I appreciate this post as a long-time RPG nerd (WD 81 was my first issue) who also got WH40K Rogue Trader when it first came out. I got back into it at 7th edition via my children.I think it's more of a cyclic thing rather than any specific prescience. Remember that the notion of Grimdark was born out of the background radiation of the situation in the 70s and 80s in the UK and coincides with a cultural shift within the management of GW from London to the tory-struck Midlands - there are several Orc banners in 'eavy Metal photoshoots of the time with Maggie Thatcher on.
Hi Dave. The GW rulebook authors - Rick Priestley, Brian Ansell etc all seem to be decent, possibly left-leaning, intelligent graduate types, so I don't doubt the original intended satire of 40k. What's different now is the way the lore has entered into (mainstream) culture, inevitably becoming misinterpreted, and quite often exalted. Life reflects art reflects life etc.
it's also Interesting how the original authors deliberately wove occult elements into the lore - see https://awesomeliesblog.wordpress.com/2024/05/31/interview-with-rick-priestley-part-two/ for example. The idea that human emotion created the Ruinous Powers (i.e. are egregores) speaks to that. This has continues over time. The archetypal and mythic elements in 40k are numerous, therefore linking it to the imaginal.
As an inhabited mythos (i.e. a mythos where millions of individuals chose to dwell imaginatively) 40k must also have some kind of independent incorporeal existence (I hate to use the term 'astral'...)
That interview with Rick Priestley is great! Thanks for sharing.
Kudos for being a Tau player - I would love to be able to say I am a Tau player, but mine are all in 'box of shame' format still. I'm a Tau pre-player and have been for the last five years.
I recall being a little excited that GW lore was being referenced by magical practitioners a few years back as it's nice to know there's a nerd crossover there. However, recently it's just been grim. As you've pointed out, the satire just isn't picked up in some quarters. Really looking forward to the deep dive you've got planned on that though!
Thanks! There's a hauntological theory that both the past and the future can seep into the present. It's interesting to think that 40k is a mythos of the future from another universe that seems to be seeping into ours...
I appreciate this post as a long-time RPG nerd (WD 81 was my first issue) who also got WH40K Rogue Trader when it first came out. I got back into it at 7th edition via my children.I think it's more of a cyclic thing rather than any specific prescience. Remember that the notion of Grimdark was born out of the background radiation of the situation in the 70s and 80s in the UK and coincides with a cultural shift within the management of GW from London to the tory-struck Midlands - there are several Orc banners in 'eavy Metal photoshoots of the time with Maggie Thatcher on.
Hi Dave. The GW rulebook authors - Rick Priestley, Brian Ansell etc all seem to be decent, possibly left-leaning, intelligent graduate types, so I don't doubt the original intended satire of 40k. What's different now is the way the lore has entered into (mainstream) culture, inevitably becoming misinterpreted, and quite often exalted. Life reflects art reflects life etc.
it's also Interesting how the original authors deliberately wove occult elements into the lore - see https://awesomeliesblog.wordpress.com/2024/05/31/interview-with-rick-priestley-part-two/ for example. The idea that human emotion created the Ruinous Powers (i.e. are egregores) speaks to that. This has continues over time. The archetypal and mythic elements in 40k are numerous, therefore linking it to the imaginal.
As an inhabited mythos (i.e. a mythos where millions of individuals chose to dwell imaginatively) 40k must also have some kind of independent incorporeal existence (I hate to use the term 'astral'...)
There's even an academic 40k conference: https://warhammer-conference.com/ which says a lot about its status in the zeitgeist.
That interview with Rick Priestley is great! Thanks for sharing.
Kudos for being a Tau player - I would love to be able to say I am a Tau player, but mine are all in 'box of shame' format still. I'm a Tau pre-player and have been for the last five years.
I recall being a little excited that GW lore was being referenced by magical practitioners a few years back as it's nice to know there's a nerd crossover there. However, recently it's just been grim. As you've pointed out, the satire just isn't picked up in some quarters. Really looking forward to the deep dive you've got planned on that though!
Thanks! There's a hauntological theory that both the past and the future can seep into the present. It's interesting to think that 40k is a mythos of the future from another universe that seems to be seeping into ours...