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.

We all know that the Golden throne needs pyskers to function; but why and how?
Like how many pyskers does it need and how do they help keep it working (physic energy or something). I get the image of loading coal into a furnace however I highly doubt that's how they're used.
Also I read somewhere that the Golden throne is wearing out, is this true? I guess after 10,000 years it's more than likely.

1,000 psykers every day is what it says in the fluff. I'm sure thats just an estimate though. What I get the picture of is that they hook up these psykers with all sorts of tubes and stuff, and for hours they emit their energy into the throne until they die, when they are quickly replaced with another psyker.

Also they would have to have extras hooked up because you can't just have 999 at one time and lose the emperor "Oops sorry boss we forgot to bring extras" "Quick! just sit him back up again and pretend he's still alive!" And then we get a whole weekend at burney's type movie .

Also I did read somewhere that the throne is wearing out, and just like everything else with the emperor, its just getting to old and will die eventually.

I know at one point right after the Heresy it was possible that the Emperor could have been brought back into his body (so the Golden Throne did work immediately post heresy) but the people in charge didn't do it because they were afraid that having him back after people had started to worship him as a god would start another civil war.

No idea if it's still functional these days. I'm pretty sure fluff says somewhere that the Emperor's soul is still kicking around in the Warp, but I have no idea if the throne is actually sustaining that and it's the emperor that is keeping the Astro-whatzit lit, or if he's since "moved on" and the throne's only purpose is to keep the warp beacon active by burning 1,000 people a day as essentially a battery (since the Emperor isn't around to maintain it anymore).

Color Sgt. Kell wrote:"Quick! just sit him back up again and pretend he's still alive!" And then we get a whole weekend at burney's type movie

I've never heard the Imperium summed up so succinctly.

The way it's explained in the fluff is, current caretakers of the throne - the techpriests and technomagi - have discovered 'flaws' in the critical systems of the ancient throne that are beyond their knowledge to repair. Since GW's universe is static, we shouldn't ever fear the Emperor actually expiring or the Astronomican failing, it's just that looming doom they present to allow the Xenos players to say "FWAHAHA YOUR TIME WILL COME . . ."

If they ever did advance that particular bit of the story, it would have to be epic in scope and impact. Would it lead to a reincarnation of the Emperor and a second Great Crusade? The beginning of the end of the Imperium? So many things can happen!

 PrehistoricUFO wrote:
The way it's explained in the fluff is, current caretakers of the throne - the techpriests and technomagi - have discovered 'flaws' in the critical systems of the ancient throne that are beyond their knowledge to repair. Since GW's universe is static, we shouldn't ever fear the Emperor actually expiring or the Astronomican failing, it's just that looming doom they present to allow the Xenos players to say "FWAHAHA YOUR TIME WILL COME . . ."

If they ever did advance that particular bit of the story, it would have to be epic in scope and impact. Would it lead to a reincarnation of the Emperor and a second Great Crusade? The beginning of the end of the Imperium? So many things can happen!

I always imagine that the Emperor would come back, like you said; To fight the Chaos gods that have somehow manifested/summoned powerful enough warhosts to conquer Terra, The full Tyranid 'army' to appear, Lots of Necrons awakening and possibly the return/revival of some primarchs. Basically 40k on steroids with even more death and destruction.

 watchamacarcess wrote:

 PrehistoricUFO wrote:
The way it's explained in the fluff is, current caretakers of the throne - the techpriests and technomagi - have discovered 'flaws' in the critical systems of the ancient throne that are beyond their knowledge to repair. Since GW's universe is static, we shouldn't ever fear the Emperor actually expiring or the Astronomican failing, it's just that looming doom they present to allow the Xenos players to say "FWAHAHA YOUR TIME WILL COME . . ."

If they ever did advance that particular bit of the story, it would have to be epic in scope and impact. Would it lead to a reincarnation of the Emperor and a second Great Crusade? The beginning of the end of the Imperium? So many things can happen!

I always imagine that the Emperor would come back, like you said; To fight the Chaos gods that have somehow manifested/summoned powerful enough warhosts to conquer Terra, The full Tyranid 'army' to appear, Lots of Necrons awakening and possibly the return/revival of some primarchs. Basically 40k on steroids with even more death and destruction.

I always figured this was the next logical step. I mean, all the signs are there. The Emperor coming back isn't entirely necessary but having all of mankind's enemies finally come to full power or arriving but Mankind's greatest warriors rising up to fight against them would both advance the plot and keep it stagnant (since they all cancel each other out) at the same time, allowing Games Workshop to release tons of new books and new models on everything for more $$$.

....sadly GW seems like they'd rather make time go BACKWARDS if anything, what with the 13th Black Crusade practically being retconned to the beginning, Eldrad's death no longer mentioned, and them focusing everythong on old battles (like Armegeddon and... really, Horus Heresy. We already had a board game on the thing). Most of those don't have to be bad, but it is kinda getting... well, old. I'm sure we'll be re-hasing Medusa and the 13th Black Crusade eventually too. Then go back to revisit a bunch of battles that's existed for ages in the fluff cause GW never got to milk those like Battles for the Fang or the Age of Apostacy (...or not. That latter one would require new Sisters focus and that's not gonna happen).

The Emperor and his sons coming back to save the day doesn't contain enough grimdark to work. It's too heroic. If 40K teaches you anything, it's that, in this universe, heroes don't last long and "bad guys" don't get much done.

Stagnation. That's what this universe is about.

If anything, the Emperor eventually dies as the golden throne's mechanisms finally fail. His death creates the biggest (set of) warp storm(s) ever and the Imperium falls apart along with every other bastion of order in the galaxy.

If you're really interested, read LordLucan's 50K and 60K fan fic/alt-histories. They are as close as I can imagine to how things would really go if GW actually advanced the story...

...rather than keeping us locked in the same year FOREVER.