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AFter the Mk 7 power armour and various super-heavies, what were the main technological advances?

I mean, from the HH to 40k, the Mechanicus were surely doing something, right?

Even if they were just recovering STC's or inventing cheap ballpoint pens, surely something must have been created.

I know 40k as a game won't necessarily progress because it could give advantages, but what has or should be created in the IoM?

Land speeders, maybe? Whirlwinds? Any of the other kit that Codex marines get but Chaos marines don't?

Technological advancement is at best glacial and at worst offset by the loss of other technologies. Since the priesthood of mars is utterly unwilling to freely share knowledge even amongst itself, this situation is unlikely to improve anytime soon.

What king death wrote is lame, typical grim dark follower answer.


Good point. Seems a little too unrealistic eh? Even i could create something super powerful in 10,000 fething years

Not if you lived in the IoM. It's a culture that praises ignorance, shuns new ideas and no scientific method. No one invents anything. (Land raider verson 372 dose not count.)

Brother Thomas wrote:
What king death wrote is lame, typical grim dark follower answer.

What KingDeath wrote is a good answer and accurate to the given fluff. The Imperium's greatest tool is ignorance and superstition to control a civilization of uncountable billions, and, along those lines, outright changing/improving machinery with such heresies as "innovation" is a major crime. The Mechanicus don't like sharing their knowledge, and they see change and advancement as defilement and heresy.

Yes, it's a typical response, because that's how the setting works. Yes, it's a terrible way to manage things, and most people now feel like they could do better, and yes, it's grimdark.

But that's Warhammer 40,000. The Imperium is a stagnating, slowly dying entity that has long lost it's potency, and pointing out that it has flaws in how it manages things is repetitively redundant again.

(As an aside, they may have had developments that just haven't been worth mentioning in game fluff. They might have better cranes, or agricultural infrastructure, which isn't applicable in most novels or codexes.)

Assault Cannon, StormTalon, Landraider Crusader, storm bolter, Storm sheilds and other things too.

Even in our own world tech can stagnate. In the first 20 years aviation went from expiramental concept to war ready biplane. In the next 40 years aviation went from biplanes to rocket planes that reached into space. In the last 40 years what has significantly changed? Any particular tech at some point tops out. Also, technique is lost. Notice anyone building pyramids lately? Or to quote BMW when they were inspecting the crank shaft for a restored FW190. "what ever you do, don't damage this one. Nobody knows how to build to these tolerances at this scale anymore".

Imperial technological "advances" take thousands of years to do and usually either drive from a STC or some sort of "sanctioned" relatively minor modification (like putting a laser destroyer on a baneblade chassis).

Overall though the Imperial is gradually digressing technologically. This is more or less blatantly stated in fluff.

The only thing I've read that was 'build from scratch' in the Imperium was the lascannon, and even then, it is simply a lasgun taken to enormous sizes and followed by a couple of centuries of tests, trials and never-ending discussions between the Magos of Mars to decide if it was heretek or not. Turns out it was not.

Even the Land Raider/Speeder were from STCs discovered by a Magos named Land (Hence the name). The newer models are just the same old model with an extra/different weapon on it. Hardly something new and innovative.

Hellhound was a development from the recovered Immolator design.

The Valkyrie Series of war machines seem like a good candidate?

Magos hocking newly developed technology as "Totally ancient STC designs guys, serious!"

nomotog wrote:
Not if you lived in the IoM. It's a culture that praises ignorance, shuns new ideas and no scientific method. No one invents anything. (Land raider verson 372 dose not count.)

You wouldn't even need new knowledge for some of the things they could make.

Priests love to purge? Give a better awesome flamer.
What I'm saying is that they could just take the Orks example and slap stuff together
without precision.

Imperial Navy fleet not enough? Build a fething huge grand cruiser.

Land Raider doesn't have enough firepower? Add a broadside of autocannons!

i've read in places that while experimentation and such is frowned upon (or depending on the judge it can be total heresey and punishable by death).

but that doesn't mean it doesn't take place in far flung locations or when eyes are turned away.
Tech advances slowly (I mean REALLY slowly) in this manner.

Plus other "Advancements" are mostly improving already existing things. Taking a Chimera chassis and bolting a vanquisher cannon to it to build a light tank destroyer (even though its not been done, you get the idea)

Well those systems that border on Tau space are well known for their use of unauthorized xenos technology, at which point the inquisition burn the lot but hey, at least you got to drink water from a tap you didn't have to pray over for 20 minutes between sips.

Only one coming to mind ATM is MK 8 Power Armor. Everything else is rediscovered DAOT tech, like the Land Raider Crusader.

There are plenty of Ad Mech factions that introduce new technology. They get away with it by saying "yeah, we found this STC. its totally legit and awsome and stuff..."

 Engine of War wrote:

Plus other "Advancements" are mostly improving already existing things. Taking a Chimera chassis and bolting a vanquisher cannon to it to build a light tank destroyer (even though its not been done, you get the idea)

Hey, that was my idea

 The Mad Tanker wrote:

 Engine of War wrote:

Plus other "Advancements" are mostly improving already existing things. Taking a Chimera chassis and bolting a vanquisher cannon to it to build a light tank destroyer (even though its not been done, you get the idea)

Hey, that was my idea

Yes it was. I couldn't think of a good example besides that

Leman Russ Vanquishers were an invaluable asset to the IoM but it was lost again when the main forge world was overrun by Chaos, but the Adeptus Mechanius is trying hard to replicate the machine.

 baxter123 wrote:
Leman Russ Vanquishers were an invaluable asset to the IoM but it was lost again when the main forge world was overrun by Chaos, but the Adeptus Mechanius is trying hard to replicate the machine.

Tank itself no.

The Vanquisher CANNON is what was lost. Or the Data on it was anyways. They are still being built but are different per forge world attempt and take a long time each.

 Engine of War wrote:

 baxter123 wrote:
Leman Russ Vanquishers were an invaluable asset to the IoM but it was lost again when the main forge world was overrun by Chaos, but the Adeptus Mechanius is trying hard to replicate the machine.

Tank itself no.

The Vanquisher CANNON is what was lost. Or the Data on it was anyways. They are still being built but are different per forge world attempt and take a long time each.

Oh okay, I misread the Codex then, thanks for the pointer

The Macharius is pretty new, but it's only a crossbreed of older designs.