Is Warhammer 40,000 still 'fringe'?

[Cab00se206]

Here's the thing. I've been playing 40k for several years now, taking a special interest in painting and modelling, and I am often called out as an Uber-nerd (I was already a regular nerd), a bit of a shut-in etc. Some of my friends who don't play think that it's really nerdy, like D&D. Here's the question though. In popular culture, the 40k universe has been presented through two very successful videogame series, plus a bunch of lesser-known titles, god only knows how many books, and now a 3d animated movie! (http://ultramarinesthemovie.com/)

My question is this. Should it really be considered so fringe? The DOW series achieved spectacular market penetration for an adaptation of a tabletop game, and yet some of my friends consider it some secret bastion for those nerds who are to nerds what nerds are to normal people.

Any thoughts?

 

[MortisLegio]

It is only cause most places where you get the models are comics stores or specialize in miniatures

from an exposure viewpoint it is very well known now

Blood For The Blood God!!!!

 

[Nouw]

What does Fringe mean?

 

[daemon37]

Yes and no.

It is fringe in the sense that not many people like it, but it isn't in the sense that many people do know about it. I'm not terribly impressed with DOW's "penetration" of the market. Nowadays videogames, toys, books and movies are produced for the most obscure or unlikely franchises. For example, they're actually making a movie based on Battleship... the boardgame. wtf!?

 

[Amnestic]

What does Fringe mean?

"On the edge"

Polar opposite of "mainstream."

Anyway, if this [http://www.vg247.com/2009/03/05/dawn-of-war-ii-debuts-at-top-of-global-pc-charts/] is to be believed, then no. The universe certainly isn't a fringe anymore. The tabletop game...yeah, probably is still.

 

[Nouw]

What does Fringe mean?

"On the edge"

Polar opposite of "mainstream."

Anyway, if this [http://www.vg247.com/2009/03/05/dawn-of-war-ii-debuts-at-top-of-global-pc-charts/] is to be believed, then no. The universe certainly isn't a fringe anymore. The tabletop game...yeah, probably is still.

Thanks for clearing that up.

Games? Hell no.

Tabletop? The usual status

 

[Kollega]

40k is still more of a "ubernerd" thing. Toy soldiers, books, videogames, and one 3D cartoon is not enough to claim "mainstream-ness". But evidently, Games Workshop does everything in it's power to move from ubernerds onto 13-year olds. So we can say it's currently in transition from obscure to mainstream.

And yes. I have called SPESS MEHRENES "toy soldiers".

For example, they're actually making a movie based on Battleship... the boardgame. wtf!?

Battleship: The Movie. LOL.

 

[TheBigJadowski]

40k is still more of a "ubernerd" thing. Toy soldiers, books, videogames, and one 3D cartoon is not enough to claim "mainstream-ness". But apparently, Games Workshop does everything in it's power to move from ubernerds onto 13-year olds.

For example, they're actually making a movie based on Battleship... the boardgame. wtf!?

Battleship: The Movie. LOL.

Better yet, Monopoly: The Broadway show or Parcheesi the musical.

 

[Kollega]

Oh deer Gods of sweet Chaos and the Emperor of Men, I hope it will never go mainstream in THAT way. I love 40K lore for what it is now: violence, decay of civilizations, betrayals, heresy, inquisition, Chaos Gods, Tyranids and Necron, Tau being Nazis in disguise. If they go PG13 they'll have to give everything an Ultramarine treatment. *shudder*

Tau seem more like Soviets, you really should know better.

And don't worry, GRIMDAKR isn't going anywhere. Because that's precisely what 13-year olds like.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Few people are going to take the time to create a physical campaign and skirmish, when there is a digital copy that does it for them.

Saves on learning the rules and running numbers.

 

[Kollega]

Few people are going to take the time to create a physical campaign and skirmish, when there is a digital copy that does it for them.

Saves on learning the rules and running numbers.

And on... you know... MONEY.

 

[blankedboy]

Well, I just picked it up again, I only played it for about a week the first time. I have two campaigns, the Necron one and the Space Marines one. I'll try Eldar next, I remember they were pretty cool.

So yeah, kinda.

 

[Iwata]

Fringe? Not at all. Like I said elsewhere, I've played 40K for the past twenty years, and out of all the geeky stuff I've been involved with, 40K is as un-fringe as you can get.

 

[Ninjamedic]

I just hope it lasts so I can start playing it when I get to college.

 

[ironduke88]

The table-top really is kinda fringe, esp when you get older than lilke 15.
But with that MMO coming out, the black library books, the graphic novels, DOW on the comp, the spacemarine third person shooter, all these are just really aimed at the same group, us.

The gamers, the slightly nerdy people, the comic book readers, the sci-fi fantasy book people. So the whole cannon is not really main stream and I wouldnt say its fringe as all this stuff isnt really reaching a new demographic it just means that more people within the demographic gets involved...

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Saves on learning the rules and running numbers.

And on... you know... MONEY.[/quote]
Now how did I forget that crucial point. I forgot how expensive the sets can be. I guess it would add more credence to the digital copy as now being generally cheaper and having a higher play value.

 

[JEBWrench]

Absolutely. Seeing as something that is inspired by it (Starcraft) is more popular and more recognized than the original product.