Interesting Links for 26-10-2024

[andrewducker]

1. Why play a fascist? Unpacking the hideousness of the Space Marine

(tags:warhammer WH40K fascism games art society )

Comments

[dewline]

Yeah, that's a dystopia I want no part of.

[channelpenguin]

Hmmmm

I think people always want the option to play "the baddies". But it seems that the obviousness that the space marines ARE the baddies is (or has been) lost. I doubt going back to doubling down on the satire would work in the present days we find ourselves in. Satire has a hard time right now, when reality is succeeding so well in exceeding it!

Personally, I fucking hate grimdark. Precisely because reality and history give us such a wild excess that I need my entertainment to give me a break (and maybe inspire some hope). The world in many places HAS been getting better over the centuries. I don't want to feed the fear that that is in danger of being reverted on a large scale.

But I also don't find listening* to miserable music improves my mood, rather makes it worse - some folks find the opposite. So I guess it might be the same for others and their entertainment.

Anyway. Awesome article that I would never otherwise have read (not been near Warhammer of any sort for 20 years). Thank you!

*Writing and performing it, is exactly the opposite though! Therapy.

[melchar]

The trouble comes when people start taking the WH40K figurines as legitimate 'little people' & not as tokens for a game that pits them against other tokens. It's difficult NOW to remember that the Space Marines were meant as figurines that one could paint to distinguish your side from their bug antagonists.

Going with detailed figurines gave the gamers fun opportunities to paint a small army, but on the game board might as well have been blue tokens against grey tokens versus red tokens. Given how some gamers have fetishized the factions, maybe Games Workshop should have stuck with tokens.

[andrewducker]

Can't sell 17 tokens for *checks internet* £100!

[melchar]

Absolutely right! Miniatures have a large sale price to offer gaming companies - a lot more than plastic ['tiddly-wink'] tokens - for a small cost more than it takes to manufacture plastic disks. Plus there's the benefit of selling lots of different paints & paint brushes to decorated the minis.

Add to THAT the profit that can be made for 'furniture' for the minis: padded figure boxes, craft boxes to hold the paints/ brushes/ palette/ - and terrain, or even just maps, to display the figures on and you're talking real money. ^_^