Rinky-dink Retcons?

[Evil Eye]

10 hours ago, Magos Takatus said:

This isn't a single retcon, and is a little petty, but I would like to excise that trend a few years back where it was a rite of passage for everyone and their grandma to beat down an Avatar of Khaine to prove how awesome they are. I'm not saying it can't happen, just that it was so prevalent that it became a meme and the biggest example of "The Worf Effect" in the setting.

 

I'd also like people to stop treating Anzion's theory of Ork's "power of belief" to be taken so literally by the fandom. In recent years it got turned from a possible theory that Ork's latent psychic field can make unexplained things happen with their technology to an Ork being able to convince his mates that a cardboard box is a Battlewagon, so it starts behaving like one. I think various Youtube content creators are responsible for this one growing out of hand, but I think that the Ork's psychic influence should be the grease that helps a Trukk to run properly, not that the engine of that trukk is an empty metal case filled with nails with the word "Enjin" written on the outside, otherwise the first madboy to get it in his head that he is Gork will convince his mates and then we have a problem.

You're not alone there. DreadAnon put it best.

 

[Magos Takatus]

11 hours ago, Evil Eye said:

You're not alone there. DreadAnon put it best.

 

Ah, I like DreadAnon, and as you can imagine, this was one of my favourites. lol

[CL_Mission]

With regards to Mk.IX armour I think it would be fun if it was included in those 'armour through the ages' type pictures but only appeared as a greyed out silhouette with a big "records expunged" stamp over the top. Add a bit o mystery like something was seriously wrong with the armour that all prototypes had be destroyed and all related documents destroyed.

[Magos Takatus]

One retcon they already did that I do actually like is renaming the Dark Eldar to Drukhari. While some people think it sounds a little silly, Dark Eldar never really sat right with me. Dark Eldar just sounds like a spin-off. "We're Eldar, but eeeeeeevil!".

 

Furthermore, it doesn't sound like a name they would give themselves, but a name someone else would give them. They don't consider themselves an offshoot of the Craftworlders, if anything to them it's the other way round. To me it would be like releasing a "Codex Greenskin Filth" instead of Codex Orks, or "Codex mutant uprising" Instead of Genestealer Cults.

 

I just think the name Drukhari fits better, really.

[apologist]

On 8/24/2025 at 8:21 AM, Magos Takatus said:

[...]I'd also like people to stop treating Anzion's theory of Ork's "power of belief" to be taken so literally by the fandom. In recent years it got turned from a possible theory that Ork's latent psychic field can make unexplained things happen with their technology to an Ork being able to convince his mates that a cardboard box is a Battlewagon, so it starts behaving like one. I think various Youtube content creators are responsible for this one growing out of hand, but I think that the Ork's psychic influence should be the grease that helps a Trukk to run properly, not that the engine of that trukk is an empty metal case filled with nails with the word "Enjin" written on the outside, otherwise the first madboy to get it in his head that he is Gork will convince his mates and then we have a problem.

 

Oh, absolutely. Quite apart from anything else, the relevant text is literally called out as questionable, theoretical and potentially untrustworthy; both within the text by the author (Anzion) and in the commentary by the abridger, Tethlisian.

 

 

 

 

It's a really fun and clever in-universe way of packing in lots of info about the orks and their society, and it's such a shame to see the tongue-in-cheek humour – intentionally open-ended – taken so literally. 

 

Not only that, but there's loads of other cool stuff in there that is ignored – like the emphasis that orks aren't just 'mushroom men'; nor are they unintelligent:

 

   

 

 

 

Edited August 26 by apologist

[SvenIronhand]

My understanding has long been that the Orks have a lot of 'instinctive' (or rather programmed-in at a species level via Warp shenanigans) technical know-how and the ability to create very simple, rugged technologies from whatever's around. It's part of their purpose; they can be combat-ready the moment they walk. The Imperium, being a society ossified in terms of knowledge and technology, can't really explain this and falls back on the 'power of belief' explanation. 

Edited August 26 by SvenIronhand

[Magos Takatus]

On 8/26/2025 at 8:46 AM, Magos Takatus said:

One retcon they already did that I do actually like is renaming the Dark Eldar to Drukhari. While some people think it sounds a little silly, Dark Eldar never really sat right with me. Dark Eldar just sounds like a spin-off. "We're Eldar, but eeeeeeevil!".

 

Furthermore, it doesn't sound like a name they would give themselves, but a name someone else would give them. They don't consider themselves an offshoot of the Craftworlders, if anything to them it's the other way round. To me it would be like releasing a "Codex Greenskin Filth" instead of Codex Orks, or "Codex mutant uprising" Instead of Genestealer Cults.

 

I just think the name Drukhari fits better, really.

Thinking about it more, "Genestealer Cults" Sounds like more of an Imperial label for uprisings on Imperial worlds rather than something they would name themselves. Since they infest far more than just Imperial human worlds and outposts I would imagine a more unifying name would help them. I'm not sure what would work for them really. By their nature they adapt to fit the culture they are infultrating, hence Cults of the Four Armed Emperor on Imperial worlds and so on.

[CL_Mission]

8 hours ago, Magos Takatus said:

Thinking about it more, "Genestealer Cults" Sounds like more of an Imperial label for uprisings on Imperial worlds rather than something they would name themselves. Since they infest far more than just Imperial human worlds and outposts I would imagine a more unifying name would help them. I'm not sure what would work for them really. By their nature they adapt to fit the culture they are infultrating, hence Cults of the Four Armed Emperor on Imperial worlds and so on.

What about something like "Cults of Ascension"? 

[Magos Takatus]

I like that!

[roryokane]

My little thing, not a retcon per se:

 

Every space marine codex (including the big three supplements - BA/DA/SW) should list the current captains and chapter masters of the relevant chapters, with fluff explaining any changes since the last one.

 

[DemonGSides]

53 minutes ago, roryokane said:

My little thing, not a retcon per se:

 

Every space marine codex (including the big three supplements - BA/DA/SW) should list the current captains and chapter masters of the relevant chapters, with fluff explaining any changes since the last one.

 

 

Yeah fluff in codexes took a major hit this edition. Really unfortunate as it was one of the last reasons to actually use and pick up the codex. Sure I got them for the code for the app, but I also like perusing them before bed and I blew through all of the current codexes. 

 

They really need to dedicate a team to the Lore being expanded for every faction for the codexes. 

[Karhedron]

54 minutes ago, DemonGSides said:

Yeah fluff in codexes took a major hit this edition.

 

This is not a recent development. Codex fluff has been declining in direct proportion to the rise of Black library.