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Some substances are self-oxidizing. Thermite would burn in a vacuum, for example.

Also, Sci-Fi.

Fair enough, but thermite isn't liquid when lit

And indeed, it must be the warp's doing. Plot armor ftw.

Soladrin wrote:That's.... stupid, you need oxygen for anything to Burn. Otherwise it's not the chemical reaction we call burning.

and yet that big yellow ball of what the crap is still up there, doing whatever chemical reaction you say can't be done in the vacuum of space. LOL

Well, nuclear fusion isn't exactly the same as a normal fire.

Not that GW could not simply claim that chainswords work the same way. We already know that Promethium is the jack-of-all-trades king of fuel, after all.

Al Gore talked them into switching from gas to electirc chainswords.

I remember listening to one of the Ciphas Cain audio dramas. So at least for the guard I can say they use a battery pack just like a lasgun pack.

Fuel cells?

Very long extension cords.

Orphan Tears.

The dead hopes and dreams of a Guardsman

Nicholas wrote:You'd think they'd be practical and have batteries instead of fuel so that they can give them the same battery for their guns as lasguns. Less badass I guess

IIRC there was mention of something like this in some old proto-necromunda game called Confrontation. 1 power pack was required for the chainsword but was then considered infinitely full of power as it were!

Maybe they actually don't work at all and the chainswords are just spikey hitting sticks.

Durza wrote:Maybe they actually don't work at all and the chainswords are just spikey hitting sticks.

I agree. But, the Orks believe that chainswords work, so their psychic power is what is actually fueling chainswords. If the Orks are ever wiped out, all of the Imperium's chainswords will stop working.

infinite_array wrote:It's called the 'rule of cool' - Marines never run out of anything.

Ever.

No, no, no, no, no, NO, simply just no.
Their power supply is immense, not just the average iPhone battery which dies after 4 hours... they can do a really long time with that stuff.

come to think of it what does thunderhawks and land raiders and all that stuff run on?

Promethium, the 40K equivalent to gasoline, which comes in a staggering variety of grades, which powers basically everything that doesn't run on battery or nuclear power.