In warhammer 40,000, there is only war. Nevertheless, Games Workshop has always given the Imperium of Man a good dose of satire. The Warhammer 40K The setting is very British and combines absurd premises with a dry presentation. Even now, with the urgent narrative of a new Tyranid war, the characters don’t suddenly come to their senses in order to survive. The new Season 10 ruleset sheds some light on how the Empire’s common folk are reacting to the new wave of wars.
[Ed. note: This story contains light spoilers for Warhammer 40,000: Leviathan’s core rulebook.]
A subplot in the Fourth Tyrant War is the conflict between church and state. More specifically, the empire of mankind is a vast fascist empire based on the religion of mankind’s God-Emperor – and this blind faith, built on the back of the corpse of a man who despised religious dogma, causes problems for all. In a section of the rulebook titled “Into the Maw” we learn more about how the sectors of the Segmentum Pacificus respond to the invading threat.
Gallospire’s dissenting voices grew increasingly vehement, until High Brother Niyellus declared it heretical to even discuss the Grendyllus Vine, let alone prepare for its attack. His orders conflicted with those of the system’s senior military officers to prepare for a full-scale Xenos invasion. Torn between blind faith and the frightening reality of the situation, the defenders of the Gallospire system split and tensions quickly escalated. The first shots of what later became known as the “War of the Closed Eyes” were fired shortly thereafter.
Surely the god-emperor of mankind would not allow an army of vile xenos to kill mankind! Ergo: It can’t happen, and all the evidence to back it up must be wrong. The Warhammer 40K The setting is at its best when it plays with this kind of sombre imagery. It’s nice to imagine that in the face of destruction, all of humanity will abandon their self-destructive urges and unite to stop the Tyranids. Instead, the system descends into civil war over accusations of heresy, fake news, and lack of love for the emperor.
The 10th edition book is full of other interesting lore, including skirmishes between the Tyranids and the Dwarven Leagues of Votann, Aeldari forces, and even some Orcs joining in the fun.
