Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:52:48-4:01:24

A truthful Warhammer interview and the problem of perspective

A fictional interview becomes a discussion of cross-examination, competing perspectives, and strategic accountability.

Fiction Cybernetic RevoltFiction Inquisitor KryptmanFiction TzeentchBelisarius Cawl (Warhammer 40,000)Emperor of Mankind (Warhammer 40,000)Men of Iron (Warhammer 40,000)Historical MethodSource CriticismWarhammer 40,000
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Question

Which Warhammer character would be most useful in a two-hour interview with truthful answers?

Short answer

The choices include the Emperor and Kryptman for their consequential decisions, Tzeentch for origins, Cawl for equipment and ship design, and a surviving Man of Iron for firsthand testimony.

Notes

The question offers a two-hour interview with a Warhammer character who must answer truthfully. Alex Clarke chooses the Emperor before his fight with Horus, while another participant prefers questioning him after his confinement to the throne, when he knows how events turned out. A challenge that the Emperor's reasoning is already known prompts a distinction between an existing perspective and an opportunity to cross-examine its subject. Other choices include Tzeentch to ask about the origins of the Chaos gods and Inquisitor Kryptman to question the abandonment of an industrial world. Cawl is proposed for questions about changes to Imperial equipment and ship design, with a reminder that reform would require Mechanicus support. An unnamed surviving Man of Iron is suggested as a firsthand witness to the Cybernetic Revolt.