The changing face of GW

[Mr Mystery]

Why's that?

I mean it's a world where there's a single permanent landmass, giant monsters abound, there are - despite almost no permanent land - permanent colonies of wolves (who may or may not actually be people) but it's thinking that non-white people might exist there that's too much?

Also Fenris isn't encased in a perpetual winter, during the summer months there's like volcanoes and all that jazz, so doesn't seem far fetched to me that people not living at polar latitudes could be non-white. I mean Mongolia is rather well known as a cold place, covered in snow during winter, but wouldn't call the people there white or say their existence makes no sense.

But maybe that's just me...

Yup. It think it's actually particularly interesting because the assumption has always been Viking Inspired - Predominantly Aryan in look.

But this is a planet long since settled by Man. Why wouldn't that include varying ethnicities?

Splodge raises an interesting point about Abhumans. Except, Abhumans aren't purely down to isolated evolution. There's one short story from Inferno! which particularly comes to mind - in short, genetic manipulation was used on one planet pre-Age of Strife to adapt to the conditions. I know they wound up with three legs (high gravity) and I keep thinking they had something like blue skin?

So Squats and Ogryns may very well be subject to the same. Not to mention the warping influence of Chaos.

[Psychosplodge]

In fact it makes no sense that Bangles are white, coming from a radiation soaked desert moon, or do they have the "all look like the primach" thing going on the raven guard and salamanders do?

[grimmas]

Because Space Wolves are space vikings. And White scars are space mongols. And the lack of thought to the background makes it look like tokenism not inclusivity. We're talking a setting where it's been long enough for squats to both evolve from humans and get eaten by tyranids, but the easiest way to get vitamin d hasn't evolved in an iceworld native?
Now if we look grimmas's suggestion, unless the lone marine is an ex wolfblade the entire pack or even great company should be painted dark skinned if they've been fighting somewhere with high UV levels.
Whereas if there's massive scope for non-white space marines in the Ultramarines, Dark Angels, Imperial Fists, Black Templars, and many more that recruit from varied populations.
I'd have the same objection to the idea of white space marines in a chapter that recruits from a desert world. It just wouldn't make sense.

Yep

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In fact it makes no sense that Bangles are white, coming from a radiation soaked desert moon, or do they have the "all look like the primach" thing going on the raven guard and salamanders do?

They do stick he B Angels in Sarcophagi which turn them from twisted mutants into Astartes though. There's a fair chance they'd all look fairly similar as they're working to a template (based on a blue eyed blonde haired white boy)

[Mr Mystery]

Yep. The Blood Angel look is down to the Geneseed - it's long established they start out pretty manky, but then emerge, as well...

[Gotthammer]

I guess for me the "space" qualifier in space vikings has been enough to throw any pretence of historical accuracy out the window.

[Mr Mystery]

Good point well made.

I forgot to add point 5) to the first post - a gender fluid character in an AoS short story.

Yes, they're a follower of Slaanesh so perhaps some might feel it's insulting/clichéd, but I found the overall description very sympathetic. The character herself isn't physically described, just their armour. It's not played for sensation, or even central to the plot. It just points out that they don't really have a fixed gender, but 'she felt like being a she'.

So little steps being taken all the time, which is nice.

[Psychosplodge]

That's fair enough for you. There's probably things that break the background for everyone that don't bother someone else.

Mystery, where was the genetic manipulation story for abhumans? I just remember them being described as evolved from human miners on high g worlds in the background book that came with 2nd (was it the codex imperialis?) Probably the most modern depiction of squats and its over twenty years old.

[Mr Mystery]

Genetic Manipulation story (which wasn't about Squats!) was in a random Inferno! story.

Couldn't tell you which issue, but one of the earlier ones. Was quite cool actually. Random Imperial Personage is nursed back to health by the populace, who are ecstatic about rejoining the fold of humanity. Of course, the Random Imperial Personage is quite aware that the species is liable to be exterminated as soon as his rescue party find him.

So with that in mind, it seems quite possible Squats may be a result of partial genetic tinkering.

[grimmas]

The squats got eaten by Tyranids they're gone. They did evolve from miners on high G worlds though.

The background is rather important to the setting. It has its own history. Changing it to suit an individual's real life political stance is rubbish. However reflecting the actual diversity of the setting is appropriate and it is diverse.

[CoffeeGrunt]

The squats got eaten by Tyranids they're gone. They did evolve from miners on high G worlds though.

The background is rather important to the setting. It has its own history. Changing it to suit an individual's real life political stance is rubbish. However reflecting the actual diversity of the setting is appropriate and it is diverse.

I thought the whole point of the setting was, "do what you want?" Y'know, unimaginably vast setting with deliberate holes left all over it.