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In an Imperial Hive, bombed to hell and abandoned, what kind of graffiti might be left by the inhabitants? I ask this as I'm finishing off a Deathwatch Armies on Parade board, and I was thinking of adding this touch to the sides of one of my buildings. I have left the invading force unidentified, but there has been presence of Imperial Guard and Space Marines, excluding a Deathwatch Kill Team. So, without mentioning any specific xenos or chaos faction, what might an Imperial citizen leave behind? A plea for help? Anger? A sigil or icon? Help appreciated!

Most graffiti over most time is simply people tagging a place. You walk downtown and you'll see people's gang names written on walls. You go to independence rock or the tower of london and you'll see where people scrawled their name. Even on dakka, you have the part where you have your name, picture, information about you, and signature all on public display. Most of what most people write here is effectively tagging with bonus content.

You could perhaps do slogans or phrases, but I'd keep them in the context of some sort of way of identifying one's self.

Or, what I do, at least, is to just go around and copy graffiti I actually see, or make up stuff sort of similar to it. Google image search is your friend here.

[Insert Name] woz ere! 41k

[Insert Name] 4 [Insert Name] 4 Eva!

Probably depends on the world but they'd mostly comprise of gang tags and people writing their names on the wall. It'd be mostly really scratchy black lines and an illegible font going by the graffiti I see in Los Angeles so... you don't have too worry too much about content.

If you want you could put anti-authoritarian slogans like "feth the Governor!" or "Arbites, go home!". Not as authentic but it certainly adds context to the setting.

Given the indoctrination of the people who live in the Imperium at large, I can see religious artifacts being worked into the artwork. I know 40k i s all about the religion and theocracy, but the Imperium approaches it in a centralized way, like the catholic church. So someone might want to say something to pay respect the the Big E that grates with the local ecclesiarch's bottom line, so they write it where ever they can.

Also, something along the line of "[Name] + [Name] Forever XOXOXO," with an date underneath would be hilarious, I think. I find the writing inside bathroom stalls to be inspiring for this kind of thing because its all total non sense, so you can come up with little details that become conversation starters.

I would google anarchist sloagans for this type of thing (and then delete your search history so your family doesn't ask questions).

I was actually thinking about this recently. I like the idea that the graffiti would be fairly straight forward. More from the rebellious punk gangs maybe, or a free thinking poet/artist.

OBEY or LIES(over a aquilla)
SERVITUDE
DO YOU SEE THE IMPERIAL TRUTH/LIES
EMPORAH PROTECTS

Of course the other graffiti could be chaos symbles or a genestealer cult logo. Even something like a bank at might work? I think all this stuff could be more interesting then general tagging if it's kept in the realm of 40k rather than feeling like something straight out of modern day cities.

Taking some inspiration from my own city where graffiti is common, you have have things like "(Person) is an Arbites tout/grass/squealer (a tell-tale for those who are confused," along with slurs like "Lower-hab scumbags" and "govenor's wh***." You could also go with the classic "(Person) woz ere!" Just make sure to use L33t speak and poor grammar and spelling.

You could also have a half-written, bloodsplattered sign indicating where a man has been shot (accompanied by bullet hole in way), dragged off, or butchered by aliens/daemons/other humans or zombies. In the third case mihht I suggest "Theyre com" (as in coming)accompanied by bloody handprints and a streaky one leading down and off the wall, reappearing some metres away with a splatter.

Find a copy of Rogue Trader. Look at basically 90% of the artwork.

You could post Graffiti Aquilas or something.

When making graffiti for my terrain, I often use Necromunda gang names.

How about "Dmitri - I'm alive and on the other side of the river"? Or "Lost squigg - call EMpire 9-67348" Or "We buy hab units - call ED @ 5674-7654"

Old gang markings too, murals, maybe even remaining signs for a factory or such.

 Powerfisting wrote:
Given the indoctrination of the people who live in the Imperium at large, I can see religious artifacts being worked into the artwork.

There might also be a fair bit of religious doomsayer-like graffiti, and/or redemptionist threats. It seems that the crazy doomsayers were right this time...

"The End Is Nigh"
"We Will Be Judged"
"HE WAKES"
"THEY WILL COME"
"Judgement Comes!"
"WE WATCH"
"The Sinners will be CLEANSED"
"Thy will be done"
"REPENT NOW!"
"Only the SAVED will weather the coming STORM"
"We must have FAITH"

Lots of red herrings there.

Also, you can always add the standard dystopian revolutionary sloganeering.
"We WILL Rise!"
"Take the city BACK"
"ONE VISION. ONE PURPOSE." Sorry, sorry...
"Freedom or death!"
"DOWN WITH THE OLD GUARD!"

Many Imperial citizens seem to idolize the Space Marines (for good reasons, Marines Malevolent excluded).
"THE ANGELS WILL COME"
"We will be saved"
"The astartes will save us"

At our game store, we have a building with "The End is Near" written on it. The word "NEAR" is crossed out with Blood For The Blood God paint, and has "HERE" written above it in blood.

Like this:
__________HERE
THE END IS NEAR

The emperor is a LIE.
Hi(I actually saw this in a bathroom stall once)
Pray to the emperor and have FAITH.
All shall die....
(a shattered aquila)
The angels of death shall save the faithful.
(person)x(person)
Hate the xenos/heretic for the emperor.

SLAYER

Red paint across aquilas.
Hydra dominatus!

Loads of other good ones mentioned.

Check out dystopian futures like Dredd or Akira for some inspiration.

If you're looking for pseudo-anarchic graffiti I think wikipedia has a pretty good collection of phrases used during the French Student protests of May '68. They have a certain poetry to them but are vague enough to resonate past the time period and political context in which they were written.

St. Celestine likes it Beast of Nurgly style.
St. Celestine has one in every chamber
For a good time, vox St. Celestine.
St. Celstine does it with a Bolt Pistol.

I used the tag "empra" for this piece of terrain.

The Emperor sucks

Romanes eunt domus.

Go with the classic

 welshhoppo wrote:
Romanes eunt domus.

I was thinking of that one, but:
Astartes eunt domus

All dyslexics of the Imperium ... UNTIE!

"F the inquisitio..." Followed by blood splatter.

What about some kind of "This way to safety" message accompanied by some kind of icon. You could then repeat the icon around the display with arrows to help weave in an added story yelling element.

How about "The Emperor shall protect us" but with the "shall" crossed out, and words written in blood saying "won't" instead?

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