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In the Grimdark of 40k...there is only war.

But what about 10,000 years earlier at the height of the great crusade.

Did life in 30k times (just prior to the Heresy) qualify as Grimdark?

Semi Grim...Poorly lit?

Cheerful...yet inadequately lit?

Grim...brilliant?

cj95 wrote:
In the Grimdark of 40k...there is only war.

But what about 10,000 years earlier at the height of the great crusade.

Did life in 30k times (just prior to the Heresy) qualify as Grimdark?

Semi Grim...Poorly lit?

Cheerful...yet inadequately lit?

Grim...brilliant?

The short answer is it was not as dark as 40k is.
The long answer is, read the Horus Heresy series.

In 30k, marines had the life eater virus. It would liquefy life and reduce it to a.. liquid and decomposing gases. Those gases would then be ignited.

In 40k, there is exterminatus. Oh boo hoo. Bombarding a planet sounds much nicer than being eaten alive and then ignited.

30k is secretly grim darker.

the_trooper wrote:
In 30k, marines had the life eater virus. It would liquefy life and reduce it to a.. liquid and decomposing gases. Those gases would then be ignited.

In 40k, there is exterminatus. Oh boo hoo. Bombarding a planet sounds much nicer than being eaten alive and then ignited.

30k is secretly grim darker.

Bombarding a planet is only one way of carrying out exterminatus, another way is using the life eater virus which is still in use.

Wrath of Magnus spoilers:

Brutal.

Still pretty dark, though with slightly more brightness, say for example if 40k is GoT, then 30k is the Witcher universe if that makes any sense.

It's Grimbright. The whole galaxy is a post apocalyptic wasteland, mankind is only unified by a genocidal tyrant using an army of cyborg monsters, all technology is controlled by an insane cargo cult that may be thralls to an eldritch horror from the dawn of time, slavery, oppression and slaughter on a horrific scale are the order of the day. But the lighting is better and there aren't as many skulls everywhere

Cptn_Cronssant wrote:
Still pretty dark, though with slightly more brightness, say for example if 40k is GoT, then 30k is the Witcher universe if that makes any sense.

I wouldn't say that GoT is darker than the Witcher Universe, theye're kinda on the same vibe. There is the same amount of political depravation in both universe, and you can just switch the sexual aspect and replace it with an "interspecies racism" (if that makes any sense too) that's close to 40k Imperium standards.

30k is meant to be when it turns. The SMs are more heroic, more noble etc. Say what you will of Gav Thorpe's writing, but his portrayal of Merir Astelan's view of what the SMs have become is pretty damning.

It's grimdark anytime all the time after M25.