Basic HH story line question - Contains Spoilers (marked up)

[sibomots]

Again, I say that it is impressive that GW managed this setting so well.   I don't opine about the quality or substance exactly, but the sheer volume of lore is (to my opening eyes) broad, detailed, and shows no sign of exhaustion.

 

The closest parallel I can relate to is the LoTR setting, rather Middle Earth setting.  (I'm sure there are other worlds from other writers that also represent a parallel, but I don't know them as well).   In Tolkien's setting, after reading the LoTR series, then finding later that --- well -- he actually wrote a lot more background.  I'm thankful that his son Christopher worked towards having them organized, edited, and put between covers.

 

The title names escape me at the moment, they are stacked up by my nightstand actually.   But the point is that I felt that the story was fairly tight. 

 

In contrast, the HH setting and the myriad offshoot stories all are incredibly detailed, wonderful and exciting to read -- but their number -- perhaps an approximation of the Imperium itself -- "trillions of souls, etc.." just astounds me.   It almost frightens me actually.   I have this imagination of a room in GW where upon a very long butcher paper roll taped to the conference room wall is The Plan --  plan of what was,  plan of what is, and a trajectory of what will be.   

 

If I can make one more leap from here it is just that I feel as if we, as fans of the setting, and admirers of the story are in a way just like the role of the Remembrancers.  We observe, ingest, and reconstitute the lessons of history -- like we should, perhaps.   It is after all "just a game", but a richly documented one (understatement of the millennium).

 

I need to find some outlet to engage with the discussion.  I should ask my college age son if there's some Humanities class spun up that plumbs the depths of HH and the Imperium of Man.  That would be a very enticing reason to go back to college, heh.