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Hi there everyone!

So I'm a professionally published author who LOVES me some 40k (been a huge fan of the lore even though I haven't gotten back into the game aspect until now). Recently: I've actually had a very strong inclination towards writing some Fan-Fiction for publication here, and on other fan-40k sites. Obviously it won't be anything official as the Black Library folks have made it quite clear that they aren't considering any new talent right now, but that can't stop us all from enjoying a bit of “new fluff”.

Now: I plan on putting up an entire 40k novel here (short novel, don't get too excited!) in the coming months, going chapter by chapter for an entire storyline and receiving community feedback ect for how the story progresses. As a brief teaser: my story is going be about a solar system on the fringe of the Imperium that is cut off by a warp storm since the pre-hersey days and must learn to adapt and survive with the materials they have. This idea came from some internet scouring in regards to what people are most interested in, and besides strictly “xenos” stories: non-chaos renegades seem to be pretty dang popular.

That all being said, I DO actually have a question here for the community!

When it comes to “unofficial” or “fan-fiction” submissions like this one: how close to the established material do you believe a story needs to be? Obviously I'm not talking about Horus defeating the Emperor, or Space Marines suddenly allowing Orks into their chapters or something, but as far as new material regarding established races/armies/factions...how far is too far?

I thank you all for your time in reading this/answering this, and hope that at least a few of you will be interested in my new work when I put it up.

May the Emperor bless your dice my friends.

generally if you're going to write a story in a setting I think you should stick with the setting.

DIY chapters and similar are fair game. Experimental tech within reason, sure. Obscure minor alien race, works too. Otherwise, try to stick as closely to the setting as you can.

It sounds like a cool idea

So any specific examples of what is "too far" and what is within reason? I don't want to provide any spoilers of course, and like I said: I'm not planning on including anything crazy, but I would like a more specific guideline for what exactly would be out of bounds.

An example of 'too far' would be Blood Angels help a Dark Angel "Fallen" hide from the Dark Angels in exchange for a way to put off the Red Thirst and Black Rage but it's all a devious trap by a daemon. Sure that might be fan-fiction some people might want to read but a full on war between Blood Angels and Dark Angels is far fetched.

Within reason is your own section of the stars, the Sabbat Worlds are a great example, where you make your own main force of Chaos (Blood Pact), your own Space Marine Chapter (Iron Snakes) on a world of their own, your own regiments (Tanith, Vitirian etc...), and include as few canon things as possible or obscure elements of canon things only.

I'm using Dan Abnett references because it's the perfect example of sectioning off a bunch of systems and not overreaching for what people know, love and might hold dear. I would rather read about a completely made up Chapter than for someone to butcher the Ultramarines 3rd Company. Which is why I HATE the Uriel Ventris books by the way. Doesn't match my idea of Ultramarines.

Nothing is too far. Nobody is paying you to write this, you're doing it for your own enjoyment and that of others. Who gives a damn about Orks disguised as Space Marines? Everything is Canon and everything isn't canon. It's a history built on lies, half truths and exaggeration.

Thanks Sharkoutawata! I like that example a lot.

And I actually have a similar feeling regarding using some of the existing chapters ect as I don't want to step on anyone's toes and there is simply WAY more 40k lore out there than what I have read (and like most of us: I've read plenty!)

And as far as Arcsquad12: I do agree about the frailty of truth, history built on lies ect...but I would like to have my own work stick as close to the "official" material as possible as I, like a lot of us, really *like* the official material (or at least a lot of it. There are some books I simply couldn't get through.)

Thanks for the responses so far guys! I would love to hear some more thoughts on the best way to "skirt the edge" of the official material.

You have to pick your sources, define yourself a 40k canon, and write to the version of the universe that you've chosen to enforce.

Ultimately, the entire body of published Black Library novels is simply rubber-stamped fanfiction.

My final word would be that the more you change from the official materials, the less reasonable it is to write fanfiction. There comes a point of deviance where you may as well change the names, because your story bears so little resemblance to the original work that it's basically just original fiction with awkward serial numbers everywhere.

(actually, no, this is my final word: Black Library editors love to hear from established authors with book pitches, submissions windows are for hopeful first-timers)

The IoM is vast; even moreso the wider galaxy which comprises the "immediate" setting. You could even go further, out beyond the Astronomicon. There is so much more room for stories when it comes to this IP. What binds it altogether? Just read and re-read the genre preface printed in (seemingly) all 40k novels and anthologies. To give a negative example, folks generally agree C.S. Goto's novels departed too much from the established setting.

For an excellent example of fan-fiction doing something very radical with the setting, check out Dark Lord Seanron' 'Death Of The Emperor' series in the Dakka Fiction subforum; he takes what becomes the most significant event in the history of the IoM since Horus's treachery, and from that manages to produce something that is completely in character for the setting and a great read to boot. It has twist after twist that frankly, BL would never have the balls to even approach, and yet remains true to the setting and the quality of the writing/planning holds it all together.

You may have seen the phrase 'there is no cannon' used in relation to 40k, and it's true; there are so many conflicting sources, such a vast setting and 10,000 years of history to play with, so the chances are that (within reason) if you can think of it, it has happened or appeared to happen*.



*by which I mean that with so much of the setting being hearsay, myth and twisted rumour, you could have a CSM Warband that was cut off by a Warp Storm on the way to Terra in the HH, somehow figure Horus won (maybe Chaos is even playing a trick on them) and can't quite figure out what is going on in the IoM when they emerge. It's all in the explanation, the better that is, the better the story will be.

I would steer 100% clear of any previously named characters as well.

 Paradigm wrote:
For an excellent example of fan-fiction doing something very radical with the setting, check out Dark Lord Seanron' 'Death Of The Emperor' series in the Dakka Fiction subforum; he takes what becomes the most significant event in the history of the IoM since Horus's treachery, and from that manages to produce something that is completely in character for the setting and a great read to boot. It has twist after twist that frankly, BL would never have the balls to even approach, and yet remains true to the setting and the quality of the writing/planning holds it all together.

You may have seen the phrase 'there is no cannon' used in relation to 40k, and it's true; there are so many conflicting sources, such a vast setting and 10,000 years of history to play with, so the chances are that (within reason) if you can think of it, it has happened or appeared to happen*.



*by which I mean that with so much of the setting being hearsay, myth and twisted rumour, you could have a CSM Warband that was cut off by a Warp Storm on the way to Terra in the HH, somehow figure Horus won (maybe Chaos is even playing a trick on them) and can't quite figure out what is going on in the IoM when they emerge. It's all in the explanation, the better that is, the better the story will be.

Off-topic, but thanks dude genuinely an awesome thing to say

leerm02 wrote:

Hi there everyone!

So I'm a professionally published author who LOVES me some 40k (been a huge fan of the lore even though I haven't gotten back into the game aspect until now). Recently: I've actually had a very strong inclination towards writing some Fan-Fiction for publication here, and on other fan-40k sites. Obviously it won't be anything official as the Black Library folks have made it quite clear that they aren't considering any new talent right now, but that can't stop us all from enjoying a bit of “new fluff”.

Now: I plan on putting up an entire 40k novel here (short novel, don't get too excited!) in the coming months, going chapter by chapter for an entire storyline and receiving community feedback ect for how the story progresses. As a brief teaser: my story is going be about a solar system on the fringe of the Imperium that is cut off by a warp storm since the pre-hersey days and must learn to adapt and survive with the materials they have. This idea came from some internet scouring in regards to what people are most interested in, and besides strictly “xenos” stories: non-chaos renegades seem to be pretty dang popular.

That all being said, I DO actually have a question here for the community!

When it comes to “unofficial” or “fan-fiction” submissions like this one: how close to the established material do you believe a story needs to be? Obviously I'm not talking about Horus defeating the Emperor, or Space Marines suddenly allowing Orks into their chapters or something, but as far as new material regarding established races/armies/factions...how far is too far?

I thank you all for your time in reading this/answering this, and hope that at least a few of you will be interested in my new work when I put it up.

May the Emperor bless your dice my friends.

Please be careful with scales and try to do research with real science. I hear so many numbers issue in GW... I would hate for a Fan-fiction to have the same dumb scaling issue too. Simple things like Light Year, Galaxy is not the Universe, etc...

Stick to the setting and try to justify unanswered questions in the GW universe with your good answer would be good. People love solving mystery in the setting, if it makes sense.

A story I'd like to see done at some point is similar to that in the OP.

A planet cut off from the Imperium, maybe it was unified during the crusade, maybe not. In the intervening millennia it has been reduced to caveman civilisation but has now reached a level of civilisation similar to earth in 3k (ie now).
All records lost, they assume that their planet is where they originated. They think they're alone in the galaxy. They've managed to land on the moon that orbits their planet and to send probes into space looking for extra-terrestrial lifeforms.
One of those probes is answered...
Dark Eldar, Eldar, Chaos warband, pirates, IOM, take your pick who answers.
It's a way to tell a story about our realworld civilisation having to deal with the likes of the Inquisition or chaos sorcerors.

Computron wrote:
A story I'd like to see done at some point is similar to that in the OP.

A planet cut off from the Imperium, maybe it was unified during the crusade, maybe not. In the intervening millennia it has been reduced to caveman civilisation but has now reached a level of civilisation similar to earth in 3k (ie now).
All records lost, they assume that their planet is where they originated. They think they're alone in the galaxy. They've managed to land on the moon that orbits their planet and to send probes into space looking for extra-terrestrial lifeforms.
One of those probes is answered...
Dark Eldar, Eldar, Chaos warband, pirates, IOM, take your pick who answers.
It's a way to tell a story about our realworld civilisation having to deal with the likes of the Inquisition or chaos sorcerors.

Does that planet happen to have giant rodent men, chaos squats, bipedal lizard things, regressed eldar and much heresy? Is that probe also a box the rodents found in the lizard people's temple, after ransacking said temple? I like this story already.

But seriously, the key to writing a fanfic and plan on not getting burnt because the canon progressed/changed, is making your own stuff based on the canon and add to it, instead of adding to official stories.

 lcmiracle wrote:

Computron wrote:
A story I'd like to see done at some point is similar to that in the OP.

A planet cut off from the Imperium, maybe it was unified during the crusade, maybe not. In the intervening millennia it has been reduced to caveman civilisation but has now reached a level of civilisation similar to earth in 3k (ie now).
All records lost, they assume that their planet is where they originated. They think they're alone in the galaxy. They've managed to land on the moon that orbits their planet and to send probes into space looking for extra-terrestrial lifeforms.
One of those probes is answered...
Dark Eldar, Eldar, Chaos warband, pirates, IOM, take your pick who answers.
It's a way to tell a story about our realworld civilisation having to deal with the likes of the Inquisition or chaos sorcerors.

Does that planet happen to have giant rodent men, chaos squats, bipedal lizard things, regressed eldar and much heresy? Is that probe also a box the rodents found in the lizard people's temple, after ransacking said temple? I like this story already.

But seriously, the key to writing a fanfic and plan on not getting burnt because the canon progressed/changed, is making your own stuff based on the canon and add to it, instead of adding to official stories.

I think your story requires less cheese, which will help solve the rat problem, failing that a large stick with a heavy end might work.

... he's talking about the Old World of Warhammer Fantasy. The giant rodents are Skaven, who will mess you up real bad if you go waving a stick at them.

They have flamerthrowers that shower you with Warp-infused magical flames. So you both burn and mutate horribly.

 Psienesis wrote:
... he's talking about the Old World of Warhammer Fantasy. The giant rodents are Skaven, who will mess you up real bad if you go waving a stick at them.

They have flamerthrowers that shower you with Warp-infused magical flames. So you both burn and mutate horribly.

Or as of now, a gigantic huge avatar of disease and entropy that's more horrifying then Nurgle.

Also for those not in the know, the Skaven even survived the WHF planet being obliterated.

Because Skaven are badass like that. Rats always know how to flee a sinking ship.