19 ms·

Unsolved mysteries of the Warhammer 40k universe with loremaster Dan Abnett

112 points by feross 6y ago

neo_spike 6y ago
The line of thought about the state of the Emperor is quite tragic and interesting. Seriously hoping for more Rogal Dorn lore in the upcoming books set around the siege of terra. The transcript-- >>https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/bdcfbf52-3f17-4222-a85d-820cda5134f0mezzanine.txt https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/bdcfb...
- tibbydudeza 6y ago
  Eternally dying and resurrecting for 10,000 years.
Daub 6y ago
I am not a gamer, but I have a fascination with gaming that has extended into my professional life (I teach art). Of all games, Warhammer 40k I find the most compelling. It’s lore is as deep as the ocean, and then some. It is not unlike the Nordic myths, epics which took several days to recount.
bikingbismuth 6y ago
I have been an avid Warhammer 40k fan for about 15 years. I was initially lured in by Dawn of War (PC Game) and the incredibly detailed lore. Having read an embarrassing amount of Warhammer books, I can say there are some real SciFi gems, a lot of good filler if you like the universe, and a few really awful books. If you are looking to get started I would recommend the Eisenhorn trilogy, The Original Blood Angels Omnibus, or The Emperor's Gift. Dan Abnett, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, and Graham McNeil produce consistently enjoyable 40k books.
- enraged_camel 6y ago
  The Eisenhorn trilogy, and its follow-up, the Ravenor trilogy, are superb. I re-read both over the course of the pandemic and they both hold up incredibly well.
  - bikingbismuth 6y ago
    I am waiting for the Bequin Trilogy to finish up and I am going to re-read all of them.
- bordercases 6y ago
  The Blood Angels omnibus is a lot of, "it's RED on RED, with RED EVERYWHERE." Even in my youth I was blushing RED at the writing quality.
- slickrick216 6y ago
  The solar war books are getting quite good. The latest one saturnine is actually a compelling story. Same with some of the watchers of the throne series. Also being a technologist I always like bellisarius cawl so really liked the great work.
- kcartlidge 6y ago
  I'd second that list (Dan Abnett especially), but also add Sandy Mitchell's Ciaphas Cain books.
smogcutter 6y ago
Any other wargamers here? I got into 40k in middle school because the lore and toys were awesome, ditched it in high school as girls suddenly became more interesting than space marines (and seemed mutually exclusive), and in the past few years got back into historical wargaming. Spent most of quarantine painting opposing French and Austrian divisions for the war of 1809, among some other projects. One thing I’ve really enjoyed about historical games , at least with the groups I’ve been playing with, is the focus on process over result. Winning is nice, but the narrative and choices that develop over the course of the game are really what everyone’s there for. Edit: totally forgot to add! HN’s favorite Bret Devereux recently appeared on a 40k podcast, where he talked historical precedent for the imperium of man. Great listen! https://www.frontlinegaming.org/2021/02/15/chapter-tactics-194-how-the-imperium-of-man-compares-to-other-empires-in-history/ https://www.frontlinegaming.org/2021/02/15/chapter-tactics-1...
- bsharitt 6y ago
  I got into wargaming a few years when I decided a needed a non-tech hobby. I guess I'm ultimately more a miniature painter than a gamer(though I do game with my miniatures) and I've found the painting very therapeutic.
- FiatLuxDave 6y ago
  Reporting in, sir! I've played 40k since 1987 and WH Fantasy since 1990. I used to play fantasy tournaments along with the Orange County Choppas, usually with a high elf army. Played for the US national championship in 'Ard Boyz twice, but never won it. Back in 2014 I had to quit the tournament scene, as I was working on a startup and I just couldn't keep it all in my head. The local WH Fantasy scene here in Central Florida kind of dried up after Age of Sigmar, so I haven't had a good game in ages.
- bikingbismuth 6y ago
  I am quite lucky and I have a good narrative/fluff focused group I play with. We have been playing Crusade (new Campaign system in W40K 9th ed.) and when there are difficult tactical decisions to be made, we always try to make them in the spirit of the characters and armies we are building up. This makes it more fun than the WAAC games we face in tournaments.
dimator 6y ago
The same content in YouTube form: https://youtu.be/VchkiTUisu8 https://youtu.be/VchkiTUisu8 Very engaging speaker.
johnzim 6y ago
Well worth a watch - Abnett is the best writer in the GW canon by far and a significant asset. I remember when it was mostly Andy Chambers and Gav Thorpe writing the best stuff and Abnett was a new hand on the tiller. The Gaunt’s Ghosts series in particular is a jewel.
- bikingbismuth 6y ago
  I agree. Many of my favorite 40k (and Horus Heresy) books are Dan Abnett. I feel like Aaron Dembski-Bowden is his spiritual successor. Different style, but ADB captures the same grim-darkness vibe that Dan does.
weregiraffe 6y ago
Warhammer 40k lore is an exercise in making Space Catholic Nazis look good by constructing a world where everyone else is (arguably) even worse than they are. One starts to wonder what the point is of this exercise. Do we need a fantasy universe where we can roleplay as Space Nazis and feel justified about it?
- qq4 6y ago
  Ha, I thought I was the only one. It felt like an extreme accusation at first, but Space Marines are really so close to Nazis. The imperial eagle, preserving the superior geneseed and purging the universe of the unclean. I say this somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but it makes one wonder about their popularity.
  - kinos 6y ago
    It used to be tongue in cheek, but then we got to see Poe's Law prove itself in real time. Every time I join a 40k community, 80% will be communists making fun of nazis. The other 20% will be mask-off nazis. Game Workshop's focus on trying to be marketable instead of comedy doesn't help this at all, as they start choosing sides to turn into the good guys for traditional storytelling and marketing purposes.
- deleted 6y ago
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- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- AllegedAlec 6y ago
  Oh please. The Imperium is evil in their own special way, just as everyone else in that universe. To believe that people who like them somehow feel the need to justify that rather than just enjoying a game for what it is, a game, is absolutely stupid, or at least extremely uncharitable. Why would playing the Space Nazies be any worse than the Space Communists, or the Space Bdsm Rapists, or the Space Super Spreaders, or the Space Insects That Only Like You For Your Biomass, or the Space Cockneys That Only Want To Fight, or the Space Zombies That Sort Of Kind Of Still Worship Undead Gods They Toppled?
gerikson 6y ago
I haven't read any of Abnett's Warhammer books but I was impressed by his free-standing book Embedded. I was honestly surprised to learn he was mostly known for 40K content.
tibbydudeza 6y ago
Iron within , Iron without !!!!. The amount of lore this universe creates (there is about a core group of 8 writers) is just insane so I am mainly a fan of the 30K Horus Heresy era. I don't play the tabletop game or paint or game but just read/listen to the novels , it reminds me of how I discovered D&D by reading the Dragonlance novels by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman.

112 points by feross 6y ago

The line of thought about the state of the Emperor is quite tragic and interesting. Seriously hoping for more Rogal Dorn lore in the upcoming books set around the siege of terra. The transcript-- >>https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/bdcfbf52-3f17-4222-a85d-820cda5134f0mezzanine.txt https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/bdcfb...

tibbydudeza 6y ago
Eternally dying and resurrecting for 10,000 years.

Daub 6y ago

I am not a gamer, but I have a fascination with gaming that has extended into my professional life (I teach art). Of all games, Warhammer 40k I find the most compelling. It’s lore is as deep as the ocean, and then some. It is not unlike the Nordic myths, epics which took several days to recount.

bikingbismuth 6y ago

I have been an avid Warhammer 40k fan for about 15 years. I was initially lured in by Dawn of War (PC Game) and the incredibly detailed lore. Having read an embarrassing amount of Warhammer books, I can say there are some real SciFi gems, a lot of good filler if you like the universe, and a few really awful books. If you are looking to get started I would recommend the Eisenhorn trilogy, The Original Blood Angels Omnibus, or The Emperor's Gift. Dan Abnett, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, and Graham McNeil produce consistently enjoyable 40k books.

enraged_camel 6y ago
The Eisenhorn trilogy, and its follow-up, the Ravenor trilogy, are superb. I re-read both over the course of the pandemic and they both hold up incredibly well.
- bikingbismuth 6y ago
  I am waiting for the Bequin Trilogy to finish up and I am going to re-read all of them.
bordercases 6y ago
The Blood Angels omnibus is a lot of, "it's RED on RED, with RED EVERYWHERE." Even in my youth I was blushing RED at the writing quality.
slickrick216 6y ago
The solar war books are getting quite good. The latest one saturnine is actually a compelling story. Same with some of the watchers of the throne series. Also being a technologist I always like bellisarius cawl so really liked the great work.
kcartlidge 6y ago
I'd second that list (Dan Abnett especially), but also add Sandy Mitchell's Ciaphas Cain books.

smogcutter 6y ago

Any other wargamers here? I got into 40k in middle school because the lore and toys were awesome, ditched it in high school as girls suddenly became more interesting than space marines (and seemed mutually exclusive), and in the past few years got back into historical wargaming. Spent most of quarantine painting opposing French and Austrian divisions for the war of 1809, among some other projects. One thing I’ve really enjoyed about historical games , at least with the groups I’ve been playing with, is the focus on process over result. Winning is nice, but the narrative and choices that develop over the course of the game are really what everyone’s there for. Edit: totally forgot to add! HN’s favorite Bret Devereux recently appeared on a 40k podcast, where he talked historical precedent for the imperium of man. Great listen! https://www.frontlinegaming.org/2021/02/15/chapter-tactics-194-how-the-imperium-of-man-compares-to-other-empires-in-history/ https://www.frontlinegaming.org/2021/02/15/chapter-tactics-1...

bsharitt 6y ago
I got into wargaming a few years when I decided a needed a non-tech hobby. I guess I'm ultimately more a miniature painter than a gamer(though I do game with my miniatures) and I've found the painting very therapeutic.
FiatLuxDave 6y ago
Reporting in, sir! I've played 40k since 1987 and WH Fantasy since 1990. I used to play fantasy tournaments along with the Orange County Choppas, usually with a high elf army. Played for the US national championship in 'Ard Boyz twice, but never won it. Back in 2014 I had to quit the tournament scene, as I was working on a startup and I just couldn't keep it all in my head. The local WH Fantasy scene here in Central Florida kind of dried up after Age of Sigmar, so I haven't had a good game in ages.
bikingbismuth 6y ago
I am quite lucky and I have a good narrative/fluff focused group I play with. We have been playing Crusade (new Campaign system in W40K 9th ed.) and when there are difficult tactical decisions to be made, we always try to make them in the spirit of the characters and armies we are building up. This makes it more fun than the WAAC games we face in tournaments.

dimator 6y ago

The same content in YouTube form: https://youtu.be/VchkiTUisu8 https://youtu.be/VchkiTUisu8 Very engaging speaker.

johnzim 6y ago

Well worth a watch - Abnett is the best writer in the GW canon by far and a significant asset. I remember when it was mostly Andy Chambers and Gav Thorpe writing the best stuff and Abnett was a new hand on the tiller. The Gaunt’s Ghosts series in particular is a jewel.

bikingbismuth 6y ago
I agree. Many of my favorite 40k (and Horus Heresy) books are Dan Abnett. I feel like Aaron Dembski-Bowden is his spiritual successor. Different style, but ADB captures the same grim-darkness vibe that Dan does.

weregiraffe 6y ago

Warhammer 40k lore is an exercise in making Space Catholic Nazis look good by constructing a world where everyone else is (arguably) even worse than they are. One starts to wonder what the point is of this exercise. Do we need a fantasy universe where we can roleplay as Space Nazis and feel justified about it?

qq4 6y ago
Ha, I thought I was the only one. It felt like an extreme accusation at first, but Space Marines are really so close to Nazis. The imperial eagle, preserving the superior geneseed and purging the universe of the unclean. I say this somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but it makes one wonder about their popularity.
- kinos 6y ago
  It used to be tongue in cheek, but then we got to see Poe's Law prove itself in real time. Every time I join a 40k community, 80% will be communists making fun of nazis. The other 20% will be mask-off nazis. Game Workshop's focus on trying to be marketable instead of comedy doesn't help this at all, as they start choosing sides to turn into the good guys for traditional storytelling and marketing purposes.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
AllegedAlec 6y ago
Oh please. The Imperium is evil in their own special way, just as everyone else in that universe. To believe that people who like them somehow feel the need to justify that rather than just enjoying a game for what it is, a game, is absolutely stupid, or at least extremely uncharitable. Why would playing the Space Nazies be any worse than the Space Communists, or the Space Bdsm Rapists, or the Space Super Spreaders, or the Space Insects That Only Like You For Your Biomass, or the Space Cockneys That Only Want To Fight, or the Space Zombies That Sort Of Kind Of Still Worship Undead Gods They Toppled?

gerikson 6y ago

I haven't read any of Abnett's Warhammer books but I was impressed by his free-standing book Embedded. I was honestly surprised to learn he was mostly known for 40K content.

tibbydudeza 6y ago

Iron within , Iron without !!!!. The amount of lore this universe creates (there is about a core group of 8 writers) is just insane so I am mainly a fan of the 30K Horus Heresy era. I don't play the tabletop game or paint or game but just read/listen to the novels , it reminds me of how I discovered D&D by reading the Dragonlance novels by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman.