Anyhow, Black Crusade has the distinction of being (thus far) the ONLY non-Imperium based 40K RPG out there. It deals with Chaos, which means its not THAT much different, but its distinctly non-Imperium. Its actually more interesting than Deathwatch, although I feel it doesn't fully explore Chaos yet. The high points are really presenting a different, non Imperial perspective - it emphasizes individuality and choice (and the self) over the conformity and unity in the Imperium, but also illustrates how those choices, that freedom, that power always has a price when it comes to Chaos. It is a useful check and comparison for other, Imperial-centric, 40K material in the FFG sideline.
It will be three (short) updates for the core rules.
Part 1
Page 10
Approximate scope of the 40K galaxy.The vast spiral of the galaxy stretches across over 100,000 light years and swells to 12,000 light years thick at its hub. It contains hundreds of billions of stars and untold millions of habitable planets.
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Implied scope of the Imperium. The mainly interesting thing is how its implied humanity is not uniformly scattered - its denser towards Terra and the surroudning regions, whereas the outlying regions (Esp Ultima Segmentum)a re more frontier-like, sparsley inhabited.The Imperium is mighty, centred around the high concentration of human worlds in the galactic west...
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A million worlds fall beneath the dominion of the corpse-god that the Imperials call the Emperor; it controls countless armies billions strong and fl eets of starships beyond number.
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For every world that feels the autocratic boot of the Adepts of Terra upon its throat, a thousand others lie undiscovered in the void.
Also if we use the ratio as a benchmark, that implies a billion 'habitable' planets (using 'habitable' loosely..)
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the Warp. This echoes alot of the earlier 'REalms of Chaos' stuff again, by admitting the existence of other gods, and that they come and go almost in a cycle. although it might also refer to racial soul/gods like the Eldar....a place of infinite possibilities where emotion and symbolism hold sway.
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The flows, swirls, and eddies that it creates can form patterns and designs, drawing similar energies into themselves until they achieve a level of consciousness and purpose. When they fi nd the courage to acknowledge the existence of such powers men call them the Chaos gods.
Many nameless gods have been cast up by the warp only to be swept away again by the slow beat of aeons, but four great powers of Chaos seem eternal...
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They hold that the ocean of primordial essence that we now see as the seething Realm of Chaos was calm and undisturbed until it began to be altered by mortal passions and desires.
One of the interesting aspects being hinted at in various texts in this book is how Chaos is treated as a 'creating' force - for example on estory tells a legend where the 4 chaso gods (in other guys) apparently played a role in creating realspace for their own ends and purposes. Somewhat self serving and probably more benevolent than it is, its still an interesting perspective, especially since the 'creation' of the universe and the origins of life aren't ever addresse (wwe only ever go back as far as the Old Ones, but never earlier.. where did they come from, etc.?)
And we also get reiteration of the whole 'living beings influecne the warp, and vice versa' effect, an almost symbiotic (or parasitic) relationship.
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Gods feed on 'souls' which shows the importance of having worshippers, both living and dead. as living their acts/deeds/beliefs - particularily in a god's name - sustain and empower that god, and in death their souls 'join' with the essence of their god (probably) further empowering him/her/it.They absorb the energies of countless souls in turmoil, waxing ever stronger on the hopes and fears of mortals until they have become truly god-like entities. If mortals truly gave birth to the entities that have become the Ruinous Powers no hint of mortal frailty remains. The gods of Chaos represent absolutes completely unsullied by indecision or mercy.
We also get representations about how the Chaos gods represent absolutes. Which is where their danger lies - its not that Chaos gods are evil, its that they represent such tremendous extremes that their worshippers are invariably driven to excesses just to help feed/sustain their patron deity.
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I'd guess the latter, since there's more of a 'humans not noticing the ants they step on' angle to it. I only cite this again to emphasize that 'good or evil' is not strictly applicable to Chaos or their Gods - their thought patterns and vision is vast, and alien and dramatically different from humanity, and their danger lies not in their inherent 'goodness or badness' but rather how they can be misused or abused by living creatures. Not unlike a great many things taken to excess.The gods care nothing for their followers or their machinations, granting them unimaginable power or withdrawing it from them just as quickly as their fickle whims decree. Mortals are mere playthings to them, to be used and cast aside at will, at best the objects of momentary fascination. Perhaps they know that once the process of a soul’s corruption has begun it becomes inevitable, and that the taint of Chaos will bring living souls to the gods whether they declare themselves devout or not. It is more likely the Ruinous Powers are simply unaware of the mass of mortality in any conscious sense because their state of existence and motivations are too vast and alien to comprehend.
In that same thing calling them 'fickle' and considering them 'playthings' is ascribing motives that may or may not apply.. this is a very subjective thing. Hell maybe its only the daemons (the lesser aspects of the Gods) that view humans that way, but to the God itself daemons are no different than mortals are.
Even more ominous is the idea that the Chaos Gods might simply view us as a metaphysical food source. How much thought do you give to the crops or livestock that sustain you? you migh ttreat them nice or igve them a treat once in awhile, but you don't even treat them as humans or even equals....
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This is only part of the story of Nurgle really, as it notes the warp also represents 'hopes' as well as fears, and likewise there can be positive as well as negative things. In the case of Nurgle this reflects in one of his other titles - Papa Nurgle. Recall how he is depicted as a fatherly, kind hearted spirit who takes delight in his 'children' and their antics. He is also a jolly soul for a diseased sack of pestilence and enjoys humour. He represents life as well as death, because his nature represents the natural order of things, life to death and back to life. The creative as well as the destructive. He does inflict pain, but life is about pain in some way or another, so how does his make him any different from mortals? IT could even be seen as much part of the 'natural order' as disease - he's trrying to encourage growht and expansion and change as much as any other Chaos God.Of the four great powers Nurgle is said to be the one most involved with the plight of mortals.
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Every Chaos power embodies the hopes, fears and other strong emotions generated by mortal beings.
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The mortal’s unconscious response to that fear— the desperation to cling to life no matter what the cost—gives Nurgle an opening into their souls.
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The power of Nurgle waxes and wanes as his pandemics sweep across the galaxy.
I think of the four Nurgle is perhaps the one I like - he represents an elemental force of nature, but one that has positive as well as negative aspects (Whereas Khorne tends more towards violence and bloodshed and death.. I don't really consider honour and knightl virtues to be a compensation for that.) and Slaanesh's emphasis on sensation is too.. selfish. And Tzeentch.. what poitn giving hope if you also intend to betray and take it away? Indeed Nurgle can be said the one closest to humans, and perhaps the ones most favourably inclined to them. That's just my opinion, of course, but I think Nurgle best represents the 'ideal' of what Chaos and the warp truly truly is.
They also mention Nurgle's champions are a threat to densely populated (Hive?) worlds and Starships (like what happened to the Death Guard.) which in a way shows just now sneaky Nurgle can be. He offers them a deal they can't refuse once they're in his clutches..
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Like I said. Nurgle isn't ALL bad and neither are his followers. Despite the disease and decay, the pain and suffering they cause, Nurgles followers engender a sort of unity and family bond, a positive and humorus, even creative force. It's also mentioned Nurgle is rumored to take delight in creating new diseases to inflict upon the galaxy, reflecting an essential sort of 'creativity' in his nature....Nurgle’s daemons are cheerful, energetic beings that show a disturbingly friendly demeanour. They are jovial in their work and show great pride in their accomplishments...
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Every Great Unclean One is also Nurgle himself in some sense, and their followers often refer to them as “Papa” or “Father Nurgle.” Great Unclean Ones are seldom deathlike or morbid in character; in fact, they are usually motivated by the same trivial enthusiasms that drive the living. They are gregarious and even sentimental in their nature with a remarkable fondness for their followers. They often refer to their followers as their “Children” and take great pride in their appearance and oddly endearing behaviour.
Also the bond between Nurgle and his Greater Daemons shows how the daemons are themselves merely avatars or exntesions of the Chaos entity itself. sort of like a great psychic putsmif dvhrmr. And nurglings are childlike and mischievous, again showing a more positive aspect to their otherwise corrupt appearance.\
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Tzeentch vs Nurgle. Again it reflects some of the more positive qualities that offset the negative ones inherent in a Chaos god.Nurgle is the age-old enemy of the Chaos Power Tzeentch, the Lord of Change. Their energies come from diametrically opposing beliefs; Tzeentch’s power derives from hope and changing fortune while Nurgle’s comes from defiance born out of despair and hopelessness.
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Probably both are true to some extent, all Chaos gods represent a symbotic link between the warp and realspace... emotions and thoughts feed them, and they in turn encourage those thoughts and feelings in an endless cycle. and therein lies their danger.Some hold that it was the will of Khorne that fi rst impelled a primitive to seize a rock and brain one of his fellows...
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Others declare that it was the fi rst mortal impulses of fury that breathed life into Khorne, and that he represents the primitive lust for violence lurking in every mortal heart.
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Khorne. He's probably the most singleminded god, but he can afford to be becuase the essential nature of what fuels him (anger, hate, violence, bloodshed, death and murder and war) is omnipresent and a very intrinsic part of human nature. Moreso, in fact, than the life/death cycle with Nurgle (because those things can wax and wane.). This makes Khorne the most (consistently) powerful of the Chaos Gods, and that is a huge advantage.Some justify their slaughter through honour, bravery or pride but the most fanatical know that only the bloodshed matters.
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They hold that Khorne is the Chaos Power that embodies mindless and absolute violence, the wild blood lust that, once unleashed, yearns to destroy everyone within reach whether they be friend or foe.
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..Khorne cares not from where the blood flows.
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...Khorne is overtly the most potent and active of all the Chaos Powers. Endless wars and bloodshed in the mortal realm fuel it with the skulls of the slain, constantly drawn into its raging depths.
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The instinct to violence is a necessary one in a hostile universe, and is lauded in protectors or liberators.
The fact that the violence can spring from both 'good' or 'evil' sides ('defenders or protectors' as well as killers and berserkers) is a further benefit - opposition to bloodshed or murder or even Khornates will feed Khorne just as readily as the slaughter his followers perpetuate. The only way to circumvent that is for the worship to be dedicated more to another (which is why, I suspect, things like blood sacrifice and murder and slaughter are considered okay 'as long as its done for the Emperor - that can steal that power away from Khorne and channel it to the GEoM, as horrific as that idea is.)
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Pretty much a reiteration of what I said. Khorne is basically the most straightforward, singleminded, and most uncomplicated god in existance this side of Gork and Mork. Mainyl because he doesn't have to be. That's probably why there isn't much of a duality to him (unlike, say, Nurgle, or Tzeentch.)A desire to protect their loved ones warps gradually into a determination to fight back against those that threaten them. Martial pride and a sense of brotherhood are fostered to protect against hostile outsiders, and the authorities direct the urge to inflict harm against those designated as undesirable.
Under the banners of protection wars are begun that consume whole population...
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Outside the constraints of the Corpse-God’s Imperium, those that go into battle commonly beseech Khorne in one of his warrior-god aspects..
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Their [his followers] success or failure is a matter of no import to him, as Khorne waxes strongest wherever mortal ambitions clash, regardless of the outcome
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Even though he's straightforward, you can find (sort of) positive aspects to Khorne, although I'd say they are far more simpler and limited than with the other Chaos Gods. Again Khorne need not be simple, and the virtues he can 'uphold' are simply justifications for the blood and slaughter - which to Khorne are all that matter.The self-indulgent sensuality of the Prince of Pleasure is an affront to the warrior instincts of Khorne. The sense of duty, honour, and self-sacrifice that fuels part of Khorne’s existence is an anathema to the followers of Slaanesh, and the very antithesis of their own philosophy of selfindulgent pleasure seeking.
Also given Khorne's hatred of wizardry he and Tzeentch do not get along.
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Slaanesh. 'overthrow of constraint' is perhaps a more 'optimistic' motive, since it can encompass freedom of choice and the overthrow of oppression. But it also represents a drug-like 'addiction' to sensations and other extremes, which can get out of control and self-destructive.It is the Ruinous Power dedicated to the pursuit of hedonistic pleasures and the overthrow of constraints.
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Slaanesh represents the locus of the fallen Eldar race’s deepest desires; the yearning for luxury and hedonistic over-indulgence, the exercise of cruel and unnatural passions, the pursuit of forbidden vices and unspeakable carnality.
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The followers of the Prince of Chaos pursue ever-greater heights of experience, seeking pleasure in increasingly extreme and outrageous fashion.
The insidious aspect of Slaanesh is how that it can embrace more than just one 'kind' of person. Slaanesh can appeal to warriors (striving for martial excellence or the pleasure in fighting.) as well as sorcerers and academics or poeple who learn. Which is unlike Khorne or Tzeetnch (for example) That sort of flexibility is an asset of sorts.
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The birth of Slaanesh and the fall of the Eldar. It illustrates well the nature of gods in the warp--- both in their 'formless' nature where they can still exrt some basic influence on things, but also in their 'sentient' nature where they can directly take control once they reach a certain critical mass. It also illustrates the 'absolute' nature of the Chaos gods and the way it can (for some at least) lead down a path of self destruction as extremes are pursued. Which is, of course, the fundamentla danger of the Chaos gods, not that they are 'evil'.Slowly, over many centuries, the projected lusts and desires of the highly-psychic Eldar coalesced in the warp to create the new power. As the entity grew, the Eldar themselves were increasingly affected by its influence, driven to new heights of depravity in pursuit of their jaded lusts. The spiral became tighter as the increasingly frenzied activities of the Eldar spurred Slaanesh towards full wakefulness, even as its dreams stirred their darkest desires.
The Eldar race became trapped by its own dark nature, one that asserted itself more and more as Slaanesh’s influence grew.
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In a way Slaanesh's power is as fundamental as Khorne or Nurgles. Taking joy and pleasure in any act feeds him, and its hard to deny that, because pleasure and enjoyment is part of being human (and in our unconscious desires.) Rooted even in our base and biological urges even (such as the desire to reproduce.) which makes it hard to resist. But given that Slaanesh is particulariyl driven by extremes of sensation, this makes him also quite dangerous because it invariably means being driven to those extremes, regardless of the approach.Even the most pious pontiff must rest sometime, and when he does the unconscious desires in his dreams betray him to the Master of Carnal Joys.
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As leisure becomes widespread the unconscious wants of the many are led down dark paths by the subtle infl uence of Slaanesh.
And in a perverse way oppression and corruption feed it, especially in the Imperium. The nobility are especially prone to it, and the need to escape the drudgery and bleakness of life can lead people into Slaanesh. Hell, the harder the Imperium squeezes, the more people may even be driven towards things tha can put them at risk of Slaanesh.
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Slaaneshes weaknesses and assets. One thing they don't quite touch on (unlike othr Chaos entities) is that Slaanesh's push towards sensation and extremes can make him something of a muse or a poet, as well as encouraging the striving towards perfection. We see this best in the novel 'Fulgrim' with the Thousand Sons, whose particular nature made them especially prone to Slaanesh. Thus if Slaanesh can be said to have any positive sides, its freedom, creativity/artistic expression, and a drive towards self improvement.Slaanesh is said to have little interest in the other Chaos Powers, being too caught up in his own pleasures to be interested in alliances or co-operation.
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Slaanesh’s comparative weakness in direct confrontations is balanced by his endless capacity for corruption...
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Tzeentch. This perhaps gives some of his most positive traits - he is an agent of change and evolution, of growth and a desire to improve. But he is also a plotter, and a manipulator, as well as a gifted prescient, and those are perhaps both his strengths and weaknesses. What's more, he apparently either has no strict goal other than plotting and change, or he is so paradoxical that he is destined to defeat himself. Which makes Tzeentch his own worst enemey.The hopes and plans of every man and every nation whisper through its many-chambered mind. Its all-seeing eye watches as plots unfold and intrigues alter the course of history.
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The hopes and plans of every man and every nation whisper through its many-chambered mind. Its all-seeing eye watches as plots unfold and intrigues alter the course of history. All men dream of wealth, freedom and a better tomorrow. The confluence of these desires creates a powerful impetus for change.
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Perhaps Tzeentch plans to overthrow the other Chaos Powers, or to extend his dominion across mortal realms, or to achieve some unguessable apotheosis. Perhaps Tzeentch plots endlessly because that is its driving force, and its schemes can never achieve fruition as they twist constantly into new plans and conspiracies.
Whatever Tzeentch’s ultimate purpose, he pursues it by manipulating individual lives and thereby altering the course of history.
Of course being an agent of change means Tzeentch is somehow essentially more tied to the warp, since time, space, and the mutability of reality are essnetial parts of the warp, and of wapr magic. Which is an advantage and a disadvantage.
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Tzeentch vs Nurgle. Tzeentch of course is, as I noted, his own worst enemy, as betrayal is part of his nature as much as change is. And since Tzeentch embodies magic, he is also sometimes in conflict with Khorne. coupeld with Slaanesh's general disinterest in alliance means that Tzeentch, despite the insidious power of his ties to the warp, and plotting means he is perhaps the most volatile and inconsistent in power (Nurlge for example is more cyclic, whereas Khorne's is pretty stable and consistent.)Tzeentch’s energy is derived from the excitement and will to change, the desire to forge one’s own destiny, refashion fortune and gain power. Nurgle’s power comes from a defiant brand of hopelessness and despair, a moribund acceptance of the way things are born out and a determination to keep plodding forward regardless.
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The Imperium is supposedly the most powerful (Coherent) force in the galaxy. Whether the Nids or Necrons can contest this at some point is up for debate. The Orks are more numerous of course but they are far from unified.A million worlds united in the name of Humanity; monotheistic, xenophobic, paranoiac, and fuelled by war. With its vast fleets and uncounted armies the Imperium remains probably the single most powerful entity in the galaxy.
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All said this can be considered quite true. the FFG books have called this a 'siege mentality', where the Imperium promotes an idea of a hostile galaxy that is out to destroy every human, and thus they must destroy them first. To be fair there is a certain measure of truth in this (Orks and Tyranids for example) but its not wholly true (The tau for example seek only conquest, and the Eldar want to be left alone.) And we know of countless worlds in the Imperium that go decades, centuries, or even millenia without any serious invasion or threat of attack. And yet propoganda, that 'siege mentality' is perpetuated both to feed the military machine and to maintain the control of the Adeptus TErra. That control is, sadly, neccessary, to an extent but it often is exaggerated due to greed, corruption, fear, etc.They hold the worlds of the Imperium in a constant state of terror, proselytising their zealotry and feeding the fears of the populace to keep them cowed and malleable. An Imperial citizen is raised from birth to believe that unseen forces are gathering to attack them and that their way of life could be destroyed at any moment, and that only the Emperor stands between them and damnation.
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The Imperium thrives on war and oppression. Its weapon factories and shipyards run night and day, arming its forces, and faceless conscripts by the billion are hurled into conflicts they cannot win. Imperial citizens are indoctrinated from birth to hate and fear outsiders, and at any given time the Imperium is fighting dozens of genocidal conflicts. This perpetual state of war and fear has served the Imperium well over its many centuries of existence, reinforcing its self-righteous declaration of itself as defender of humanity while driving a wedge between itself and other races.
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Some joke that an outbreak of peace would be the greatest disaster that could ever befall the Imperium, but in truth the Adepts of Terra are quite able to fi nd enemies in their own ranks. Planets groaning too loudly beneath Imperial tithes are quickly branded as “traitors” or “heretics”....
In alot of ways you can say that the Imperium's worst enemy is indeed itself.
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Another detail that is true in its cruelty, but neglects the reasons given why this is the case. Psykers (astropaths) are important to the running of the Imperium, but they also represent something of a danger, since an untrained psyker is a potential portal through which daemons or other warp entities may invade realspace, which can be dangerous to a settlement, city, continent or evne a world. Nevermind the occasional alpha-level PSyker who is insane. What's more, the Emperor is perhaps one of the few things preventing the Chaos gods from overwhelming humanity as a whole, which might be good for some but I doubt everyone would choose to become a worshipper of Chaos (they wouldn't exactly have a choice) and Chaos would swarm reality (which the Eldar don't want. Not evne the Dark Eldar I imagine.) So the sacrifice, while horrible, is also something of a necessity, both for usstaining the Emperor AND the AStronomican...often decades apart...
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...Black Ships and the agents of the the dreaded Inquisition come to each Imperial world to demand its crop of psykers for processing on distant Terra. The slightest flicker of potential is enough for the Inquisitors, and their holds are filled with thousands..
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..their souls are fed to the Emperor and that a thousand are sacrificed every day just to keep his guttering life-spark vital. Others say the psykers are blinded and castrated in both their bodies and powers...
And on top of that, don't forge the prejudices that psykers (or 'witches' ) are regarded. WHilst the Imperium encourages this (whilst simultaneously taking and using same witches for their own ends - hypocritical though that is) it isn't wholly just the Imperium. The AFtermath of the Age of Strife taught humanity the dangers of unrestrained psykers, and in that sense the Imperium protects them and gives them a purpose, which probably is more than they would otherwise get. Which is ironic considering how humanity is progressing towards becoming a psychic race.
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Helping to explain why the Imperium can range from a million world to billions. New worlds are always discovered, conquered, colonized, and old worlds are lost to war, natural disaster, warp storm, rebellion, etc. that keeping a straight number at any given time is probably as futile as trying to gauge military numbers.The Imperium is said to encompass a million worlds but accurate numbers are impossible to gauge. In the time taken for reports to cross the galaxy conquered worlds are regained and new ones are lost more quickly than Administratum scriveners can update their ponderous data stacks.
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The interesting thing here is that 'world' is not speicifcally taken to mean planet. It could mean particularily large stations, moons, etc. Which would also help explain some fo the 'billions' of worlds references.The worlds of the Imperium include every conceivable type, from isolated colonies to thriving hive worlds, from mono-culture agri-worlds and vast orbital forges...
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Centralized control is impossible, and the nature of humanity and the Imperium defeat it's efforts at direct control. Instead you get sectors/subsectors as 'islands' of humanity all linked together by common cultural, religious, and economic threads...if the forces of the Imperium could ever be unified and set to a single purpose there is nothing they could not achieve.
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..thwarted by the unthinkable distances involved in their sprawling empire, internal dissension, and inter-departmental rivalry.
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..parts of the Imperium tens of thousands of light years apart can do little to support one another in practical terms. Instead rulership often devolves down to loosely aligned sub-sets of the most influential worlds colluding to exploit their immediate neighbours under the guise of Imperial authority.
The Imperium has been far more successful in creating a common cultural and philosophical centre by dominating science, education, and the arts on worlds from one side of the galaxy to the other.
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Essentially true....interlocking series of Ordo and Adeptus organisations set up to spy on one another while keeping planetary populations in line. They are also frequently blind, autocratic and counterproductive..
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Scope of the adeptus TErra on Earth itself.The core organisation of the Adeptus Terra is unthinkably huge, the ancient priesthood of Earth billions upon billions strong just on Terra itself.
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They mention that the Adminsitratum can have parts reporting to parts that no longer exist, or parts responsible for witholding or destroying data so noone can see it. Basically it is one gigantic, useless, self-perpetuating bureacracy.Each sub-department of the Administratum has their own writs, legislation, authorisations and areas of responsibility painstakingly preserved and passed down from generation to generation of its membership.
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This represnets perhaps the closest thing that 40K ever has to a 'canon', and for me its a surprisingly good one, because it emphasizes not so much what a particular source says, but rather the overall consistency of everything. We take and judge a source by its own individual merits, as well as its merits relative to the rest of the body of work. Which is cumbersome, time consuming, and prone to change at a moment's notice.. but it's also probably the only way you make sense of anything if one is inclined to do so.The history and viewpoints of the Imperium change drastically, depending on whom you ask.
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Which is correct? Both, and neither. All depends on one’s point of view.
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..the following text is penned from the viewpoint of the Disciples of the Dark Gods
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Is it correct? That is for the reader to decide.
I've always liked the 'point of view' aspect of the various FFG, and that's probably the value of Black Crusade. It contributes a different perspective that can, hopefully, provide elements to ferret out the truth from the mass of data.
PAge 21
Purported height/depth of the hives (if not the surface) of Terra. Whether it is a true, coruscant like city world is a matter of opinion, but it really wouldnt surprise me..much of the planet’s surface that grass and water have long since become forgotten memories buried under kilometres of rockcrete and plasteel.
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That's far more than I'd ever expect really.. given how travel is supposed to be limited and isolated.. of course it could be just withint he sector or segmentum. But an annual travle of millions is still impressive by 40K standards.To undertake a journey to Terra is far beyond the means of most citizens, but millions do so each year...
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Forge worlds are, unsurprisingly, industrial cornerstones of the Imperium, and MArs seems to contribute a substantial percentage of that on its own.The cult owns and administrates the planet Mars, the seat of their power and the source of many of the ships, weapons, and technically advanced machinery used in the Imperium.
Other Mechanicus Forge worlds exist scattered across the galaxy, places of incalculable value to the Imperial war effort.
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Which is basically true, but it doesn't mean this is unneccesary. The warp can have an adverse effect on technology, and the 'cult' belief can give a measure of protection to this. The downside of course is that like all Imperial organizations it is riven along 'puritan' and 'radical' lines, with the radicals being more in favor of R&D and the puritans the rote learning and aversion to R&D.The Adeptus Mechanicus is as much an arcane cult as a scientific body, obsessed with finding and restoring ancient sources of technology but placing little value on research and development of new ideas—indeed, such pursuits are viewed as a dangerous form of heresy by some. Older technology is valued the most, rote-learning and repetition have replaced understanding, and much of the Mechanicus’ greatest knowledge is completely forbidden to outsiders as well as its most of its own membership.
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True, although given the number of Space Marine homeowlrds, Admech Forge worlds, and the presence of Shrine/Cardinal worlds in every sector, we can say that 'handful' is purely relative (meaning thousands of worlds, contrasted perhaps to millions.)Only a handful of planets are administered directly by the Adeptus Terra, the Ministorum or the Imperial Space Marines.
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It's also mentioned how the demands of the Imperium can make the Commander unpopular with his populations, and thus he is more reliant upon the Imperium to maintain control (which enables the Imperium to squeeze more wealth out of the planet.) Againg iven the pro-chaos slant to this its more self serving (especially the 'people are just waiting ot overthrow the Imperium') but it is true enough that it cna sound convincing. And as the text says, it has upsides (technological improvement and safety and order.) no system is perfect and there are always tradeoffs, especially in the fucked up 40K galaxy.A Planetary Governor holds the nominal rank of Imperial Commander within the Adeptus Terra and is in turn held directly responsible for the order and productivity of their world. If they are successful, the Administratum is content to take no further interest in their world beyond collecting its tithes, leaving the governor free to rule as he sees fit.
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...he or she must continually walk on a knife’s edge between the wants of their own society and the requirements of the Imperium. The exchange with the Imperium is not always entirely one-sided; the trade and technology gained may improve a world, and Imperial forces backed up by more rigorous laws make it a safer place. However, with so many worlds living under a continual state of martial law, the populations they control are often opposed Imperial rule, and their higher echelons especially so.
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Some Planetary Governors try to balance the needs of their society against the demands of the Imperium with varying degrees of success, although liberal agendas are frowned upon by those in high office. Most Planetary Governors take the easy route and dedicate themselves only to appeasing their Imperial masters no matter what the cost to their homeworld. Indentured servitude, strip mining, and mass industrialisation become common practices on such “civilised” worlds.
That said the bits about strip mining, indentured servitude, and mass industrialisation have merits - one just has to look at any Hive world for proof. The way things are phrased are also interesting in how it treats the Imperium as something of an outside entity.. more an ally or confederate (albeit one in a position of power) rather than a direct ruler.
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The organizations being the AdMech, ARbites, Navy, Guard, Astra telepathica/and AStronomican, the Adminstratum, etc.While he remains a loyal member of the Adeptus Terra, a Planetary Governor has some measure of authority over the elements of these powerful organisations stationed on their world.
However, the moment a world attempts to leave Imperial rule, these vital organs of justice, technology, communication, navigation, security and transportation are duty-bound to violently resist.
Again the context speaks more of the Imperium being something of an alliance or a confederacy, where they are bonded by mutual interest or exchange than by direct rule. Which tends to suggest there are diffrent 'tiers' to the Imperium. The directly ruled (EG Shrine worlds, forge worlds, Astartes homeworlds, etc.), and the indirectly controlled.
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Which echoes alot of the view you see of Space Marines in Soul Drinkers, or the Horus Heresy series, so there is a fair bit of truth to this. The Space Marines can both be heroes/liberators but they can also be viewed as terrifying figures, because both are part of their essential role. That they might also be recurited (as children) from worlds deliberately kept primitive is not suprrising, but this is more a funciton of Space Marine traditions and desires than any influence in the Imperium itself (The Astartes are independent, remember.)On some worlds Space Marines are hero-worshipped as liberators, but on most they are known as terrifying oppressors...
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...extensive genetic modification of feral children specially bred for the purpose on planets artificially kept at a particularly nasty stage in their development by their Imperial commanders.
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..developing adolescents are weeded out, hypno-conditioned, and indoctrinated to become loyal killers for the corpse-throne on Terra.
Again Chaos has it in its best interest to paint the Astartes negatively (They neglect to mention the 'Imperial Commanders' are themselves Space Marines - chapter masters in fact.)
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Black carapace is also armour...and armoured black carapace bonded to his flesh.
Page 22
Again unsurprising - psychological warfare aspects of the AStartes (shock and terror) and their general reputation/hero worship can enhance their performance, both literally and figruatively (remember the warp and its influence by thought and emotion!)Each Space Marine is worth a hundred warriors in battle, their deadly prowess greatly magnified by the fear they strike in ordinary humans.
Page 23
Since when is the Priesthood independent? The AdMech is, but I doubt the fucking priests are....two branches of the Imperium fall outside the direct auspices of the priesthood of Ancient Earth; the Adeptus Ministorum, also known as the Ecclesiarchy, and the offices of the Inquisition.
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The scope and power of the Ecclesiarchy. Interesting how 'billions' of pilgrims travel to Shrine worlds or Terra for economic purposes, and the Crusading armies' of Frateris and Sororitas 'billions strong' which suggests the Sorotitas are fairly numerous (Although not all woudl be sisters of battle.) and of course the influence they wield through the Schola Progenium.The head of the church, the Ecclesiarch, is one of the High Lords of Terra and entire worlds fall under his direct jurisdiction. Untold billions of Imperial pilgrims travel to far-flung Shrine Worlds and Holy Terra... ... creating vital economic links between disparate parts of the Imperium.
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...crusading armies of Frateris and Sororitas billions strong, and many Imperial servants learned their first duties in the Ecclesiarchy-run orphanages of the Schola Progenium.
They also mention how the Ecclesiarchy embraces differnet creeds, tries to modify them to be more 'Imperial appropriate', etc. as well as the infighting due to power struggles.
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True. The Ecclesiarchy can beu nifying in some ways, but its desire fro control and power make it as divisive as it can be unifying, especially with itself and the bewildering number of creeds it encompasses. Which can bring it into conflict with toher parts of the Imperium.In practice there are frequent conflicts of interest between cults on far-fl ung worlds as the intolerance that underpins the Ecclesiarchy virtually tells its adherents to view each other as heretics.
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'An Inquisitor is subject to no one; the only censure he might receive must come from his fellow Inquisitors,...
Not true. any 'Peer of the Imperium' can theoretically balk an Inquisitor depending on how politics, influence and personal power play out.
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Exterminatus wipes out all life...a world deemed irretrievably corrupt by an Inquisitor can be subject to Exterminatus—the systematic annihilation of all life.
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Between human and Eldar terraforming, the apparent abudnance of inhabitable worlds (to varying degrees of 'habitable' can be easily explained, methinks.Whole worlds were terraformed by these first waves of colonists..
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The STC.It appears that the technomancers of the earliest times created a robust automated factory program to support their emerging colony worlds, complex systems that could be adapted to local conditions and use a variety of raw materials. Templates have been found for everything from gigantic plasma reactors to steam-driven traction engines that were created to fulfil the needs of the colonists.
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The rumors of the origins of the Age of STrife. They mention that Chaos worshippers consider this a triumph for Chaos, because Chaos manages to throw down mankind's efforts at ruling the galaxy. Which goes to show you just how GREAT it is to be a chaos worshipper...of entire regions becoming isolated by raging warp storms and turning against themselves in crippling wars.
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..mutations and psychic powers became increasingly prevalent, and predatory beings from warp space used such open conduits to feast on the living
Page 24
Again true, but 'proven true' is a bit overstating it, since Chaos played a hand in usurping the Mechanicum away from the Emperor for their own ends.In perhaps his greatest coup before the creation of the Imperium itself the Emperor convinced the Tech- Priests of Mars that he was the living embodiment of their deity, the Omnissiah, and so won their fealty.
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Despite their propaganda the link was not an entirely comfortable one and, as would be proven later a large number of the Tech-Priests did not truly accept the Emperor as their living god.
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This is rather funny, considering that Chaos told the opposite story to the AStartes - that the Emperor intended to cast aside the Primarchs and Space Marines in favor of humanity, and a great deal of the HH revolved around that (which was bolstered by the apparent fact that the Emperor had abandoned the Astartes and handed the Imperium over to the nascent Adminsitratum.)...the Emperor set about creating mankind’s replacement: the Primarchs. The Primarchs were genetically engineered super-humans with god-like powers, bred for strength and loyalty. The Emperor’s intention was to create an entire race of super-humans from the genetic template of the fi rst Primarchs. He hoped that his efforts would create a laboratory-bred purity completely immune to the influences of Chaos.
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...the Chaos Powers perceived the Emperor’s schemes and seized the foetal Primarchs before they could reach maturity. Seeing the potential value of the Primarchs the Ruinous Powers did not deign to destroy them, instead scattering them far and wide across the galaxy.
They also declare their snatching the Primarchs away from the Emperor and scattering them was intentional and a 'victory' for Chaos (and a loss for big E.) Which is matter of opinion, although I'm skeptical. Certainly the Emperor didn't intend the Primarchs to be scattered (although its been hinted he did.) but its equally possible that Chaos intended to destroy or subvert the Primarchs.
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Implies that recovering the Primarchs was the Emperor's first goal and he actively sought for them across the galaxy.The Emperor sought after them with his psychic powers and was drawn across time and space to the places where his offspring could be found.
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First time I've heard of this, although it might be skewing some of those 'challenges' faced by the Emperor (EG Leman Russ or Vulkan, for example.) Unless they mean Angron, which while true probably doesn't count given how much of a lunatic he is.It’s certain that such stories are used to mask the ugly truth that several of the lost Primarchs had to be physically subdued before they would agree to join the Emperor.
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They also mention psykers/mutants destoryed and Chaos worshippers forced into hiding. All that is true, and its one of the greater hypocrisies of the 'Great Crusade' and 'Imperial Truth', but its not without reason, because Chaos is hardly benevolent in all this. At least with the Emperor you can say he had a noble goal even if his methods were brutal and hypocritical.The Emperor’s followers found many strange and terrible worlds where humans and aliens coexisted, or Chaos reigned triumphant—these they purged most mercilessly of all. Alien empires were driven back and defeated by the Great Crusade; enslaved populations of captive humans were set free.
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Many aliens learned to hate and fear the Imperium during the Great Crusade, and the rabid xenophobia of those times has been attributed to all humans ever since.
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Again true, although the scope and frequency of this is up for debate. They also mention the establishment of the various organs of the Imperium we are familiar with and their taking control of the conquered regions. Funny they neglect to mention how positive things were prior ot Chaos fucking things up (like we see in the HH series.)...human worlds had survived the Age of Strife and many of these attempted to resist the Imperialist onslaught...
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The Crusade’s indiscriminate use of virus bombs and cyclonic torpedoes obliterated secrets...
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At least their honest about it.The Primarchs had not escaped their brush with Chaos entirely untouched. As the Great Crusade wore on their dreams became disturbed by the insidious whispers of the Ruinous Powers.
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Fully half of the Primarchs eventually failed the test and were seduced by the Ruinous Powers, their corruption occurring in ways so subtle that they never even suspected that their own loyalties were changing until it was too late.
PAge 26
This suggests Horus' activities just prior to and after his fall were conducted on the EAstern Fringes, which meshes with Istvaan being 'half a galaxy away' from TErra.He entrusted Horus with leading the crusade along the eastern fringes, little realising that by doing so he was planting the seeds of his own betrayal
It goes on to comment on things we more or less see/hear in the HEresy - the 'Imperial Truth' was a sham, the Emperor was discarding his noble intentions for personal, selfish ones, turning the Imperium over to the bureaucrats and abandoning the AStartes and Primarchs, trying to become sole ruler and god of the galaxy, etc. And this just after Chaos admits to seducing and corrupting the Primarchs away, no less.
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We know that Horus used Istvaan III and V as traps, 3 to get rid of the loyalist AStartes in his own ranks and V to dispatch the legions sent to crush him.The Warmaster was unwilling to be drawn into a planetary campaign just as his schemes were coming to fruition and chose instead to virus bomb Istvaan III from orbit. Twelve billion souls died in a matter of minutes, their rapidly rotting carcasses consumed by a firestorm that enveloped the entire planet for days afterwards.
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Months to 'organize and deploy' to the other side of the galaxy. Call it tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands times lightspeed.He had recognised fi nally that the rebellion could only be brought to an end by eliminating its figurehead and inspiration: the Warmaster Horus. More precious months were lost organising and mobilising the forces to reach the other side of the galaxy.
Page 28
This tends to suggest the Alpha Legion operated mostly in the Eastern Fringe, although we know they had operations in other parts (fighting the White Scars and Space Wolves, or infiltrating the Raven guard in Delivreance lost..)The Alpha Legion did much to ravage the Eastern Fringe during the Heresy, pursuing their own set of objectives far from Ancient Terra.
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Wait wait wait. You mean that only part of the Tactica Imperialis is bout siege and trench warfare? But the pictures make me think that's all the IG knows!The Iron Warrior’s Primarch, Perturabo, excelled in the arts of siege and trench warfare above all else, and his treatise on fortifi cations and their reduction formed the basis of several sections of the Tactica Imperialis.
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Other sources say 55 days. And it's also mentioned that Horus had to win quick because the Space Wolves and Dark Angels were coming.Bitter fighting marked every phase of the siege as it dragged out for over a month.
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Which is true. Some do believe in and wish to carry out the 'Long War' s they call it, in Horus' name. Although alot of that has been coopted into simply feeding and sustaining Chaos too...outside Imperial space some remember Horus differently, as a proud warrior who was unafraid to stand against the machinations of the Emperor and whose vision for humanity extended beyond autocratic rulership of Earth.
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Freedom is all well and good, but being pawns, worshippers of the 'uncaring RUinous powers' (the text actually describes it thus) hardly seems like freedom. There's a certain irony in that, throwing off the Imperial oppression making you a pawn of Chaos...Some are peoples who seek to escape from bondage and go to any lengths to secure their release. Others resist the power of the Imperium without truly knowing why they do so, motivated simply by a conviction that they must fi ght against the tyranny it represents. All of these peoples are the servants of Chaos and knowingly or unknowingly they continue to fight in the Long War...
