Domhnall]

The Squats were eaten by the nids but the hive mind found they were a near perfect species. Now the hive fleets are producing Squats.

 

I don't think that GW would make returning Squats antagonistic to the Imperium. Right now they're writing the Imperium in a bit of an upswing thanks to the Primaris and RG's Indominus Crusade. I doubt they'll want to taint that with more internal strife right now.

 

Or (purely to be contradictory), maybe that's what they want/need... 

 

Humanity in 40k: lying face down in mud, braces itself with one arm of Primaris, and the other of RG's crusade. Starts to lift itself out of the mud to regain glory.

40k Universe: Drops a pile of grumpy, stubborn, grudge-bearing squats on humanity's back, who goes splat once more. "Nope."

 

If squats really are the dwarfs of space then grudges, both real and imagined, are a large part of their mythos. What better than a grudge bearing group of Squats to shake things up. 

[Rik Lightstar]

I'd like it best if they returned as nomadic mining/trading/mercenary groups depending on the Clan.

 

Their strongholds now being space faring vessels, not to the extent of Craftworlds, they'd have to find planets for resources.

 

Basically scale up the "Land Train" concept to "Space Trains", component sections that are able to land planet side, but once they leave atmosphere they "link" together for travel. They could well have been hiding and regrouping since the 'Nids attacked. It supposedly happened relatively recently in the timeline.

 

Rik

[Cleon]

I think it'd be cool to do them a bit like Knights and have mutable faction keywords that then allow/lock out some 'Clan' relics/traits etc. to represent them being scattered and the different survivor groups taking different approaches.

 

You could have 'Loyalist' Imperial Squats, 'Isolationist' Independent squats and 'Pragmatist' T'au allied squats all with the same core units, but if you want to use them as an allied patrol' you are limited to the clans with that allegiance. (then have T'au tech relics for those clans etc.

[sairence]

Honestly, if they made them as a pretty much exclusively mechanised faction that'd be pretty awesome. Infantry are dudes in walkers and combat suits and everything else is a tank or plane or self-propelled artillery of some kind.

 

Only chumps walk on their own two feet.

[Domhnall]

One thing that could be interesting would be a new 'faction' under the mercenary banner. Not to be fielded as an army, but units can be tacked on to existing armies, without them being straight up allies. 

This would give GW the chance to flesh out the wider lore with a unit or 3 of the various xenos/abhumans in the background lore without needing to create a whole new army for them. So a sprinkling of squats, ratlings, Jokaero, Hrud etc that could give an extra bit of flavour to armies. 

[Plasmablasts]

I’d imagine a Squat roll-out along the following lines:

 

Kill Team squad

Rules to allow incorporation into 40k Astra Miltarum

 

Selling well? Yes, then:

 

A few additional kits - either still part of Astra Militarum or with their own mini-dex

 

Still selling well? Yes, then:

 

More kits and full codex treatment

 

 

Given that the Squats so far released have been within an Imperium context, it seems most likely that they’d be brought into 40k as Imperium. However, I’d really like some flexibility so that they could also be used as T’au auxiliaries (or even as Chaos Squats!). (I’d similarly like Astra Militarum able to be employed as Gue’vesa or Traitor Guard, analogously to the GSC brood brothers.)

[phandaal]

 

Not controversial, just wrong.

 

Squats are abhumans (i.e. an offshoot of humanity) and Demiurg are xenos.

 

They were never the same race, but Demiurg were an attempt by the Games Workshop team of the '00s to do "Space Dwarves" without actually doing Space Dwarves.

You don’t think I know they’re ab-humans? That’a why I said controversial.

 

Ought to make it clear that you're talking about your head-canon then, because the way it's written seems like you are making a claim about the actual lore of the two species.

 

 

 

You’re literally exhibit A.

 

 

Literally glad to help elucidate. You're literally welcome!

Edited September 23, 2021 by phandaal

[Dark Shepherd]

Honestly, if they made them as a pretty much exclusively mechanised faction that'd be pretty awesome. Infantry are dudes in walkers and combat suits and everything else is a tank or plane or self-propelled artillery of some kind.

 

Only chumps walk on their own two feet.

...and GW do seem to love walkers and mechsuits these days

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

That’s mechasuits… :P

[Skaorn]

 

The Squats were eaten by the nids but the hive mind found they were a near perfect species. Now the hive fleets are producing Squats.

 

I don't think that GW would make returning Squats antagonistic to the Imperium. Right now they're writing the Imperium in a bit of an upswing thanks to the Primaris and RG's Indominus Crusade. I doubt they'll want to taint that with more internal strife right now.

 

Or (purely to be contradictory), maybe that's what they want/need... 

 

Humanity in 40k: lying face down in mud, braces itself with one arm of Primaris, and the other of RG's crusade. Starts to lift itself out of the mud to regain glory.

40k Universe: Drops a pile of grumpy, stubborn, grudge-bearing squats on humanity's back, who goes splat once more. "Nope."

 

If squats really are the dwarfs of space then grudges, both real and imagined, are a large part of their mythos. What better than a grudge bearing group of Squats to shake things up. 

 

It's just a feeling I have that GW still wants the Primaris to be the big damned heroes for a while longer.  I also agree with others that they won't break from the Imperium/Chaos/Xenos lines.  Unless the Squats go Chaos, I don't see them being a big rebellious problem for the Imperium.  I could be wrong though.

[Ulfast]

If they relsease squats in any army form, I would buy them right away. I really missed them and I think they could bring a fresh new face to the game with lot of intersting options.

 

I like the idea of diffrent options with them, everything from joining back with the imperium, joining chaos (remember, they did release chaos squats), be independent or joining the tau. the could have like diffrent regiment perks depending how you wanted to build your force.

[phandaal]

If they relsease squats in any army form, I would buy them right away. I really missed them and I think they could bring a fresh new face to the game with lot of intersting options.

 

I like the idea of diffrent options with them, everything from joining back with the imperium, joining chaos (remember, they did release chaos squats), be independent or joining the tau. the could have like diffrent regiment perks depending how you wanted to build your force.

Please no, my wallet couldn't handle normal Squats AND Chaos Squats. Especially not if the Chaos Squats were done up in that Babylonian style from Warhammer Fantasy.

[Skaorn]

One thing I hope we don't see is reusing assets like the Rhino and the Predator.

[Ulfast]

I think nostaliga is fun but if GW should do squats thwy should not be afraid of doing new things too. Of course we want a Thudd gun but squats also deserve so much more and with new thinking can be made awsome.

[Karhedron]

One thing I hope we don't see is reusing assets like the Rhino and the Predator.

We have seen less of that as time moves on. Sisters share the Rhino chassis with Marines because the army always did. The fluff reason is that they are both elite-ish power armoured armies.

 

If squats do come back, I suspect they will have their own units.

[Aramis K]

I had headcanon that Demiurg are more like Gnomes than Dwarves, and seem much more interesting and creepy for it. Traders and crafter's, secretive, often jealous and thieving. Xenos not abhuman

 

 

I do think the land trains are something to explore again though. Was interested to see the (not squat) example in the latest Plague Wars novel.

Edited September 25, 2021 by Aramis K

[phandaal]

I think nostaliga is fun but if GW should do squats thwy should not be afraid of doing new things too. Of course we want a Thudd gun but squats also deserve so much more and with new thinking can be made awsome.

New stuff plus ol favorites would be the best.