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Let's say a Warp rift opens right under your desk and sends you directly to the ending years of the 41st Millenia. You're a Dakkanaut, you know your stuff about the 40k universe, you have a beloved army of minis - probably several - but you're also a Modern human, born and raised on our 20/21st centuries and thus, you have certain beliefs you would not give up. Given this state of things, if you were to end up in 40k and have the actual choice of becoming what you want (utopic in the Imperium but still), what would you prefer?

1 - Enlist on the Emperor's armies as a Guardsmen, a Navy crewman/pilot, a PDF soldier, a SoB/inquisitorial agent or even undergo the harsh transformation to become an Astartes or a Skitarius. You know your life will not be happy but given the fact you know the threats that are lurking in the cosmos, you must put your hedonistic considerations to fight for Mankind. You believe Humanity shall endure and prevail and that's why you would stand for the Imperium. You'll probably die horribly but at least, your will have done your part.

2 - You don't necessary hate your own specie for what it is but you can't stand the idea of fighting for what you see as a byzantine, corrupted and totalitarian state. The Imperium will never have your loyalty because you despise its very nature. You can thus choose to flee imperial worlds and take shelter among the many uncharted stars where pirates, mercenaries and traffickers of all kind and of all species are thriving. You can also join one of the few human pocket empires who don't recognize the authority of the Imperim, like the Severan Dominate as instance, and thus fight for another ideal of Mankind's future. Needless to say, this choice would bring you the eternal hatred of your fellow imperial humans, who shall shoot you on sight if they ever find you. You'll be on the run for the rest of your life and treated as a traitor by Imperial authorities.

3 - You think xenos could be interesting to join since some of them can have exalting beliefs or offer alternatives to a life under Imperial authority. Races like Tau, Demiurg or other minor species could welcome you and make you fight for their own purposes. The Greater Good is worth serving in your opinion and at least, these guys seems to take your personal well-being into account.They have better technology and offer you a shelter. Just like the previous answer, the Imperium will declare you Excommunicate Traitoris and will kill you in the most gruesome ways if its minions ever get you. Your xenos protectors would likewise treat you like-second class citizens/servitors and have you sterilized, mind-controlled or do other not-that-nice things to keep you at their service.

4 - Why even refuse the promises of the only true Gods? Chaos could give you an eternity of glory and power if you choose to serve them. As a renegade, you could be a powerful sorcerer, a traitor officer or a skilled Marine warrior and the only thing you would have to think about would be the next world you will invade. No more submission to the High Lords, no more false religion and no more dictature. You would now be able to bring Mankind under your rule, for its own benefit obviously. [Ascension to Demonhood is not guaranteed by Chaos Gods Ltd ; wanton head bashing by your Master, enslavement or transformation into Chaos Spawn may happen anytime. Chaos Gods Ltd may never be held responsible for the secondary effects of your mutation gifts ; see conditions at your nearest Chaos Cult. Warp energy is bad for your health ; have it responsibly ] - Oh, and if you can't become a Chaos Champion, well, your slave life would be ended by an Exterminatus carried out by the Inquisition. Even if you ascend to any important fonction, you'll become a public enemy anyway !


Looking forward to hear your thoughts, ladies and gentlemen!

Edit : My personal response would be one, hunting xenos and operating under Inquisitorial secrecy is IMO the best thing to do in this universe. Circumstances are harsh but Mankind is strong.

Assuming I'd have some kind of choice in the matter my ideal situation would be to find an Imperial planet far from any war zones and try and get some kind of job there. Ideally a desk job similar to what I do now.

Not one of your four options but none of those options appeal to me.

Well, that is a very rational POV but, if 40k would have been a game of administration, I guess it would not be as popular as it is now . I should have said my poll is only dealing with military tasks, which are the bread and butter of the game !

Knowing what we know, we'd better keep our heads down and mouths shut. If the Inquisition even sniffs of the things we know, such as the missing legions, the Black Library, the inner works of the Inquisition, how the Xenos lives are better then theirs, you'd be on a pyre faster then you can say Heretic.

But if i actually had to make a conscious decision on which faction I'd join, I'd undoubtedly worship the Chaos Gods. Actual Gods, which we know are real, and know enough about to set ourselfs a cushy seat as Magister of a Cult. Setting up a little Slaaneshi cult on a back water planet sounds like the perfect get away.

Depends on what I know. If I know what I know now, easily go for the IoM. Any other faction detracts from the effort of Mankind's survival.

Tbh, all the other options, bar maybe Tau, are straight to Chaos. Helping the Tau hinders the IoM, which helps Chaos. This is wh40k, not the real world.

Hell yes I would. Especially if I was a rogue trader. It's like being a system level admiral, but you're filthy rich, strapped with arcane technology, and probably have an extensive harem of Uber space hotties. Hell yeah sign me up. I'll risk the occasional corsair or chaos incursion for some of that action.

Tbh, all the other options, bar maybe Tau, are straight to Chaos. Helping the Tau hinders the IoM, which helps Chaos. This is wh40k, not the real world.

I'd agree. In my poll I tried to take into account sub-human factions, which are not often discussed but do exist, like the Severan Dominate or the former post-Macharius states. More human nations must exist, I just tried to be as accurate as I can so everyone would find its pleasure

No Eldar option? I'm disappointed.
If not, I suppose like ALEXisAWESOME said above, I'd go to Chaos and worship Slaanesh. Pleasure everywhere.

No Eldar option? I'm disappointed.

I doubt Eldar would let you live by their side or fight under their aegis! But if you have a known example of human-eldar communities or military forces, please lemme know.

Human pocket empire which is democratic and much more humane then the fascist genocidal oppressive IoM. You guys don't get it. The IoM is Nazi Germany on steroids. You have no rights no life nothing. You're a slave.

If the IoM showed up in orbit over modern day earth declared martial law annexed the planet and declared that they will force construction of planet covering factories and force 99% of us to work in sordid conditions to fuel the imperial war machine and eventually turn the planet uninhabitable would you be happy or will we fight and refuse to recognize the IoM and tell them to leave. At which point the IoM will invade to "liberate" us from ourselves and enslave everyone.

If you say you're enlisting as a guardsmen blindly with 10-year old slogans like "for humanity" or I owe my alliance to my race you're exactly the same as enlisting in the SS in Nazi Germany to commit genocide against other races and your own people. Germans weren't free under the Nazi's and poles, Jews, sub-hUmans weren't free either. If you really think about it Xenos are a proxy for non-whites or anyone different from you. Certain Xenos like trading Demurig, cultured civilized Eldar, or Kroot are more similar to humanoids than you think they don't derseve to be gassed or dumped into death BBQ pits because they are different. IoM wants to kill all non-humans regardless of if they are a threat or not and enslave it's own population to fuel its imperial war complex in a endless cycle of self-perpetual war. IoM needs constant violence, genocide, and war to justify its own miserable horrific existence - do you really want to feed into that? Even the Emperor (who admittedly was still genocidal against sub-humans) would be horrified at the state of the imperium in its current state.

The lie is humanity needs the IoM with all its misery and pain to survive but humanity actually doesn't need a fascist homocidal government overly bent on killing everyone and anything opposed to it - we figured that out on earth a long time ago. It's only when you realize he IoM is NOT the best of all possible world's can the truth come out. Truth is man-made and created. There can be a highly militarized but not genocidal oppressive tyrannical government in place that can allow more freedom to its populace and sign treaties with non-inherent violent Xenos and reduce the level of pure misery in the galaxy that chaos feeds off of.

Sign me up for the Greater Good!

While the rest of you fools are packing flashlights, I'll get a pulse rifle and photon grenades.

Decay is inevitable. All praise Pappa Nurgle!

I like this poll.

I choose option one. I'll undergo the recruitment, training and surgery. I wouldn't mind becoming an absolute brute protected by power armour, with legendary combat prowess. I could make a glorious contribution to mankind whilst walking around snapping fire warriors in half like breadsticks. I could march up to any cultist, elder guardian or ethereal I see and spit acid in their face before crushing their skull with a mere slap to the face.

I think I'd like to be an independent businessman supplying bolter rounds and lasgun clips. I'd like to live somewhere in the vast interior of the imperium on a luxury planet full of pleasure bots.

If I had the choice....

Ok, being an astartes wins this for me. I'd sure hope it'd be for one of the first founding chapters, but I'd take any of 'em.

 2BlackJack1 wrote:
Ok, being an astartes wins this for me. I'd sure hope it'd be for one of the first founding chapters, but I'd take any of 'em.

... you do realize the casualty rate for that, right? Chances're pretty good you die in the process.

 EmpNortonII wrote:

 2BlackJack1 wrote:
Ok, being an astartes wins this for me. I'd sure hope it'd be for one of the first founding chapters, but I'd take any of 'em.

... you do realize the casualty rate for that, right? Chances're pretty good you die in the process.

I was more going with the wording of the OP, which made it sound like it's a for sure thing. Also, considering my other options are sacrifice my body to be more robot than human, die a terrible death someday with a flashlight gun, live on the run, accept chaos, etc. I like my odds with the astartes. At least if I do make it, I'll be kicking xenos scum and traitors around 24/7. What more could I ask for?

 2BlackJack1 wrote:

 EmpNortonII wrote:

 2BlackJack1 wrote:
Ok, being an astartes wins this for me. I'd sure hope it'd be for one of the first founding chapters, but I'd take any of 'em.

... you do realize the casualty rate for that, right? Chances're pretty good you die in the process.

I was more going with the wording of the OP, which made it sound like it's a for sure thing. Also, considering my other options are sacrifice my body to be more robot than human, die a terrible death someday with a flashlight gun, live on the run, accept chaos, etc. I like my odds with the astartes. At least if I do make it, I'll be kicking xenos scum and traitors around 24/7. What more could I ask for?

Well, odds are you'll die a virgin in that scenario. So there is that.

Death to the false Emperor!

 Silverthorne wrote:

 2BlackJack1 wrote:

 EmpNortonII wrote:

 2BlackJack1 wrote:
Ok, being an astartes wins this for me. I'd sure hope it'd be for one of the first founding chapters, but I'd take any of 'em.

... you do realize the casualty rate for that, right? Chances're pretty good you die in the process.

I was more going with the wording of the OP, which made it sound like it's a for sure thing. Also, considering my other options are sacrifice my body to be more robot than human, die a terrible death someday with a flashlight gun, live on the run, accept chaos, etc. I like my odds with the astartes. At least if I do make it, I'll be kicking xenos scum and traitors around 24/7. What more could I ask for?

Well, odds are you'll die a virgin in that scenario. So there is that.

Well, I can't argue with that logic.

Where is the button for the "transformation into a Norn Queen" option?

I think I'll sign on with Silverthorne thanks. Cadge the secrets of the machine from whatever poor techpriest's running her enginarium and take over that job.

Any faitfull servent of humanity would see that this "poll" offers no choices; You either side with the Imperium and defend mankind or you do as a coward/xenos-slave/heretic.

 EmpNortonII wrote:

 2BlackJack1 wrote:
Ok, being an astartes wins this for me. I'd sure hope it'd be for one of the first founding chapters, but I'd take any of 'em.

... you do realize the casualty rate for that, right? Chances're pretty good you die in the process.

Well yes, astartes don't just retire. Not that it'd serve any purpose, considering that war is all they know and they are the best in the galaxy at it. If you make it to a full battle-brother you'll most likely be approaching retirement age for us mere mortals. Being essentially immortal you wouldn't have to worry about such little details like aging that much.

The casualty rate for life itself is 100%. It's certain you'll die in the process.

 Lammikkovalas wrote:

 EmpNortonII wrote:

 2BlackJack1 wrote:
Ok, being an astartes wins this for me. I'd sure hope it'd be for one of the first founding chapters, but I'd take any of 'em.

... you do realize the casualty rate for that, right? Chances're pretty good you die in the process.

Well yes, astartes don't just retire. Not that it'd serve any purpose, considering that war is all they know and they are the best in the galaxy at it. If you make it to a full battle-brother you'll most likely be approaching retirement age for us mere mortals. Being essentially immortal you wouldn't have to worry about such little details like aging that much.

The casualty rate for life itself is 100%. It's certain you'll die in the process.

I think he was referring to risk of dying during training/recruitment.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also astartes can retire, many have done and taken up roles in the training of recruits.

 RazgrizOne wrote:

No Eldar option? I'm disappointed.

I doubt Eldar would let you live by their side or fight under their aegis! But if you have a known example of human-eldar communities or military forces, please lemme know.

Exodite Worlders would probably let you fight by their side (so long as you prove yourself to be trustworthy). If you prove especially wise, righteous, and mighty, the Craftworlders might let you fight alongside them, but you'd need to prove yourself to be honorable and trustworthy, not to mention the fact that you'd need to have some kind of military resource that they would find desirable for their war efforts (for instance, an Ark Mechanicus, or other DAoT ship[s]).. Dark Eldar would rape you repeatedly, torture you for a few decades, then kill you in the most slow way possible, so, if you're into that kinda thing...

Personally, I'd want to be a rogue SM Chapter Master. I'd find an uncharted solar system with a large asteroid belt (similar to the Oort Cloud), in which to set up mineral mines and fortresses. I'd design my own Void Ships (like in Star Traders RPG), I'd build up as large a hoard of tech as I possibly could, trading some of it off, here or there, just enough to amass a sizable fleet. From there, I'd build up an army of fanatics, who are insanely loyal to the God-Emperor. I'd ensure that the Xenos-hate was not taught to my fanatics. From there, I would expand my little Empire into other uninhabited star systems, preferably of the uncharted variety. As my little empire grew larger, I would form alliances with lesser alien races, like the Donarathi, and would search for Kroot worlds to subsume into my Empire. Once my navy and ground forces became large enough, I would moniter the Warp for reports of Chaos attacks, and send for my forces to assist in the defense of the Imperium. My Astartes would take up the name of the Blood Drinkers, in order to fight for the Emperor without drawing the Inquisition's attention.

If part of my little empire was discovered by the Imperium at large, I would ensure that it payed its tithes, and that the Imperium believed that that was the only system I controlled. I would continue to expand until I died, and my successor would continue to expand. All the while, my Chapter would only take over solar system's that were either undiscovered, or had no Imperial presence at all. Our alien allies would be innumerable, as we discovered Kroot worlds along with other alien worlds, we would turn them into vassal states through diplomacy or force. Eventually, hundreds of worlds would be under my command, and I would be able to use my Empire to combat Chaos at every turn. My trillions of citizens would all worship the Emperor, so we would (probably) have his support in our doings. We would be the ulimate anti-chaos force.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Considering the fact that, without the Imperium, Chaos would be (literally) anally raping the galaxy, you are dead wrong. The thing that's so grimdark about 40k is that the kind of government you describe just doesn't work - that was proven during the Fall of Old Night. The Imperium might be as great as it was during its glory days, but it's still the only reason that Chaos isn't flooding out of the Eye of Terror, Maelstrom, etc. in endless waves of Daemons and culists that would end up destroying all life in the galaxy, and kill the gods of Chaos themselves. Without the Imperium, everyone dies. Of course, that might not be a bad thing, but still.

 dusara217 wrote:

 RazgrizOne wrote:

No Eldar option? I'm disappointed.

I doubt Eldar would let you live by their side or fight under their aegis! But if you have a known example of human-eldar communities or military forces, please lemme know.

Exodite Worlders would probably let you fight by their side (so long as you prove yourself to be trustworthy). If you prove especially wise, righteous, and mighty, the Craftworlders might let you fight alongside them, but you'd need to prove yourself to be honorable and trustworthy, not to mention the fact that you'd need to have some kind of military resource that they would find desirable for their war efforts (for instance, an Ark Mechanicus, or other DAoT ship[s]).. Dark Eldar would rape you repeatedly, torture you for a few decades, then kill you in the most slow way possible, so, if you're into that kinda thing...

Personally, I'd want to be a rogue SM Chapter Master. I'd find an uncharted solar system with a large asteroid belt (similar to the Oort Cloud), in which to set up mineral mines and fortresses. I'd design my own Void Ships (like in Star Traders RPG), I'd build up as large a hoard of tech as I possibly could, trading some of it off, here or there, just enough to amass a sizable fleet. From there, I'd build up an army of fanatics, who are insanely loyal to the God-Emperor. I'd ensure that the Xenos-hate was not taught to my fanatics. From there, I would expand my little Empire into other uninhabited star systems, preferably of the uncharted variety. As my little empire grew larger, I would form alliances with lesser alien races, like the Donarathi, and would search for Kroot worlds to subsume into my Empire. Once my navy and ground forces became large enough, I would moniter the Warp for reports of Chaos attacks, and send for my forces to assist in the defense of the Imperium. My Astartes would take up the name of the Blood Drinkers, in order to fight for the Emperor without drawing the Inquisition's attention.

If part of my little empire was discovered by the Imperium at large, I would ensure that it payed its tithes, and that the Imperium believed that that was the only system I controlled. I would continue to expand until I died, and my successor would continue to expand. All the while, my Chapter would only take over solar system's that were either undiscovered, or had no Imperial presence at all. Our alien allies would be innumerable, as we discovered Kroot worlds along with other alien worlds, we would turn them into vassal states through diplomacy or force. Eventually, hundreds of worlds would be under my command, and I would be able to use my Empire to combat Chaos at every turn. My trillions of citizens would all worship the Emperor, so we would (probably) have his support in our doings. We would be the ulimate anti-chaos force.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Spoiler:

DorianGray wrote:
Human pocket empire which is democratic and much more humane then the fascist genocidal oppressive IoM. You guys don't get it. The IoM is Nazi Germany on steroids. You have no rights no life nothing. You're a slave.

If the IoM showed up in orbit over modern day earth declared martial law annexed the planet and declared that they will force construction of planet covering factories and force 99% of us to work in sordid conditions to fuel the imperial war machine and eventually turn the planet uninhabitable would you be happy or will we fight and refuse to recognize the IoM and tell them to leave. At which point the IoM will invade to "liberate" us from ourselves and enslave everyone.

If you say you're enlisting as a guardsmen blindly with 10-year old slogans like "for humanity" or I owe my alliance to my race you're exactly the same as enlisting in the SS in Nazi Germany to commit genocide against other races and your own people. Germans weren't free under the Nazi's and poles, Jews, sub-hUmans weren't free either. If you really think about it Xenos are a proxy for non-whites or anyone different from you. Certain Xenos like trading Demurig, cultured civilized Eldar, or Kroot are more similar to humanoids than you think they don't derseve to be gassed or dumped into death BBQ pits because they are different. IoM wants to kill all non-humans regardless of if they are a threat or not and enslave it's own population to fuel its imperial war complex in a endless cycle of self-perpetual war. IoM needs constant violence, genocide, and war to justify its own miserable horrific existence - do you really want to feed into that? Even the Emperor (who admittedly was still genocidal against sub-humans) would be horrified at the state of the imperium in its current state.

The lie is humanity needs the IoM with all its misery and pain to survive but humanity actually doesn't need a fascist homocidal government overly bent on killing everyone and anything opposed to it - we figured that out on earth a long time ago. It's only when you realize he IoM is NOT the best of all possible world's can the truth come out. Truth is man-made and created. There can be a highly militarized but not genocidal oppressive tyrannical government in place that can allow more freedom to its populace and sign treaties with non-inherent violent Xenos and reduce the level of pure misery in the galaxy that chaos feeds off of.

Considering the fact that, without the Imperium, Chaos would be (literally) anally raping the galaxy, you are dead wrong. The thing that's so grimdark about 40k is that the kind of government you describe just doesn't work - that was proven during the Fall of Old Night. The Imperium might be as great as it was during its glory days, but it's still the only reason that Chaos isn't flooding out of the Eye of Terror, Maelstrom, etc. in endless waves of Daemons and culists that would end up destroying all life in the galaxy, and kill the gods of Chaos themselves. Without the Imperium, everyone dies. Of course, that might not be a bad thing, but still.

Soooo you would want to be Lufgt Huron?

 Silverthorne wrote:


Soooo you would want to be Lufgt Huron?

[/spoiler]
Precisely

 RazgrizOne wrote:

3 - You think xenos could be interesting to join since some of them can have exalting beliefs or offer alternatives to a life under Imperial authority. Races like Tau, Demiurg or other minor species could welcome you and make you fight for their own purposes. The Greater Good is worth serving in your opinion and at least, these guys seems to take your personal well-being into account.They have better technology and offer you a shelter. Just like the previous answer, the Imperium will declare you Excommunicate Traitoris and will kill you in the most gruesome ways if its minions ever get you. Your xenos protectors would likewise treat you like-second class citizens/servitors and have you sterilized, mind-controlled or do other not-that-nice things to keep you at their service.

The Tau are pretty much the only ones that let you join, but they just chemically sterilize you while using you as coerced labor until your population dies out and they can replace you.

I'd serve the Imperium because no better option exists. Maybe go rogue. 40k is a dark, horrible setting to live in, with even the loyal Imperium citizens offered nothing but an eternity of daemonic torture. Might as well enjoy myself while I can.

Of all the outrigth nut jobs of the 40k galaxy Id rather roll with my own race, I do not wish to grow extra limbs or rubbing shoulder with midget sized space smurfs