Editorial: Why Do We Love to Play The Bad Guy
Everyone likes to walk on the dark side. So why are so many of us drawn to the villains of wargaming.
With the new Dark Elves book slapping fantasy players unconscious and the Tyranids codex on the way, it certainly looks to be an autumn of destruction and devastation. One army dedicated to evil for the sake of pain, pleasure, and the weirdly ticklish spot between the two. The other army dedicated to evil due to dietary reasons.
Tyranids were my first army. All boys grow up with empty mayonnaise jars that they poke holes in the top of. We catch beetles and moths and all sorts of ungodly things. I am a living example of the fact that some of us never grow out of it. And as a fan of monster movies and science fiction, Tyranids filled my desire to play as a terror from the warp–an unexplainable beastie that lives to roar and bite and kill and bite and gnaw and bite some more.
So how did I get there in the first place? Everyone has their “main”, and at gaming events you can see the line drawn in the sand. An obvious example of this is Warhammer 40k, where the divide appears to be between the Imperium and the Xenos/Heretic. And you Black Library fans out there can affirm that our supposed “heroes” of the Imperium are… well…
Well, they’re just bad, bad people.
The closest thing to a “good guy” in the 40k world might be the Tau, who have that whole “For The Greater Good” thing going for them. I suppose an argument for the Eldar could be made. But even the caste systems of the Tau started out in massive civil wars, and the Eldar apparently gyrated a Chaos God into existence.
Admittedly, the world of 40k is meant to be dark and grim. But damn. Despite all this, when you’re playing an army of Marines or Guardsmen, it’s easier to imagine yourself as a warrior on the side of good. But for every Space Marine, there is a Traitor Marine. And for every Eldar there is a Dark Eldar. For every Tyranid, there is a My Little Pony Murder Swarm.
So what attracts some of us to the dark side of the mirror?
Of course, sometimes it has to do with the flavor of the month, but that’s always going to be around. And every time you think you’ve drawn a bead on it, something or someone comes out of the woodwork to snap the grading curve in two. One of my fondest memories as a gamer is the recollection of a weapons-grade beautiful gal who played a Nurgle army with precision and ease. I watched her table an Imperial Guardsman army while describing (in graphic detail) the diseases and infections now covering her opponent’s terrified faces. It’s not every day that the pretty, sunny-faced girl dreams of flies and necrotic flesh when discussing her wargaming options.
An argument can be made that we’re attracted to these villains for their freedom. The sheer unmitigated gall that it takes to be free and sincerely go against the grain is a rare quality these days. There’s also something to be said for the one who falls from grace with good reason. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Horus Heresy series is its portrayal of the Primarchs and how incredibly human these superhumans were. Who cannot relate with Fulgrim’s desire to create great beauty despite his lack of ability? Lorgar’s gentle piety? Even Angron’s pure, distilled rage conjures flashes of sympathy in our minds. Do we have a desire to support these underdogs, even as they charge forward into an inescapable abyss?
Or should we just all agree that the bad guys tend to look cooler?
