[SoulGazer]

Assuming GW ever advances the story into the 42nd milleniun, how would you like to see it done? Or do you prefer the story should be perpetually kept in 40k and back story like the HH series is enough?

 

[General-jwj]

In a way they have already moved the story to M42, if the Ciaphas Cain novels are anything to go by. They happen decades after the year 41.000

 

[Lubacca]

I personally think there's so much rich history that could be mined from 40k that advancement would be a detriment. But that's me.

I mean if you really think about it, if you're going to progress to 41k it better be a major shift. Like the Emperium of man fighting amoungst itself or the Tyranid threat basically just about taking over the entire space sector. It has to be something BIG you know? It can't just be change for the sake of change, but again that's just me

 

[cegorach]

I think we should wait untill at least the seige of terra and all 18 of the known primarchs have been ironed out in the great crusade till we consider advancement.
But we do have a thousand years of constant combat to fill, so I think we have enough, its just people who want the universe permanantly shaped that want to advance things, but as it is we have balence. Well, balence except where Eldar are concerned.

But I have come to terms with it being the end of the Eldar.

 

[SoulGazer]

In a way they have already moved the story to M42, if the Ciaphas Cain novels are anything to go by. They happen decades after the year 41.000

Well, that's more like letting us know at least the Imperium is still around at that point. It paves the way for more, I suppose. I just want to know what else is going on around that time with the rest of the galaxy. :wink:

 

[Words_of_Truth]

Would have to be a dramatic shift in some shape or fashion to really emphasise the change otherwise they might as well do it all in the spare space within the 40k time frame.

 

[MEQinc]

This is the Time of Ending. Anything that comes after is going to be drastically different from how it is now. Such a shift will definitely require some juggling of the army balance (not on the table but in terms of the current fluff stalemate) which will piss some people off. As such I doubt GW will move it forward (why risk alienating some of you consumer base) and with such an expansive and rich history to mine they have no reason to.

 

[normtheunsavoury]

There's no reason to advance anything, 40K is what it is, it hasn't really changed in the 25 odd years I've been playing (on and off) and I don't really see any point in changing it now.

 

[Phoebus]

I'd say it should be a combination of factors... but I also think there are many more things to be explored before we go past the 11th hour. There are literally ten millennia worth of time to be explored, and a million or more worlds said events could take place on. There's so much lore that can be fleshed out before a leap is taken that is sure to polarize the fan-base.

 

[Words_of_Truth]

Problem is it's really hard to slide major events into the current timeline, the only way to do something major is to progress past the current timeline, it really depends on whether you truly want something new and major to happen or continue to just flesh out the current timeline with many minor events.

 

[General-jwj]

Considering it wouldn't take much to irrevocably damage the status quo and send some of the more endangered races in the game into a hopeless downward spiral of complete annihilation ... I don't think GW will do anything drastic anytime soon.

If the Tyranids get an advantage or press the assault, it's over. Same with the Necrons. The Tau and Eldar are small in numbers and influence as it is, so if it really started raining down on them at this point they'd probably be done for.

But the question is, how to advance the story ? The Tyranids get more worlds ? The Necrons get more worlds ? The Orks get more worlds ? The Imperium finds a new kick-ass STC or a Primarch or something ? The Eldar reactivate some millenia-old sorcerous trinket that they had lying about wth devastating consequences ?

I don't know enough about the lore to think of something game-changing that could happen outside of those possibilities ...

 

[cegorach]

We can not under any circumstances let the players decide, there are far too many space wolf and space marine lovers in proportion to the other races to allow for an even transition.
We cannot allow players to decide because then it would just turn the whole of the 40k universe into a "who has the biggest fan base" competition, and the losers would be made massivly worse off

By losers I do primarily mean the Eldar

 

[Black Steel Feathers]

Maybe the turth about the Lost Primarchs comes out...

 

[Doelago]

Wahammer 40,000 is a setting, not an advancing story line... Thus it is good as it is...

 

[Serpion5]

The Imperium has hope in the form of Dormant primarchs and potentially rediscovered STC`s.

And who knows what failsafes the guardians of the Black Library may instigate should they become desperate enough?

Assuming the plot ever progresses, their are plenty of potential rabbits to pull out of proverbial hats so plot advancement while keeping balance wouldn`t be a problem. However, given the paperwork and rewriting of sourcebooks needed I don`t really see it happening.

 

[Khorne's Fist]

Wahammer 40,000 is a setting, not an advancing story line... Thus it is good as it is...

I agree, but GW seem to be advancing it anyway, if only in miniscule ways. Little tidbits like the Golden Toilet starting to act up and the Astronomican apparently not as bright as it was would make it appear that there are dark times ahead for humanity. If they're only going to move it along in tiny increments like this with every new edition, then it'll be 25 or 30 years before we see any significant developments.

 

[Phoebus]

Problem is it's really hard to slide major events into the current timeline, the only way to do something major is to progress past the current timeline, it really depends on whether you truly want something new and major to happen or continue to just flesh out the current timeline with many minor events.

I'd argue the term "minor". Some of Abaddon's Black Crusades have been "minor". I think between the Sabbat Worlds Crusades and the various campaigns Forge World has put out for their "Imperial Armour" series, it's been shown that there are a lot of interesting concepts yet to be explored.

 

[Words_of_Truth]

By minor I meant nothing on the scale of affecting all the races in the universe.

 

[MEQinc]

By minor I meant nothing on the scale of affecting all the races in the universe.

Which is for the best. Anything that messes with the overall status of a race is a bad idea. People will get pissed, GW will loose customers and it will become an even more Marine-centric universe. You can have lots of fun messing around without permenantly altering the status quo of races.

 

[Words_of_Truth]

Well they are already leaning towards other races, what with the most recent rulebook pretty much stating the Emperor is going to die soon and the rest of the Imperium is falling into ruin.