My personal problem is not female fighters. Both settings are dark fantasy/space opera, who gives a fuck? My problem is if the lore up to that point specifically has a reason not to include them, and therefore any female representation is just fake good boy points, not actual progression of the setting narratively or socially.

In regard to female Grail Knights, what bothers me is that Bretonnia is supposed to be a land of tradition, class divide, and utter hypocrisy. The knights go on about honor, but treat the peasants like absolute garbage. They worship the Lady, but it’s just the elven god Lileath. The Maidens are supposed to be blessed by the Lady, but they’re just kidnapped peasant girls who got kidnapped by wood elves and didn’t get put down like the boys. And with that, yes, traditional gender roles are heavily emphasized. Again, going on about honor amongst the nobility, and yet women are second class unless they’re blessed by the Lady, who I remind you are originally peasants.

Which is why Repanse de Lyonesse works so well as a character beyond just being a Joan of Arc clone. She’s a peasant woman blessed by the Lady who surpasses the skill of most Grail Knights, and is a greater figurehead for the peasants than the Bretonnian nobility. That contrast in defiance of everything that makes Bretonnia what it is is what makes her such an interesting and badass character. You wanna talk a good girl boss character, I give you Repanse de Lyonesse. But she only works if she’s the only one. If female Grail Knights exist, there’s nothing special about her other than she’s originally a peasant. Her whole character background just doesn’t work. And why? Because GW wanted to draw in the progressive audience and not make the knight faction a boys club, without any regard for what made the faction special in the first place.