Dark, deadly, and grim. Those three words could easily sum up the universe of Warhammer 40k, were it not for all the silly depth and back story. In the world of gaming, the Warhammer IP is up there with Dungeons and Dragons in terms of depth and scale — not surprising considering their ages. So, in this post I’ll delve a tiny bit into the setting and talk about the largest influence in the universe: the Imperium of Man.
The Imperium of Man covers millions of planets and countless billions of souls — stretching across the known universe. At the heart of this universe is Holy Terra, the origin of mankind and the home of the Emperor. (also known as the God Emperor or the Deathless Emperor) The Emperor is considered a divine being and has guided and ruled mankind for ten thousand years from his golden throne. He is kept alive within his throne through the sacrifice of a thousand lives a day and will continue living in his deathless state because of them. Sacrifice and death are common occurrences in this universe, with war being waged throughout the universe — constantly. The Imperium boasts massive armies consisting of millions of soldiers and the bulk of this force is known as the Imperial Guard. These soldiers come from the millions of planets across the Empire and each regiment has its own unique way of handling things — there is little uniformity, apart from the standard issue equipment of lasguns. There are two many other groups defending the Empire — from the Imperial Navy to the Adeptus Arbites and the many ordos of the Inquisition. Perhaps the most well known, or revered, group of soldiers in the Imperium is the Adeptus Astartes — or Space Marines. There is said to be around a thousand chapters of Space Marines, each with a thousand Marines. These chapters are all unique, with their own history and specialties. A Space Marine is typically selected from the most fierce fighters on Feral worlds. These fighters are then enhanced with new organs that increase their growth and strength — not only of body but mind. Through various forms of training and conditioning the Space Marines are shaped into powerful soldiers with a strong faith in the Emperor. A Space Marine alone is of superhuman ability, but they become the true masters of combat when they are given their power armor. The armor further enhances the Marine’s strength and resilience while becoming a visual symbol of his status.
It is through the combined strengths of the Imperial Guard, Imperial Navy and the Adeptus Astartes that the many wars of the Empire are waged. However, there are many smaller and secret wars throughout the millions of planets in the Imperium. These wars are often heretical as countless cults spring up amongst the populace, from the lower levels of hive cities to ruins and caves of Feral worlds. For such battles a different group is required — the Inquisition. The Inquisition handles the matters of heresy, mutants and xenos that plague the Imperium. Groups of Inquisitors and their acolytes make up Ordos that specialize in hunting down certain threats to the Empire. It is these Ordos that make up the Inquisition. Some of the most well known Ordos are the Ordo Hereticus, Ordo Xenos and Ordo Malleus — specializing in heresy, aliens and daemons, respectively. Like the variety in the Imperial Guard and Adeptus Astartes, the Ordos and Inquisitors all have their own unique ways of handling things.
Variety seems to be quite a big part of this unvierse as the people and planets all come in various shapes and types as well. There are some general categories for the planets:
Hive worlds — Essentially worlds made up of giant cities that can house billions of lives. These cities build upon themselves, stretching high into the atmosphere and wide enough to be easily visible from space. The nobility and rich tend to live on the higher levels while the poor live in the lower. Much of the planet’s surface is unusable due to toxic dumps from various habs and factories. The pollution often causes the creation of mutants, from former wildlife or humans.
Forge worlds — These planets are covered with factories — sometimes completely. This is where much of the complex parts of tanks or space ships are built. Controlled by the Adeptus Mechanicus, the only other people allowed on the surface are typically workers.
Agri-worlds — Planets dedicated to farming or harvesting food and water. Since hive worlds and others cannot support enough agriculture to feed their people, agri-worlds are essential to the survival of mankind and the Imperium. Often ruled by the Administratum.
Other worlds — Feral, Feudal, Developing… all are essentially different in many ways. The Feudal worlds are basically medival. (as in knights, castles, serfs) Developing worlds can have advanced space ports while having mostly non-advanced regions. Feral worlds can range from post-apocalyptic settings to jungles and cavemen. Death worlds and Quarantined worlds exist also, but it is best to avoid these.
Apart from the physical make up of the universe there is some very deep history. The Imperium of Man is over 41,000 years old and is currently on the brink of many disasters. Having gone through civil wars that nearly destroyed it, the Imperium has also seen the threats of numerous alien and otherworldly beings. Technology, while highly advanced, is not understood very well and often cannot be explained or replicated. Mankind has lost much since its height many years ago. Paranoia runs rampant, dangers lurk everywhere in any form imaginable. The universe and times are very dark.
And this is but a small scratch of what lies in the universe of Warhammer 40k.
