We need to talk about Canon... no, not that sort of Cannon, but the background of our games...
The word Canon originates from the selection of texts which are considered the 'official' or 'true' version of the Christian Bible (the word Canon itself originating from the Greek for 'Rule'), with other texts becoming non-canonical or apocryphal (again, originating from the Greek for 'untrue' or 'false'). This selection had repercussions - those who followed the apocryphal texts were branded as outsiders at best, heretics at worse, with the extremes of the Catholic Inquisition using them to root out dissenters and the 'unbeliever', torturing and executing people for nothing more than a difference in views over a text.
The burning of Heretics between the 15th and 18th Centuries was a very real threat...
In the modern age, when a setting, be it from a TV show, a comic book or a game, reaches 'franchise' status (that is to say, becomes wide ranging in terms of scope and size), there needs to be an internal logic as to how things hang together - where characters operate, their motivations, the origins of their skills and lives, how the universe around them works, to ensure that the viewer, reader or in terms of more interactive media, the user, sees it as a whole 'piece' rather than random events and scenes.
This in and of itself is not a bad thing - without an internal logic things would be less entertaining, less inspiring - as humans we look for connectivity, we love joining the dots to see a bigger picture in amongst the chaos. We find it comforting and reliable.
HOWEVER... there is a worrying trend amongst some, certainly in the wargaming community, to use this idea of Canon to restrict others creative output and interaction, by pushing them out by claiming what they're doing with their hobby is 'against the lore' or 'not in line with the Canon'.
This use of the Lore to restrict others expressing their creativity is self-destructive, removing from the hobby the very reason for it's existence.
Unlike comics, books or TV shows, where the Lore is the item consumed, it *is* the story after all, within a game such as Warhammer 40k, the Lore exists to promote inspiration, to give the players a framework - not a fence line - to hang their own ideas off and to expand upon, whilst giving those fans who only read the books a linear, logical story line.
One would hope that most would not see a problem with this in mind - that the Lore in a game is there to inspire - with other gamer's creating armies of female Space Marines, but unfortunately, there are those (such as the post above) who see this as a reason to insult, revile and criticise others hobby.
It's with this in mind that I truly think, no, BELIEVE that the idea of having a Canon, or Lore within is now becoming self-destructive to the creative side of the community, and as such, needs to be considered separate from it. This separation of 'church and state' could bring a much needed refreshing viewpoint to those who wish to express their own ideas without being shouted down by those who wish to follow the official story with no deviation. This is what happens within the fan fiction community and with little controversy, hundreds of stories that deviate wildly from the Canon, but remain valid to those who create and read them.
So, next time you see an army or a conversion that you feel 'shouldn't' or 'couldn't' exist, just ask yourself;
Who really is at fault here?
From my experience, most of the people who a use others of breaking Canon or "not being true to the lore",don't actually understand the lore themselves. The lore for 40k particularly is so broad and diverse that pretty much anything is possible.
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