Poll: Is 40K serious?

[Soviet Heavy]

Doesn't sound terribly interesting, does it? Needs are met, but it all exists to keep the wars going. And if our unfortunate scribe above happened to die on his way to work the next day, no one would mourn him. He'd be immediately replaced, and the big machine would keep on turning.

Sorry, can't agreee with that suggestion. It's your WH40k and if you're happy with it then by all means, have fun.

As for me, i can't accept this vision. It may be ok for some mad country hidden behind steel curtain, but not for 40 000 years old empire spanning over distances measured in thousands of lightyears. Half of that Imperium shouldn't neither know about some "crusade" taking place God-Emperor knows where, nor really care. "Really... Orks ? Living, animated corpses ? There are no such things. It's superstition".

Most Imperial citizens don't know that there is a war going on. Only when the Administratum sends the Tithe officers to their planet to levy every fit man into active service. Much of the Imperium is ignorant of the xenos species out there trying to kill them, and the only time they ever see an alien is when said alien is chopping them to bits.

If you are interested in seeing the office job workers of the Imperium, look up the short story "A Good Man" by Sandy Mitchell. It is in the Sabbat Worlds Anthology book, and instead of focusing on the frontline combat, it focuses on the follow up procedures of getting a planet back on track after the war moved on.

You know the Imperium of Man is only like, 12,000 years old, right? The Emperor's been around for a good 50,000 years or so, but the actual Imperium of Man is nowhere near that. In fact, The Imperium used to be a pretty good place until about 8,000 years ago, canonically, and after that it was just gradual misstep after misstep. It's not like they woke up one day and everything was bad (except for the Horus Heresy, the great divide that split the Imperium in half caused by the Emperor's favored son. That kind of set it over the edge.) But there were actually a number of good things that happened, like the Macharian Crusade, which reclaimed thousands of planets and rebuilt much of the imperium, numerous foundings of space marine chapters and research developments.

The thing is, the game takes place in the worst time in the whole galaxy. The "good guys" are cracking under pressure and the bad guys are getting more active. That's what makes it exciting, that's why it's interesting. It's the counter equivalent to the saturday morning cartoons where the good guys always wins and Starscream gets his head blown off (but he'll be back next week anyways). Most of the interest is derived from the "good guys" having to choose between a rock and a hard place to win. Do we try to stop this alien invasion force and risk millions of soldiers that could be put to better use on another planet, or do we wait for the planet to be overrun and just blow it up when everyone's landed? Not to mention that most of the technology was lost but held in rare datastorage schematic devices called STCs which makes invention more of a scavenger's hunt with not enough for everyone.

There is no good, there is no bad, there are just many-colored factions doing what they do best. And that's the appeal to a lot of people. It's what made me interested.

Ummm, I think you might have quoted the wrong person there. Unless you were mocking the name of the short story I mentioned.

 

[JesterRaiin]

Snip

No Genius, being unaware of what is happening off of your planet does not exclude someone from having history. Most Imperial planets operate independently, with only tangential connection to the rest of the Imperium via the Administratum officials on their planet. They can have fully functional economies, governments, histories and forms of media that exist on that planet.

Unfortunately, contrary to New Age's movements teachings, wishing alone is not enough for things to work out or come true. However i can't stop you from doing so. Carry on, carry on...

 

[Craorach]

So...a Gaunt's Ghosts game?

Yes, I wholeheartedly support that idea.

DO WANT GIVE NAOW!

Sorry, had to get that out of my system.

The 40k universe is fascinating and has some really serious ideas and issues that it can address.

Unfortunately, it's also based upon a money machine wargame created by a bunch of geeks in the eighties. Owned by a company who refuses to severely retcon/edit it for modern markets.

Some of it's sillier aspects come from trying to sanitise what would be far from kiddy friendly into concepts that can at least slide under the radar. The prime examples of this, to me, are the Chaos Gods and their follows, specifically Slaanesh. Noise Marine's are his servants.. really... huge, power armoured, religious zealot monks become.. really crazy band members, when they dedicate themselves to a god of lust, pleasure and hedonism? I can think of a couple of far more likely scenario's but somehow I don't think they would make the pages of any game designed to be sold to teenagers.

This is amplified by their desire to break into more mainstream entertainment like video games. I was honestly surprised that we didn't see a love interest of some kind emerge in Space Marine, and the ending shocked me, but the very fact that Titus was such a heroic, likeable, individual goes against most of the lore about Marines. Space Marine's do NOT go out of their way to save Guardsmen, and they certainly don't take orders or even instruction from them.

The fact is, however, that GW needs to be brave enough to let new generation game developers and writers explore and rewrite their lore so it is more of a cohesive and acceptable idea. It's all very game for a tabletop war game to be all doom, gloom and grimdark horror... but once you zoom in and start thinking about individuals, there needs to be more balance.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Snip

No Genius, being unaware of what is happening off of your planet does not exclude someone from having history. Most Imperial planets operate independently, with only tangential connection to the rest of the Imperium via the Administratum officials on their planet. They can have fully functional economies, governments, histories and forms of media that exist on that planet.

Unfortunately, contrary to New Age's movements teachings, wishing alone is not enough for things to work out or come true. However i can't stop you from doing so. Carry on, carry on...

Rather contrarian of you do completely disregard anything people say as them trying to justify their stance, while you make brash statements about a universe that reek of not doing any research.

Where in there did it say I was "wishing" as you decided to put it?

I've got a question for you: if you think that all these responses to your statements are there just so you can sit back smugly and think that we take this too seriously, then why are you making such a concentrated effort to disprove everything? Would not such enthusiasm to defend one's stance also indicate a level of obsession with the universe that would be considered "taking it too seriously?"

 

[JesterRaiin]

Where in there did it say I was "wishing" as you decided to put it?

Because i think it's nothing more than this : wishes for something to be (or become) true. There's a reason why there are universities of economy, and why not everyone can study there, graduate. And it's not because one has to be marked by angels to do so.

I've got a question for you: if you think that all these responses to your statements are there just so you can sit back smugly and think that we take this too seriously, then why are you making such a concentrated effort to disprove everything? Would not such enthusiasm to defend one's stance also indicate a level of obsession with the universe that would be considered "taking it too seriously?"

Naaaaaaaaaaah. I'm watching "Bourne trilogy" on second monitor and switching my focus according to pace.

 

[The Forces of Chaos]

So...a Gaunt's Ghosts game?

Yes, I wholeheartedly support that idea.

This is amplified by their desire to break into more mainstream entertainment like video games. I was honestly surprised that we didn't see a love interest of some kind emerge in Space Marine, and the ending shocked me, but the very fact that Titus was such a heroic, likeable, individual goes against most of the lore about Marines. Space Marine's do NOT go out of their way to save Guardsmen, and they certainly don't take orders or even instruction from them.

You have never read the Salamander series of books i take it? Not all chapters follow a hard approach to the people of the Imperium. Space marines are just as diverse as the many guard regiments as far as tactics and traditions and beliefs.

And Noise marines were formed in a different age, read Fulgrim.

 

[crazypsyko666]

Doesn't sound terribly interesting, does it? Needs are met, but it all exists to keep the wars going. And if our unfortunate scribe above happened to die on his way to work the next day, no one would mourn him. He'd be immediately replaced, and the big machine would keep on turning.

Sorry, can't agreee with that suggestion. It's your WH40k and if you're happy with it then by all means, have fun.

As for me, i can't accept this vision. It may be ok for some mad country hidden behind steel curtain, but not for 40 000 years old empire spanning over distances measured in thousands of lightyears. Half of that Imperium shouldn't neither know about some "crusade" taking place God-Emperor knows where, nor really care. "Really... Orks ? Living, animated corpses ? There are no such things. It's superstition".

Most Imperial citizens don't know that there is a war going on. Only when the Administratum sends the Tithe officers to their planet to levy every fit man into active service. Much of the Imperium is ignorant of the xenos species out there trying to kill them, and the only time they ever see an alien is when said alien is chopping them to bits.

If you are interested in seeing the office job workers of the Imperium, look up the short story "A Good Man" by Sandy Mitchell. It is in the Sabbat Worlds Anthology book, and instead of focusing on the frontline combat, it focuses on the follow up procedures of getting a planet back on track after the war moved on.

You know the Imperium of Man is only like, 12,000 years old, right? The Emperor's been around for a good 50,000 years or so, but the actual Imperium of Man is nowhere near that. In fact, The Imperium used to be a pretty good place until about 8,000 years ago, canonically, and after that it was just gradual misstep after misstep. It's not like they woke up one day and everything was bad (except for the Horus Heresy, the great divide that split the Imperium in half caused by the Emperor's favored son. That kind of set it over the edge.) But there were actually a number of good things that happened, like the Macharian Crusade, which reclaimed thousands of planets and rebuilt much of the imperium, numerous foundings of space marine chapters and research developments.

The thing is, the game takes place in the worst time in the whole galaxy. The "good guys" are cracking under pressure and the bad guys are getting more active. That's what makes it exciting, that's why it's interesting. It's the counter equivalent to the saturday morning cartoons where the good guys always wins and Starscream gets his head blown off (but he'll be back next week anyways). Most of the interest is derived from the "good guys" having to choose between a rock and a hard place to win. Do we try to stop this alien invasion force and risk millions of soldiers that could be put to better use on another planet, or do we wait for the planet to be overrun and just blow it up when everyone's landed? Not to mention that most of the technology was lost but held in rare datastorage schematic devices called STCs which makes invention more of a scavenger's hunt with not enough for everyone.

There is no good, there is no bad, there are just many-colored factions doing what they do best. And that's the appeal to a lot of people. It's what made me interested.

Ummm, I think you might have quoted the wrong person there. Unless you were mocking the name of the short story I mentioned.

I DO have the wrong person. I just Ctrl+F'd his name after seeing him get quoted before. *facepalm*

 

[Klepa]

I don't take it seriously.

That doesn't stop me from enjoying it though. It was a bit of a surprise to me that Yahtzee hates WH40K. To me, it's the same kind of ridiculous crazy awesome as the lightning shuriken gun with tits and fire.

 

[DTWolfwood]

love the setting. But would i take it seriously? no. I've played both the tabletop game and the videogames, fun distractions for the arm-chair general in all of us. But really nothing more.

 

[minkr1]

i think that the question is flawed. it presupposes that it can't be taken seriously. a better one would be 'do you take the 40k universe seriously?'

even then the question is difficult because i do and don't. i'm reading the Horus heresy series at the moment, and i find it to be written with a serious tone. the idea of a crusade based on 'an imperial truth' and the way it deals with religion and faith i find particularly thought provoking. i find the character of Horus even more interesting as he seams to be one of the most powerful beings in the universe who tares an empire apart all because he thinks his daddy doesn't love him.

though, any body who has played the table top game, we tell you it can become unbelievably silly. Having a laugh while playing the game is almost conditioned into the people who play it, just for fun.

 

[kouriichi]

I think of 40k as a Dark Comedy. Its got its serious times and moments, but alot of it is just there for the sake of fun.

Like the orks! Their guns contain no working parts, yet can blow a Spehss Muuuuhreeeeeeeen apart. ((if they can actually hit it))
Or Papa Nurgle <3 With his little bags of clawed puss that can rend armor like butter!

Theres alot of seriousness to it, but alot of it is so over the top you have to take it as a joke.

Like Bubonicus, The Plague world! It has a literal chain of humans going the around the equator who do nothing but dance and sing praise to GrandPapy Nurgle, slowly turning into plague bearers. And when the transformation is complete for a lucky mortal, another one comes to take his place!

 

[MDSnowman]

I wouldn't say I take it seriously, it is just fiction to me after all. However, there are some great stories told in the setting (as much as I love Relic their games are not the best representive of that.... it usually boils down to "Kill Orcs until the real threat, either Chaos, Tyranid, or Necron show up")

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

It's like anything. Some people will like it, some people won't. One can say the Imperium of Man is dumb. What are the reasons why? They are on the verge of becoming a psychic species like the Eldar. But the Emperor of Mankind already seen that the species of the warp grew from the psychic backlash of the Eldar. It birthed a new dark god. To keep his people from harm, The Emperor tried to stem the psychic growth of his people so there wouldn't be more warp entities from materializing.

WH40k is not a pick up and play thing. From one game in 2004, I constantly read and looked up more and more about the Lore. I like it on those respects. Just like if someone's first experience of Star Wars was the Phantom Menace, they'd probably dislike all of star wars too. It's all about how you're brought in.