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40k is a strange universe because it is all about war, but war is never truly every where. There will be workers, and people that are relatively unaffected by this universe of blood, so it begs the question, what do they do in their spare time?

Computers all have bionic components, so most if not all electronic means of entertainment are rendered impossible.

Information is tightly controlled and any dissenting opinion can bring about chaos. Art is probably only utilized by the aristocracy, and the ecclesiarchy.

I would think that for entertainment purposes most people live in world that combines elements of the renaissance, and the pre world war one era.

Are there video games, television, plays, or art? Is it all driven toward the emperor, or is it all banned in a Cromwell esq fashion?

There are mentions of entertainment holos, occasionally. People play games - cards and dice games are common, as well as 'Regicide' amongst guard officers and other higher-class people.

Educated people read for pleasure, although the materials we've been shown lack a certain... enjoyment. Mostly philosophy texts as far as I can tell.

 Furyou Miko wrote:
There are mentions of entertainment holos, occasionally. People play games - cards and dice games are common, as well as 'Regicide' amongst guard officers and other higher-class people.

Educated people read for pleasure, although the materials we've been shown lack a certain... enjoyment. Mostly philosophy texts as far as I can tell.

I'm surprised philosophy is even allowed. Something as ancient as Aristotle's unmoved mover can argue against the emperor's divinity.

Regicide is popular. Its like Chess 40k style. Ive also read they have television equivalents in the universe, it was the night lords omnibus that mentioned it.

Make more people...

Gambling seems to be big, though the games vary.

Take dubious narcotics...

Kill yokels for yucks...

Of course Necromunda may not be entirely representative of 40K as a whole

Everything we do today still exists.

Political discussion still exists, although it will be about local officials and the Emperor.

The Imperium isn't Big Brother. They can't micromanage what their citizens do, just slap them when they do something really bad.

Remember the Emperor isn't just the ruler. He is a god, whose divinity isn't disputed. You can lampoon other imperial officials, at your peril, but you don't mock the emperor.

 Sledgehammer wrote:

 Furyou Miko wrote:
There are mentions of entertainment holos, occasionally. People play games - cards and dice games are common, as well as 'Regicide' amongst guard officers and other higher-class people.

Educated people read for pleasure, although the materials we've been shown lack a certain... enjoyment. Mostly philosophy texts as far as I can tell.

I'm surprised philosophy is even allowed. Something as ancient as Aristotle's unmoved mover can argue against the emperor's divinity.

Something like that would not be available to the average citizen, or even most of the most wealthy of citizens. It would be *heavily* censured by the Inquisition and the Ecclesiarchy.

Aren't there "paradise worlds" around that exist solely for rich people in the Imperium to vacation on?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Here it is.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Paradise_World#.VA8tgVI1IS8

Gambling (card and dice games), drinking (some ghastly formented rotgut), fornicating (I don't need to explain this, do I?), bloodsports (animals vs animals to the death), religious morality plays, and other medieval-level pasttimes are the most common on most worlds. On more advanced planets, with a little more money in the average person's pocket, you get... the exact same pasttimes, just updated with technology. So gambling via mechanical devices (slot machines) drinking a higher-quality of rotgut, bloodsports involving mutants fighting each other to the death (in lieu of animals), and religious morality plays made into movies (instead of being performed live).

Yeah, the rich can do whatever they want (as long as it isn't heresy) but that's exactly no different from any other period in history.

As far as I know.

Video games could possibly exist, but would be relegated to the higher ups with the money for the hardware. There just is no mention of them.

Movies exist, I've heard of mention of "holo-vids" and other names for them. One tells the tale of a imperial navy fighter pilot on campaign, think Top Gun but grimdark (hehehe)

Art exists but is censored in the manner that you cannot depict the Imperium badly nor can you do ANYTHING related to Chaos (at all) and you can only show Xenos in a bad light or getting slaughtered.
I could make a painting of an IG battle crushing Orks but I could never show the Orks winning exclusively, perhaps a few casualties but mostly dieing Xenos.

"Television" as we know it now would exisit on select planets with the technology to use it. The shows are never talked about in fluff but I would imagine they would have planetary news (detailing the output of the planet, when the next tithe is and so on), the Ecclesiarchy channel (or the Omnissiah Channel for forgeworlds), and various other channels.

There is a possibility for funny channels (like cartoons) for the children in the most propaganda way possible. Imagine if Scooby Doo was run by the Imperium.
"Its Old man Smitthers! He's been trying to undermine the Emperors will! Remember kids, Xenos and heretics are bad people! report them to your nearest Arbites should you see one!"

Your normal Bars (and their notorious goings ons) exist a plenty. Brothels as well but those are in the lowest areas of hives.

The Imperium at least knows that keeping the populace entertained will keep them (more or less) in-line.

 Psienesis wrote:

 Sledgehammer wrote:

 Furyou Miko wrote:
There are mentions of entertainment holos, occasionally. People play games - cards and dice games are common, as well as 'Regicide' amongst guard officers and other higher-class people.

Educated people read for pleasure, although the materials we've been shown lack a certain... enjoyment. Mostly philosophy texts as far as I can tell.

I'm surprised philosophy is even allowed. Something as ancient as Aristotle's unmoved mover can argue against the emperor's divinity.

Something like that would not be available to the average citizen, or even most of the most wealthy of citizens. It would be *heavily* censured by the Inquisition and the Ecclesiarchy.

The most commonly spoken about book is 'The Spheres of Longing' by Gideon Ravener, although other books are mentioned.

Partly the problem is that most 40k books that involve the wider universe outside the battles and struggles of the immediate characters are either Abnett or Mitchell, both of whom write in their own imagining of the 40k universe. Then again, all Black Library authors do this - the only reason those two are notable is because they have written so much.

At the lowest level, people probably do the things people have always done. Brothels, fighting, board and card games, gambling, drinking.

As you move up the social ladder, they probably just get cleaner.

Spoiler alert for 40k top gun, goose lives but everyone else gets eaten by tyranids. Enjoy

Some books mention films, propoganda but that's one thing, gambling or wagers yeah.
Regacide was mentioned in at least one heresy book.

Propaganda, done well, can be entertaining. Most people won't even know that what they're watching is propaganda.

Same stuff we do today. We just don't see it because no one writes books titled "a day in the life of your average imperial citizen", or "a day in the life of the middle class imperium."

Best explanation is in Dark Heresy. Apparently street performers (clowns and singers) do really well since they distract people from how horrible their collective lives are. That is the only non speculation thing I have.

Propaganda movies, dating, lunches, etc. That one novel where the Necrons kicked the gak out of a DKOK regiment gives a snapshot of life for a miner manager.

booze,sex,drugs..i see 40k as the modern world just on a grand scale across the stars, i remember when star wars fans asked if han solo ever had to poop...then george lucas invented the "refresher"

I imagine theres still music, i dont think humans could ever get rid of that.

Imagine some death company listening to some death metal before jump packing into hell

or ultramarines listening to beethoven

Pretty much everything people do in real life for entertainment can be found in 40K. Hunting, watching movies, going to bars, having house parties, dancing, prostitution, recreational sailing, parades etc.

Dan Abnett has done a lot of good work insofar as showing us glimpses of regular joe civilian life- probably because no other author has written so many stories that are within the context of average Imperial life rather than just war zones (notably, the Eisenhorn/Ravenor and Gaunt's Ghost books). Everything I've mentioned above has been featured in his novels.

There's also Slaaneshi cults.

The Ciaphas Cain novels actually give a lot of insight into what Imperium books, movies, and tv shows are like. Amberley Vail mentions an educational cartoon called "Our Friend Promethium" she saw as a kid staring an anthropomorphic flame who taught about all the the things promethium is used for. It sounded like it was the same type of "how stuff works" show for kids that we have today, except with a lot more heretics and aliens getting burned to death (probably in humorous, cartoony ways). A cop style show starring a (fictional) Arbites Judge was also mentioned, and Cain makes broad mentions of cheesy action movies about heroic guardsmen. So pretty much like entertainment today, only with even more propaganda, and you can't flip to a different network or go to different website to get a different political perspective. Some people challenge how canon Ciaphas Cain novels are, but this particular depiction of Imperium entertainment made a lot of sense to me.

I liked Dark Heresy implying crappy street performers are all Imperium citizens have to distract themselves from their horrendous lives. It's more Grimdark that way.

 Bronzefists42 wrote:
I liked Dark Heresy implying crappy street performers are all Imperium citizens have to distract themselves from their horrendous lives. It's more Grimdark that way.

Dark Heresy implied quite a bit more though then just that.

Also don't forget all the basic stuff on the Feral worlds would be pretty simple.

 mitch_rifle wrote:
I imagine theres still music, i dont think humans could ever get rid of that.

Imagine some death company listening to some death metal before jump packing into hell

or ultramarines listening to beethoven

I always picture space marines listening to back in black.

This like asking what people did for fun in the British Empire. Where? Manchester? India?

This like asking what people did for fun in the British Empire

Alcohol, prostitution, gambling, domestic violence, regular violence, alcohol, the rare occasion that two people actually care about each other being intimate before one of them is killed by an industrial accident.

Depends on the world. On some worlds, the only fun is drinking, having sex, and getting high, and hoping you don't get punished for it. On other worlds, they are more or less like ourselves in seeking fun, albeit most films/games are propaganda based.

Depends on the world. On some worlds, the only fun is drinking, having sex, and getting high, and hoping you don't get punished for it. On other worlds, they are more or less like ourselves in seeking fun, albeit most films/games are propaganda based.

I always got the sense that for some reason the closer to terra the worse it got, the frontier worlds seem to be more left on their own so long as they pay their taxes, they don't even have to levy guard regiments, the ones near terra are more controlled by the Inquisition and are expected to levy guard regiments and produce weapons. That's just my theory anyway.