this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2024
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Cyberpunk

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What is Cyberpunk?

Cyberpunk is a science-fiction sub-genre dealing with the integration of society and technology in dystopian settings. Often referred to as “low-life and high tech,” Cyberpunk stories deal with outsiders (punks) who fight against the oppressors in society (usually mega corporations that control everything) via technological means (cyber). If the punks aren’t actively fighting against a megacorp, they’re still dealing with living in a world completely dependent on high technology.

Cyberpunk characteristics include:

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I've always been intrigued by WH40k. I like how over-the-top everything is and how they'll shamelessly steal ideas from from Lovecraft, Dune, Star Wars, or any other franchise they want and somehow make it all work. But, personally, I've never been a fan of military sci-fi. So stories about the Astartes never really interested me and as a result, I only had a passing interest in WH40k. And then I discovered Necromunda.

To be fair, I only discovered the video game Necromunda: Hired Gun and while it looked like a cyberpunk game set in the WH40k universe, I thought Necromunda was just the name of this specific game (like how Darktide is just one game). But I recently learned that Necromunda is the name for an entire WH40k spin-off and Hired Gun is just one game set in that world. And my mind was blown.

From what little I know, Necromunda is absolutely cyberpunk. It takes place in a giant Hive City where the elite/rich live near the top in opulence while the poor live below the Hive City in ruins. And the story is basically about various gangs living in these ruins fighting with each other. With cyborgs, augmented humans, high tech gadgets, and whatever else they can shove into the story. It's over-the-top cyberpunk.

Of course, anyone familiar with WH40k is probably already aware of Necromunda, but it's all completely new to me. And while I don't play TTRPGs, I'm curious to learn more about this world. I found there are 28 books set in the Necromunda universe but I wouldn't know where to start. So for anyone who was already aware of Necromunda, can you recommend any books to me? Are any of them good?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

One of the things I really like about the 40k universe is the incredible scope of the setting. You really can tell just about any story and it fits somewhere in the setting.

I don't actually know much about necromunda, though I used to love the art and articles about it as a kid. I'm hoping someone else will kick in some recommendations