Game designer Rick Priestley has described the original Warhammer setting as a portmanteau-world: a universe inspired by real world history, folk stories, and fantasy literature, particularly the works of J.R.R. Tolkein and Michael Moorcock. Priestley’s subsequent science-fantasy game, 40k, took the same approach: drawing liberally on roleplaying games, comics, science fiction novels, and movies, as well as building on the foundation of Warhammer Fantasy itself.
Countless inspirations were identifiable in early 40k, both brazen and subtle, many from the horror genre. The vampiric origins of the Genestealer Cults and the Blood Angels, the Tyranids echoing the monstrous villains from Aliens and the Thing, Lovecraftian terrors at the heart of Chaos and fringes of the warp, the inhuman politics driving the Imperium that resemble films like Soylent Green and Brazil – these roots became the basis of a deeply horrifying backdrop for epic miniature battles.
Over time, the 40k universe has been targeted at a broader, younger demographic, whilst miniature ranges have taken precedence over world building. Successive editions have reworked and repeated elements, armies have frequently been simplified, and the categorisation and codification of the world has transparently explained previously incomprehensible horrors; the eldritch and unknowable becoming a mere design flourish.
This paper will explore the role of horror in the creation of the 40k setting and the influences that informed its early universe, before looking at the exsanguination of these tropes and ideas as Games Workshop reworked its most successful product range in pursuit of commercial growth.
Author bio
A lifelong gamer and fan, Jordan Sorcery is now a Warhammer historian and tabletop gaming content creator. His documentaries and interviews about the development and evolution of Games Workshop’s worlds and products have garnered more than 2.5 million views on YouTube.
