Warhammer 40K Goes Way South as Two British Navy Officers Play Game on Antarctic Ice

In what may be a first, two Royal Navy lieutenants waged war of a miniature variety in the ice and snow of the Anarctic. Lieutenant Jonny Talbot and Lieutenant Max Friswell recently were recently spotlighted on the British navy's webpage for playing a game of Warhammer 40K in the ice outside of Rothera Research Station, a British Antarctic Survey base located on the Antarctic peninsula. While records for these sorts of thing aren't officially kept, Talbot and Friswell's skirmish might be the southern-most game of Warhammer 40K ever played. According to an article posted to the Royal Navy's website, Talbot and Friswell are regular competitors, with the pair having a weekly game on their ship's conference room table. For this particular battle, Talbot used an Arctic-themed army of Rift Stalkers, while Friswell used an Imperial Guard army. The Rift Stalkers emerged victorious from the battle. 

Warhammer 40K is the most popular miniatures skirmish game of all time, and is set in the grim darkness of the far flung future. Players build armies of a single faction, which range from superhuman Space Marines to hostile alien empires to the deadly forces of Chaos. While play only requires an army of miniatures, a ruler, and a number of dice, the buy-in for Warhammer 40K is typically several hundred dollars. 

As popular as the game is, the franchise will likely grow in popularity in the coming years. Amazon Studios has announced plans to develop a Warhammer 40K Cinematic Universe with Henry Cavill serving as both star and executive producer. Cavill is a well-known Warhammer 40K fan and regularly promotes the hobby in interviews. Other well-known Warhammer 40K fans include Midnight Mass star Rahul Kohli, Stranger Things star David Harbour, and WWE superstar Shayna Baszler.