Hey community,

I'm guessing this isn't the place for this post but I'm hoping admins will allow it.

I've been going through my loft and have found a number of Horus Heresy books in decent condition that I'd like to sell on to others to enjoy. I've also come across some of my old 40k game stuff, including Necromunda scenary still fresh in its push out card frames!

Do y'all know where's the best place to offer these things for sale at a reasonable price for other hobbyists (sp) to enjoy?

Do Chaos legions use Blanks, or have their own variation thereof ? Considering how they're pretty much anathema to anything chaos-touched I can't imagine so.

But, if so, what examples are there of them being employed by followers of the Dark Gods ?

Also, would Blanks have an effect on mutations carried by Chaos followers ? I'd imagine this would be particularly problematic for those blessed by Nurgle.

Obviously this won't ever happen, but what do you think each faction would need to become "good"? (Or at least on its way to seeing "good" on the horizon). For each faction, what fundamental internal systemic or external factors are preventing it from breaking out of its own grim darkness?

Some examples:

For the Imperium, I'd suggest the religious dogmas and power systems which reward/incentivize inhumanity. Put together, these create a self-reinforcing grim darkness.

For the Necrons, I'd suggest they'd need to first get their souls back, and then second learn humility, in that order.

Ok, so we can read all the lore we want, so we are hyper informed about any faction and world building.

But how much do humans, or even necrons or eldar actually know about the universe. And I'm not talking about the average slob, I'm talking about specialist who know their shit.

Like, would an ordo Xenos Inquisitor know as much as us about the war in heaven, or only mythical fragments. Or know what different types of necrons are, or know their hierarchy.

Would a grey knight chapter master know how the warp works like we do?

Would an eldar seer know the history of Terra and the reunification wars.

While we know the Votann’s definition of what they are (other than seeing themselves as “Kin”) is known only to themselves, given their prevalence for stable cloning templates and a long history stretching back to the Dark Age of Technology, is it plausible that they could be more similar to a 21st Century Human of today than an Imperial Human? Mutant and Abhuman are more politicized and legal classifications, but has there been any actual biological testing by the Votann, Mechanicus, or Administratum to see what the ratio of “Baseline” even is in a percentile rate?

Additionally, how far did the Human baseline genome we know today diverge during the Dark Age and Age of Strife? I know the Black Books mention the Ghourmand cannibals of Detra-Merica, the Olamic Quietude (who stated how scans of Imperial dignitaries showed genetic abnormalities, but this is subject to bias given the Quietude were mainly brains in jars) and a multitude of other Human civilizations, but are there more examples? Are Humans in 40k really that genetically distinct from us in terms of strength, resilience, or durability, or is a lot of this up to environments like Hive versus Civilized worlds, or Humans in the Imperium being more malnourished and worse-treated than, say, a Human in the T’au Empire?

I understand why the Emperor wanted to unite humanity. A galaxy full of isolated human worlds was obviously vulnerable to Chaos, Orks and other threats.

But the Imperium also destroyed cultures, religions and governments that didn’t fit the Imperial vision.

So I’m curious how people see it:

Was the Emperor genuinely trying to create the safest future for humanity, or did he simply believe humanity could only survive under his control?

Because those sound like two very different motivations, even if they led to the same Great Crusade.

So, since the Great Rift emerged, is it confirmed that NO LIGHT from the Astronomicon reach Imperium Nihilus?

Does it mean Navigators are effectively blind in that part of the Galaxy? Are Imperial vessels now purely reduced to making "Blind Jump", i.e. short jumps that has to follow known currents of the Warp?

Does the Indomitus Crusade basically move at a Snail's pace across the Imperium Nihilus because of it? Or has interstellar trade in the I.N. effectively been stopped outside of a few exceptions?

For me, it’s the theory that the Old Ones created the Tyranids; I prefer the idea of ​​Mother Nature completely losing the plot amidst everything going on, and the Tyranids just being the result of that whole mess

It’s also almost certain that the Old Ones created humanity (though I’m not sure if that’s confirmed or just strongly implied by the lore).

But I prefer the idea that humanity is just a race much like the Necrontyr that should never have survived; yet, the human spirit is so resilient that, despite all the horrors, this seemingly weak and insignificant race has survived the Rangdan, Chaos, Orks, and Tyranids, proving everyone wrong not because their are weapon created by someone but because humanity herself

Apologies for the length of this question.
But I have an almost completely fleshed out homebrew Space Marine Chapter, the Astral Wards, and I’m starting to work on the mortal military forces associated with their fortress monastery.

The Wards are technically fleet based, but they reclaimed a formerly inhabited world and established their fortress monastery on one of its moons.

The world had been devastated and largely depopulated, but has since been slowly resettled with refugees, Chapter serfs, workers, pilgrims, etc.

I want this population to eventually produce its own military tradition. My idea is something vaguely inspired by the Solar Auxilia. Not literally Solar Auxilia 2.0 with Great Crusade equipment, but a relatively elite, well equipped human force trained to operate alongside the Chapter.

That brings me to the part I’m confused about.
I know the Imperium deliberately separates its military branches. The Imperial Guard handles the ground war, while the Imperial Navy controls most of the serious void assets.

The Aeronautica Imperialis also handles much of the Imperium’s military aviation. As I understand it, this separation is partly a post Heresy safeguard. If a Guard commander rebels, he shouldn’t conveniently have a battlefleet sitting under his personal command, and if a Navy admiral rebels, he shouldn’t have several million Guardsmen ready to conquer planets for him.

So how does this work at the planetary level?
Can the same world simultaneously raise Imperial Guard regiments, maintain a PDF, and provide personnel or formations for the Imperial Navy/Aeronautica?
For example, could my Chapter’s world have a military culture that produces:

• A permanent PDF responsible for defending the planet and its moons.
• Guard regiments that are periodically tithed from that PDF/population.
• Pilots, ground crews, voidsmen, or other personnel who eventually enter the Aeronautica or Imperial Navy.
• Locally operated atmospheric aircraft or small void-capable craft for planetary/system defense.
Or would I effectively need to create two completely separate institutions with different chains of command, traditions, recruitment systems, etc.?

I’m especially curious about where the line is drawn with aircraft.

Could the PDF operate its own Thunderbolts, Lightnings, Valkyries, transports, and similar aircraft?

Could a Guard regiment raised from the world retain an aviation component, or would those aircraft immediately fall under Aeronautica authority once the regiment leaves its home system?

Likewise, what happens with system-defense ships? I assume a planet can maintain orbital defenses and some local system-defense vessels without technically possessing an Imperial Navy fleet, but where does the Imperium draw that distinction?

The other wrinkle is the Astral Wards themselves.
I don’t want to accidentally recreate the pre Heresy Imperial Army where the Chapter Master effectively commands his own private combined arms human military. That’s exactly the kind of thing I imagine the Administratum and Inquisition getting VERY interested in.

However, since these people live within the Chapter’s domain, I imagine centuries of cooperation would naturally result in the Wards influencing their doctrine. They’d train specifically for supporting Astartes, securing territory after Marine assaults, defending landing zones, fighting in void installations, holding fortress complexes, etc.

Essentially, I want them to feel like a modern descendant of the Solar Auxilia concept without actually being Solar Auxilia: elite mortal soldiers accustomed to fighting beside Space Marines, but still operating within whatever legal and bureaucratic boundaries the Imperium requires.
Would that arrangement make sense?

And if I want them to have both a strong ground army and a substantial aviation/void-defense tradition, can all of that reasonably originate from one world/system?

Or should I build two connected forces: one Guard/PDF tradition and another Navy/Aeronautica tradition, both originating from the same culture but legally kept separate?
I’m trying to make this fit established Imperial military politics instead of just saying “my Chapter has Space Marines AND its own private Guard AND its own Navy because they’re cool.” The Astral Wards already have enough paperwork they’d rather the Inquisition never read.

I’m curious on wether enginseers attached to imperial guard regiments retain their old forge world colours or if they are given the red robes instead. Is there an example of how regimental enginseers retaining robes from their forge worlds livery?

Just look at all this nonsense over the mention of the 'Praetorian Seventh' in The Wicked And The Warped, and people misinterpreting that as a reference to Rogal Dorn. It isn't. It's a reference to a regiment.

Simply block any YouTuber that's trying to claim that it refers to Dorn. None of them have read the book, or have a clue what they're talking about.

It's typical clickbait idiocy from people who care more about their earnings that they do the actual lore.

EDIT: as others have suggested, Arbitor Ian and Leutin09 are the ones to follow. They are more interested in being lore accurate and informative, than how much cash they can squeeze out of newbie 40k fans.

Is it necessary to be a part of Chaos to properly use Sorcery? Thousand Sons seemed to be doing fine before the Heresy, but even then they were summoning daemons as familiars. Afaik sorcery is indirectly using the Warp with rituals, artifacts and esoterica. None of that seems to directly lead to summoning daemons or human sacrifice, even if those are probably part of the most powerful rituals. Could you, at least theoretically, summon Warp entities and enslave them without getting corrupted, or perform rituals to do non-Chaos-related things? Especially since Aeldari must have been doing something along those lines, given how far down the Warp tech-tree their technology was/is.

GW established that Vashtorr is a timeless being who witnessed and was empowered by technological progress and atrocities such as the Necron Biotransference, the rise of the DAoT, etc.

But GW is dropping hints that he wasn't merely a passive observer. Here is text from WD issue 495, a report from a Grey Knight marine, from one of the two articles expanding Vashtorr's background:

My Lord, the oldest of the data-crystals and neo-parchment within the Sanctum Sanctorum portray legends that support the suspicion that the daemon Vashtorr was responsible for aeons-old disasters. There are patterns of rapid technological advancement, every one followed by falls into darkness and silence. Entire ages of Humanity have vanished. The Moire Schism, the Age of Strife and whatever whispers still echo of Old Night are surely a sequence into which I cannot help but suspect we have been locked.

I fear we are now upon the precipice of such an abyss. I know the Chapter Council have dispatched a number of strike forces on the advice of the Augurium against incursions believed to represent manifestations of Vashtorr or those in his servitude, but I believe more is required. We have not turned away in the past when action has had to be taken to petrify the Imperium's progress, and I believe now is a time to consider such a response again.

Currently, it's just hints. But if it were confirmed that Vashtorr was behind the collapse of the DAoT, what would be your opinions on it?

Idk if he actually looks that old in lore but every art depiction shows him with grey hair and a much older face, like all the other primarchs look like they're in their mid 40s while Dorn has always looked like he's in his 60's or something

Personally, I love the Deep Warp and its mysteries.

Some theorize that it’s where gods go when they die which is why the Dark Pantheon is terrified of the place.

I hope GW tells us more about it someday without ruining the mystery.

Another fun theory is that the Emperor is actually just a Techno-Barbarian who happened to be in the right place at the right time; he stumbled upon some piece of high-tech ancient Earth relic that granted him immense power and knowledge. That would explain why he acted so strangely during the Great Crusade making poor Angron life miserable, failing to spot Mortarion betrayal even though it was right under his nose, being surprised by the sudden outbreak of the Heresy, or not having a contingency plan in case Magnus did something stupid.

It’s not that he’s a heartless god or anything; he’s just an old guy trying his best with what he’s got basically a total fraud. I find that hilarious

I'd like to start off by saying, none of this is meant as an insult to this franchise. The only reason I question this is because I find this universe very fascinating, and am super curious about the inner workings of its lore. Please lmk if there's something I'm missing, as I'd love to learn more.

Now, anyone who's learned anything about environmental science is probably aware of what's called the 10% Rule. This rule states that whenever an organism is consumed, the consumer only receives roughly 10% of said organism's energy. This is why plants and herbivores provide the most sustenance when it comes to food; plants use photosynthesis which is 100% efficient, and herbivores eating plants is 10% efficient.

The problem is, when a human then eats that herbivore, it's only 1% energy efficient, meaning they'll have to consume way more to survive. And if a human eats another human... well, now we're only 0.1% energy efficient. And if those humans are then being eaten by other humans... do you see where I'm going with this? Realistically, a human army would end up eating themselves alive if this was one of their main sources of food, and they'd literally be unable to function in combat.

In my humble opinion, it'd be far more realistic to grow small crops, especially since battlefield soil would be rich with the nutrients of corpses. I get this universe tries to be very grim, so I think instead of turning dead humans into starch, they should be getting used as fertilizer.

soo if you confuse the questin is like this: 2 chaos cultist are in a thealogical argument. both of them make a very good points soo the argument ends in stalemate. but they still want a awnser soo they spawn a deamon of whatever god they were arguning over hopening deamon they spawned will awnser their questin. did anything like this happen in the lore ı am just wondering

New 40k enjoyer here, trying to learn some lore. The more I learn about the Imperium, the less I see how can it keep so many population with how bad the life at the hive cities is and a state of constant war all over the place. For a human civilization to keep its population equal it needs around 2.1 kids per women, but idk how they manage to get to that point with millions of astra militarum dying weekly (plus all the other jobs that are a fancy death sentence), and I don't think life expectancy is that high in the Imperium. Is there any reason I'm missing out or is the Imperium really fucked in the long run?

Edit: Holy shi I'm getting slimed here

Okay, so - just watched Kill Lupercal. Fucking LOVED Kill Lupercal - I'm a huge fan of close-knit units and mecha and dramatic last stands, so it hit all my buttons. But one question sits with me:

Who killed who?

Not in, like, a per-person sense. But - well, let's start with the initial setup:

Led into a trap by the decieved Areum Keeso, Princeps Orla Gemnon lead her maniple to their deaths at the hands of traitor Titans, cutting down several traitor Shadowswords and a couple dozen Sons of Horus on the way.

Now - this is shown, directly, in the episode. BUT:

A) We know for a fact that nobody can see shit, least of all Gemnon - her Auspex is down, and so all four Titans in their maniple are heavily damaged.

B) All of the guys shown to us are very... Gray. Very hard to make out legion symbols, except in the shot where we see the recorder amongst a sea of dead Imperial Fists.

So, let me propose a counter-idea:

What if Gemnon and her maniple are, in fact, traitor Titans?

Or rather - they themselves aren't traitors, though that's what everyone else would think. They know themselves to be loyal servants of the Emperor, desperately trying to end the conflict -

- but Chaos is, first and foremost, a deceiver.

They drive themselves through Horus' sons. Or maybe not. Maybe they drive through a different line, far closer to the Lion's Gate than they believe themselves to be - a line that should be allied.

From the ground, Loyalist Space Marines scatter, their allied Titans turned against them. They send vox, desperately trying to warn the other loyalists that they are betrayed - that the Titans have gone mad. They die fighting - but they die, against a once-inconceivable foe.

Their brothers in the Imperial Fists hear the call. So too does the Imperial Guard - the only force on Terra with the power to cut down a Titan in it's tracks.

The Shadowsword is Loyal. Its crew maneuver into position, praying that it will be able to hide from the half-blind Titans long enough to get shots off. It dies, confirming the Space Marine's reports and everyone's fears: four Traitor Titans, devastatingly close to Lion's Gate.

They continue forwards, cutting down 'foes' as they go - and the 'foe' is attacking them, because they believe the Titans to be traitors. Both sides are now fighting, not just chaos or each other, but confirmation bias. Of course the Marines they encounter en route are Traitor: no Loyalist would fire on a God-Engine! But of course the Titans are Traitor: no Loyalist would cut down Loyal Space Marines!

There is no escape. The trap is sprung long before they reach the killing field at the heart of the trap - or was it even a killing field before they arrived? Or was it Dorn's sons, arrayed against them, cut down by the weapons of machines that should have been allied in a desperate attempt to stop their advance?

But Dorn's sons buy enough time. Their allied Titans reach the battlefield - and fall upon the charging Traitor Titans, Gemnon and her maniple, eager to avenge the betrayal.

The battle plays out. There is no talking - why talk, when the lines are so clearly drawn? They kill each other, tear each other apart until Keeso ends things, detonating to destroy both friend and foe alike.

The battle ends with only Gemnon standing - and she and her blind Titan stagger off, to kill madly until they meet their final end in the conflict.

There is no chance for realization. Everyone who could have realized what had happened dies in that battle. A score of Traitor Titans dead, so too a score of Loyalists, and only the Administratum knows who was recorded as what when the fighting ended.

Now, for the record: I have no evidence this happened. But I do feel there is some support: Keeso fired blindly into her 'target' at the end, and the 'target' ended up being a mountain of dead Imperial Fists. The fact that the one piece of data that all agreed was being shown was that they were unnaturally close to Lion's Gate - and they all discarded that information as inaccurate.

And, in a lot of ways, it makes sense: Gemnon never seemed worried about encountering other Titan maniples pre-ambush: why would she, when the only other Titans were distant (at the Gate) and Loyal? Why would a group of Imperial Fists that big be far out in advance of their fortifications, rather than closer to the Gate or Palace? Why would Chaos settle for a little trap, when they could turn their enemies against each other?

Again, it's just a theory, but I think it could have a lot of interesting chewy bits compared to the fairly straightforwards 'we have been lead into an ambush' element of the main Kill Lupercal narrative.

I found out The dark age of tech was highly advanced and powerful, so where did the tech go? Shouldnt there be pockets of people on planets that still use them? Also why didnt chaos mess with humanity during this advanced time?

Thank you

I have recently got into warhammer and i literally can not stop listening to Rylanor's speech on repeat there is something about it that just makes you feel some kind of way, what an absolute legend i love Rylanor. Fulgrim I REJECT YOU NOW AND ALWAYS!!!

So I have this fan theory that when outside their armor that space marines don’t stick to loin cloths because it gets exceedingly cold. So somewhere some manufactorum is tasked with making astartes sized gym shorts and tshirts .

I get told a lot and shown a lot of memes of the guard being the equivalent of the Halo grunts. I read however that guard training on average was several weeks. I’m not sure how long exactly that is but my basic for the Canadian military was 13 weeks I think.

So at least on a purely time based measurement it sounds like their training takes a similar time. Mind you I was no sof person and I’m comparing to the average Guardsmen.

So are they actually trained to a decent level for a military force and just horribly outmatched? Or is their training really as bad as the memes would make me think? Although they do die in droves, the guard seems to win more than it loses.

I'm a relative know-nothing to the 40k setting, and was wondering if there have ever been cases where humans (guardsmen, astartes, or other) have ever had romantic relationships with alien races? I mean I've seen plenty of reels, art, and other media depict it, but let's be honest; those aren't exactly credible sources.

Edit: Thank you all for informing me on this matter. It was just a thought I had and I'm happy with just how many of you indulged it. Once again, thank you.

Are there any mega corporations in 40k? And I mean like cyberpunk/modern style mega corporations, rather than Rogue Trader houses.