Retcon

Retcons are what makes Neckbeards rage the most. Beyond all else, when fluff gets retconned, especially good fluff, it makes everyone go into fits of anger, proves that the people controlling the source material are incompetent and abusive to the universe, and worst of all makes good things die.

The word "Retcon" comes from a the joining of the words "Retroactive Continuity" together. In Traditional Games, retcons usually stem from fluff that the writers and publishers decide isn't necessary or in the flavor of the setting it is being retconned from. Or when a new writer decides that certain fluff doesn't fit with his ideas and conception of how things "ought to" be, without considering the universe he is screwing with first. Or when a company wants to make money on new models and decides to wreak havoc on their pre-established setting and fluff to do so. Or Both.

Retcons come in all shapes and sizes, and while not all Retcons are bad, many of them (especially those stemming from Matt Ward) tend to remove vast amounts of depth and character from the setting.

Many people tend to use the word "retcon" inappropriately, especially here on this site. The term "Retcon" only applies to new fluff which erases the previously standing old fluff; not fluff which was conceived out of thin air and erases nothing, but sucks really bad. It also does not mean fluff which is built around old fluff and, in the process, destroys the value of the standing fluff to a point where it no longer means anything of value within the new context. That, my friends, is a Wardcon.

Also, "doublethink" from the book '1984'. In this case, an entire society has a history based on retcons.

List of Retcons

In 40k:

• SQUATS
• Valedictors and Rainbow Warriors being First Founding Chapters.
• Necrons being Terminators IN SPACE instead of Tomb Kings IN SPACE. They have been dubbed the Retcrons for this very reason.
  • And, now they're back to being Tomb Kings.
• C'tan being superdeath gods of death and Just as planned, and now being shiny space-pokemon.
• Zoats.
• Those weird Tyranid diplomats...
• The Lone Guardsman being, you know, a guardsman.
• Ollanius Pius
  • Though apparently Fantasy Flight Games has brought him back. They're awesome like that.
• A metric ton of goofy Orkish stuff, which, oddly enough few people missed. Mostly because Ork canon does what it pleases.
• Sisters of Battle not sucking.
• Ultramarines being BRITS IN SPAAAACE.
• Hrud being RATS IN SPAAAACE. (they got cooler though)