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Howdy
—my name is Lee and I'm one of the editors over at Ars Technica. We've got a video series called "Unsolved Mysteries" where we talk to game creators about some of the, well, unsolved mysteries in their games—usually lore-related type questions.We're expanding beyond video games and into a bunch of other areas, including tabletop and also just general sci-fi stuff, and we want to do a thing on the 40k universe since there's it's just so absurdly vast.
To that end, we've hooked up with Dan Abnett and we'll be filming him answering 40k lore questions. In the past these things have worked best with community involvement—since there are so many more of you guys than there are of me and you can think up way more questions than I can by myself!—and so with the mods' permission I wanted to ask if you guys might have any "unsolved mystery"-type questions about the 40k universe that you'd like us to put to Dan.
If I end up using your question, it'll be shown on-screen with your reddit account name attached (unless you'd prefer I didn't—please say so in the comment if that's the case!).
We'll be filming the video in about a month, and the video should be completed a few weeks after that, so there's some lead time involved. I'll make sure to post a link to the video once it's completed. Thank you guys so much in advance for the assistance!
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A big thanks to Lee and the team at Ars Technica for giving the /
community a chance to pose some questions to Dan!I look forward to seeing all the excellent questions the community can come up with and can't wait to hear Dan's answers!
(As a side note, remember, this is NOT an opportunity for you to air greivances about GW's business practices, pricing practices etc. Please keep your questions solely to the lore!)
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What is the true nature of the Ethereals control over the other Castes in the Tau Empire, or over the empire as a whole? Are they as bad as they’re made out to be (mind control, etc.), or is that unfounded propaganda?
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Who, or what, are the Watchers in the Dark?
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What is Dan’s favourite traitor primarch... and why is it Angron?
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Is Dan allowed to elaborate on the death of a certain character in Saturnine who appears in full health in ADBs book Talon of Horus despite being turned into a transhuman kebab?
ID: gpg42iw -
What sort of cool stuff did you try to get into your books but couldn't get past the editors?
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I have enjoyed your inclusion of “Perpetuals” into the Warhammer canon. John Grammaticus and Oll Perrson rank among my favourite characters.
Regarding a certain important Perpetual: if the Emperor perishes upon the Golden Throne, would he reincarnate thanks to his Perpetual powers?
ID: gpzg0puOne of the biggest twists of irony I think that GW could do is to have the mortal Emperor die and get reborn, simultaneously, the collective power pumped into the God-Emperor persona could awaken as a major warp deity.
The most epic slap in the face of The Emperor. To become what he never wanted and able to do something about it. Causing possibly a schism in the Imperium at large, seeing the Ecclesiarchy completely secede.
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When is the lion going to wake or return?
ID: gpit3jhGod, I hope never....
I know it will probably happen, and DA are my favourite chapter, but I really dislike the loyal Primarchs returning. It takes so much away from their mythical aura and there is a tendency to focus the story on a few "Protagonists", which overall makes the universe feel smaller. I was already a bit sad when the Horus Heresy books started out. The setting is fun and the series had many great books (and a couple of stinkers), but I was a bit nostalgic about the time when the Primarchs were purely the stuff of legends and we did not have much concrete information about them.
But with Guilliman actually returning to life and more loyal Primarchs potentially coming back, this air of the mythical, larger than life legends really feels gone. I really dislike that direction of the plot....
(And I'm not just a grumpy old guy, who dislikes changesand new stuff. I actually REALLY like Primaris Marines. I'm just weird that way 😉 ) -
Hi, Love the Eisenhorn novels! What are the origins of the Saruthi? How did they become touched by the warp in such a way to make them as strange as they are?
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How much forward planning went into that reveal in Penitent? Just how vast will the repercussions be not only inside The Daniverse but for the wider lore and the hobby?
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What's the status of Interceptor City? I was a huge fan of Double Eagle and would love for it to get the sequel it's deserved for years.
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With the Eisenhorn books being adapted for TV, which other character or story would you most like to see adapted for a live action feature?
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Will mkvenner reappear or stay out in the untill ?
ID: gpgn853I hope he doesn't reappear.
His character was pretty banana's and having him fade back into the forest was pretty thematic.
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What is Enuncia? Was is created or is it somehow a natural part of the universe?
Also: if you could undo one of your additions to the lore, what would it be? Any regrets?
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How has writing Warhammer stories changed for you personally over the years?
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Dan, can I have Matt Ward’s address? I just wanna talk...
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You draw heavily from archetypes in your work. Eisenhorn and Ravenor being the Classic Zeus and Hades.
Your protagonist Hades is an example I use a lot when discussing how a classicaly "evil" archetype or an archetype that is not usually the main character can flip the script and become something special.
What exercises did you do to mentally place yourself in Ravenor's state? You nail his mixture of empathy, ivory-tower aloofness, self loathing, and resentment. Did your own experience with illness inform his character?
ID: gpogyslDeeply second this question.
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does trazyn have any of the primarchs? is the legion of the damned still a thing? when are the other deamon primarchs gonna do something?
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Are we going to see any more of the conflict between the deathgaurd and tau empire?
Can we have some expanded lore on Omegon (actually Alpharius) in the 40k universe?
Would love to have some clarification on more of BC’s “Great works” are there going to be new Titans? New communications tech? Black stone tech?
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I'd like him to write a story possibly titled "Redacted." So, if he were to write a book for one of the two lost legions (the forgotten one, not the purged), in which they split off from the Imperium without falling to chaos - what would that plot be like?
What events might trigger their primarch's schism with the Emperor to the degree that they would be redacted but couldn't or even wouldn't be hunted down completely? What human factions or xenos would they interact with, and would it be open or secretive - maybe even in the spirit of the Alpha Legion? (Possibly passing themselves off as other legions at times or playing both sides to control outcomes.)
Essentially I see this as a third human faction, keeping to themselves to build strength or stay independent from the Imperium, possibly after a campaign involved unconscionable orders mandated directly by the Emperor's authority.
Would he be interested enough to make the case for a version of "Redacted" to GW?
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What change of lore or development does he regret or wish he could redo? And the same question but what is he most proud of.
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Dan - one of your biggest fans. I have no question. Just keep doing what you're doing. I have a stupidly large amount of miniatures because of you.
Loved Penitent and Saturnine.
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Will we ever get more Eisenhorn or Ravenor outside the Bequin trilogy? Prequels, more Magos-style shorts, anything?
What's your favorite sci-fi universe to write for?
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I'd like to know how he feels about fan-fiction.
It was said (by who I forget) in one of the Vox Cast episodes that the 'real' Warhammer universe doesn't exist on the tabletop, or the books, or the video games, but somewhere between them all.
Also, since the official word from GW is that there 'is no canon' does that make fan-fiction as viable as the rest, within reason?
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Are there in-universe concerns about the Primaris? Are they unstable, Thunder Warrior style, and we haven't seen it yet? Does their lack of battle experience impact the universe? What about the "political" balance of the universe? The Dark Angels have been accused of Legion building, while others say that it is to balance the force that is Ultramar. And of course: will all the space marines just look like Ultramarines with different color schemes?
ID: gpzh8w8Yeah, the biggest gripe I have with the Primaris is that they seem to be universally accepted by EVERYONE, even the most paranoid, zealous Chapters that would logically cry bloody murder and purge the lot of them as they arrive.
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After the long series that has been Horus Heresy - and the plan to make a version of this for the more modern setting - do you think the new series will have scale and scope of the HH books?
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I'm a huge Warhammer 40k fan. I started painting and playing in the 90s and have now come back. I've never gotten into the lore and the massive amount of books/stories appear as a daunting task.
Where is the best place to start for someone who only knows the game/hobby side? Bonus points if the story or arc includes Orks because WAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH.
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Is Valdor alive, if so what is he doing?
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Does he know who will take over after Gav Thorpe writing ældari books?
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Is Clone fulgrim coming back?
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How are the Iron Snakes handling the great rift, are they cut off from the imperium like other chapters? And how did they respond to getting primaris creation stuff?
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What tips would you give to someone wanting to write without trampling on the lore? Should you just go for what you feel best creatively, stick to a meticulous rule set created by the lore or find a happy in between?
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If you had the choice between Barbarus and Nostromo, what planet would you live on?
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Cypher. What's he do in his spare time?
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How does the warp work
ID: gpzhmnnIt's a psychic reflection of the galaxy. Positive energy makes it into a type of heaven. The overwhelming amount of negative energy put into it has it seen being transformed into a monstrous hell-dimension.
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Hinzerhaus. I still have questions
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[deleted]
ID: gpjkd17This is a thread for a lore QnA. You might want to post that on the general QnA or its own post
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What is the future of the universe now that roboute guilliman is back and the indomitus crusade is in full effect?
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How canon is the novel Penitent? Also what exactly are eudamonic entities? Thanks.
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Is it possible to cure humans infected by a genestealer's kiss and free them from the control of the cult?
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What piece of lore will always be left in the dark, or only ever alluded to. For example the blood ravens heritage.
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Roboute Guilliman. I argue that just by his name and the spelling, he's French. Would you agree or disagree on the matter? 😉
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Will the death of each Primarch trigger a flaw in their corresponding space marine chapters.
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Did the surviving Tanith Ghosts get to live happily ever after?
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Are there any plans for more books set during the Great Crusade?
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When is the Lion returning
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Can you guys ask him to write Rogal Dorn back from from the warp? (No I don't believe he is dead) I need GW forced to make a model for my boy :') lol
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The weight of the history of 40k and the lore must be an issue for writers having to keep within the lore or double check what is cannon in the universe. What would your thoughts be on a having an end times event in 40k as they did with the fantasy universe?.
A chance to wipe the slate clean with a second Horus Heresy and re-forge the races, universe history and chapters from fresh as they did with Age of Sigmar?
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When is Dan going to reimburse all the fans who had to use the rest room and change their pants after finishing Pariah?
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With the news of a Squat ship somewhere around the Galactic Core, is there any indication of how many Squats are still around (in vague numbers at least)? One ship? Several? A planet of them?
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What does the ending of "Prospero burns" mean? Is hawser turned into a wolf?
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When Gaunt was saved in the afterlife, they told him it was not his time. Would you consider writing a book / short story called Gaunts Ghosts. Showing the perspective of those that passed over as they follow the Tanith into war. I would like to see an ethereal aspect again. Like angels fighting for the souls of their kin against the demons.
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Does Dan have any head-cannon for the army/armies he collects?
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Can you please elaborate on how you decide on which characters die in the Gaunt's Ghosts series? With all due respect, and having read the entirety of the current releases multiple times, I think while some are well done, such as Bragg, many jump between indifference and sadism.
For the former, take Colonel Colm. A popular character.... who gets killed off screen, not a single sentence to it. Why? Or Ezra, who just gets shot in the back of the head (needlessly mind, it seemed like Meryl could have easily gotten away with it). For these, it really seems like you've just grown bored of them and toss them aside as quickly as you can.
And then you have deaths like Sorin and Kolea, who come off as sadistic for the sake of shock value, and rather cheap. "Oh no, look at Sorin, he has SUFFERED! Hes in a spiked cage and encrusted with filth, look how theyve tortured him! IMPERIUM BAD!", or Kolea... "I've decided this character has suffered the worst betrayal possible, twice, let's have a little linger on him. Can you FEEL the tears? Feels bad huh?". Overall I just dont really get the method to it, and would love to hear how you come up with the deaths within the storyline. Cant wait for the story to continue!
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I've not read saturnine but talon of Horus is my favourite book, do you mind spoiling and telling me who died?