Last week I stumbled upon Space King, a marvelous animated sendup of the Warhammer 40k universe on Youtube. Of course, knowing how litigious Games Workshop can be, there have been necessary changes. However the problem GW keeps running into is that it’s work is entirely derivative, and attempts to lock down certain concepts (such as Space Marines) inevitably fail. Still Space King (not an Emperor!) is pretty spot on.
Indeed, the decision to brand their trooper Psycho Warriors and the means of their “recruitment” a pretty funny speed-run of GW’s lore.
I would say there are only two problems with the show. The first is that we need more episodes. Now.
The other is that the humor is very English. By that I mean the satire is right out of Evelyn Waugh’s most caustic work, and probably off-putting to some people otherwise favorably disposed to the topic. This is deliberate, because like The Death of Stalin, the topic demands it.
That is why it probably won’t work for people who aren’t into the “grimdark” genre of science fiction/space fantasy. Warhammer 40k has been softened by GW of late, even to the point of feminizing the Space Marines, but the core fans brushed it off. I mean, all the 40k stuff I buy is used, and because my models are from the 1990s, I look for items of that age to mesh with it. The newer stuff is too big and looks odd.
All of which is to say, I’m pretty much indifferent to the current state of a game now bracing for it’s 11th edition (it’s actually the 12th depending on how you count it).
Space King therefore comes as a breath of fresh air and while I think “normals” could get it, it is spot on for those who know Warhammer 40k.
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