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What characters, factions, events or something else do you think/hope has been intentionally put in the fluff to be a seed for a bigger storyline later?

For me I hope it’s the Homo Novus hiding out in the webway. I’m a big fan of Fabius but the way they left it really has the feel of the opportunity for something else, even if it’s just another trilogy of books.

The only place where any such plot seeds are going to have even the slightest chance of sprouting are ones from codexes. Nothing from novels, especially from a finished series by an author who left BL on not great terms, like the Fabius trilogy.

This is because bigger storylines will always be accompanied by models, and the model makers and rules writers don't actually read the novels. They only ever look at codexes.

Are there any examples non codex stories becoming bigger thematically or canonically?

jareddm wrote:
The only place where any such plot seeds are going to have even the slightest chance of sprouting are ones from codexes. Nothing from novels, especially from a finished series by an author who left BL on not great terms, like the Fabius trilogy.

This is because bigger storylines will always be accompanied by models, and the model makers and rules writers don't actually read the novels. They only ever look at codexes.

I was under the impression that occasionally novel writers do get told to sneak in hints at upcoming stuff, though? Maybe i'm just misremembering something.

Novels where the author gets some inside info on potential and actual upcoming models can mean that they have some advanced information on future releases. However sometimes those hints might just be background fluff that never makes it to development, or makes it so far and then gets put to the side for other things, or just doesn't work etc...


GW certainly does seed ideas all over the place; it gives them room to see what consumer feedback there can be and also to have things to expand into.


They also have some htat I think are just there to tease/tempt or taunt people into conversions. Eg Eldar riding Dinosaurs is perhaps something GW has never actually developed because they've got Eldar and Dinosaur models and the temptation is there in peoples minds to convert their own Exodite model army.

The Night Lords uniting to go mess up Ulthwe from the NL trilogy was mentioned in Vigilus 2. It's only a sentence in a paragraph but it basically says very few of the 8th actually joined Abbaddon and went after Ulthwe instead.

Well, there were a bunch within the various Paycheck Awakening books. They included Fulgrim being out and about, and seemingly Squats being encountered.

Only problem is iF it doesn't involve a space marine, plots aren't so much seeded as thrown out and left to rot.

Remember the Ynnari guys? LOL lots of continution of that thread in the two editions since they put it in...

 the_scotsman wrote:
Only problem is iF it doesn't involve a space marine, plots aren't so much seeded as thrown out and left to rot.

Remember the Ynnari guys? LOL lots of continution of that thread in the two editions since they put it in...

I really like Ynnari, but the problem with xenos releases is that they loudly complain they are not getting any, then when GW caves in and does one xeno players ignore it and continue buying old finecast gak because these models are OP (see Reapers in 8th, for one). Eldar vs SM box was very poor seller despite having new models for both factions, Eldar vs DE saw one of the worst VS sales ever, banshees despite buffs weren't moving much, literally only the Sisters vs DE box was any good on that front and that was down to DE being the OP faction of 9th edition and Sisters being really popular.

Gee, I have no idea why GW would favour faction that sells over players that loudly complain then hide wallets when appeased. It's a real mystery

On a side note, I suspect GSC are seeing multiple releases because unlike Eldar/Tau whiners they actually do buy models despite army having bad rules now. GW should just ignore whinging of the above moving on and give some love to Tyranids/Necrons instead, I never saw either faction players complaining they aren't as OP as the taudar were in 7th or mass spamming least fun to play, most broken gak to WAAAC harder than a typical ork beating up a grot...

 Irbis wrote:
banshees despite buffs

Adorable, try again.

Howling banshees lose close combat when they get the charge off against Skitarii Vanguards, let alone anything that's a fething space marine lol. cant imagine why few people would buy a kit that is:

-60$ for 5 models
-100% monopose (whoops, guess nobody that liked it is going to buy 2...)
-utterly useless in game and worse than basically any melee unit that exists despite being an "Elite" unit

At this point, I dont even give a feth whether GW releases new eldar models. It's been 20 years, the ship has sailed, I own a 3d printer and I can make any aspect I like for a dime per model without having to leave my house. They could literally delete eldar from the game and I'd just proxy my eldar as Primaris Space Marines, they've got all the aspect warriors now anyway.

 Gert wrote:
The Night Lords uniting to go mess up Ulthwe from the NL trilogy was mentioned in Vigilus 2. It's only a sentence in a paragraph but it basically says very few of the 8th actually joined Abbaddon and went after Ulthwe instead.

Yup, and one element of those books have even made it into the rules: the Vox Scream strategem is a definite call back to the Scream from those novels. And on that note, and going back to the OP, here's the "seeds" I'd like to see followed up on:

Long scattered, they are uniting, warband by warband, in the name of some dire cause.

The Great Rift spreads panic and madness across the Imperium. The Night Lords are in their element, with many establishing small empires amongst those systems cut off from the Emperor's Light.

Both quotes from Codex: Chaos Space Marines 8th edition, page 36

And from Faith and Fury:

Indeed, the remnant of the 8th Legion, who had been reduced to an existence of piracy and reaving in order to replenish their battle gear and numbers, prospered like never before.

Munitorium worlds were stripped bare by night clad warriors. Several Space Marine fortress-monasteries were raided, geneseed stolen and armouries emptied, defenders mutilated and ritually slaughtered.

Faith and Fury, page 18

These and other "seeds" point to the 8th Legion gather back together and mustering resources, and bringing an end to the disparate warbands of the past.

Party on Tsagualsa.