A gender row has erupted between Warhammer fans after female army squadron characters were added for the first time.
Chiefs behind the Games Workshop fantasy game have caused uproar among some players following the introduction of women.
The move has seen some fans insist that the "Adeptus Custodes" brigade has always been all-male.
Some critics said any changes should have been done in a different way.
A gender row has erupted between Warhammer fans after female army squadron characters were added for the first time
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One social media user asked Warhammer directly: "Why did you make female custodes?"
The official Warhammer account responded saying: "Since the first of the Ten Thousand were created, there have always been female Custodians."
A new edition of Warhammer 40,000 fantasy fiction includes a character named "Custodian Calladyce Taurovalia Kesh", which uses female pronouns, according to the Daily Mail.
However, fans suggest it is the first time a woman has been part of the Adeptus Custodes squad.
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One gamer described how there had been "nearly three decades of Warhammer 40k books and short stories only featuring male-presenting Custodian Guards".
Fan site Wargamer added: "The introduction of a canonically female member of the Custodes is being seen by fans as a conscious narrative shift on GW’s part."
Video game executive and former World Of Warcraft developer Mark Kern accused Games Workshop of "gender flipping" characters for "woke points".
"The issue with Warhammer and Custodes is the lie. They could have changed it all they wanted," he said.
The move has seen some fans insist that the "Adeptus Custodes" brigade has always been all-male (Stock image)
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"But they decided to lie and pretend it was that way all along. That lie is part of an insidious malignant ideology that throws away all reason and fact. That is the part that is dangerous."
Another suggested: "The decision was clearly made to intentionally cause friction and nothing else.
"As multiple people point out: The Sisters of Battle and Sisters of Silence already exist as powerfully portrayed female factions. They are under-represented and nobody would actually mind if anyone wanted to improve them."
However, critics were also condemned with one person writing: "The issue seems more like you're afraid of women", while another commented: "Getting this worked up about a retcon is intensely pathetic behaviour".
