I would not consider myself a dedicated fan of Warhammer 40K, but I do enjoy dipping my toes into it once in a while. A setting/game system that possesses the tagline “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war” is not one I can spend a lot of time with, but every so often I need to satisfy a part of me that’s in the mood for something dark. Grim and dark.
For those unfamiliar with Warhammer 40K, I’ll explain it in the briefest possible way: in the 41st millennium the galaxy is dominated by the Imperium of Man, an impossibly large empire that is beset on all sides by horrifying aliens trying to destroy it. The Imperium is also a theocratic fascist nightmare, the depths of which cannot be explained in this blog post. There are no “good guys” in this setting. There is only war.
I cannot explain what draws me to this setting that is so unbelievably bleak and miserable, but I also enjoy a good horror movie now and again.
My first exposure to 40K was via the Space Marine video game, which served as a solid introduction to the setting (with one hell of a soundtrack to boot). Even though you played a towering armored badass that could slice through hordes of orks (whom I love for all the wrong/right reasons), I found myself immediately drawn to the most miserable lot of them all, the Imperial Guardsmen.
They are, literally, the cannon fodder of the Imperium. Their victories are achieved through sheer numbers, and they still die by the millions every day. Their life expectancy is numbered in hours, or minutes. Their guns do almost nothing to their xenos adversaries. They are hopeless and completely fucked. And so they’re the ones I found myself wanting to know more about, because I am a sucker for anyone in a narrative who are the lowest of the low.
There is something classically romantic about the idea of the Imperial Guard, even if they’re the army of a fascist theocracy. Regular people, with no special powers or advantages, facing threats beyond imagination with only their grit, their determination, and their weapons. Any other sci-fi setting would frame this as inspirational, and comic books would call this character Batman or the Punisher, and so maybe that’s what draws me to them above the mighty Space Marines or other factions within 40K. But there’s nothing romantic about these soldiers. They’re doomed to die, and horribly.
The other reason I can’t spend a lot of time in 40K is because my bleeding heart sees doomed characters and immediately wants to help. I want to search for the inspirational story, the character who rises above the odds, the impossible dream prevailing in the face of overwhelming obstacles. And I know I’m not going to find it in 40K, because there is only war.
I get to achieve a sliver of that desperate optimism whenever I play Darktide, though. A successful mission for my otherwise-doomed guardsman feels like I’m beating the odds and giving them a piece of happiness that would be otherwise denied them. I know more dedicated 40K fans would laugh at this, but I’m not going to tell them about my happy ending fantasies in a setting that doesn’t allow for them.
The Emperor protects. The Guard prevails.