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How would the imperium deal with governing a truly nomadic people? i know on atilla they are "nomads" but they still have a single place on the planet where people congregate. A governor or what have you would be set up to act as an intermediary between the imperium and said planet with troop drafts and whatnot but with the usual tribal nature of most nomadic people how could they set up a functioning puppet government? Would they just wipe those people out and colonize, or send in the church to settle them? how do you think they would deal with it?

Why would they need a puppet government? If the planetary governor is respected by the tribes, and the tribes know to bring their undesirables (psykers) as well as a tribute of warriors to serve alongside whatever sky god they happen to venerate to this meeting place, then I don't see the need for much else. At the planetary level, the Imperium is very lenient in how they allow a planet to be run.

Unless the world was rich in some other necessary resource that would require stable settlements to harvest, in which case they'd probably all be wiped out and new settlers brought in.

I think with nomads and backwater worlds, the Imperium sends a bunch of priests to try and convert them into what the Imperium wants. After years of it, eventually the nomads stop travelling as much and become more civilized.

Just my guess.

When the Imperium liberates or colonizes a world, they come for its resources first and its people second, if wandering people do not interfere with that, then there won't be a problem. However, Imperial colonization and industry is an extremely rude awakening for simple nomadic tribes. Most of the time settlements become cities overnight and industrialization changes the planet, climate and environment so much, that nomads that live on wild and free lands will need to adapt fast or die. Most of the time, this will mean disintegrating into the Imperial Regime

Basically what everyone else said, planetary level government is pretty fluid. Pay your tithe, worship the Emperor and then do what you fancy. There have been several major empires who 'ruled' over nomadic groups in real history, usually by respecting their space and customs in return for tribute/military service. After all most nomads have lived in difficult terrain, following the migration of prey, moving between sources of fresh water/vegetation and at times watching over/raiding trade routes through their lands. Unless they happen to be sitting on top of something valuable or disrupting the central government (raiding settlements, interfering with trade etc.) there is little to be gained from fighting them.

TBH I thought this thread was going to be about space-faring nomads, who would be stepping on Terra's toes by going above the planet level of freedom. I could imagine some trade guilds on a local level might exist in this way but isn't warp travel basically the preserve of Imperial 'employees'?

I think an underutilised area in fluff is the limits of Imperial control. How many worlds have become cut off and forgotten about the Imperium? Rebelled only for the Administratum to lose the subjugation memo in the post, or simply been deemed not important enough to warrant a large-scale retaliation? Nomads could be a fun part of such grey areas.

TBH I thought this thread was going to be about space-faring nomads, who would be stepping on Terra's toes by going above the planet level of freedom. I could imagine some trade guilds on a local level might exist in this way but isn't warp travel basically the preserve of Imperial 'employees'?

Without access to a Navigator, all of which are under the control of the Adeptus Terra, you're basically restricted to either local routes or taking a *very* long time to get between two stars.