Amid years long debates about whether or not Space Marines can be women, Games Workshop has thrown a roundabout bone- confirmation of female Adeptus Custodes, the Emperor’s own elite guard.
The confirmation comes from the upcoming Codex Adeptus Custodes– a book full of rules and flavor for the Warhammer 40K tabletop game.
In it is a short story that features Custodian Calladace Taurovalia Kesh, the series first female Adeptus Custodes character.
The short story talks about her participation in a Blood Game, wherein members of the Custodes attempt to infiltrate The Golden Throne as a way to test their own defenses.
While there’s been fanart of the series first female Adeptus Custodes, there’s no actual indication she looks any different from your average member of the faction- that is to say, she’s probably very tall and covered head-to-toe in gold armor.
The Effects Of A Female Adeptus Custodes
It should be noted that, despite also being towering super soldiers the Adeptus Custodes are not Space Marines- the debate on whether or not the series iconic mascots can be women continues to rage on regardless of how well-moderated your reddit community is.
Despite that, this is an interesting step forward for Games Workshop- prior to this the closest thing the series has had to female super soldiers were the Sisters of Silence as well as the Sisters of Battle, an army of combat nuns with a church organ tank.
Naturally, the response has been mixed, with some fans celebrating an inclusive step forward for the tabletop while others continue to fester in their paranoid conspiracy theories that the hobby is being overrun.
The official Games Workshop Twitter has confirmed, however, that this isn’t a decision they plan to walk back just because of potential backlash.
“Since the first of the Ten Thousand were created, there have always been female Custodians”, the account says.
Still, as far as Codex stories go, the inclusion of a female Adeptus Custodes is a prime example of what these Codex books are supposed to do- expand the world of the tabletop game, and encourage more creativity in building your own miniature army.
