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Greetings everyone,

So the other day I read an article that basically called out video games for both becoming more like movies and also, essentially, all being the SAME movie (a sort of action/drama thing). That got me thinking about 40k. Specifically, it got me thinking about the kind of stories that are told in the 40k universe.

Now, I know that “In the Grim Darkness of the 41st Millenium There is Only WAR” and all that. I also am at least somewhat aware that this is a tabletop wargame we are talking about (I AM in the right forum, right?) But even with all that being said I think there is a pretty clear argument to be made that the setting is both richer and more interesting than just an excuse to smash our action figures together while making pew-pew noises (Or at least that is how I play 40k. Pew-Pew!) However, there is also a pretty compelling bit of evidence that daddy GW isn't particularly interested in publishing a romance novel set inside the eye of terror (“Your twelve eyes just look so beautiful tonight, darling, I'm captivated by your smile... and also your tentacles.”)

With all that being said: Do you think we will ever see any new types of stories being told within the universe? I'm talking comedies, romance, interpersonal drama, survival stories- really anything outside of the usual “bolter porn” or any other stories where a heroic square jawed protagonist sidesteps something while also cutting something else's head off with a chainsword. (Okay, to be fair, that DOES describe a lot of romance stories these days.)

Obviously, we have already started to see some of this. The Eisenhorn novels are a great example of using the setting to tell slightly different stories, and I know I've heard a few others that have done similar things with police procedurals and the like (isn't there a Arbites novel out there somewhere?) There are also the comedy webcomics over at the warhammer community site (which, in my opinion, vary in quality but are generally worth a read).

I guess then my question becomes: will this kind of content ever really catch on? Will we see a half-hour animated comedy set on board a strike-crusier? Will we see a workplace comedy inside a gene-stealer cult? How about a gritty crime drama set in a hive world? A forbidden necron romance? (Two Dynasties, both alike in dignity...) I'm sure you get the idea.

Discuss!

Ahem, *Love Can Bloom*.

1D4chan aside, sure, you could tell any kind of story you want in this setting. The question is getting a writer/creator to actually take the time to do it. Free-form stuff in the wild usually corresponds to eyeballs (for ad revenue). GW could make some stuff but they don't seem too interested right now.

So in short, the answer is yes but we won't actually see it till it starts proving it can make money (by ads, GW or the like).

EDIT: See below, GW may be supplying some money.

GW is already doing kids books, crime novels and horror. A novel could certainly use romance as its primary motivation for characters like in "Dead Men Walking" but I doubt you'll be seeing teen romance analogues any time soon.

I think that they could tell some very different stories just by looking at other factions perspectives. I’ve read imperium books, then I read the very few ork books that are out there, and they’re very different.

The horror novels are pretty great and of the ones I have read really not much in the way of "bolter porn". Haven't read the crime novels but I've heard good things about them being solid detective stories, some with noir underpinnings. We've had a number of comedies (Da Gobbos Revenge, Deff Skwadron, Brutal Kunnin, really anything in ork perspective is comedic) and satires (Ciaphas Caine, early Gaunts Ghosts).

In short, yes, the setting can tell many stories in many genres. It already is and has been for quite some time.

chaos0xomega wrote:
The horror novels are pretty great and of the ones I have read really not much in the way of "bolter porn". Haven't read the crime novels but I've heard good things about them being solid detective stories, some with noir underpinnings. We've had a number of comedies (Da Gobbos Revenge, Deff Skwadron, Brutal Kunnin, really anything in ork perspective is comedic) and satires (Ciaphas Caine, early Gaunts Ghosts).

In short, yes, the setting can tell many stories in many genres. It already is and has been for quite some time.

I do think orks could be used as the protagonist and not in a comedic light, there were some scenes from that one book with warboss gratzdakka that really showed em well.