History TableTopGame / Warhammer40000

* GreyKnights

* {{Ultramarines}}

* DarkAngels

* WordBearers

* BloodAngels

As well as the game itself and its rulebooks, faction-specific, setting-specific, and campaign sourcebooks, 40K has spawned a range of [[ExpandedUniverse spinoff games and publications]]. Over sixty novels and short story anthologies are published by the Black Library, a subsidiary of Games Workshop, who also published the now out-of-print comic book ''Warhammer Monthly'' and short story magazine ''Inferno''. Boom! Studios now publish comics set in the 40K universe, in the form of various mini-series, rather than an ongoing title. There is even a full-length fan film, ''{{Damnatus}}'', which was approved, made, banned over conflicts between British and German IP laws, then leaked online. Spinoff tabletop games include the space combat game ''BattlefleetGothic'', large-scale strategy ''Epic 40,000'', gang-based ''{{Necromunda}}'', all-Ork ''Gorkamorka'', small scale ''Film/{{Alien}}''-influenced ''SpaceHulk'', RPG-influenced "narrative wargame" ''{{Inquisitor}}'', and the more traditional [=RPGS=], ''Dark Heresy'', ''RogueTrader'', ''{{Deathwatch}}'', and ''BlackCrusade''. A small but growing number of 40k videogames have also been made; early examples include the ''Space Hulk'' series and a slightly obscure isometric Genesis / Mega Drive game called ''Aspect Warrior''. More recent are ''Warhammer 40,000: DawnOfWar'' and its sequel ''DawnOfWar II'', a pair of RealTimeStrategy games for the PC; ''Warhammer 40,000: FireWarrior'', a FirstPersonShooter; ''Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command'', a turn-based tactical game; and finally, a third-person shooter, ''Warhammer40000SpaceMarine''. An MMORPG titled ''Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online'' is currently in development. An official CGI movie, ''{{Film/Ultramarines}}'', was recently released on DVD, following up on a number of live-action shorts shown at various Games Day events in the 90s.

** PathOfTheSeer

''Warhammer 40,000'', [[FanNickname known informally]] as "Warhammer 40K" or just plain "40K", is a miniatures-based [[TabletopGames tabletop]] [[TurnBasedStrategy strategy game]] by ''GamesWorkshop''. Drawing heavily on their previous ''{{Warhammer}} Fantasy'' game, it began as "Warhammer [[RecycledInSpace In Space]]", but has over time grown distinct from ([[MorePopularSpinoff and much more popular than]]) its counterpart.

What makes 40K unique in the gaming genre is its '''[[RefugeInAudacity extreme]]''' [[GrimDark darkness]]. Set thirty-eight thousand years in the future, the game's basic premise, insofar as it ''can'' be summed up, is that of an [[HopelessWar eternal, impossibly vast conflict]] between several absurdly powerful [[KillEmAll genocidal]], [[FantasticRacism xenocidal]], and (in at least one case) [[ApocalypseHow omnicidal]] factions, with [[TropeOverdosed every single weapon, ideology, and creative piece of nastiness imaginable]] [[{{Troperiffic}} turned]] UpToEleven. As a result, the galaxy has been twisted into a [[CrapsackWorld hellish morass]] of [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel horrors]] that rival even the foulest and most disturbing [[CthulhuMythos Lovecraftian monstrosities]].

The central faction, the [[TheEmpire Imperium of Man]], once held immeasurable glory, but is now a [[{{Dystopia}} paranoid, fascist theocracy]] whose [[MessianicArchetype messiah]] has been locked up on life support for the past ten millennia, [[HorusHeresy laid low by his most beloved son]]. An incomprehensibly vast ChurchMilitant [[CorruptChurch commits horrible atrocities in his name]] on an almost-daily basis. Millions of capricious, fanatical, [[BioAugmentation genetically engineered]] SuperSoldier [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]] and equally fanatical, [[KillItWithFire pyromaniacal]] [[AmazonBrigade battle nuns]] serve as the Imperium's special forces, while its ''trillions''-strong regular army takes [[WeHaveReserves disregard for human life]] to new and interesting extremes. A futuristic [[StateSec Inquisition]] ruthlessly hunts down anyone with even the '''slightest''' taint of the heretic, the mutant, or the [[FantasticRacism alien]], [[EarthShatteringKaboom even destroying entire planets]] ''just to be sure''. Technology has, at best, [[MedievalStasis hardly progressed for twenty thousand years]], is largely considered [[CargoCult magical]] because the science behind it has been [[LostTechnology long forgotten]], and the [[CyberneticsWillEatYourSoul deranged]] [[MachineWorship machine cult]] that [[RagnarokProofing preserves and replicates what remains of it]] considers [[OlderIsBetter innovation to be blasphemy]] against the [[{{Precursors}} wisdom of the ancients]]. The Warp, the FasterThanLightTravel the Imperium must rely on, carries with it a good chance of [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace being torn apart by daemons in more ways than one]], and the Astronomican, the navigation aid used to negotiate Warpspace, is powered by the GodEmperor's soul and [[PoweredByAForsakenChild has the souls of one thousand psychic humans]] [[HumanResources sacrificed to it every day]], dying by inches to feed the machine.

The problem is, as bad as the Imperium is, it's equaled in evil by many other factions; dying when facing them is about the best fate you can hope for. The ancient and mysterious [[TheChessmaster manipulator race]], hovering near extinction, contrives wars that see billions dead so that ''[[MoralMyopia small]] [[ItsAllAboutMe handfuls]]'' of their own may survive, while their depraved cousins ''must'' spend their lives perpetuating [[CruelAndUnusualDeath mass slaughter]] and ColdBloodedTorture to stave off their own destruction. Vast [[BeePeople Bug]] [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Swarms]] are trying to eat every organic thing in the galaxy as part of their natural life cycles. An entire civilization of incredibly advanced, [[ImmortalityImmorality undying]], [[RobotWar living metal]] conquerors are awakening after millions of years of slumber, ready to reclaim a galaxy they see as rightfully theirs. A [[OurOrcsAreDifferent genetically-engineered warrior species]] infests every corner of the galaxy and is cheerfully trying to kill everything else (including each other, if nothing better presents itself) because it's literally hard-wired into their genetic code to do so... and because [[ForTheEvulz it's]] [[BloodKnight fun]]. The closest thing to the [[WellIntentionedExtremist "good guys"]] you can find in this setting is a [[NaiveNewcomer tiny alien empire]] sandwiched between all the other factions, and they [[IDidWhatIHadToDo may or may not]] have a thing for forcing new subjects into their empire through [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans orbital bombardment]], [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill concentration camps,]] and possible [[MassHypnosis mind]] [[HappinessInSlavery control]] by a few [[PathOfInspiration benevolent]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist elites]]... but at least they'll [[StockholmSyndrome offer you admittance into their club]] [[JoinOrDie before doing any of that stuff]]. Many of these factions have a common foe in the forces of Chaos, which infests the Warp, exists to corrupt all it touches, and is best known for '''two''' light-years-wide [[NegativeSpaceWedgie holes in reality]] through which [[TheLegionsOfHell countless daemons]] and [[EvilCounterpart corrupted]] [[TheDarkSide daemon-powered]] [[LikeABadassOutOfHell super-soldiers]] periodically attempt to bring the universe to further ruin.

The problem is, as bad as the Imperium is, it's not quite as bad as many of the other factions; dying when facing them is about the best fate you can hope for. The ancient and mysterious [[TheChessmaster manipulator race]], hovering near extinction, contrives wars that see billions dead so that ''[[MoralMyopia small]] [[ItsAllAboutMe handfuls]]'' of their own may survive, while their depraved cousins ''must'' spend their lives perpetuating [[CruelAndUnusualDeath mass slaughter]] and ColdBloodedTorture to stave off their own destruction. Vast [[BeePeople Bug]] [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Swarms]] are trying to eat every organic thing in the galaxy as part of their natural life cycles. An entire civilization of incredibly advanced, [[ImmortalityImmorality undying]], [[RobotWar living metal]] conquerors are awakening after millions of years of slumber, ready to reclaim a galaxy they see as rightfully theirs. A [[OurOrcsAreDifferent genetically-engineered warrior species]] infests every corner of the galaxy and is cheerfully trying to kill everything else (including each other, if nothing better presents itself) because it's literally hard-wired into their genetic code to do so... and because [[ForTheEvulz it's]] [[BloodKnight fun]]. The closest thing to the [[WellIntentionedExtremist "good guys"]] you can find in this setting is a [[NaiveNewcomer tiny alien empire]] sandwiched between all the other factions, and they [[IDidWhatIHadToDo may or may not]] have a thing for forcing new subjects into their empire through [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans orbital bombardment]], [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill concentration camps,]] and possible [[MassHypnosis mind]] [[HappinessInSlavery control]] by a few [[PathOfInspiration benevolent]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist elites]]... but at least they'll [[StockholmSyndrome offer you admittance into their club]] [[JoinOrDie before doing any of that stuff]]. Many of these factions have a common foe in the forces of Chaos, which infests the Warp, exists to corrupt all it touches, and is best known for '''two''' light-years-wide [[NegativeSpaceWedgie holes in reality]] through which [[TheLegionsOfHell countless daemons]] and [[EvilCounterpart corrupted]] [[TheDarkSide daemon-powered]] [[LikeABadassOutOfHell super-soldiers]] periodically attempt to bring the universe to further ruin.

The central faction, the [[TheEmpire Imperium of Man]], once held immeasurable glory, but is now a [[{{Dystopia}} paranoid, fascist theocracy]] whose [[MessianicArchetype messiah]] has been locked up on life support for the past ten millennia, [[HorusHeresy laid low by his most beloved son]]. An incomprehensibly vast ChurchMilitant [[CorruptChurch commits horrible atrocities in his name]] on an almost-daily basis. Millions of capricious, fanatical, [[BioAugmentation genetically engineered]] SuperSoldier [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]] and equally fanatical, [[KillItWithFire pyromaniacal]] [[AmazonBrigade battle nuns]] serve as the Imperium's special forces, while its ''trillions''-strong regular army takes [[WeHaveReserves disregard for human life]] to new and interesting extremes. A futuristic [[StateSec Inquisition]] ruthlessly hunts down anyone with even the '''slightest''' taint of the heretic, the mutant, or the [[FantasticRacism alien]], [[EarthShatteringKaboom even destroying entire planets]] ''just to be sure''. Technology has, at best, [[MedievalStasis hardly progressed for twenty thousand years]], is largely considered [[CargoCult magical]] because the science behind it has been [[LostTechnology long forgotten]], and the [[CyberneticsWillEatYourSoul deranged]] [[MachineWorship machine cult]] that [[RagnarokProofing preserves and replicates what remains of it]] considers [[OlderIsBetter innovation to be blasphemy]] against the [[{{Precursors}} wisdom of the ancients]]. The Warp, the FasterThanLightTravel the Imperium must rely on, carries with it a good chance of [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace being mentally raped by daemons in more ways than one]], and the Astronomican, the navigation aid used to negotiate Warpspace, is powered by the GodEmperor's soul and [[PoweredByAForsakenChild has the souls of one thousand psychic humans]] [[HumanResources sacrificed to it every day]], dying by inches to feed the machine.

The actual game is played on a table top or other flat surface which can be customized to feature terrain, obstacles, and other objects. The players assemble their armies to meet a certain number of points per army prior to play; point values are determined by the individual units, vehicles, weapons, and armor available. Each player arranges his army in the way he wishes, and a die is rolled for first turn.

During each turn, each player gets a movement phase (where the units and vehicles are moved around to facilitate attacks), a shooting phase (attacks with projectile, flame, and plasma weapons), and an assault phase (close-quarters combat). For each attacking phase, dice are rolled by the first player to determine the total number of attacks, the number of attacks that actually cause damage or wounds (depending on what's being attacked), and the type of damage/wounds inflicted. The second player can then roll for armor saves to attempt to negate damage or wounds, and can also counterattack. Psychic abilities, morale checks, special abilities and features unique to certain races/factions, and other such characteristics also influence the action in each phase. Once the first player's assault phase is complete, the second player goes through the same sequence of phases, with the first player reacting accordingly. A turn is complete at the end of the second player's assault phase; the process then starts over again with the next turn.

* Gorkamorka (Spin-off game and racing video game)

The central faction, the [[TheEmpire Imperium of Man]], once held immeasurable glory, but is now a [[{{Dystopia}} fascist theocracy]] whose [[MessianicArchetype messiah]] has been locked up on life support for the past ten millennia, [[HorusHeresy laid low by his most beloved son]]. An incomprehensibly vast ChurchMilitant [[CorruptChurch commits horrible atrocities in his name]] on an almost-daily basis. Millions of capricious, fanatical, [[BioAugmentation genetically engineered]] SuperSoldier [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]] and equally fanatical, [[KillItWithFire pyromaniacal]] [[AmazonBrigade battle nuns]] serve as the Imperium's special forces, while its ''trillions''-strong regular army takes [[WeHaveReserves disregard for human life]] to new and interesting extremes. A futuristic [[StateSec Inquisition]] ruthlessly hunts down anyone with even the '''slightest''' taint of the heretic, the mutant, or the [[FantasticRacism alien]], to the point of authorizing the [[EarthShatteringKaboom destruction of entire planets]]. Technology has, at best, [[MedievalStasis hardly progressed for twenty thousand years]], is largely considered [[CargoCult magical]] because the science behind it has been [[LostTechnology long forgotten]], and the [[CyberneticsWillEatYourSoul deranged]] [[MachineWorship machine cult]] that [[RagnarokProofing preserves and replicates what remains of it]] considers [[OlderIsBetter innovation to be blasphemy]] against the [[{{Precursors}} wisdom of the ancients]]. The Warp, the FasterThanLightTravel the Imperium must rely on, carries with it a good chance of [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace being raped by daemons]], and the Astronomican, the navigation aid used to negotiate Warpspace, is powered by the GodEmperor's soul and [[PoweredByAForsakenChild has the souls of one thousand psychic humans]] [[HumanResources sacrificed to it every day]], dying by inches to feed the machine.

Along with its futuristic premise (taking place thirty-eight thousand years in the future), what makes 40K unique is its '''[[RefugeInAudacity extreme]]''' [[GrimDark darkness]]. The game's setting is [[CrapsackWorld a hellish galaxy full of]] [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel horrors]] that rival even the foulest and most disturbing [[CthulhuMythos Lovecraftian Monstrosities]]. The basic premise of 40K, insofar as it ''can'' be summed up, is that of an [[HopelessWar eternal, impossibly vast conflict]] between several absurdly powerful [[KillEmAll genocidal]], [[FantasticRacism xenocidal]], and (in at least one case) [[ApocalypseHow omnicidal]] factions, with [[TropeOverdosed every single weapon, ideology, and creative piece of nastiness imaginable]] [[{{Troperiffic}} turned]] UpToEleven. [[BeyondTheImpossible And that's just for the skirmishes]].

The central faction, the [[TheEmpire Imperium of Man]], once held immeasurable glory, but is now a [[{{Dystopia}} fascist theocracy]] whose [[MessianicArchetype messiah]] has been locked up on life support for the past ten millennia, [[HorusHeresy laid low by his most beloved son]]. An incomprehensibly vast ChurchMilitant [[CorruptChurch commits horrible atrocities in his name]] on an almost-daily basis. Millions of capricious, fanatical, [[BioAugmentation genetically engineered]] SuperSoldier [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]] and equally fanatical, [[KillItWithFire pyromaniacal]] [[AmazonBrigade battle nuns]] serve as the Imperium's special forces, while its ''trillions''-strong regular army takes [[WeHaveReserves disregard for human life]] to new and interesting extremes. A futuristic [[StateSec Inquisition]] ruthlessly hunts down anyone with even the '''slightest''' taint of the heretic, the mutant, or the [[FantasticRacism alien]], to the point of authorizing the [[EarthShatteringKaboom destruction of entire planets]]. Technology has, at best, [[MedievalStasis hardly progressed for twenty thousand years]], is largely considered [[CargoCult magical]] because the science behind it has been [[LostTechnology long forgotten]], and the [[CyberneticsWillEatYourSoul deranged]] [[MachineWorship machine cult]] that [[RagnarokProofing preserves and replicates what remains of it]] considers [[OlderIsBetter innovation to be blasphemy]] against the [[{{Precursors}} wisdom of the ancients]]. The Warp, the FasterThanLightTravel the Imperium must rely on, carries with it a good chance of [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace being raped by daemons]], and the Astronomican, the navigation aid used to negotiate Warpspace, is powered by the GodEmperor's soul and [[PoweredByAForsakenChild has the souls of one thousand]] [[HumanResources psychic humans sacrificed to it every day]], dying by inches to feed the machine.

Along with its sci-fi setting, what makes 40K unique is its '''[[RefugeInAudacity extreme]]''' [[GrimDark darkness]]. Set thirty-eight thousand years in the future, the game's setting is [[CrapsackWorld a hellish galaxy full of]] [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel horrors]] that rival even the foulest and most disturbing [[CthulhuMythos Lovecraftian Monstrosities]]. The basic premise of 40K, insofar as it ''can'' be summed up, is that of an [[HopelessWar eternal, impossibly vast conflict]] between several absurdly powerful [[KillEmAll genocidal]], [[FantasticRacism xenocidal]], and (in at least one case) [[ApocalypseHow omnicidal]] factions, with [[TropeOverdosed every single weapon, ideology, and creative piece of nastiness imaginable]] [[{{Troperiffic}} turned]] UpToEleven. [[BeyondTheImpossible And that's just for the skirmishes]].

The problem is, as bad as the Imperium is, it's not quite as bad as many of the other factions; dying when facing them is about the best fate you can hope for. The ancient and mysterious [[TheChessmaster manipulator race]], hovering near extinction, contrives wars that see billions dead so that ''[[MoralMyopia small]] [[ItsAllAboutMe handfuls]]'' of their own may survive, while their depraved cousins ''must'' spend their lives perpetuating [[CruelAndUnusualDeath mass slaughter]] and ColdBloodedTorture to stave off their own destruction. Vast [[BeePeople Bug]] [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Swarms]] are trying to eat every organic thing in the galaxy as part of their natural life cycles. An entire civilization of incredibly advanced, [[ImmortalityImmorality undying]], [[RobotWar living metal]] conquerors are awakening after millions of years of slumber, ready to reclaim a galaxy they see as rightfully for theirs. A [[OurOrcsAreDifferent genetically-engineered warrior species]] infests every corner of the galaxy and is cheerfully trying to kill everything else (including each other, if nothing better presents itself) because it's literally hard-wired into their genetic code to do so... and because [[ForTheEvulz it's]] [[BloodKnight fun]]. The closest thing to the [[WellIntentionedExtremist "good guys"]] you can find in this setting is a [[NaiveNewcomer tiny alien empire]] sandwiched between all the other factions, and they [[IDidWhatIHadToDo may or may not]] have a thing for forcing new subjects into their empire through [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans orbital bombardment]], [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill concentration camps,]] and possible [[MassHypnosis mind]] [[HappinessInSlavery control]] by a few [[PathOfInspiration benevolent]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist elites]]... but at least they'll [[StockholmSyndrome offer you admittance into their club]] [[JoinOrDie before doing any of that stuff]]. Many of these factions have a common foe in the forces of Chaos, which infests the Warp, exists to corrupt all it touches, and is best known for '''two''' light-years-wide [[NegativeSpaceWedgie holes in reality]] through which [[TheLegionsOfHell countless daemons]] and [[EvilCounterpart corrupted]] [[TheDarkSide daemon-powered]] [[LikeABadassOutOfHell super-soldiers]] periodically attempt to bring the universe to further ruin.

The problem is, as bad as the Imperium is, it's not quite as bad as many of the other factions; dying when facing them is about the best fate you can hope for. The ancient and mysterious [[TheChessmaster manipulator race]], hovering near extinction, contrives wars that see billions dead so that ''[[MoralMyopia small]] [[ItsAllAboutMe handfuls]]'' of their own may survive, while their depraved cousins ''must'' spend their lives perpetuating [[CruelAndUnusualDeath mass slaughter]] and ColdBloodedTorture to stave off their own destruction. Vast [[BeePeople Bug]] [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Swarms]] are trying to eat every organic thing in the galaxy as part of their natural life cycles. An entire civilization of incredibly advanced, [[ImmortalityImmorality undying]], [[RobotWar living metal]] conquerors are awakening after millions of years of slumber, ready to reclaim a galaxy they see as rightfully for their [[EldritchAbomination star-god masters]]. A [[OurOrcsAreDifferent genetically-engineered warrior species]] infests every corner of the galaxy and is cheerfully trying to kill everything else (including each other, if nothing better presents itself) because it's literally hard-wired into their genetic code to do so... and because [[ForTheEvulz it's]] [[BloodKnight fun]]. The closest thing to the [[WellIntentionedExtremist "good guys"]] you can find in this setting is a [[NaiveNewcomer tiny alien empire]] sandwiched between all the other factions, and they [[IDidWhatIHadToDo may or may not]] have a thing for forcing new subjects into their empire through [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans orbital bombardment]], [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill concentration camps,]] and possible [[MassHypnosis mind]] [[HappinessInSlavery control]] by a few [[PathOfInspiration benevolent]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist elites]]... but at least they'll [[StockholmSyndrome offer you admittance into their club]] [[JoinOrDie before doing any of that stuff]]. Many of these factions have a common foe in the forces of Chaos, which infests the Warp, exists to corrupt all it touches, and is best known for '''two''' light-years-wide [[NegativeSpaceWedgie holes in reality]] through which [[TheLegionsOfHell countless daemons]] and [[EvilCounterpart corrupted]] [[TheDarkSide daemon-powered]] [[LikeABadassOutOfHell super-soldiers]] periodically attempt to bring the universe to further ruin.

[[ArchivePanic You can start with]] ''[[ArchivePanic these pages]]''.

Along with its sci-fi setting, what makes 40K unique is its '''[[RefugeInAudacity extreme]]''' [[GrimDark darkness]]. Set thirty-eight thousand years in the future, the game's setting is [[CrapsackWorld a hellish galaxy full of]] [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel horrors]] that rival even the foulest and most disturbing [[CthulhuMythos Lovecraftian Monstrosities]]. The basic premise of 40K, insofar as it ''can'' be summed up, is that of an [[HopelessWar eternal, impossibly vast conflict]] between several absurdly powerful [[KillEmAll genocidal]], [[FantasticRacism xenocidal]], and (in at least one case) [[ApocalypseHow omnicidal]] factions, with [[TropeOverdosed every single weapon, ideology, and creative piece of nastiness imaginable]] [[{{Troperiffic}} turned]] UpToEleven.

The central faction, the [[TheEmpire Imperium of Man]], once held immeasurable glory, but is now a [[{{Dystopia}} fascist theocracy]] whose [[MessianicArchetype messiah]] has been locked up on life support for the past ten millennia, [[HorusHeresy laid low by his most beloved son]]. An incomprehensibly vast ChurchMilitant [[CorruptChurch commits horrible atrocities in his name]] on an almost-daily basis. Millions of capricious, fanatical, [[BioAugmentation genetically engineered]] SuperSoldier [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]] and equally fanatical, [[KillItWithFire pyromaniacal]] [[AmazonBrigade battle nuns]] serve as the Imperium's special forces, while its ''trillions''-strong regular army takes [[WeHaveReserves disregard for human life]] to new and interesting extremes. A futuristic [[StateSec Inquisition]] ruthlessly hunts down anyone with even the '''slightest''' taint of the heretic, the mutant, or the [[FantasticRacism alien]]. Technology has, at best, hardly progressed for twenty thousand years, is largely considered magical because the science behind it has been [[LostTechnology long forgotten]], and the [[CyberneticsWillEatYourSoul deranged]] [[MachineWorship machine cult]] that [[RagnarokProofing preserves and replicates what remains of it]] considers [[OlderIsBetter innovation to be blasphemy]] against the [[{{Precursors}} wisdom of the ancients]]. The Warp, the FasterThanLightTravel the Imperium must rely on, carries with it a good chance of [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace being raped by daemons]], and the Astronomican, the navigation aid used to negotiate Warpspace, is powered by the GodEmperor's soul and [[PoweredByAForsakenChild has the souls of one thousand]] [[HumanResources psychic humans sacrificed to it every day]], dying by inches to feed the machine.

The problem is, as bad as the Imperium is, it's not quite as bad as many of the other factions; dying when facing them is about the best fate you can hope for. The ancient and mysterious [[TheChessmaster manipulator race]], hovering near extinction, contrives wars that see billions dead so that ''[[MoralMyopia small]] [[ItsAllAboutMe handfuls]]'' of their own may survive, while their depraved cousins ''must'' spend their lives perpetuating [[CruelAndUnusualDeath mass slaughter]] and ColdBloodedTorture to stave off their own destruction. Vast [[BeePeople Bug]] [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Swarms]] are trying to eat every organic thing in the galaxy as part of their natural life cycles. An entire civilization of incredibly advanced, [[ImmortalityImmorality undying]], [[RobotWar living metal]] conquerors are awakening after millions of years of slumber, ready to reclaim a galaxy they see as rightfully theirs. A [[OurOrcsAreDifferent genetically-engineered warrior species]] infests every corner of the galaxy and is cheerfully trying to kill everything else (including each other, if nothing better presents itself) because it's literally hard-wired into their genetic code to do so... and because [[ForTheEvulz it's]] [[BloodKnight fun]]. The closest thing to the [[WellIntentionedExtremist "good guys"]] you can find in this setting is a [[NaiveNewcomer tiny alien empire]] sandwiched between all the other factions, and they [[IDidWhatIHadToDo may or may not]] have a thing for forcing new subjects into their empire through [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans orbital bombardment]], [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill concentration camps,]] and possible [[MassHypnosis mind]] [[HappinessInSlavery control]] by a few [[PathOfInspiration benevolent]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist elites]]... but at least they'll [[StockholmSyndrome offer you admittance into their club]] [[JoinOrDie before doing any of that stuff]]. Many of these factions have a common foe in the forces of Chaos, which infests the Warp, exists to corrupt all it touches, and is best known for '''two''' light-years-wide [[NegativeSpaceWedgie holes in reality]] through which [[TheLegionsOfHell countless daemons]] and [[EvilCounterpart corrupted]] [[TheDarkSide daemon-powered]] [[LikeABadassOutOfHell super-soldiers]] periodically attempt to bring the universe to further ruin.

Along with its sci-fi setting, what makes 40K unique is its '''[[RefugeInAudacity extreme]]''' [[GrimDark darkness]]. Set thirty-eight thousand years in the future, the game's setting is [[CrapsackWorld a hellish galaxy full of]] [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel horrors]] that rival even the foulest and most disturbing [[CthulhuMythos Lovecraftian Monstrosities]]. The basic premise of 40K, insofar as it ''can'' be summed up, is that of an [[HopelessWar eternal, impossibly vast conflict]] between each and every one of a number of absurdly powerful [[KillEmAll genocidal]], [[FantasticRacism xenocidal]], and (in at least one case) [[ApocalypseHow omnicidal]] factions, with [[TropeOverdosed every single weapon, ideology, and creative piece of nastiness imaginable]] [[{{Troperiffic}} turned]] UpToEleven.

The central faction, the [[TheEmpire Imperium of Man]], once held immeasurable glory, but is now a [[{{Dystopia}} fascist theocracy]] whose [[MessianicArchetype messiah]] has been locked up on life support for the past ten millennia, [[HorusHeresy laid low by his most beloved son]]. An incomprehensibly vast ChurchMilitant [[CorruptChurch commits horrible atrocities in his name]] on an almost-daily basis. Millions of capricious, fanatical, [[BioAugmentation genetically engineered]] SuperSoldier [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]] and equally fanatical, [[KillItWithFire pyromaniacal]] [[AmazonBrigade battle nuns]] serve as the Imperium's special forces, while its ''trillions''-strong regular army takes [[WeHaveReserves disregard for human life]] to new and interesting extremes. A futuristic [[StateSec Inquisition]] ruthlessly hunts down anyone with even the '''slightest''' taint of the heretic, the mutant, or the [[FantasticRacism alien]]. Technology - which has, at best, hardly progressed for twenty thousand years - is largely considered magical because the science behind it has been [[LostTechnology long forgotten]], and the [[CyberneticsWillEatYourSoul deranged]] [[MachineWorship machine cult]] that [[RagnarokProofing preserves and replicates what remains of it]] considers [[OlderIsBetter innovation to be blasphemy]] against the [[{{Precursors}} wisdom of the ancients]]. The Warp, the FasterThanLightTravel the Imperium must rely on, carries with it a good chance of [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace being raped by daemons]], and the Astronomican, the navigation aid used to negotiate Warpspace, is powered by the GodEmperor's soul and [[PoweredByAForsakenChild has the souls of thousands of]] [[HumanResources psychic humans sacrificed to it every day]], dying by inches to feed the machine.

The problem is, as bad as the Imperium is, it's not quite as bad as many of the other factions; dying when facing them is about the best fate you can hope for. The ancient and mysterious [[TheChessmaster manipulator race]], hovering near extinction, contrives wars that see billions dead so that ''[[MoralMyopia small]] [[ItsAllAboutMe handfuls]]'' of their own may survive, while their depraved cousins ''must'' spend their lives perpetuating [[CruelAndUnusualDeath mass slaughter]] and ColdBloodedTorture to stave off their own destruction. Vast [[BeePeople Bug]] [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Swarms]] are trying to eat every organic thing in the galaxy as part of their natural life cycles. An entire civilization of incredibly advanced [[ImmortalityImmorality undying]] [[RobotWar living metal]] conquerors are awakening after millions of years of slumber, ready to reclaim a galaxy they see as rightfully theirs. A [[OurOrcsAreDifferent genetically-engineered warrior species]] infests every corner of the galaxy and is cheerfully trying to kill everything else (including each other, if nothing better presents itself) because it's literally hard-wired into their genetic code to do so... and because [[ForTheEvulz it's]] [[BloodKnight fun]]. The closest thing to the [[WellIntentionedExtremist "good guys"]] you can find in this setting is a [[NaiveNewcomer tiny alien empire]] sandwiched between all the other factions, and they [[IDidWhatIHadToDo may or may not]] have a thing for forcing new subjects into their empire through [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans orbital bombardment]], [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill concentration camps,]] and possible [[MassHypnosis mind]] [[HappinessInSlavery control]] by a few [[PathOfInspiration benevolent]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist elites]]... but at least they'll [[StockholmSyndrome offer you admittance into their club]] [[JoinOrDie before doing any of that stuff.]] Many of these factions have a common foe in the forces of Chaos, which infests the Warp, exists to corrupt all it touches, and is best known for '''two''' light-years-wide [[NegativeSpaceWedgie holes in reality]] through which [[TheLegionsOfHell countless daemons]] and [[EvilCounterpart corrupted]] [[TheDarkSide daemon-powered]] [[LikeABadassOutOfHell super-soldiers]] periodically attempt to bring the universe to further ruin.

Along with its sci-fi setting, what makes 40K unique is its '''[[RefugeInAudacity extreme]]''' [[GrimDark darkness]]. Set thirty-eight thousand years in the future, the game's setting is [[CrapsackWorld a hellish galaxy full of]] [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel horrors]] that rival even the foulest and most disturbing [[CthulhuMythos Lovecraftian Monstrosities]]. The basic premise of 40K, insofar as it ''can'' be summed up, is that of an [[HopelessWar eternal, impossibly vast conflict]] between a number of absurdly powerful [[KillEmAll genocidal]], [[FantasticRacism xenocidal]], and (in at least one case) [[ApocalypseHow omnicidal]] factions, with [[TropeOverdosed every single weapon, ideology, and creative piece of nastiness imaginable]] [[{{Troperiffic}} turned]] UpToEleven.

* BloodAngels

* {{Eisenhorn}}

The problem is, as bad as the Imperium is, it's not quite as bad as many of the other factions; dying when facing them is about the best fate you can hope for. The ancient and mysterious [[TheChessmaster manipulator race]], hovering near extinction, contrives wars that see billions dead so that ''[[MoralMyopia small]] [[ItsAllAboutMe handfuls]]'' of their own may survive, while their depraved cousins ''must'' spend their lives perpetuating [[CruelAndUnusualDeath mass slaughter]] and ColdBloodedTorture to stave off their own destruction. Vast [[BeePeople Bug]] [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Swarms]] are trying to eat every organic thing in the galaxy as part of their natural life cycles. An entire civilization of [[ImmortalityImmorality undying]] [[RobotWar living metal]] conquerors are awakening after millions of years of slumber, ready to reclaim a galaxy they see as rightfully theirs. A [[OurOrcsAreDifferent genetically-engineered warrior species]] infests every corner of the galaxy and is cheerfully trying to kill everything else (including each other, if nothing better presents itself) because it's literally hard-wired into their genetic code to do so... and because [[ForTheEvulz it's]] [[BloodKnight fun]]. The closest thing to the [[WellIntentionedExtremist "good guys"]] you can find in this setting is a [[NaiveNewcomer tiny alien empire]] sandwiched between all the other factions, and they [[IDidWhatIHadToDo may or may not]] have a thing for forcing new subjects into their empire through [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans orbital bombardment]], [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill concentration camps,]] and possible [[MassHypnosis mind]] [[HappinessInSlavery control]] by a few [[PathOfInspiration benevolent]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist elites]]... but at least they'll [[StockholmSyndrome offer you admittance into their club]] [[JoinOrDie before doing any of that stuff.]] Many of these factions have a common foe in the forces of Chaos, which infests the Warp, exists to corrupt all it touches, and is best known for '''two''' light-years-wide [[NegativeSpaceWedgie holes in reality]] through which [[TheLegionsOfHell countless daemons]] and [[EvilCounterpart corrupted]] [[TheDarkSide daemon-powered]] [[LikeABadassOutOfHell super-soldiers]] periodically attempt to bring the universe to further ruin.

The problem is, as bad as the Imperium is, it's not quite as bad as many of the other factions; dying when facing them is about the best fate you can hope for. The ancient and mysterious [[TheChessmaster manipulator race]], hovering near extinction, contrives wars that see billions dead so that ''[[MoralMyopia small]] [[ItsAllAboutMe handfuls]]'' of their own may survive, while their depraved cousins ''must'' spend their lives perpetuating [[CruelAndUnusualDeath mass slaughter]] and ColdBloodedTorture to stave off their own destruction. Vast [[BeePeople Bug]] [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Swarms]] are trying to eat every organic thing in the galaxy as part of their natural life cycles. An entire civilization of [[ImmortalityImmorality undying]] {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s carry out their [[EnergyBeing star]]-[[PhysicalGod god]] [[EldritchAbomination masters]]' desire to exterminate '''all''' living creatures, down to the last bacterium. A [[OurOrcsAreDifferent genetically-engineered warrior species]] infests every corner of the galaxy and is cheerfully trying to kill everything else (including each other, if nothing better presents itself) because it's literally hard-wired into their genetic code to do so... and because [[ForTheEvulz it's]] [[BloodKnight fun]]. The closest thing to the [[WellIntentionedExtremist "good guys"]] you can find in this setting is a [[NaiveNewcomer tiny alien empire]] sandwiched between all the other factions, and they [[IDidWhatIHadToDo may or may not]] have a thing for forcing new subjects into their empire through [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans orbital bombardment]], [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill concentration camps,]] and possible [[MassHypnosis mind]] [[HappinessInSlavery control]] by a few [[PathOfInspiration benevolent]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist elites]]... but at least they'll [[StockholmSyndrome offer you admittance into their club]] [[JoinOrDie before doing any of that stuff.]] Many of these factions have a common foe in the forces of Chaos, which infests the Warp, exists to corrupt all it touches, and is best known for '''two''' light-years-wide [[NegativeSpaceWedgie holes in reality]] through which [[TheLegionsOfHell countless daemons]] and [[EvilCounterpart corrupted]] [[TheDarkSide daemon-powered]] [[LikeABadassOutOfHell super-soldiers]] periodically attempt to bring the universe to further ruin.