Warhammer 40,000 Homebrew Wiki:How NOT to Make an Homebrew Xenos Species

This guide has been created to help our contributors to have a better understanding how NOT to make a xenos species article. This guide will cover the various issues and egregious examples that newer writers tend to make when creating their own xenos species. Please DO NOT be one of these individuals and give this guide a thorough read-through.

Writing
This section refers specifically to the writing and style of creating a xenos article and certain issues that are commonly found when writing about a fanon xenos article.

Canon Races
Often, most newer writers tend to make comparisons to existing canon races of the WH40K universe. It is strongly advised that you DO NOT do this! When writing about your own unique species, remember, they have evolved completely on its own, from the ground up, through their own process of evolution.

Example of what not to do: '..the [species] is taller than the average human, about 5 metres in height, with two extra arms and long horns on their head..'

Try to describe your xenos species on their own terms. For instance: '...the so-and-so [species] stands about 5 metres tall, with 4 arms and long horns on their head...'

By describing the species entirely on its own, without referring to other firmly established canon species, the writer emphasizes the separateness and 'alien' nature of their own unique xenos species. If you believe it to be proper to compare your own unique fanon species to a canon race, it is strongly advised that you utilise as few words as possible to avoid emphasizing it. The key here is understatement - less is more - in this case.

21st Century Humans
Do NOT make any references, whatsoever, to 21st Century Humans in your article. Knowledge of anything before the Dark Age of Technology and the Age of Strife, or even the earliest origins of Emperor and his first appearance before the Unification Wars has been destroyed, lost or long forgotten.