Post by ilovethenids on Nov 20, 2014 17:49:26 GMT
I posted on Dakka as well, but I figure that getting the word out to more people isn't a bad thing.
Like I said on there, I came up with an idea for a 40K novel (I outlined the plot idea), inspired both by the Fall of Shadowbrink story [I'd say it's the only good new fluff in our codex] and Godzilla. I won't give too much detail because I find that i'm more likely to get responses if I don't have a super duper long post, but here's the general idea:
The three factions involved are Chaos Daemons, Tyranids [Obviously], and the Imperium (not sure specifically what subfaction - that'll be decided once I've got everything else looking solid). My first choice story-wise is for the Daemons to be crushing Imperium forces so badly that have to resort to attracting a nearby Hive Fleet. The Tyranids and Daemons battling is like a conflict between a pack of hyenas and a pride of lions - the two predators are so focused on eliminating their 'competition' that they stop focusing on their actual prey. There are huge problems with that, since I can't really think of a truly believable reason for the Imperium to resort to using their enemy in this way instead of just calling in more imperium forces or just fighting to the last man. Kryptman did a somewhat similar thing with Leviathan when he directed them to the Octarius sector, but in a case like this there isn't the same risk due to the fact that the Hive Fleet would not gain any biomass from Daemon forces, and if anything it would be weaker after the conflict, the extent of said weakness depending on how much of the biomass of the planet was contaminated by Daemonic incursion.
One of the things I really want to emphasize in this story is the fact that Tyranids are not evil - a lion is not evil for killing a gazelle, and while their predatory nature is considerably different and does involve tactical planning and intelligence, they are driven only by the most basic of instincts - survival. One thing I was thinking would be a good ending would be the Tyranid forces, upon assimilating any biomass left on the world, do not actually attack the Imperium's ships that escaped into space. While it may sound weird or unrealistic, Tyranids are governed by the principles of evolution, and any choices they make are based on cost-benefit analysis. The only biomass in the Imperium's ships is the crew/humans on board - the gain would be almost negligible (benefits = small). In order to obtain that biomass, obviously a battle is required - they will most likely lose biomass in the form of ships being destroyed as well as in the form of any creatures lost in boarding actions (cost - high). While Tyranids do treat many of their organisms as expendable cannon fodder, keep in mind that in such situations the biomass from them can be reabsorbed and so the end result is a net gain of biomass. Thus, the Tyranids are not going to engage in a fight where they're going to lose biomass unless they have no other choice - ie if they are directly attacked, or where an additional benefit is removing competition for the same resources they are trying to obtain. This is the whole reason why they did not attack the Daemons in the Fall of Shadowbrink - they would not have gained anything from the conflict, so only retaliated in self-defense. However, now that the Hive Mind is aware of their nature as a competitor, in any future conflicts they would be aggressively dealt with.
If anyone's interested in helping out, PM me - the outline itself is a google doc, so I'd share that with anyone who wanted to help out. Thanks in advance
Like I said on there, I came up with an idea for a 40K novel (I outlined the plot idea), inspired both by the Fall of Shadowbrink story [I'd say it's the only good new fluff in our codex] and Godzilla. I won't give too much detail because I find that i'm more likely to get responses if I don't have a super duper long post, but here's the general idea:
The three factions involved are Chaos Daemons, Tyranids [Obviously], and the Imperium (not sure specifically what subfaction - that'll be decided once I've got everything else looking solid). My first choice story-wise is for the Daemons to be crushing Imperium forces so badly that have to resort to attracting a nearby Hive Fleet. The Tyranids and Daemons battling is like a conflict between a pack of hyenas and a pride of lions - the two predators are so focused on eliminating their 'competition' that they stop focusing on their actual prey. There are huge problems with that, since I can't really think of a truly believable reason for the Imperium to resort to using their enemy in this way instead of just calling in more imperium forces or just fighting to the last man. Kryptman did a somewhat similar thing with Leviathan when he directed them to the Octarius sector, but in a case like this there isn't the same risk due to the fact that the Hive Fleet would not gain any biomass from Daemon forces, and if anything it would be weaker after the conflict, the extent of said weakness depending on how much of the biomass of the planet was contaminated by Daemonic incursion.
One of the things I really want to emphasize in this story is the fact that Tyranids are not evil - a lion is not evil for killing a gazelle, and while their predatory nature is considerably different and does involve tactical planning and intelligence, they are driven only by the most basic of instincts - survival. One thing I was thinking would be a good ending would be the Tyranid forces, upon assimilating any biomass left on the world, do not actually attack the Imperium's ships that escaped into space. While it may sound weird or unrealistic, Tyranids are governed by the principles of evolution, and any choices they make are based on cost-benefit analysis. The only biomass in the Imperium's ships is the crew/humans on board - the gain would be almost negligible (benefits = small). In order to obtain that biomass, obviously a battle is required - they will most likely lose biomass in the form of ships being destroyed as well as in the form of any creatures lost in boarding actions (cost - high). While Tyranids do treat many of their organisms as expendable cannon fodder, keep in mind that in such situations the biomass from them can be reabsorbed and so the end result is a net gain of biomass. Thus, the Tyranids are not going to engage in a fight where they're going to lose biomass unless they have no other choice - ie if they are directly attacked, or where an additional benefit is removing competition for the same resources they are trying to obtain. This is the whole reason why they did not attack the Daemons in the Fall of Shadowbrink - they would not have gained anything from the conflict, so only retaliated in self-defense. However, now that the Hive Mind is aware of their nature as a competitor, in any future conflicts they would be aggressively dealt with.
If anyone's interested in helping out, PM me - the outline itself is a google doc, so I'd share that with anyone who wanted to help out. Thanks in advance
