[SPOILERS] Just finished The Board is Set...

[Nashnir]

The last time I heard this story I was left with a completely different impression.

 

The narrative showed that certain events are destined to happen, but the events leading up to them or the conclusion is not set in stone.

As long as the cards are played right, the victory at only those events are necessary to guarantee an overall favorable result.

 

Malcador was of the opposite mind initially, where he wanted to ensure victories all along the way. This is the ideal scenario the Malcador wishes for the Imperium to pursue.

He was shown that there are enough wildcards around that the only guarantee they can have are those critical events and it was better to let the whole thing unfold along a more predictable line.

Malcador feels dejected at this but is shown that his IS a much needed hand in the events even if it feels like his words are not heeded.
The story ends with the breaching of the warp veil by the traitor fleet that has finally reached the Sol system (A critical Event).

Malcador is left alone as the Emperor goes to take his role but not before reminding Malcador the role he has chosen of his own accord.

 

My memory may not be wholly accurate about this.

[Moonreaper666]

Laurie golding is also a hack and known to take pleasure in greifing the fanbase

Doesn't he have some say in how the HH novels progress?

 

No one with brain cells would want to read an Emperor crippled because he was holding back. You want readers to FEAR Chaos? have the Emperor barely win despite giving his all!

[SkimaskMohawk]

he sure... did. He doesn't any more.

 

And we fear chaos already. It wins before Horus gets to terra. The emperor doesn't beat chaos; he beats Horus; chaos won when it destroyed the webway project and the emperors future-sight failed simultaneously.

 

Maybe us with no brain cells understand that the emperor being enthroned is only the symbolic end to the age of wonder.

[Moonreaper666]

he sure... did. He doesn't any more.

 

And we fear chaos already. It wins before Horus gets to terra. The emperor doesn't beat chaos; he beats Horus; chaos won when it destroyed the webway project and the emperors future-sight failed simultaneously.

 

Maybe us with no brain cells understand that the emperor being enthroned is only the symbolic end to the age of wonder.

And yet people bring up the 'armless warmaster' meme

 

Does Abaddon have to kill Constantine Valdor or a Loyalist Primarch (perhaps perma-kill Vulkan) for him to be taken seriously?

 

Kill Saint Sabbat and Gaunt's Ghosts?

 

Destroy an Eldar Craftworld with one swing of Drach'nyen?

[SkimaskMohawk]

What are you talking about; it's like youre trying to strawman but don't actually have a thesis.

 

The whole point of the heresy is to stop the emperor from accomplishing his goal. That's it. We knew the brand strokes going in, but it's very clear that it was an engineered event to completely stonewall His plans for humanity and safeguarding the race against chaos by the end. And they pull it off. To the point where, in the same book where it's established the emperor can see multiple futures, he gets landed in one where he has absolutely no idea what to do next. His dream is shattered. Not only does humanity not escape chaos, but there's been 10000 more years of feeding off the nightmare the imperium became.

 

So, against that complete victory, what gravitas does a baron's actions have? He's broken Cadia, but...chaos won ten thousand years ago. He really doesn't need to do anything; chaos isn't in danger, there's no plan to solve that threat in any way. All of abbadons ambitions and goals and plans will never swing the pendulum as far as it did in the heresy for chaos.