Fool’s Gambit

  • Post category:News
  • Reading time:5 mins read

April Fool’s Day is on the horizon, and the 41st millennium has no shortage of fools and their tales. That’s why we’re bringing you an April Fool’s feature!

To end this month we’re taking a look at those who thought they knew better. Some thought they could make the galaxy better — or at least find a way to be happy in this cruel galaxy — while others didn’t think they were ever in danger at all.

Either way, they learned that the best laid plans are sometimes for naught.

5 stories about fools

Aureum Lupus by Daniel Dolgos -The word bearers aren’t often thought of as the most intimidating legion. To many, they spend too much time preaching and not nearly enough fighting, but to a member of the 17th, faith and worship are the true ways to power not technology or raw muscle. Daniel Dolgos’s story seems meant for those who don’t appreciate that enough. The seventeenth legion might seem meek, but sometimes that’s all part of the plan.
 
The Avatar of Flies by Benjamin Joseph (Narrated by Scott Allen with music by Liam Lunden) – Chaos thrives on arrogance. In their pride, the arrogant believe they are somehow above corruption or immune to its influence. They all learn eventually, but the lesson will continue regardless. The Lord of Flies is the tale of a man who aspired to become a God… and succeeds, much to his dismay.
 
The Cure in Her Hands by J. M. Addy – No faction in the 41st millennium embodies hubris more than the Aeldari. The Exodites are often (unfairly) forgotten in warhammer lore, but that’s how they would prefer it. While the hubris of Commorragh and the craftworlds lie in their arrogant belief that they can control or delay fate, the Exodites mistakenly believe they can simply leave it behind, forgetting the terrors of their past and the galaxy at large. Unfortunately for them, when you flee to the edge of the galaxy there is nowhere left to run when the horrors catch up.
 
The Denestral Lifeguards’ Game to Improve Morale by Mark Butterworth – The life of a guardsman is filled with two things: terror and boredom. Sometimes the cause of one is the cure for another. Just make sure you’re careful who’s around when you’re playing your game, or you could become the piece instead of the player. Mark Butterworth perfectly demonstrates how little a life is worth in the imperium right up until the moment when the wrong life is threatened.
 
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Princeps Maigret by Andy Clark – Titans. God-Engines. Among them — at nearly 60 meters in height and armed with a full company of skitarii and enough firepower to rival an entire army without ever deploying a soldier — the Imperator-class stands supreme. Bearing a cathedral on its back, the Imperator is equally sacred to the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Imperium of Man, and to nearly lose one through negligence is a grave sin. Cold Open regular Andy Clark takes a look at the aftermath of such an incident, presenting an interview with Princeps Maigret and his crew to examine how such an error could ever occur.
 
And a little April Fool’s joke of our own, one extra bonus story chosen by our publishing editor, Jack.
 
The Morrigan Door by Jennie Ruskin – I’ve picked this story because, for me, it fits the theme of hubris so much. You don’t have just one, but two characters whose arrogance leads them to believe they’re the one calling the shots. But only one can come out on top. Will it be the Thousand Sons Sorcerer or the Imperial Inquisitor? You’ll have to read to find out!