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With the Dark Imperium arc now being a thing for a while now I imagine people have thought of plenty of their own ideas. I'm curious to hear where you would take the narrative. What campaign books would you want. Was there a Psychic Awakening book that you loved/hated?

I'd like to see some kind of civil war amongst the forces of chaos. Abbadon's black crusades were never a very cohesive and it was mostly a shared desire to topple Cadia that kept it together. With an Imperium ripe for the picking, I'd love to see some friction between the various agendas. You've got the likes of Word Bearers and Iron Warriors that would be seeking to build their own little kingdoms. Meanwhile, raiders such as the Night Lords or the Red Corsairs would wish to sack them. It would be a great way to settle the narrative into a new stalemate.

The Imperium NIhilus becomes a free for all patchwork of pocket empires, whether the personal domains of local or Chaos warlords, secessionist regimes, or de facto independent but nominally still Imperial territories trying to survive.

I personally find the prospect of "Imperial vs. Imperial" conflict more interesting than the clear cut Imperial vs. Chaos narrative. Supply chains are broken throughout the area, forcing worlds and sectors to try and forge new relationships to survive. Sometimes this may mean making demands or conquering others. That is my own personal headcanon for a campaign. An Imperial sector that survives relatively unscathed due to the presence of Necron monoliths dampening the impact of the Rift, but isolated. Along comes another sector's Imperial fleet with demands for tithe, claiming to be representatives of the Imperium and needing the resources to shore up their own home sector, maybe even backed up with an Inquisitor on their council. The sector refuses as it would mean collapsing their economy and causing upheaval, for the sake of a sector with dubious and unverified claims to power. Recongregator Inquisitors see the removal of overarching Imperial supervision as a golden opportunity to reform the power structure, ostensibly for the long term good of humanity and the Imperium. Amalathians are in a desperate struggle to try and restore the old status quo. Istvaanians see the conflict as an opportunity to test the Imperium and to weed out the weak so they may even stoke conflict between Imperial sectors and organizations.

The upheaval causes the working classes to cry out for help. Genestealer cults flourish, promising salvation from the stars. Some turn to Chaos. The desperation of humanity stirs the Star Child, and in turn inspires Sensei to take action, as freedom fighters or as Robin Hood type corsairs among the stars.

Oh, an inquisitorial cold war gone hot? That would be an intriguing plotline! All those secret agendas finally coming out in the open. It would be an interesting thought experiment to explore exactly how far the inquisition's power truly extends. Especially when people start asking 'you and what army?' It would also be interesting to see what factions would throw their lot in with who. Would the likes of the custodes and the silent sisters take a side? There might be a feq inquisitorial agents that might ask the likes of the Eldar for favors.

And maybe we would get some proper rules for the inquisition. In a big book and everything!

Doesn't have to be overtly hot for the rest of the Imperium to see. Sure, less subtle Puritan Inquisitors such as Monodominants or Amalathians might parade around openly leading armies. The more Radical ones I imagine would still operate in the shadows.

Recongregators could for example leak vital passwords to revolutionaries or those they want to help, allowing them to overcome Arbites fortresses. Istvaanians might act as double agents and sabotage all sides in order to prolong any conflict.

Meanwhile the Adeptus Mechanicus is also free to schism and fight civil wars.

Basically all Imperial factions can make a bid to increase their power and influence, and none of it has to do with Chaos.

Check out Wrath and Glory on RPG Drive Thru for good story inspiration on life in the Dark Imperium. I have it and it's good.

Abbadon becomes the defacto emperor of the dark imperium, the traitor legions establish their own small empires and the eye of terror becomes the demon empire. But there will also be lots of independent systems etc, basically if you can survive and don’t try and attack Abbadon then you can do what you want. There will be free trade, movement and thought which will get Abbadon a lot of popular support amongst planetary lords and citizens that are allowed to benefit from the freedom. But your system might be overrun by demons or a CSM warlord and abbadon wont do anything about it.

Abbadon will essentially be gathering forces for an assault on the rest of the imperium. Remaining imperial forces will be on the front line in the dark imperium constantly being assaulted or trying to hide ready to launch their own attacks.