Op-ed: What Should 40K Be About?
Warhammer 40’s viewpoint and focus has shifted over time. But what should the game be “about” as we move into a new decade?
We’ve already given you a 4 part series on the history of 40k, and you should give it a read if you haven’t already. But what surprises me as a Grimdark lifer is just how much the focus of the game as a whole is fluid and changes over time. We’re not exactly talking rules, and we’re not exactly talking about lore, but something bigger and nebulous, that ties into both – narrative focus.
- Warhammer 40K: A History of Editions – 1st & 2nd Edition
- Warhammer 40K: A History of Editions – 3rd, 4th & 5th Edition
- Warhammer 40K: A History of Editions – 6th & 7th Edition
- Warhammer 40K: A History of Editions – 8th Edition
Early Days
Back in Rogue Trader – there really wasn’t a focus at all. The entire universe was presented as a giant sandbox and players were encouraged to just enter it and play. You needed a gamemaster, and each race was described in turn. Some had more page counts and greater levels of detail than others, but there was no narrative bias. The Imperium wasn’t presented as the “good guys”, and there were no “bad guys” either. It was all just presented as “hey this stuff is out there – go have fun”.
Back in these early days we got the basics hashed out of things like the Horus Heresy, and the broad canvas that was Chaos. But even with all the detail being invented at breakneck speed – the game was presented in a neutral tone. If anything it reminds me of where Age of Sigmar sits about now.
The Middle Era – Xenos Rising
In the middle editions of the game, say 3rd to 5th, Many Xenos races were introduced like Tau and Necrons. The game felt like it was expanding and the Imperium began to be the default lens that the game was portrayed through. There is a certain sense in that, as GW had by then realized they were in the Space Marine business. Presenting the game through the point of view of super-human elite warriors safeguarding the galaxy from horrors is a solid line for introducing new players to the game. For many years you would see Xenos players very commonly, and in the pre-allies days of monocodex armies, you had a lot of faction diversity. Chaos was there, but kind in the back seat.
The Modern Era – Imperium vs Chaos
I’d say Around 6th Edition with allies rules firmly in place we began to see the ever growing trend of the game sliding into a narrative focus of the Imperium vs Chaos. Each of these two had many sub factions that could be allied, and year after year the role and narrative focus on the Xenos races faded and faded, while the Ruinous Powers got ever more attention and detail.
The rise of the Horus Heresy, now over a decade old as a driving narrative force dovetailed into this perfectly. It too added literally hundreds of characters and novels dedicated to the Imperium and Chaos. It even got its own game.
While yes there have been individual Xenos armies that rise briefly to prominence – they tend to be short-lived and based on abusive rules, rather than a true narrative focus and long-term en masse player attention. 8th Edition with it’s anything-goes allies has only accelerated this trend.
Where Should We Be Going?
GW has shown us with the enormous narrative changes in 7th and 8th Edition that they are willing to really shake things up when they want to. Hell, they BLEW UP Warhammer Fantasy and invented Age of Sigmar! But I think the game needs a return to its earlier roots. I don’t particularly care what retcons, shocking developments, or galaxy-shattering alliances and betrayals need to be made but 40K needs to move BACK to a more neutral viewpoint, that again puts the various races more on an even footing. Players need to be allowed to follow their artistic and background based interests, and collect what they think is cool – freed from the “but they’re not competitive” mumbo-jumbo.
In short, the game needs a big giant mixup of the galaxy that returns the Grimdark to a place of uncertain alliances, potential-enemies, double-dealing friends, and ever shifting geopolitics. Above all a galaxy that wants every faction to fight to survive in the face of endless adversity – and rewards ALL players and hobbyists for taking part, regardless of what army they choose.
Where do you think the game should focus in the next edition?
