Published on 12, July, 2020
I was pondering on how the Games Workshop franchise has depicted ASD, without ever mentioning the term. Thinking about it; they really nailed it:
The Techmarine:
The Techmarine is the high IQ, low support ASD guy working in IT or engineering. He is resigned to his condition, and does not even try to be social anymore.
Story of my life, by the way.
There is a joke in the forums: "Turbo Peter has the 'tism":Young Perturabo is in court, and his adoptive father boasts that Perturabo could draw a masterpiece portrait in fifteen minutes. Perturabo starts drawing, then he presents the portrait, saying "Yes, I did that in exactly fifteen minutes." His stepfather says "Goddamn, Perturabo, why you must always be so literal! It was just a figure of speech!"Pure 'tism.
There must be a high proportion of game designers/players who are autistic, it fits quite well. The Techmarine IS one of them!
I used to go to Games Workshop in the old Bull Ring and have quite a few of those early games (mostly solo of course). I see myself more as a Rogue Trooper - a troubled but well meaning mutant, working alone but with buddy's that aren't actually real people.