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I haven't played 40k since the mid 90s but still always buy the rule book, codexes and campaign books because I love the lore/fluff.

 

So a question for you all - how much background fluff is in the 8th edition rule book and codexes?

 

I ask because some of the later 7th edition codexes started to get a bit thin on the ground for background material so didn't appeal to me as much.

 

Thanks.

I haven't done an in-depth analysis but between 7th and 8th edition the fluff is about the same, with minor additions about the final events of the last edition, like the fall of Cadia, the primarch awakening, the devastation of Baal. Not too many details though, I guess they keep them for the novels.

The CSM book seemed to have some new stuff compared to the 7th ed one. Some bits are just 'what X has been up to since the Gathering Storm' but it has individual timelines of significant events for each legion and a few references to heresy background from the FW books too, which I don't recall from the 7th ed. book. Much better layout and art as well, the profiles of individual warriors no longer look like colouring book samples.

I think the fluff has been reduced some compared to prior editions. Consider the newest Marine codex - in a 6/7th codex, each unit got its own fluff page and picture or art at least. But for example, in the new Marine book, all five types of dreadnought available are covered in just two pages, And a fair amount of that is taken up by art. Other units got a similar treatment this edition.

 

And things have gotten looser date wise for the fluff, too. In the past, GW frequently gave a specific date for an event in the timelines. Now stuff is in the new 'it sort of happened around then, maybe' Dark Imperium style. Makes it tougher to compare.

So a question for you all - how much background fluff is in the 8th edition rule book and codexes?

 

I agree with Brother Totalfailure, the rulebook and codices carry fewer details, and when they do it's still very abstract.

 

Instead, the background fluff, especially the "Plot Is Advancing" content, are hidden in other books:

 

- the Gathering Storm Books I, II, III released Jan to March this year.  Had great points of info, but lots of filler between each

- the Dark Imperium novel (linked, because it can get confused for the boxset: http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/dark-imperium-the-last-faithful-son-ebook.html )

 

A very telling experience - I read my friend's Space Marines codex for any information on Primaris Marines.  Found very little.  Then I read Dark Imperium, even though I wasn't an Ultramarines player.  Found much more information about Primaris Marines, how they live, how they're even organised, in Dark Imperium.  Dark Imperium is like a setting book for the current state of the Imperium, that happens to be connected via a meta-plot.

Edited by Not 1 Step Backwards

The 8th edition books so far (rulebook, Dark Imperium inserts, new codexes) have been extremely disappointing from a fluff point of view. If I was looking to buy them for the lore provided only I would have passed on them tbh. There are some nuggets in there, but if I hadn't read Dark Imperium (the novel) I wouldn't have known that much had happened post Gathering Storm. The lack of background on the Primaris is especially annoying noting they are the big push this edition.

Likewise, the elimination of specific dates within the fluff has affected my enjoyment of the lore more than I thought it would (or should) considering it's just the end point of a pattern GW has been working towards since 6th edition when they first started dropping dates. I don't expect, or want, a date attached to Guilliman's every movement (maybe I should rephrase that lol) but important battles and events should not be shaded the way they now are.

I'm good with the dates being in question.

 

From the standpoint that our own real world dating system is questionable. It's based on a specific event that occurred 2,018 years ago. It is accepted by pretty much everyone, but if you look at it objectively there is no real way to verify that the event occurred exactly then (or that it happened at all).

 

Since our own dating system is suspect, it seems more than reasonable that dates would be skewed with an additional 38,000 years tacked on.

I'm good with the dates being in question.

 

From the standpoint that our own real world dating system is questionable. It's based on a specific event that occurred 2,018 years ago. It is accepted by pretty much everyone, but if you look at it objectively there is no real way to verify that the event occurred exactly then (or that it happened at all).

 

Since our own dating system is suspect, it seems more than reasonable that dates would be skewed with an additional 38,000 years tacked on.

 

And thats not even bringing in things like the hypothesis that the Dark Ages didn't happen. Given the sheer scale of both the Imperium and the timeframes being talked about, you're absolutely right. In fact i'd say it would be far more unbelievable if the dates used were correct.

Moderati - oops sorry thanks for moving.

 

Brothers - thanks for the replies much appreciated. Sounds like someone like me who only wants the Lore should possibly skip buying codexes for this edition (shame).

Edited by DukeLeto69

Moderati - oops sorry thanks for moving.

Brothers - thanks for the replies much appreciated. Sounds like someone like me who only wants the Lore should possibly skip buying codexes for this edition (shame).

My personal opinion - you'd get more out of reading the Dark Imperium novel than any of the 8th rule books or codexes.

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