If you could change anything in the lore what would you change?

[Evil Eye]

On 10/3/2025 at 2:51 PM, Mazer Rackham said:

Pistols or swords, son?

 

Neither- I think it's only appropriate we use fists. 

[Mazer Rackham]

44 minutes ago, Evil Eye said:

Neither- I think it's only appropriate we use fists. 

 

 

 

[SvenIronhand]

On 10/3/2025 at 9:51 PM, Timberley said:

The final thing that's irked me is that GW has produced some (admittedly beautiful) maps for each faction's codex, explaining where they are within the overall galaxy.  I'm not a fan, as it removes the mystery, and also sets broad 'borders' for the various factions.  Narratively, this works against a player's individual 'story', especially if they have an army that finds itself fighting every faction, when according to the maps, they shouldn't see them at all, e.g. fighting T'au when you personally have a Household/Craftworld/Chapter that's based out in the galactic west.

 

I don't know about this, personally. It serves to root the players reading the codexes in their faction's 'neighborhood', strengthening any homebrew lore they might choose to write, and in the case of the Craftworlds, the damned things are mobile anyhow.

[Rogue]

My first introduction to the whole 40k setting was White Dwarf 119, and one of my stand-out memories was how little I understood and how cool that was. The universe felt huge, and malleable, and exciting.

 

As I've gotten older, that's diminished. Partly because I am older, and have been around the setting for years - that initial sense of wonder inevitably rubs off as you engage with the world that inspires it. But partly because so many of the gaps have been filled in over the years.

 

I get the desire to expand and explore - I love a good fantasy map (and have both Narnia and Florin/Guilder framed in my dining room). But I miss the sense of mystery, false narratives, alternative perspectives and sheer unknowability that I felt in the early days, when everything was hints and clues and oblique references, most of which were just open-ended hooks that would never be picked up, and that was fine.

 

Oddly, it's not even about what I personally know - I've not read the Heresy novels, but the fact that they exist, that the story is pinned down and defined - it removes the sense of mystery even if I don't know the facts myself. (Not sure that makes much sense, but I can't think how to describe it better.)

 

So that's what  I'd change.

[Sky Potato]

- Blood Angels being allies with Necrons. Nope.

 

- As far as I’m concerned, Sanguinius did enough damage to Horus armour that it gave the Emperor a chance - and he chose to do it at the cost of his own life.

[TheTrans]

12 hours ago, Rogue said:

My first introduction to the whole 40k setting was White Dwarf 119, and one of my stand-out memories was how little I understood and how cool that was. The universe felt huge, and malleable, and exciting.

 

As I've gotten older, that's diminished. Partly because I am older, and have been around the setting for years - that initial sense of wonder inevitably rubs off as you engage with the world that inspires it. But partly because so many of the gaps have been filled in over the years.

 

I get the desire to expand and explore - I love a good fantasy map (and have both Narnia and Florin/Guilder framed in my dining room). But I miss the sense of mystery, false narratives, alternative perspectives and sheer unknowability that I felt in the early days, when everything was hints and clues and oblique references, most of which were just open-ended hooks that would never be picked up, and that was fine.

 

Oddly, it's not even about what I personally know - I've not read the Heresy novels, but the fact that they exist, that the story is pinned down and defined - it removes the sense of mystery even if I don't know the facts myself. (Not sure that makes much sense, but I can't think how to describe it better.)

 

So that's what  I'd change.

100% with you on that mate. To me both any of the GW settings (sans the Travesty that is AoS) were always better when there was blanks you could fill in, that weren't canonised and you could slot your armies fluff in here, or there. Also back when it was a setting, it wasn't really an issue to have an non-anachronistic army, as all armies kind of were anyway. Now if its not within the 'era-primaris' or whatever, its old hat and behind the times as there is now a 'current' timeline. 

As weird as it is also, I think the general paucity of information we had around 2000, in both 40k and WHFB was heavily reinforced with the mainly black and white army books/codexs. Its almost like hand in hand when we started getting more colour stuff, we started having more of the background filled in also. Take me back to the black and white, skerrics of art, with the little tid bits of lore. 

Let me use 'currently' dead characters, because my army is set at an appropriate time etc, stop forcibly dragging me into the current narrative, on whatever the latest, single planet free-for-all is happening on so everyone feels involved and buys the next primarch-level character! 

[Orange Knight]

It didn't even cross my mind to talk about the Heresy... but here goes.

 

John Gramaticus - Just Erase from existence

The Cabal - cool idea, but way too involved in an already bloated story - Erase

The Perpetuals - Just erase them all

Overly detailing various aspects of the Primarch and Astartes projects - Erase

 

I remember how unhappy people were with Cawl being able to make small improvements to the Astartes, as they were the work of the Emperor - well, according the Heresy they were the work of a bunch of people and the Emperor could not have done it, so Cawl making improvements is standard practice.

 

[Kaede45]

Something I’d like to see is some comeuppance for certain individuals, namely Erebus. Not necessarily death, but something like being denied their desires, like he gets subjected to his “scorpion game” by the Chaos gods & they slowly strip away the power he accrued.

 

One of the bigger changes I thought of would involve Konrad Curze. I really like the Nightlords aesthetic (minus the flayed human skins), but I’m not a huge fan of Curze’s attitude towards the heinous crimes he committed. Given his “slave to destiny” outlook, he believes that he is justified in his twisted actions. He’s not evil, he’s just doing what he’s destined to do & in the end he’s gonna die so none of it matters. I’d change it so that he DOESN’T die, either the assassin decides to let him live or one of the Nightlords kills them. This could then send Konrad into a spiraling madness where he is forced to contend with the idea that destiny is not set in stone & he was committing evil actions of his own volition. Maybe Tzeentch changed Konrad’s fate because he had use for him? Maybe he is redeemed? Maybe he slips further into Chaos? It would be interesting to see how he deals with being denied their desires justification that he wanted.

[JeffJedi]

Anything Dark Angels by Gav Thorpe.

[GSCUprising]

While many here have chosen larger, galaxy-spanning subjects, I have something far humbler.

 

I am a keen collector of Genestealer Cults, specifically the Brood Brothers Auxilia. I really don't like the Genestealer's Kiss mechanic. It is far too much of a McGuffin. 

 

I like the idea of a chosen, special few, leaders, to be touched by the Patriarch while the rest are motivated by rousing stories of breaking the chains their oppressors have placed on them and the sheer force of will exerted by the Magus and Primus.