My interest in Warhammer 40,000 has never been for the guardsman – or Militarumen as they have become known. The footsoldiers themselves are the closest thing Games Workshop’s universe has to a ‘good guy.’ They’re human, so they’re easy to relate to.
These conscripted soldiers have a certain level of innocence. Their commanders are compassionate monsters, but the average soldier is doing his best to avoid getting eaten by giant bugs or murdered by his own officers. Thus, it is like a match in a box. They have no individuality.
Notably, this has nothing to do with appearance. If it were so, one could always choose the best fit for your favorite military. Here are some examples that you may recognize as well. The Astra Militarum is a popular brand of wargame for historical wargamers. Cadians are rather modern soldiers, Catachans are pseudo-Vietnamese snipers, and Death Korps of Krieg represents both World War I troops and modern soldiers.
Interestingly, in this line of thought, my favorite army has always been the Russians. That is why, Vostroyan Firstborns was the only Militarum force that attracted my attention, probably due to their resemblance to Russian Cossacks
Yet, choice is never a human reality when it comes to video games. Take, for instance, the Solar Auxilia, which is the latest Militarum force to get the 32mm treatment. A proto-guard rather than a regiment like Cadians or Catachans, they existed 10,000 years ago, during the Horus Heresy.
Incidentally, it begins with 40K’s strangest lore: the 31st millennium was the Age of Technology, the golden age of the Emperor’s armies. Therefore, the Emperor’s forces should look more futuristic than their modern counterparts, which have been beaten down and held back by ten thousand years of war.
However, that’s not always the case. Consider Mark 3 armor, for instance, which looks significantly out of date in comparison to 41st millennium Space Marines’ Mark 8 or 9 armor. Although the models look great, they have been designed to look older, as if the modern Militarum has evolved from them. In reality, modern forces should try to emulate the modern armies.
