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How do!

So ever since 40K moved from a setting, to an ongoing narrative, it’s bugged me that few of any great import ever go splat. Sure, there’s the odd person that comes a cropper (Aun’va, Yarrick) but for the most part? The plot armour is strong.

Of course from a gaming perspective this isn’t entirely undesirable. I doubt anyone particularly fancies buying, building and painting a given named character, only for them to get killed to death in the background.

But, I still feel that to add some stakes to the game, heads must roll, and new blood rise to replace them, and further drive the narrative.

I think that any named Chapter Master should be fair game for the Reaper’s scythe. Only in death does duty end, after all.

Likewise? And I appreciate this is a super contentious one? I think Abaddon snuffing it could make for an interesting circumstance. So far he’s the only one that’s really been able to wrangle the disparate Chaos forces into something approximating a cohesive whole. And honestly? With the Great Rift in play, much of his job is done. Then given it seems incredibly bloody unlikely he’ll be allowed to lead a successful assault on Terra? I feel that to some extent, his tale is done. He’s had his massive victory. Let him fall, and the resulting fallout make matters a whole lot worse for the Imperium, as the varying Chaos Forces now go totally rogue, making their movements and plans even less predictable. Then, in the power vacuum let another rise in his place. Because such a replacement is inevitable.

Orks? Well, they’ve few enough. Ghaz I think can stay, but I feel he needs to take out a major rival/crony. For instance, if Ghaz took out Nazdreg and in doing so absorbed his forces? They become an even more serious threat. So a reverse Abaddon if you will.

Note I’m not arguing for any of these to actually happen. They’re just suggestions as to what might drive the narrative further.

What are your thoughts?

I'd vote for some loyalist Primarch. Doesn't have to be Guilliman because he's in a rather interesting position. But the Lion seems quite pointless to me.
Or take others that have not yet materialized in miniature form. Eldar Craftworlds can't be the only stuff that bites the dust in the 40th Millennium.
All stupid Wolf time stuff be damned, let Russ return as a full on possessed Wulfen werewolf and then just - die. Bonus points if he has to be taken down by the Lion or other loyalists and not in some stupid heroic last stand where he kills a Million CSM.
Make it a cool story if you like, Magnus turns Russ into a mad possessed that has to be dealt with, let the Lion speak up for him to not fill the Memes even more, but then let him be brought down by Logan or Gulliman. On his way down let Russ kill a couple of named Space Wolves characters, they have too many anyway.
Yes, you will see Space Wolves Fans on the streets, but honestly? Eldar players had to witness Biel Tan going down and IG players saw the destruction of Cadia, for once SM can lose something as well.

I'll admit any other faction imo has too few named characters in miniature form anyway, so if you ask me Space Marines, and especially the Angels, the Wolves and the Ultras are the only faction where there's room to kill someone (who has a miniature).

On the other hand it would be a nice change of pace if some Tau or non-augmented humans just die of old age.

Perhaps we could weld two into one narrative whole?

Russ reappears, described as you say. Tears his way through Abaddon and his bodyguard. There is much rejoicing. But…no…that’s not right….settle down, Beavis, they’re all like dead and stuff….oh…he’s not stopping….oh…oh dear. And so one of his Loyal Brothers has to put him down?

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Orks? Well, they’ve few enough. Ghaz I think can stay, but I feel he needs to take out a major rival/crony. For instance, if Ghaz took out Nazdreg and in doing so absorbed his forces? They become an even more serious threat. So a reverse Abaddon if you will.

Ghaz is in a tricky spot due to the Beast series of books. If you consider them canon (which is understandable if you do not, because they are insane) Ghaz looks so utterly pathetic in comparison that it's hard to express, and it makes him harder to take seriously as a threat.

I personally am in camp of just blinking and pretending Beast didn't happen because Ghaz really doesn't deserve this. But if you don't, you pretty much have to massively power him up in order for him to feel like a relevant player in the history of his species the way other central characters like Vect, Eldrad, Guilliman and Abaddon are, or kill and replace him with someone who is.

Redeem Magnus the Red, have him become a Loyalist who sits at the right hand of the Emperor.

Next, kill off Cypher. He serves no point anymore with the Lion wandering about. The Fallen are being redeemed... no need for him.

And finally get rid of the ultimate bizarrely implemented character in 40k, Cawl the Lesser. Why would anyone in the Imperium be okay with an AI?

On Cawl the Lesser?

Is it AI? Or is it just a copy, made possible by potentially suspect, but within letter if not spirit of the law, sanctioned technology?

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Perhaps we could weld two into one narrative whole?

Russ reappears, described as you say. Tears his way through Abaddon and his bodyguard. There is much rejoicing. But…no…that’s not right….settle down, Beavis, they’re all like dead and stuff….oh…he’s not stopping….oh…oh dear. And so one of his Loyal Brothers has to put him down?

I think I like Abby too much, but GW doesn't seem to know what to do with him anymore. His actions on Vigilus already seemed quite pitiful. Would be fun if he actually marched to Terra and then Russ came in as you say, also fractures that Hive fleet that's on the way but in the end starts to slaughter his way to the throne room
However, if he killed Abaddon I want Russ to be severely injured in the process so that the loyalists even stand a chance against him. CSM are too often depicted as punching bags nowadays, at least give poor Abby a nice standoff, badly hurt that Wolf thing. But in the end he'll get his arms ripped off, for the memes .

I vote for Marneus "Plot Armor" Calgar.

Calgar does feel a bit superfluous now Guilliman is kicking around. But what would that bring to the background?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
But I definitely feel a Primarch (not every Primarch!) needs to claim a major kill.

I mean, that’s partly what they’re for. To perform the otherwise untenable decapitation strike as possibly the finest warriors to have ever existed.

Whereas currently? It all feels a bit Saturday Morning Cartoon Villain.

Which is why I’d pick Abaddon. He’s a canker right enough. But if you kill him? Chaos will lose much of what overall cohesion it has. Sounds great. But that could be akin to relieving appendicitis by popping it. Yes OK the appendix no longer hurts loads. But now there’s peritonitis which is much, much worse.

I think it would also give the Galaxy some room to breathe, narratively speaking. All those competing to be the next Abaddon off and around Up To No Good, making ever larger sacrifices and dedications to the gods to win the most favour.

The Imperium would still be trying to recover from the Great Rift too, so it’s not like it gets off Scott Free.