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What are some plotlines from other properties that would never work in 40k? Plot lines that just could never happen given the lore of 40k.

For me:
Anything involving a Space Marine/Custode having a romantic relationship.

Pacifism winning the day.

Tyranids negotiating for peace.

Tyranids used to conduct diplomatic negotiations through Zoats though?

40K is a big old universe, hard to think of something which is impossible.

Maybe the world spirit Gaia rising up against the poulters of the Earth? I think if there is a Gaia in 40k she is long dead!

just about ANYTHING in star trek.

BrianDavion wrote:just about ANYTHING in star trek.

The Borg are basically a combination of Tyranids and Necrons.

I think star trek style plots could easily fit into a Tau based series. They have the same kind of self belief as a driving force that the federation does.

I agree with Kroem. With such a big galaxy, hard not to be able to crowbar anything in somewhere.

The world spirit rising up against the polluting occupants is basically the climax of Daemon World, of that book is still out there.

Tyranids used to conduct diplomatic negotiations through Zoats though?

This is true however...its never mentioned how "peaceful" this ended up, considering their role was taken over by the genestealers. I would imagine the Zoats were more like scout/spies to assess the species for the hive mind. Its not like there is anything any species would be willing to give that the Tyranids would want.

Ontopic -

Chaos that doesn't corrupt. All chaos corrupts.

Peaceful Orks that live longer than 2 minutes.

A Tau surviving a day on Catachan.

Abbadon becoming the equal to Horus.

The imperial guard getting better equipment.

A genestealer cult that coverts to Emperor worship.

A Khorne Beserker who is afraid of blood (hemophobic) - This would be funny though.

Well... 2000AD doesn't really work

Judge Dredd is no good as it pretty much already exists in 40k.

Strontium Dog... well, bounty hunters for sure, and mutants for sure, but not mutant bounty hunters, as they'd be the hunted not the hunters.

Sinister Dexter... pretty much any proto-hiveworld.

ABC Warriors... I can just about imagine some Men of Iron like these guys. Khronicles of Khaos felt VERY 40k.

Nemesis (and Torquemada) are very 40k...

The Ballad of Halo Jones could fit into it.

Rogue Trooper could be a 40k story already, practically.

2000AD is not a good source for this.

Rebel4ever85 wrote:

Tyranids used to conduct diplomatic negotiations through Zoats though?

This is true however...its never mentioned how "peaceful" this ended up, considering their role was taken over by the genestealers. I would imagine the Zoats were more like scout/spies to assess the species for the hive mind. Its not like there is anything any species would be willing to give that the Tyranids would want.

It's also since been retcon'd that that's NOT what the Zoats were doing. The updated version is that the Zoats were on the run from the Tyranids and their attempts to warn the Imperium got misinterpreted/mistranslated as attempts at diplomacy from the Hive Fleets.

 Platuan4th wrote:

Rebel4ever85 wrote:

Tyranids used to conduct diplomatic negotiations through Zoats though?

This is true however...its never mentioned how "peaceful" this ended up, considering their role was taken over by the genestealers. I would imagine the Zoats were more like scout/spies to assess the species for the hive mind. Its not like there is anything any species would be willing to give that the Tyranids would want.

It's also since been retcon'd that that's NOT what the Zoats were doing. The updated version is that the Zoats were on the run from the Tyranids and their attempts to warn the Imperium got misinterpreted/mistranslated as attempts at diplomacy from the Hive Fleets.

Wasn't that (the claim they were fleeing) just a hoax to get the trust of the Imperium and part of the plan ?
I don't remember well

Rebel4ever85 wrote:


Abbadon becoming the equal to Horus.

I'd argue Abaddon has in many ways surpassed Horus.

I feel like any story involving AI is right out. Since most of the races avoid AI except Tau. A Servitor gaining sentience is kind of possible, but just means the lobotomy process didn't work as expected.

Ned Stark death from Games of Throne. Can you imagine the shitstorm that would follow if an important 40k character gets killed so suddenly like that?

bibotot wrote:
Ned Stark death from Games of Throne. Can you imagine the shitstorm that would follow if an important 40k character gets killed so suddenly like that?

You mean like Creed being trapped in the Tessaract and so effectively being removed from the story or Aun'va being killed and replaced by a body double? The thing is that barring very few characters, no single individual is so important that their death would really affect things like in a small setting such as Westeros.

 Platuan4th wrote:

bibotot wrote:
Ned Stark death from Games of Throne. Can you imagine the shitstorm that would follow if an important 40k character gets killed so suddenly like that?

You mean like Creed being trapped in the Tessaract and so effectively being removed from the story or Aun'va being killed and replaced by a body double? The thing is that barring very few characters, no single individual is so important that their death would really affect things like in a small setting such as Westeros.

Does Aun'va count when his death was rendered meaningless by a hologram copy?

bibotot wrote:
Ned Stark death from Games of Throne. Can you imagine the shitstorm that would follow if an important 40k character gets killed so suddenly like that?

Cadia blowing up was a bit like that IMO. Yeah its not a character but Cadia was a big deal to the Imperial Guard if nothing else.

bibotot wrote:
Ned Stark death from Games of Throne. Can you imagine the shitstorm that would follow if an important 40k character gets killed so suddenly like that?

well game of thrones over did character deaths, to the point where people following it got jaded. it's like "killing characters and rape" was the only thing GRRM knew how to make the tension increase

BrianDavion wrote:

bibotot wrote:
Ned Stark death from Games of Throne. Can you imagine the shitstorm that would follow if an important 40k character gets killed so suddenly like that?

well game of thrones over did character deaths, to the point where people following it got jaded. it's like "killing characters and rape" was the only thing GRRM knew how to make the tension increase

I got bored and because people died at the drop of a hat I never cared about new people. Awful books.

Rebel4ever85 wrote:

Tyranids used to conduct diplomatic negotiations through Zoats though?

This is true however...its never mentioned how "peaceful" this ended up, considering their role was taken over by the genestealers. I would imagine the Zoats were more like scout/spies to assess the species for the hive mind. Its not like there is anything any species would be willing to give that the Tyranids would want.

Ontopic -

Chaos that doesn't corrupt. All chaos corrupts.

Peaceful Orks that live longer than 2 minutes.

A Tau surviving a day on Catachan.

Abbadon becoming the equal to Horus.

The imperial guard getting better equipment.

A genestealer cult that coverts to Emperor worship.

A Khorne Beserker who is afraid of blood (hemophobic) - This would be funny though.

That underlined point isn't as unlikely as it maybee sounds.
Remember, there is also a GSC cult that now worships nurgle.

DontEatRawHagis wrote:
Anything involving a Space Marine/Custode having a romantic relationship.

We already had a bit of that with Loken and his best friend in the "trilogy of the Horus Heresy" and also mildly with Argel Tal and the survivor from the Ultramarine bombing. Platonic love is no less love than the carnal version of it. You could absolutely make a romance story with Space Marine character. The only problem is that male, straight teens aren't exactly interested in platonic love story between men, but it's absolutely possible and would be, in my opinion, a breath of fresh air in a more traditionnal action story.

Pacifism winning the day.

Indeed, the entire premise of 40K is that it's a war game. the fluff of a war game will thus be about war and war will be the method of conflict resolution. In the end though pacisfism wins the day in all of 40K stories. In the grand scheme of things, every single race is losing the war. Nobody wins, not even the gods of Chaos. It just takes them loner to lose. It's the last legacy of the time 40K was a satire; usless constant war that will end inevitably in everybody killing everybody.

Tyranids negotiating for peace

Again, I will have to disagree there. While Tyranids are systematically been used as the faceless horde that the hero can cut down in throngs and must avoid be overwhelmed by, it would not be out of "character" for the Tyranids to negotiate a ceasefire or peace to defeat a common enemy like the forces of Chaos for example. They only need to create an organism capable of communicating with mortals for that purpose. Of course, expect the Tyranids to eat you later at some point unless you are a Necron or so few in numbers, but extremely well armed and thus not worth the effort. This of course would make any negotiation complicated as the Tyranids would never spare good biomass.

GW is very lazy and often very slopy with its fluff. They have published dozens of nearly identical books about slightly different colors of Space Marines fighting impossible almost lost battles against a variety of enemies and left a huge swath of different story and character styles untouched.

I really don't think the nids are capable of negotiation. It's just their mentality to see everything else as food. I just don't see them as capable of forming words and listening to replies. In a sense they are like a disease, they exist to spread and multiply. I'm not sure even the god emperor of 40k writers ,Dan Abnett, hallowed be his name, could write a story like that I could swallow.

The Tyranids have been shown to be infinetely adaptable and ruthlessly Darwinian, if developing an organism like the Zoat makes them more likely to survive and thrive then they do it.

We know from real world conflicts that diplomacy can be a powerful tool, even if your end goal is total conquest. Sowing division amougst your enemy, sapping their will to fight, stalling an expected offensive etc.

So I could see a logical path to a story about Tyranid diplomacy, even if I think it is unlikely to pop up in a book any time soon!

Eldar finally running out of guardians to use as meat shields.


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Eldar finally learning how to reproduce successfully again. It would make an odd story. It would also give them an opportunity to re-stock their fast diminishing reserves of said guardians.


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A story about a content imperial citizen who lives a happy life, in alright(relatively, remember he does not know how messed up his world is) that does not end in tragedy.


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A story outlining the futility of charging automatic weapons and heavy artillery with numberless hordes of melee combatants. Or perhaps outlineing the industrial nature of warfare - everything is expendable everything is just something waiting to be destroyed and replaced.


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The use of ork technology, Imperium brainwashing millions of orks to use their 'if we think it works it works' to give their army grand buffs on the battlefield.


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Romance is generally not considered Platonic. It's like considering Courting and Befriending as the same thing, there is a certain intention there. Also as spacemarines are brainwashed killing machines that are designed for war I think they'd have very little interest in that field.


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bibotot wrote:
Ned Stark death from Games of Throne. Can you imagine the shitstorm that would follow if an important 40k character gets killed so suddenly like that?

Yeah but dying in book 1 is not a major character. Anyone can do it. Besides then they'd have to make new heros, and people would not be invested in them. Sorta like a character in a George RR Martin book. Although I found the desensitised: "Oh, the new guy wonder how long he'll last." an interesting and novel feeling.

Or perhaps outlineing the industrial nature of warfare - everything is expendable everything is just something waiting to be destroyed and replaced.

that's 40k in a nutshell.

If so why do spacemarines, venerated machines and artificer gear still exist?


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I'm talking WW1 on steroids scale disillusionment. Nothing lasts and it is better to use the cheaper option.

There is no point in making space marines, just weld some criminals into basic enviroment suits, give them heavy stubbers and send them in by the million. Given that their battlefield life expectancy is only 2 seconds.

Not having some showy guys who've had a lot of resources invested in them get around doing whatever they want in groups of 1000 tops.

Again, I will have to disagree there. While Tyranids are systematically been used as the faceless horde that the hero can cut down in throngs and must avoid be overwhelmed by, it would not be out of "character" for the Tyranids to negotiate a ceasefire or peace to defeat a common enemy like the forces of Chaos for example. They only need to create an organism capable of communicating with mortals for that purpose. Of course, expect the Tyranids to eat you later at some point unless you are a Necron or so few in numbers, but extremely well armed and thus not worth the effort. This of course would make any negotiation complicated as the Tyranids would never spare good biomass.

Source?

So far as i am aware nobody has ever had any sort of commincation with the Tyranids. Genestealer's are about the closest thing to that...and i wouldn't call them actual Tyranid.

 OldMate wrote:
If so why do spacemarines, venerated machines and artificer gear still exist?


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I'm talking WW1 on steroids scale disillusionment. Nothing lasts and it is better to use the cheaper option.

There is no point in making space marines, just weld some criminals into basic enviroment suits, give them heavy stubbers and send them in by the million. Given that their battlefield life expectancy is only 2 seconds.

Not having some showy guys who've had a lot of resources invested in them get around doing whatever they want in groups of 1000 tops.

it's the Imperial guard. Marines are not exactly common, and even WW1 had it's bright shiny heros. people such as Baron Von Richtofen, Billy Bishop, etc.

Wasn't the question in the OP of stories from other universes that wouldn't work in 40K? In most replies I see simply stories that are improbable in 40K but also have no reference to anything else.

So, maybe more on topic: How about the Zerg story from Starcraft 1 - could Tyranids do the same? Is a genestealer Patriarch basically something like Kerrigan? I don't think so, the hive mind in 40K doesn't allow for individuals as even the "special characters" get reborn. That being said I don't know much about tyranid lore.

Horus and the emperor make up and become best buds again. Because he's dead. Both of them!


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BrianDavion wrote:

 OldMate wrote:
If so why do spacemarines, venerated machines and artificer gear still exist?


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I'm talking WW1 on steroids scale disillusionment. Nothing lasts and it is better to use the cheaper option.

There is no point in making space marines, just weld some criminals into basic enviroment suits, give them heavy stubbers and send them in by the million. Given that their battlefield life expectancy is only 2 seconds.

Not having some showy guys who've had a lot of resources invested in them get around doing whatever they want in groups of 1000 tops.

it's the Imperial guard. Marines are not exactly common, and even WW1 had it's bright shiny heros. people such as Baron Von Richtofen, Billy Bishop, etc.

That is sorta my point. Marines will never disappear and 40k will never go that grimdark. And marine equipment has always been described as very exspensive to make and maintain. Also the fact marines have, basically their own agenda independent of tactical and inquisitorial command. At some point, the benefits of supporting such groups, in small quantities(as they are) becomes nonviable. Hell you could look at it marine by marine: This many people are needed to support a spacemarine, he covers X amount of land. We can train Y amount of guardsmen(or more possibly scions) and support them with this many people and they will cover Z amount of land. Z very much > X. Capability factored in. Simple as that.


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Sgt. Cortez wrote:
Wasn't the question in the OP of stories from other universes that wouldn't work in 40K? In most replies I see simply stories that are improbable in 40K but also have no reference to anything else.

So, maybe more on topic: How about the Zerg story from Starcraft 1 - could Tyranids do the same? Is a genestealer Patriarch basically something like Kerrigan? I don't think so, the hive mind in 40K doesn't allow for individuals as even the "special characters" get reborn. That being said I don't know much about tyranid lore.

LOL before starcraft 1 came out they were weird bug people(warriors) or dinosaurs(gaunts) with swords and guns, now they are sleek insectile alien killing machines, with guns and swords.
I know this maybe a trigger to some people, but I would like to add that culture feeds culture. It's called inspiration. And personally(I mean no offense to anyone who likes the rogue trader sculpts, but they are not of my era) I like the fact that they are no longer weird gun totting dinosaurs or bugmen. I like the fact that in starcraft 2 the zerg came back more badass than ever.

The emperor turning to his Daemon prince lover and saying "I think it's time we went back to my place". Waking up in the throne room, surrounded by his elite guards, with a daemon prince in tow and being like "hey guys, this is Ma'Ka'Lama'shna, and we're getting married!"

Rebel4ever85 wrote:

Again, I will have to disagree there. While Tyranids are systematically been used as the faceless horde that the hero can cut down in throngs and must avoid be overwhelmed by, it would not be out of "character" for the Tyranids to negotiate a ceasefire or peace to defeat a common enemy like the forces of Chaos for example. They only need to create an organism capable of communicating with mortals for that purpose. Of course, expect the Tyranids to eat you later at some point unless you are a Necron or so few in numbers, but extremely well armed and thus not worth the effort. This of course would make any negotiation complicated as the Tyranids would never spare good biomass.

Source?

So far as i am aware nobody has ever had any sort of commincation with the Tyranids. Genestealer's are about the closest thing to that...and i wouldn't call them actual Tyranid.

Tigurius has communicated with the Hive Mind. As well, there's a couple other psykers in Black Library stories that have had conversations with the Hive Mind before being eaten.