Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

One absolute stroke of genius which Rick Priestley and the other founders of Warhammer 40'000 hit upon, was to present the new setting through the propaganda lense of its evil space empire. 40k was birthed with satire and dark comedy being part of its intricate worldbuilding, and the cheeky artwork of the Rogue Trader era showed Imperial Space Marines (40k's posterboy crowd pullers from the very start) in a less noble light than has been common from 2nd edition and onward.

Although many subtleties of the original vision may naturally have had a hard time to shine through in the collective endeavour of decades of background writing (see Waaagh The Emperor!), I still find that core parts of the original vision are alive and kicking in the newer background written for the Horus Heresy series.

As is evident in these three reminders:

The Interex, Diasporex and Auretian Technocracy.

All of which did perfectly fine before the Great Crusade crushed them.


Interex Sagittar by byrdworx

And whose existence also hints at other, as of yet unrevealed brighter pockets of human survivors from the Age of Strife. The early Imperium did not just conquer hopeless post-apocalyptic human societies, and ones enslaved by aliens.

The early Imperium killed all alternative paths of human development in their cradles, locking mankind fully to the false duality of Emperor and Chaos. A dual choice which seems all the more rigged given the revelation of the Emperor's Faustian deal with the Chaos gods.

Considering how the Interex, Diasporex and Auretian Technocracy were introduced through the Horus Heresy novels, we can see that the strong Imperial propaganda angle of the setting's background is still hale and healthy, although those who miss these nuances amid the marketable heroic pauldrons can easily be forgiven, as it were.

The Imperium never were the only viable alternative for the future of humanity.

In fact, the technologically and scientifically regressive Imperium of Man is an obvious dead end. It cannot withstand the Necrons or Tyranids barring a miracle involving the technology of human ancestors, and thus Imperial mankind is doomed.

Which is proper grimdark, and thus right for the setting (unlike the fan-popular vision of a cruel but justified Imperium being the only option for human survival, which isn't grimdark enough).


Descendant Degeneration

The Imperium is going down like the Romans/Byzantines went down in the Middle Ages: Overwhelmed and outclassed technologically, in spite of their unlikely long run of clinging to empire through ability to adapt and organize; and in spite of their strong defenses, sophisticated grand strategy, inherited ancient professionalism and science, dogged stubborness, faith and occassional strokes of good luck.



With this in mind, grab some popcorn and dice, as we duke out this decaying colossus' rage, rage against the dying of the light, tongue-in-cheek and bonkers as the founding fathers of Warhammer 40'000 intended.

That's... untrue. The narrator, the very first page and the old rulebooks are quite obvious about it. And there is nothing more drimdark than to say "oh you see this objectively and totally evil empire ? Yep, the bad guys, the worst guys, in every others setting ? Here is the thing: they are right to do it. Because it's a universe so bad, so mean, you can't be kind without facing destruction"
And even then, they are still doomed and giving a last fight before annihilation, once again, it's on the rulebook (maybe not the last one though, didn't check in years).
And that's why all the noble bright / primaris / neo fluff is bad: because they aren't even gothic or grimdark enough to be a caricature themselves or the world, and nuances are lost. And thus it's easy to lost track and to even begin to think of the evil Imperium of Man as the good guy of the setting, which... isn't what was supposed to be !