Warhammer 40,000

Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 (40k) intellectual property is a tabletop war game, but it also has developed a complex narrative that describes the imaginary realized world in which the game is played. This chapter examines key elements within this ‘lore’ as an example of how a cohesive realized world emerges. It focuses on a seminal ‘origins’ event, the Horus Heresy, that occurred roughly ten-thousand years prior to the current game setting’s timeline. It examines how key moments, such as the defeat of Horus and the wounding of the Emperor began as brief comments in sourcebooks but, through the work of authors within its shared universe, expanded into detailed narratives. It also focuses on a few other key moments, such as those detailed in the Beast Arises series and the Gathering Storm storyline.