Are Warhammer's Skaven misunderstood?
Perhaps Vermintide's new lore book DLC will help.
Ah, the Skaven. Sure, they look like enormous rats - and are therefore disgusting - but are they evil?
Fatshark's fun first-person kill 'em-up game Vermintide tasked players with murdering hundreds of poor Skaven without really thinking about it. But perhaps we should think about it. Perhaps we should think about whether Warhammer's rat race are simply misunderstood.
You know what we need? Lore! Usefully, Fatshark's putting out a free DLC for Vermintide that adds a lore book (the Steam page is live now). Download the DLC and you'll find unique lore book pages strewn around Vermintide's various missions and DLCs. Pick them up and you'll slowly unlock the story behind the various locations and enemies in the game. That's right: the Skaven get the chance to have their say.
Take the Gutter Runner, for example. The lore book describes this unit as a "secretive and highly-trained agent". Does that sound like a mindless, evil rat to you?
Of course, there's a huge amount of Skaven lore already available on the internet. And yes, I know, the Skaven aren't the nicest race in the Warhammer universe. But squint and they almost look cuddly.
Really, the Skaven just need a good PR. Perhaps that chap repping Donald Trump will be up for it?
VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE: Friend of Eurogamer and superstar comic book writer Kieron Gillen got in touch over Twitter to have his say on this very important debate. In the interests of fair and balanced journalism, I've embedded his tweet, below.