History Analysis / Warhammer40000

The game itself needs a draw that distinguishes it from other sci-fi settings. The tagline is "In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war" and boy, do they mean it. The Forty-First millennium is a [[CrapsackWorld Crapsack Universe]] with BlackAndBlackMorality. If you want everybody to be at war with each other and for each player to be equally right, then the easiest thing to do is make them equally ''wrong''. Some people find the GRIMDARK! setting to be restrictive and a tad childish. Any theoretical question an interested player has is to be solved using chainsaws and the blood of small children.

As a race, besides the Tyranids, the Tau can be seen as GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere in the 40K setting, considering that unlike almost every other race, they have no connection what so ever with the ancient War in Heaven between the Old Ones and the C'tan, and are total new comers to the galactic stage.

Maybe you defect, or are corrupted. You quickly learn that not only are they as bad, but they are worse than the Imperium, that their boot on every human's face, forever, is better compared to alternatives. Hopefully, in the moments before the inquisitorial bullet claims you, you will have the comfort of knowing that YOU LOVE THE GOD-EMPEROR, because HE PROTECTS HUMANITY.

A large part of the draw of Warhammer 40K is that, perhaps more than any other setting out there, it portrays humanity as a supremely badass race.
In Warhammer 40K, humanity is thrown into a world packed full of insanely powerful threats, all of which want to annihilate us. We must deal with omnivourous living weapons more numerous than the stars, invincible omnicidal Franchise/{{Terminator}}s, AxCrazy RealityWarper fungus aliens who grow from the very ground and attack us for literally no reason other than that they're programmed to do so, SpaceElves who are physically required to inflict torment on humans in order to survive, and demon-possessed SuperSoldiers. Only a theocratic paranoia that makes the Spanish Inquisition look like a paragon of tolerance keeps TheLegionsOfHell from breaking through into the real world, and even still there are frequent leaks. To travel between stars one must take a shortcut through Hell itself, guided by a psychic beacon kept alight by the daily sacrifice of a thousand souls.

* ''Protection of Corporate Power'': Due to the unimaginably vast nature of the Imperium, it is incredibly decentralized. Vast corporations, many of which span whole star clusters, can be enormously powerful (the most powerful of which is the [[MegaCorp Adeptus Mechanicus]], a semi-independent entity which has monopoly on the Imperium's advanced technology) and the central government places no restrictions at all upon their behavior. While the individual planetary governments could, in theory, regulate corporations, the sheer size of many corporations makes any kind of practical control unlikely, as the resources of such corporations easily dwarf those of most individual worlds (with the exception of Hive and Forge worlds, most Imperial planets hover developmentally between about AD ~1000-2000). As mentioned, the sheer vastness of the Empire makes such laissez-faire policies almost required.

* ''Protection of Corporate Power'': Due to the unimaginably vast nature of the Imperium, it is incredibly decentralized. Vast corporations, many of which span whole star clusters, can be enormously powerful, and the central government places no restrictions at all upon their behavior. While the individual planetary governments could, in theory, regulate corporations, the sheer size of many corporations makes any kind of practical control unlikely, as the resources of such corporations easily dwarf those of most individual worlds (with the exception of Hive and Forge worlds, most Imperial planets hover developmentally between about AD ~1000-2000). As mentioned, the sheer vastness of the Empire makes such laissez-faire policies almost required.

!! WorldOfBadass[=/=]CrowningMomentOfAwesome for all humanity

The game has evolved through six editions, it has books for each playable army and its own publishing arm for hundreds of novels set in the background universe. It is, in short, a continuity nightmare. So, let's ignore continuity by making half of our background the product of Historical Revisionism. Each army gets to be full of the RuleOfCool, trampling over all other armies because everything you know about them is propaganda. Plus a world without any solid truth gets another layer of GRIMDARK. Now we know who wins in a "vs" fight: both sides!

This then allows one to bring in all the tropes of the original works as well as putting in the AppliedPhlebotinum tropes family so that a patchwork job of the imagery of different technological levels can exist alongside each other. Tanks that have just rolled out of WWII have to fight against 50 ft tall mecha. The bad science often can be just HandWaved by having it be some LostTechnology or something dropped by NeglectfulPrecursors. The fact that all technology is ancient LostTechnology just adds to the WorldHalfEmpty. There are also references to actual scientific concepts and modern day military designs but not everybody who lives in the 41st millennium do not understand the idea.

One thing Warhammer 40,000 does better than some other sci-fi settings is getting the idea of a big galaxy with lots of things going on across it. It lets the writers say "[[AscendedFanon Sure Why Not]]", since any one depiction of an army's behaviour or organization can be represented on some planet somewhere. Players get to make up their own Space Marine chapters or Eldar craftworlds. They can have nice, noble marines inspired by Aztec rainbow warriors or crusading religious zealots thirsty for the blood of heretics. The Imperial Guard can be the worthless CannonFodder or among the greatest {{Badass}}es in the setting. A planet can be a [[StarWars Coruscant]]-like hiveworld or PlanetOfHats or it can have its own complex class system.

A large part of the draw of Warhammer 40K is that, perhaps more than any other setting out there, it portrays humanity as a supremely {{Badass}} race.

Just look at the list: [[HumanityIsYoung The youngest and newest member to the galactic stage]], [[RousseauWasRight idealistic and wish to explore the galaxy]], [[HumansAreDiplomats prefer to use diplomacy when dealing when alien races]], [[HumansAdvanceSwiftly have a quick rate of technological and social advancement when compared to everyone else in a stagnant galaxy]], [[HumansAreLeaders being the leaders of a multiracial coalition]]... etc. Expect that this time, these tropes are not embodied by the humans in the setting, allowing us to examine them without [[MostWritersAreHuman our innate bias towards our own species getting in the way]].

This serves to create a situation akin to Schrodinger's Cat (Schrodinger's Canon?), where the canon is technically in several different states at once because everyone's interpretations, short of the seriously out-there ones, are all valid to a greater or lesser extent. For this, Games Workshop have only themselves to blame.

This serves to create a situation akin to Schrodinger's Cat, where the canon is technically in several different states at once because everyone's interpretations, short of the seriously out-there ones, are all valid to a greater or lesser extent. For this, Games Workshop have only themselves to blame.

Yeah, you heard that right. ''Warhammer'' and ''40K'' aren't that original. Lots of things have been taken from Creator/MichaelMoorcock, ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'', ''Franchise/StarshipTroopers'' and even the ''Film/{{Terminator}}'' movies. Even ''40K'' was originally just TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} '''InSpace'''. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. Since the meat and bones of the fun is meant to be the tabletop wargames, the background can be a chance to engage in some geekery indulgence and ShoutOut references. You'll see things mixed together you normally wouldn't, and even get a chance to act them out in the game. Then things from different sci-fi settings can (sort of) be pitched against each other. [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny Want to know who would win in a fight between the Alien Queen and Cthulhu? Put a Tyranid Hive Tyrant against a Lord of Change.]]

In Warhammer 40K, humanity is thrown into a world packed full of insanely powerful threats, all of which want to annihilate us. We must deal with omnivourous living weapons more numerous than the stars, invincible omnicidal Franchise/{{Terminator}}s, AxCrazy RealityWarper fungus aliens who grow from the very ground and attack us for literally no reason other than that they're programmed to do so, SpaceElves who are physically required to inflict torment on humans in order to survive, and demon-possessed SuperSoldiers. Only a theocratic paranoia that makes the Spanish Inquistion look like a paragon of tolerance keeps TheLegionsOfHell from breaking through into the real world, and even still there are frequent leaks. To travel between stars one must take a shortcut through Hell itself, guided by a psychic beacon kept alight by the daily sacrifice of a thousand souls.

So the next time you see an Imperium fan dismissing or hating the Tau for being annoying and naive, you are getting a perceptive of how humans look through alien eyes in most other sci-fi settings. You will finally understand why the [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Romulans]] and [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Cardassians]] fight TheFederation in ''Franchise/StarTrek'', or why [[CantArgueWithElves the Asari look down upon humans as brash and ignorant]] in ''VideoGame/MassEffect''. 

* For a decent video analysis, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exjtXPPWtL4 Author seems a bit too enamored with the Warhammer universe (CHAINSWORDS!), but overall a good movie.

One thing Warhammer 40,000 does better than some other sci-fi settings is getting the idea of a big galaxy with lots of things going on across it. It lets the writers say "[[AscendedFanon Sure Why Not]]", since any one depiction of an army's behaviour or organization can be represented on some planet somewhere. Players get to make up their own Space Marine chapters or Eldar craftworlds. They can have nice, noble marines inspired by Aztec rainbow warriors or crusading religious zealots thirsty for the blood of heretics. The Imperial Guard can be the worthless CannonFodder or among the greatest {{Badass}}es n the setting. A planet can be a [[StarWars Coruscant]]-like hiveworld or PlanetOfHats or it can have its own complex class system.

So the next time you see an Imperium fan dismissing or hating the Tau for being annoying and naive, you are getting a perceptive of how humans look through alien eyes in most other sci-fi settings. You will finally understand why the [[StarTrekTheNextGeneration romulans]] and [[StarTrekDeepSpaceNine cardassians]] fight TheFederation in StarTrek, or why [[CantArgueWithElves the asari look down upon humans as brash and ignorant]] in MassEffect. 

Yeah, you heard that right. ''Warhammer'' and ''40K'' aren't that original. Lots of things have been taken from MichaelMoorcock, ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'', ''Franchise/StarshipTroopers'' and even the ''Film/{{Terminator}}'' movies. Even ''40K'' was originally just TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} '''InSpace'''. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. Since the meat and bones of the fun is meant to be the tabletop wargames, the background can be a chance to engage in some geekery indulgence and ShoutOut references. You'll see things mixed together you normally wouldn't, and even get a chance to act them out in the game. Then things from different sci-fi settings can (sort of) be pitched against each other. [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny Want to know who would win in a fight between the Alien Queen and Cthulhu? Put a Tyranid Hive Tyrant against a Lord of Change.]]

Grimdark makes for easier writing. If the RuleOfCool can't help you decide who wins in a fight, the Rule of Misery will. Dark Angles Chapter Master versus an avatar of the god of murder? Can't decide what happens? They all get eaten by Tyranids.

The number of [-Records Expunged by Order of the Inquisition-] [[CrypticBackgroundReference lets people fill in the blanks as to what really happened]]. Its adds to the horror of a world where the few good deeds might go forgotten, or where you yourself have to be ''expunged''. It even allows for some comedy- look at CiaphasCain, "Hero of the Imperium". Even one straightforward story can be made into several. The legends of the Eldar gods can be interpreted as involving battles between physical entities, {{Eldritch Abomination}}s in the warp or metaphors for armies using new weaponry.

One thing Warhammer 40,000 does better than some other sci-fi settings is getting the idea of a big galaxy with lots of things going on across it. It lets the writers say "[[AscendedFanon Sure Why Not]]", since any one depiction of an army's behaviour or organization can be repriesented on some planet somewhere. Players get to make up their own Space Marine chapters or Eldar craftworlds. They can have nice, noble marines inspired by Aztec rainbow warriors or crusading religious zealots thirsty for the blood of heretics. The Imperial Guard can be the worthless CannonFodder or among the greatest {{Badass}}es n the setting. A planet can be a [[StarWars Coruscant]]-like hiveworld or PlanetOfHats or it can have its own complex class system.

Yeah, you heard that right. ''Warhammer'' and ''40K'' aren't that original. Lots of things have been taken from MichaelMoorcock, ''Aliens'', ''Franchise/StarshipTroopers'' and even the ''Terminator'' movies. Even ''40K'' was originally just TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} '''InSpace'''. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. Since the meat and bones of the fun is meant to be the tabletop wargames, the background can be a chance to engage in some geekery indulgence and ShoutOut references. You'll see things mixed together you normally wouldn't, and even get a chance to act them out in the game. Then things from different sci-fi settings can (sort of) be pitched against each other. [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny Want to know who would win in a fight between the Alien Queen and Cthulhu? Put a Tyranid Hive Tyrant against a Lord of Change.]]

The game has evolved through five editions, it has books for each playable army and its own publishing arm for hundreds of novels set in the background universe. It is, in short, a continuity nightmare. So, let's ignore continuity by making half of our background the product of Historical Revisionism. Each army gets to be full of the RuleOfCool, trampling over all other armies because everything you know about them is propaganda. Plus a world without any solid truth gets another layer of GRIMDARK. Now we know who wins in a "vs" fight: both sides!

Consider the humans' position against the [[http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.html 14 characteristics of fascism]]. Nearly all are justified, because the 40K universe is so damned ''dangerous''. When [[ComicBook/VForVendetta High Chancellor Sutler]] says "I want this country to realize that we stand on the edge of oblivion", when Ernst Röhm says that "the people desire wholesome dread", when fundamentalists invoke the phrase "WithUsOrAgainstUs", ''this'' is the imaginary universe they live in.

Consider the humans' position against the [[http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.html 14 characteristics of fascism]]. Nearly all are justified, because the 40K universe is so damned ''dangerous''. When [[VForVendetta High Chancellor Sutler]] says "I want this country to realize that we stand on the edge of oblivion", when Ernst Röhm says that "the people desire wholesome dread", when fundamentalists invoke the phrase "WithUsOrAgainstUs", ''this'' is the imaginary universe they live in.

The game itself needs a draw that distinguishes it from other sci-fi settings. The tagline is "In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war" and boy, do they mean it. The Forty-First millennium is a WorldHalfEmpty with a BlackAndBlackMorality. If you want everybody to be at war with each other and for each player to be equally right, then the easiest thing to do is make them equally ''wrong''. Some people find the GRIMDARK! setting to be restrictive and a tad childish. Any theoretical question an interested player has is to be solved using chainsaws and the blood of small children.

Yeah, you heard that right. ''Warhammer'' and ''40K'' aren't that original. Lots of things have been taken from MichaelMoorcock, ''Aliens'', ''StarshipTroopers'' and even the ''Terminator'' movies. Even ''40K'' was originally just TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} '''InSpace'''. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. Since the meat and bones of the fun is meant to be the tabletop wargames, the background can be a chance to engage in some geekery indulgence and ShoutOut references. You'll see things mixed together you normally wouldn't, and even get a chance to act them out in the game. Then things from different sci-fi settings can (sort of) be pitched against each other. [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny Want to know who would win in a fight between the Alien Queen and Cthulhu? Put a Tyranid Hive Tyrant against a Lord of Change.]]

* ''Supremacy of the Military'': War is everywhere, and failure means the deaths of billions. The military is all that stands between humanity and chaotic oblivion. However, unlike with the 14 characteristics, the military is not precisely glorified. With a few exceptions, Imperial Guardsmen are taught that the military is, like everything else in the Imperium, a tool of survival. Unlike most fascist regimes, in which the military is a means to righteous victory over the Supreme Leader's many and sundry enemies, victory is not spoken of in the Imperium, only survival. Because victory is widely perceived to be (and actually is) impossible, a perception common among rank-and-file Guardsmen themselves, any potential glamour or glory the military might have is ground down by the reality of constant war. Contrast with facist imagery of long struggles but quick and victorious wars over the weak and spineless enemy. Even the grandiose religious and authoritarian imagery woven into the Imperial Guard's equipment (battleships built like cathedrals, tanks built like castles) has a practical purpose: to keep both the Guardsmen and the populations they 'defend' in awe of the might of the Imperium, reducing the likelihood of revolt or mutiny.

The game of {{Warhammer}} and its futuristic offspring both involve pitting armies against each other, represented by miniatures sold by the intellectual property owners, Games Workshop. Therefore GW has a vested interest in getting lots of different people to play lots of different armies. If one person wants to play the heroic {{Space Marine}}s, they will sell them {{Space Marine}}s, if another person hates the typical Sci-Fi SpaceMarine template perhaps they would like to spend $49.95 on a box of wild, violent, asexual Orks ([[OurOrcsAreDifferent green paint]] not included). However, each race needs background descriptions on which they are sold to each personality, so that one race doesn't become woefully less popular than the other and become unprofitable. They all need their cool moments and those cool moments need to be readily demonstrated to each potential player on a first glance.

Yeah, you heard that right. ''Warhammer'' and ''40K'' aren't that original. Lots of things have been taken from MichaelMoorcock, ''Aliens'', ''StarshipTroopers'' and even the ''Terminator'' movies. Even ''40K'' was originally just {{Warhammer}} '''InSpace'''. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. Since the meat and bones of the fun is meant to be the tabletop wargames, the background can be a chance to engage in some geekery indulgence and ShoutOut references. You'll see things mixed together you normally wouldn't, and even get a chance to act them out in the game. Then things from different sci-fi settings can (sort of) be pitched against each other. [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny Want to know who would win in a fight between the Alien Queen and Cthulhu? Put a Tyranid Hive Tyrant against a Lord of Change.]]