Xenology 2006

[Nagashsnee]

So with BL doing a event and people talking about what they would like to hear BL is working on, it got me thinking on what i would want, and new sourcebooks were on the top of my wishlist. Which got my thinking about my fav sourcebooks. Which lead me to ye oldy bookshelf for my yearly get a nice buzz going and re read Xenology session (if you have read the book you know the buzz is to get into character). 

 

So General info, Xenology is a in universe source book about the duo of a inquisitor and mechanicus magos dissecting xenos species and studying xenos artifacts. So why is this one of the best sourcebooks GW/BL have ever made? Lets get into it. Also spoilers for a 20 year old lore book ahead. I am going to talk about the book as a book, rather then its story or specific contents. 

 

1) The way its written, having sourcebooks be in universe is when done well (and it is) a brilliant move, as it lets the book explore allot of lore which the company might not be 100%, not want to tie down in cannon, or isnt ready to fully reveal yet. By having the book be a in universe source it opens up a gigantic ammount of creative freedom, as if in the future something needs to be changed or is re considered then its not a cannon conflict, merely someone being wrong (it happens all the time). It also lets the author put out ideas and then see how the fans react, eldar poop crystals? People thinks its funny? Cool make that canon! Tau with hooves? Meh, magos WAS CRAY CRAY.  The book knows this, it misses no chances to remind us that the magos is DEEP into his own supply, and it RUNS with it. It introduces quite a bit of lore, from entire new races with a significant ammount of backround, to people theorising that the humanity/emperor might have been part of the old ones last desperate attempts to make anti ctan/necron races. But at every step its people in universe coming to their own conclusions. 

 

2) Its not afraid to explore the unknown. We got lore drops on Umbra, Hrud, Thhyrrians, and my special all time favs minor xenos race the Q'orl. Not a couple of sentences of generic 'they are a formidable foe to the imperium' actual LORE, and for many in significant quantities. The Qorl swarmhood is presented, examined and their history talked about, even parts of it that are not really history but the Qorl own myths and heroic age. Plot hooks for future works, be it the main mini game, rpgs, or BL books are dropped left and right, from the Umbra being parts of a broken old one, to the qorls trying to kidnap imperial navigators to unlock warp flight.  And by using the above in universe method it can be bold and take risks without really worrying about minor clashes in the lore. For once GWs (tho at the time this hadnt been said yet) policy of everything and nothing is canon is USED AS A POSITIVE.  And indeed most of the revelations xenology drops remain canon to this day (if only cause their subject matter has never been touched on since). Did we need a magos talking about the nature of eldar poop? No. Do i regret learning they have crystaline poop? No. Is it still cannon? As far as i know yes. Does it explain ALLOT about why the eldar as so uptight? You decide.

 

3) Now already i would have been a happy camper, but xenology goes a step futher, it runs 3 stories in pararel at the same time, we have i) our magos doing his thing and presenting his reports, ii) the inquisitor coming to the realasation that he is not in control and is not making it out of there, iii) the meta story the first two present together about the old ones actions and how they shaped the 40k galaxy. As the magos does his thing, and the inquisitor reads his reports, both they in the book and we as readers as forced to come to certain conclusions, natural evolution in 40k hasnt really been a thing since at least the war in heaven. 40k sees the classic sci fi budget issue of most aliens all being human like with forhead ridges or pointy ears and not only does not evade it, it runs at it with a steel chair. OF COURSE most species have 2 hands, 2 legs, and common features, 65 million years ago space frogs who were losing a cosmic war against star dust creatures and their robot armies started throwing EVERYTHING at the wall to see whats stuck.  And it turns out thumbs and a connections to the warp were the hot stuff at the time.  Just in case any reader dint not pick up this most unsubtle of stories, the books drops a nice picture graph with actual honest to gods lines connecting everything for anyone unable to follow.  Of course the stone tablet itself is subject to 1 and 2 points so it is the TRUTH....or is it? 

 

4) Xenology presents a self contained story (magos and inquisitor) but also doesnt (twist necron ending), you can read it by itself and be totally content, or take it and run into the wider 40k lore and have a absolute FIELDDAY of exploration and fun. It favours no specific factions and instead settles into a true generalist warhammer 40k source book, only its also a actual BL book which can just be read as such.  It has TONS of new artwork, but also isnt afraid of using existing artwork to enrich itself. It presnets tons of new lore, but also contains enough of the basics so anyone can pick up with a basic undersanding of 40k and enjoy it.  It stays close enough to the mini game (orks, nids, eldar, tau) that fans not super into the wider lore will still have plenty, but also dives into the deep waters (Qorl, Hrud, Umbra, Thryrrus) where no one can ever accuse it of just repacking the same old information. All nicely tied together by a actual story, a story about people making a source book. Which makes the story a sourcebook. 

 

For over 20 years i have used xenology for inspiration, rpg story threads, and to floot obsucre 40k lore info.  It remains one of the best BL books i ever purchased, and i have never regretted picking it up off the self once in the decades i have carried it around the world with me( for real its seen 3 continents). It is, in my mind something that GW/BL need to go back to, and they kinda did with Liber Xenologis, tho that played way way way too safe and vanilla to ever come close to its predecessor.  This was not a book written to support a miniature game, it was book made to explore warhammer lore, and i truly believe  we need more of those. Books not afraid to throw out ideas like they are old ones chucking the basis of life into space while under fire, sure not all are going to be winners, but 65 millions years latter Orks still be hitting necrons with pointy things, and if that isnt a win i dont know what is. 

 

11/10 find a pdf copy ( the printed ones go for....money) and come back and tell me i am wrong (you wont). 

Edited 3 hours ago by Nagashsnee