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It is a Red Dwarf universe where the only constant is that things are much much worse than you can possibly imagine.

I'm definitely in the parody camp.

CthuluIsSpy wrote:

shrike wrote:If I could send anyone to the 41st millenium, it'd have to be Eric Idle.

I can totally imagine him singing this while being in the IG

'Tis what I was thinking of, along with:

a dome so tall that clouds gather under it.

That actually happens.

I enjoy my 40k like I enjoy my coffee : dark and deliciously bitter.
I wouldn't say it's "silly", and I don't see it as a parody (cannot for the life of me enjoy parodies). There are over-the-top parts and they do make me chuckle, but I'd describe those more as "laughably awesome".

I think it's really enjoyable either genuinely at face value or with an offbeat take on the setting.

40k is basically what some 15-year old british kid would find 'dark'. I can't do anything but chuckle when I read the fluff. It really doesn't do anything for me. Maybe I like my fiction more complicated than shoulderpads.

Also, i just tune people out when they spout terrible catchphrases and actually say the word "Xeno" aloud. Is it really that good? Are you really amazed by this? Does somebody writing about how awesome this shoulderpad man is really impress you?

Obvious troll is obvious.

Panzeh wrote:40k is basically what some 15-year old british kid would find 'dark'. I can't do anything but chuckle when I read the fluff. It really doesn't do anything for me. Maybe I like my fiction more complicated than shoulderpads.

The old grimdark was purposefully hilarious. Like you know the deathworld Catachan, where everything is trying to kill you? In an old book there was a picture of a handkerchief and it was labelled, "Catachan Face Eater." That's how bad Catachan was supposed to be. But yeah, now it's getting to the stupidly serious grimdark you described.

Grimdark is supposed to be taken seriously?

Warhammer 40k is supposed to be taken seriously? What is this heresy?

Some don't take it seriously. They take it way, way too seriously.

MrMoustaffa wrote:...but the whole "in the grim dark future, there is only war" just came off as cheesy to me. When did this whole thing happen? Was it when they switched from Rogue Trader? Was it when they started making money? Was it when they had all the squats get nommed by the tyranids? Or was it just a gradual creep that went unnoticed until it was too late?

It was, in fact, on the title page of Rogue Trader, and has been for every subsequent edition. The question is, in case, flawed: "grimdark" is a deliberately ridiculous concept, it's reductio ad absurdam.

Judging from the inside back cover of the Citadel Journal October 1983, however, it could have turned out very differently.

"This great fortress was a gift to the Blood Ravens from the legendary Imperial Fists. When asked about it Chapter Master Pugh was reported to say: "THEY TOOK WHAT!?""

This my friends, is why I love WH40k.

CthuluIsSpy wrote:

Galdos wrote:Damn im still getting use to the Dakka Dakka site. How do you change a vote?

I don't think you can. Sorry

Strange. thanks though

The Caiphas Cain series perfectly reflects how I view the 40K universe, the hilariousness of grimdark!

The Mad Tanker wrote:The Caiphas Cain series perfectly reflects how I view the 40K universe, the hilariousness of grimdark!

I really, REALLY need to get those books. I read the first 15 pages of one in a bookstore and loved it, but haven't been able to find a copy ever since

MrMoustaffa wrote:Is that one somewhere in the gigantic Ultramarines thread going on right now? I'm really liking that thread, I've been learning all kinds of stuff about them from it.

They're definitely the least well understood of the GW feature Chapters, which is rather amusing considering how much material there is out there about them. The phenomenon of Ultramarines hate is quite funny when you dissect it and break it down. That's probably the only reason I've bothered to do it; for the lols. I was going to post my collected analysis of Guilliman in that thread, because people hate him for no good reason too and come up with some wacky and absolutely insane theories and biased diatribes, but I never got around to it.

To an extent I think the setting is critically important. It's probably a matter of tastes, but when I stand the space wolves of Billy King against those of Dan Abnett and Chris Wright, King just makes them all TOO normal and happy to be considered feral Vikings turned super soldiers. It's more than just writing about blood and guts, it's about dialogue and mood settings.

Hey that's happened to Tau when they made their first appearance: "GRRRRRRRRRR TAU ARE NOT GRIMDARK ENOUGH!!!!!"

So they slipped in slavery and mind control along with castration of auxiliary forces... And people still aren't happy.

WHATEVER! All I care about is I go PEW PEW PEW PEW until someone gets too close to me and I go SQUISH SQUISH.

Veteran Sergeant wrote:

MrMoustaffa wrote:Is that one somewhere in the gigantic Ultramarines thread going on right now? I'm really liking that thread, I've been learning all kinds of stuff about them from it.

They're definitely the least well understood of the GW feature Chapters, which is rather amusing considering how much material there is out there about them. The phenomenon of Ultramarines hate is quite funny when you dissect it and break it down. That's probably the only reason I've bothered to do it; for the lols. I was going to post my collected analysis of Guilliman in that thread, because people hate him for no good reason too and come up with some wacky and absolutely insane theories and biased diatribes, but I never got around to it.

I have to admit, I still dislike the ultramarines at the moment, but its mainly due to how most (not all) of of their fluff is written. Some of it is pretty cool, and I think they have a lot of potential for some serious depth if done right. That said, I haven't actually gotten to see much of it yet, so I can't really say anything either way. Until the majority of their fluff learns to vary from "Ultramarines came and saved the day", I'll probably continue to avoid it. However, I'd love to see them get a new codex with better written fluff (done right, please god). Either way, no point in me going on with even more jibberjabber here, I already spoke my mind on the other thread so I'll save you guys some trouble

Still, I've noticed if your faction isn't A) suffering so many casualties that its in the process of becoming extinct, B) Committing mass genocide on a galactic scale, or C) ignoring common sense to the point where its a miracle they haven't tripped and fallen on their own mines yet, then odds are someone will whine about them not being "Grimdark" enough.

I've also noticed the poor filthy xe- er I mean Tau seem to get it the worst. All they want to do is spread peace and love and class based enslavement of lesser beings and everybody rags on them for not being "grimdark" enough. I guess if you ain't choppy you ain't grimdark? You never hear about the Black Templar not being grimdark...

I mean IG are shooty too, but we still charge guys with nothing more than what amounts to rifles with tiny knives on the end, so I guess that makes us x100 grimdark alone, not to mention all the other stuff we get Come to think of it, that would be a pretty fun thread, having everyone vote on the most grimdark faction to ever appear in the game.

Parody, good for some laughs for me.


Oh, and it's couldn't btw.

I actually like it how it is and take it at face-value, some dark, some not-quite-as-dark. I take some of the dark stuff seriously, but some races just beg for humour, whether it's obvious like the Orks or more self-parody like the DE. I certainly don't stress when things don't seem 'dark enough'. It's plenty dark. There's only so far you can go before it becomes an unrealistic, unsalvagable, mess.

Playing with toy soldiers am serious business...

I prefer to take it seriously when I'm battling or thinking up some good fluff for my armies, but I'm open to humour based off 40k. I just think it makes it more interesting to take the atmosphere seriously sometimes and try to imagine what it would actually look like for a guardsmen to get splatted by a dreadnought.

Veteran Sergeant wrote:

MrMoustaffa wrote:Is that one somewhere in the gigantic Ultramarines thread going on right now? I'm really liking that thread, I've been learning all kinds of stuff about them from it.

They're definitely the least well understood of the GW feature Chapters, which is rather amusing considering how much material there is out there about them. The phenomenon of Ultramarines hate is quite funny when you dissect it and break it down. That's probably the only reason I've bothered to do it; for the lols. I was going to post my collected analysis of Guilliman in that thread, because people hate him for no good reason too and come up with some wacky and absolutely insane theories and biased diatribes, but I never got around to it.

Ultramarines don't mesh with 40k because the codex fluff at least, which most people have read, is too lighthearted, and that's why people dislike them. That's all. If you think it's some deep psychological jealousy of a piece of plastic, then you're being the crazy irrational person. But I agree that Guilliman is demonified. He's no worse than the average Imperial general (meaning that he's a genocidal nutcase serving a dying empire) and he was a pretty smart dude, like most of the Primarchs.

I never really cared about the permanent doom and gloom, I love the models and playing.