Simo429 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 There are loads in the Imperial Guard codex not funny ones but historical ones such as Bastogne Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481248 Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneSniperSG Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 There are loads in the Imperial Guard codex not funny ones but historical ones such as Bastogne And General Patton, He's Creed. I'm sorely tempted to say Pask is based on Erwin Rommel, but.. I'm not sure of that just yet. Gunnery Sergeant Harker? "I AM GUNNERY SERGEANT HARTMANN, YOUR SENIOR DRILL INSTRUCTOR!" And our very own primarch is Odin without the two ravens. Not to mention our old and trusted Rhino tank - which was actually "invented" by the Allied forces during WWII: Rhino tank - Wikipedia Despite the Rhino being based on the Vietnam era APC, the M113. I've noticed that no one has yet mentioned the Holy Orb of Antioch that the Black Templars had access too. I fell over laughing when my opponent (who was oblivious to the reference) used it against me. "Bring forth the holy hand grenade of Antioch!" The Blood Angels commander Dante is obviously taken from Dante Alighieri, as names sound like they come from the Renaissance era of Italy. I think there's an entire undercurrent of a very strong, hellish reference in the Blood Angels. .. Come on.. They're red? They have the Lucifer-pattern Rhinos, an ungodly Psyker named Mephistion, (similar to Mephistopholes) and they're all angels with a severe downfall. Tell me Blood Angels aren't as a whole a reference to Satan. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481257 Share on other sites More sharing options...
CainTheHunter Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I think there's an entire undercurrent of a very strong, hellish reference in the Blood Angels. .. Come on.. They're red? They have the Lucifer-pattern Rhinos, an ungodly Psyker named Mephistion, (similar to Mephistopholes) and they're all angels with a severe downfall. Tell me Blood Angels aren't as a whole a reference to Satan. Too bad that deamons and other stuff are reserved for other armies :P Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481265 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rune Priest Ridcully Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 The renaissance theme of the blood angels is nice, shame ward replaced it with "blood, blood, glorious blood" rubish, anyway with Dante, I thought his name was a hint that the BA are going through the most testing experience, complete with a glimpse of the damned, and then through a great struggle/journey come out greater then before, their faith renewed and possible clensed of the curse. or maybe I am reading too uch into the name, though I agree that the Lizardmen SC names are terrible, it just makes you suprised they gave us okay rules with after the joke names, one would be bad enough, but all our special charecters have terrible names! Don't look for any intelligent inspiration from ward, his charecters are so bad you wonder wherever or not he struggles to read Dr Seuss, or perhaps mister men is a bit easier for him, where once GW's fluff was influenced by the likes of Dante and history, thanks to ward it is now like Primary school reading. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481358 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simo429 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Forgot about the holy orb loved that one Lost on younger players though Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481429 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Trivia Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Don't forget Leman Russ with his two wolves mentioned in A Thousand Sons (Geri and Freki were Odin's wolves in Norse mythology) Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481431 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blitzkreig Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Logan Grimnar/Wolverine anyone? I know it's not actually funny but: Augustus(first Roman EMPEROR!)/ Marneus AUGUSTUS Calgar Vulkan/Vulcan Blacksmith God Cassius/ Cassius Longinus (Julius Cesar Assasin...) Damn, this one actually freaked me out.... Dante/Dante Allighieri.... Ran That explains why he sucks in the fluff (imagine Dante from the poem) but in game he kicks ass (imagine what they turned Dante into for Dante's Inferno the video game)... or have I got that the other way around? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481439 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Trivia Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I think we are all in agreement that GW's thinly disguised references in terms of fluff are sketchy at best. If you have enough knowledge of world history or culture you can pretty much tie whole swathes of the 40k universe to things very much "earthly". I mean what really would be the chances that the world that would become the homeworld of the Space Wolves would just happen to be named after the father of all wolves in Norse mythology (Fenris)? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481444 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simo429 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I think we are all in agreement that GW's thinly disguised references in terms of fluff are sketchy at best. If you have enough knowledge of world history or culture you can pretty much tie whole swathes of the 40k universe to things very much "earthly". I mean what really would be the chances that the world that would become the homeworld of the Space Wolves would just happen to be named after the father of all wolves in Norse mythology (Fenris)? Why are they sketchy? Its a fun hobby and the names in some cases are meant to be funny, in some cases are meant to sound cool and in some cases are meant to have historical references Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481449 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Trivia Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I guess I used the term sketchy because the writers are paid to come up with this stuff and it seems like a lot of the time they just mail it in. I recognize a lot of it is for fun, and I love the storyline of 40k in general, but sometimes I feel like they could go further than just taking historical or cultural things and put a thin wash over it and make it 40k. Just me and my opinion. I mean I could write about the Siege of Stahll City, in which the Imperial Guard forces of Marshal van Palos and the 6th Death Korps of Krieg Army besieged the wintry capital of Stahl City, defended by rebel forces commanded by Marshal Nikitav Kruskov. There, I just wrote some 40k fluff loosely based off the battle of Stalingrad. Hmm wonder if GW is hiring.... Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481461 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chodjinn Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 yeah I posted a similar thread when the new codex came out about Erik Morkai & Ernst the Wise lol, think that goes all the way back to 3rd. There are loads in the entire GW backcatalogue, but the blood angels are particularly bad for it! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481471 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormshrug Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Speaking of Odin and the Space Wolves, Grimnir is another name for Odin. And to Captain Trivia, I'd say that historical/mythological references are all about execution. Literature as a whole is one long series of references to past works - this isn't to say that there is no innovation, that people never twist old ideas or make them their own - but, if done well, it can be extremely effective and evocative. Does it go to far sometimes? Sure, but I think generally it's more of a good thing than a bad thing. Warhammer 40k is what it is because it takes all of the most AWESOME sci-fi settings and lets you pit them against each other. Of course, it has developed a personality and a flavor of its own over time, and has many original elements, but let's not forget where it started, either. -Stormshrug Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481639 Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneSniperSG Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Speaking of Odin and the Space Wolves, Grimnir is another name for Odin. Wow. That's rather ironic.. in my own fluff-story, I have a command Leman Russ named Grymnir.. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481667 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Payton Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 In Warhammer Fantasy, the Dwarves have a war god named Grimnir. Nurgle is derived from the Babylonian god of plague, Nergal. The Death Korps of Kreig are based on German soldiers from WWI, the Valhallan Ice Warriors are based on the Red Army of 1945, the Tallarn Desert Raiders are heavily inspired by the Desert Rats, the Afrika Korps and Lawrence of Arabia. The Vostroyans are Cossacks, the Cadians have some similarity to modern armies. The Ultramarines are full of it: Varro Tigurius: Terentius Varro, a Roman Scholar and Writer Antaro Chronus: Chronos, personification of time. Cato Sicarius: Cato the Younger, famous Roman prodigal statesman, The Sicarii, a Jewish terrorist group. Konrad Curze: Mr Kurtz, villain in Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now. M'Shen: Martin Sheen, who killed Kurtz in Apocalypse Now Ahriman is the name given by the Persians to their version of Satan. Abaddon is the king of tormenting locusts and destroyer in Hebrew Apocrypha. Typhoid is a disease. Sly Marbo: Rambo and Sly Stallone The Eldar call humans Mon-Keigh (Monkey) and Chem-Pan-Seys (Chimpanzees). The Tau call us Gue'la (Gorilla). Hermann Von Strab bears more than a passing resemblance to Hermann Goering Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481787 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenguard2010 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I think the Raven Guard fluff relies heavily on this type of thing.. I remember reading somewhere that apparently the last thing Corax said when he went off on one was 'nevermore.' This is all too blatantly a reference to Poe's The Raven, to the point of being somewhat crass even, but I guess it's all good fun. Ol' Captain Shrike is fittingly named after a bird of the same name, which is sometimes also known as a butcher bird because it impales it's victims on barbs, probably similar to how he impales his victims on his claws... Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481802 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Payton Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I think the Raven Guard fluff relies heavily on this type of thing.. I remember reading somewhere that apparently the last thing Corax said when he went off on one was 'nevermore.' This is all too blatantly a reference to Poe's The Raven, to the point of being somewhat crass even, but I guess it's all good fun. Ol' Captain Shrike is fittingly named after a bird of the same name, which is sometimes also known as a butcher bird because it impales it's victims on barbs, probably similar to how he impales his victims on his claws... The upcoming ADB novel Blood Reaver features Lucoryphus the raptor, named after a species of raptor called Lucoryphus Lucoryphus. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481813 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenguard2010 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 That's cool.. Just found out on wiki that 'lanius,' the largest genus of the shrike family, derives from the latin for butcher.. Think I just hit upon a name for my Shadow Captain... Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481841 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whit Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Gue'la may acutally be a referance to Guailo, the Cantonese term for a caucasian. This is further backed up by the fact that the Tau were supposedly created by GW to reach out to asian consumers. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481852 Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Normish Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Forgot about the holy orb loved that one Lost on younger players though Oh, I wouldn't say that. But yes, now that I think about it more, the more obvious the puns and jokes are. Of course, in context, it's still epic, no matter how silly it is if you think about it. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481855 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Howland Greywolf Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 A feral world cald Bermingham, look at the rulebook, impirail guard section near the ottom of the map. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481871 Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadlift58 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 dark angels have christian demon and prophet names azrael, asmodai, ezekiel azrael is the angel of death asmodai is a king of demons ezekiel was a priest who did prophecies based on visions (love that wiki) Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481953 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsavong Lah Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 anyway with Dante, I thought his name was a hint that the BA are going through the most testing experience, complete with a glimpse of the damned, and then through a great struggle/journey come out greater then before, their faith renewed and possible clensed of the curse. That would be awesome. If the Blood Angels story arc doesn't take them through the entire Divine Comedy, then I will be sorely disappointed in the epic literary fail of GW. ;) Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2481966 Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneSniperSG Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 Konrad Curze: Mr Kurtz, villain in Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now.M'Shen: Martin Sheen, who killed Kurtz in Apocalypse Now I didn't even pick up on those, and I watched that movie. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2482015 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Trivia Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 Konrad Curze: Mr Kurtz, villain in Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now.M'Shen: Martin Sheen, who killed Kurtz in Apocalypse Now I didn't even pick up on those, and I watched that movie. To further your mind screw, Joseph Conrad wrote the Heart of Darkness, the novel in which Apocalypse Now is based on. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2482055 Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneSniperSG Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 Ya, I saw that book actually. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/207812-gw-sense-of-humour/page/2/#findComment-2482067 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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