Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So save the Tyranids, and possibly the Orks, why hasn't the realm of 40k been expanded to include other galaxies? I mean, there's billions of galaxies in the universe, is there any fluff to suggest that maybe a wormhole sucked in an expedition of the IoM to a different galaxy where 40k began anew against other alien threats - a sort of "last frontier" for man? I mean, if you really consider the violent nature of the universe with galaxies literally smashing into each other, super massive black holes consuming so many stars at once they pour pure energy like lighthouses back into space, and hellish planets that exist in just this galaxy, why hasn't GW taken the liberty to expand the 40k setting across the endless bounds of the universe?

Think of the crazy possibilities.... Star wars vs 40k vs Star Trek vs Planet of the Apes vs Stargate suddenly becomes possible.... and those are just mainstream ideas.. the realm of creativity becomes boundless very quickly.. Perhaps too large? Thoughts?

Interesting concept. I think it would make it incredibly large. I also think that with all the war the races just keep fighting rather than exploring.

The silent king of the necrons already checked them out for you. His findings.... Nids lots of em.

Given that 40k, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, and Stargate are all set in the same galaxy its not going to work.

Plus we have plenty of space in this Galaxy. 40k is actually not even scratching the surface of what all could be in it.


I think Science Fiction that encompasses tons and tons of Galaxies is kinda silly because of how freakin huge that is. The Milky Way is approximatly 120,000 light years accross and has around 300 billion stars. Thats ALOT of space. And we arn't even a notably large galaxy. And the space between galaxies is many many magnitudes greater then the width of galaxies.

Its quite rediculous to have empires spanning multiple galaxies when you have plenty of space in just one.



I am sure its possable that ships at some point in time may have been spit out in another galaxy, but naturally there isn't any fluff about that because there is no way they would ever make it back.

What would be the point? The game is made to sell miniatures, and right now it works fine for that.

The only reason to do this would be to sell new lines of miniatures, and theres a few problems with that.

Firstly, there's still plenty of scope for new lines of miniatures from inside the galaxy.

Secondly, they can't even keep all of their current ranges up to date within an edition.

Thirdly, their fluff isn't set up to support it. Human warp travel requires the astronomican, and the astronomican doesn't even reach the edges of the milky way, let alone go beyond it.

That said, there's nothing stopping you and your friends doing it. 40k is a setting for you to play in. Do what you want within it.

 Grey Templar wrote:
Given that 40k, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, and Stargate are all set in the same galaxy its not going to work.

Plus we have plenty of space in this Galaxy. 40k is actually not even scratching the surface of what all could be in it.


I think Science Fiction that encompasses tons and tons of Galaxies is kinda silly because of how freakin huge that is. The Milky Way is approximatly 120,000 light years accross and has around 300 billion stars. Thats ALOT of space. And we arn't even a notably large galaxy. And the space between galaxies is many many magnitudes greater then the width of galaxies.

Its quite rediculous to have empires spanning multiple galaxies when you have plenty of space in just one.



I am sure its possable that ships at some point in time may have been spit out in another galaxy, but naturally there isn't any fluff about that because there is no way they would ever make it back.

1st remark: Yup, yup, and yup. I was providing context.

2nd remark: 40k is big with lots to be explored. Yes and no - the galaxy remains the same size, it's just a matter of putting more detail inside it. Kinda like the world, over time, it gets less interesting to explore because mystery is no longer a part of the equation. Right now it's awesome, the world is still huge and you can explore virtually every corner in it. Eventually though, as more people fill it, things will become monoculture and we will seek differences of locale by a planetary basis, ie where 40k is currently - or maybe somewhere in the next few tiers, - then a system-wide basis, soon a subsector wide basis, then a sector wide basis, ect. Secondly, there's only so many races and threatening Empires you can put into a fictional galaxy before people start questioning how important, say, the IoM is to the narrative when it seems like it doesn't control anything but the sol sector.

My take is, in a Nightmare setting for humanity, the emotion of futility and feeling insignificant really amps up the setting to me. If we expand the view of humanity's struggle among the stars to incorporate, say the galaxies that were already harvested by the Tyranids (it in itself is a multi-galaxy spanning organism that reached the milky way without warp or faster than light travel), or the Orks, known to exist outside the Milky Way, and are either: expanding through civil war and strife to become a multigalaxy spanning Empire - possibly resowing life behind the Tyranid advance, or are being slowed by another so far unknown Empire(s?) that can contend against them. Whatever the case, if there is evidence that Orks and Tyranids exist outside the Milky way, then races powerful enough to fight these 2 marauder races would be competent enough to trace them back to their source.

It stands then, there is little excuse that creative minds should be shackled to believe there are only 7 super-races capable of acting on a single stage in the universe where numbers and distances are almost beyond description even within our own galaxy.

 ENOZONE wrote:
It stands then, there is little excuse that creative minds should be shackled to believe there are only 7 super-races capable of acting on a single stage in the universe where numbers and distances are almost beyond description even within our own galaxy.

In short, there are.

For example, C'tan exist in other galaxies. The fact that the Tyranids are the only extra galactic threat to reach our galaxy doesn't mean there are no more. There are more major players in the 40k setting. Maybe not as powerful as the IoM or even the Eldar, but up there with the Tau. GW just doesn't expand on them because there's little point from a gameplay perspective. Knowing that the Hrud or the Barghesi exist, and are big problems for the Imperium, is enough. It lets people get creative and make a counts-as army if they want, but doesn't get people expecting a new miniature range.

However, you need to remember, the core problem with the 40k fluff, is it is written from the perspective of the Imperium. And the Imperium just does not extend beyond the galaxy. It's a core part of the 40k fluff. It's about the Imperium, and its struggles. It's not about the 40k universe at large. Knowing about threats in another universe just doesn't fit with that core idea.

I don't see any of the additions proposed in the OP as improving the setting or the TT game.

Alternate Dismensions.

That would be freaky....



Also.... Do wormholes and other strange cosmic occourances exist in 40k? Or are Wormholes (passages in space and time from one point to another) just another word for a Warp Rift of some kind?


Blackholes probly exist, but what about other things?

Of course Black Holes exist.

A wormhole wouldn't be equivilent to a warp rift as they are different. One is a tunnel through space that connects 2 points, the other is a transdimensional doorway.

Because they did that before and ended up retconning it because all people did was moan about how terrible it was. Do a little research and see what used to lie within the Eye of Terror a long time ago.

Don't worry when gw feels were getting bored they will probably drop something on us like this.

With the 40k Galaxy already so huge and overblown, adding new galaxy's is silly.

Keep in mind that 40k is one of the few sci-fi franchises to take place over an entire galaxy. Star Wars massive galaxy is only about 50% discovered and the figure is even lower for Star Trek. Halo and Starcraft both more or less take place in a single Sector. Mass Effect is across a whole galaxy technically, but due to the method of travel available it's really only taking place over a few systems.

According to 40k lore, The Imperium cannot venture any further outside of the know galaxy at the moment because the Astronomicon starts to fade making warp travel extremely dangerous and nigh impossible.

Also 'Nids