Warhammer 40k
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We’ve got Killer Robots, Hungry Aliens, and a Dystopian Empire – but what other Sci-Fi Tropes could Warhammer 40,000 explore?
Games Workshop has been working on the Grimdark Far Future for a long time. They have explored quite a few of the Science Fiction Tropes you might see in media – and might have even created a few along the way. But it’s a deep well and GW could look into expanding into other directions after Psychic Awakening. Today, I wanted to talk about a few I wouldn’t mind seeing pop up in the Grimdark of the 40k universe.
Cosmic Horror
While GW already has the terror of the warp and also the Tyranids – they still haven’t gotten full on Cosmic Horror. By Cosmic Horror, I’m referring to the concept that things are “unnamable, unknowable, and indescribable” – things are WEIRD. Tyranids, as alien as they are supposed to be, still have a basic structure that looks organic and recognizable. They have heads, torsos, arms and legs. Sure, they sometime has multiple sets, but at the end of the day, they are still somewhat humanoid or animal-like. With Cosmic Horror, you can introduce non-standard aliens and strange shapes. I’m not talking “add more tentacles” I’m talking about weird stuff.
One example comes to mind – The Blob. Above is the trailer for the 1988 remake of a classic horror movie. This …organism starts to devour things and basically gains mass and eats bigger things and, well, you get the idea. Now imagine an army of “things” that weren’t humanoid that did something similar. Rules-wise, maybe they don’t get bigger, maybe they regenerate wounds rapidly. And maybe they have no ranged attacks but do auto mortal wounds in close combat.
This concept, the Cosmic Horror Trope, boils down to something that is so vastly different from anything else on the tabletop that it would be hard for someone to describe. While that might be almost impossible for someone to make a model of, I would really like to see GW get away from humanoid and animal-like shapes and just with something truly alien.
Space Western
I’m not talking Cowboys and Aliens here. I’m talking about the concepts of a Western movie – but in Space. The idea that the distances are so vast that parts of civilization can get cut off. And while The Grimdark does have Warp-travel, there are still areas of the Imperium that are on the edge or cut off by other means. The Warp Scar that has cut the Imperium in 1/2 is a great plot device to explore these concepts of lost or unexplored areas that have fallen to lawlessness or anti-authoritarianism. There could be factions that rise up to try to maintain the peace. Or factions that rise up to keep what little territory they have carved out for themselves.
Areas like the Gothic Sector, the Ghoul Stars and the Halo Stars are all good spots to start. Baal, home of the Blood Angels is even cut off from the rest of the Imperium – what’s going to happen? A Space Western is about what happens to a future society that had all this technology but maybe it slowly failed or degraded. Maybe they got cut off or left behind. Maybe – just maybe, they ventured off on their own. It’s the plight of settlers in a new land vs the harsh environment and whatever else is out to get them.
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Space Ghosts
No, not that Space Ghost. Games Workshop has been playing around with the concept of “death is not” the end for a while now. The Ynnari faction has brought a new Aeldari Death-God into the universe. The Warp is where entities hang-out to feast on souls. The God-Emperor of Man is powered by a diet of 1000 psykers a day. We already have Space Undead with the Necrons (basically) – but where are the Ghosts of the Dead at?
It’s not unheard of to have these types of Armies either. Vorth Mordrak from the Grey Knights is an example of one of more supernatural elements I’m referring too. The Legion of the Damned is another in-universe example. The SciFi concept of literalSpace Ghosts is what I’m getting at – the spirits of the dead do not rest easy in the vacuum of space either. If “hauntings” like the two above can occur in 40k, why not more? The Ynnari appear to be able to manipulate the dead spirits…but who else can do the same thing? What if there was an entire race that could call the fallen to fight for them? Spirit Armies? Ghost Warriors? All in Aetherial forms vs physical bodies. Now THAT’s what I’m getting at.
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There are lots of Sci-Fi Tropes out there – from Ratmen in Space to Planet absorbing entities, to a parallel universe to fight, and even universe ending threats – What Sci-Fi Tropes would you like to see the Grimdark explore one day?
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Writer, Editor, Texas Native, and Austinite for 15+ years, Adam covers all things Tabletop Gaming. Which includes Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, D&D, Board Games and everything else that involves dice, boards, cards and a table.A hobbyist, player, and collector of miniatures and games, Adam's current obsession are his Death and Chaos Armies for Age of Sigmar, his Blood Angels and Tyranids for 40k, an expanding collection of Marvel: Crisis Protocol minis, and his ever growing Arkham Horror: The Card Game Collection.
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