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While knowledge about daemons and the Chaos gods is strictly censored, I was under the impression that people in the 40k universe knew more about CSM. Not a whole lot, but enough to know that they are out there. The Horus Heresy, for example, is a well-known, if highly edited, event that is preached about to show what is the fate of traitors. The government tried to push the idea that they are only legends, but given the events as of late and the sheer number of major attacks that Chaos forces have made in the wake of the creation of the Great Rift, I find it highly unlikely that they are able to be hidden by the Imperial government anymore. Between the Guard having to face them more and more, large portions of the galaxy under direct Chaos control, the fact that probably a lot of average citizens saw CSM during the Indomitus Crusade, and the greater need for SM conscription, it wouldn't surprise me if CSM were now something of an open secret. It's actually stated in the lore that the existence Crimson Slaughter is common knowledge in portions of the galaxy. From what I'm aware of, it is now the official line of the Imperial government that CSM are ragged groups of pathetic outlaws, less than a nuisance to the Imperium, instead of the colossal legions and warbands that we know are there, in order to avoid mass panic.

 ArcaneHorror wrote:
From what I'm aware of, it is now the official line of the Imperial government that CSM are ragged groups of pathetic outlaws, less than a nuisance to the Imperium, instead of the colossal legions and warbands that we know are there, in order to avoid mass panic.

Unfortunately it seems that this propaganda has reached the gw rules team and has influenced the rules writing for csm.

40k lore is wildly inconsistent about how much the citizenry of the Imperium know about anything.

-Guardsman- wrote:
40k lore is wildly inconsistent about how much the citizenry of the Imperium know about anything.

They do live across the entire galaxy so you can get away with that. For example you can easily convince the backwards savages on Boredom II that Chaos is just a myth but you can't do that with Cadians (before Cadia blew up).

95% of all Imperial citizens not only don't know about Chaos, but they aren't even really sure if Astartes exist.

Roberts84 wrote:
95% of all Imperial citizens not only don't know about Chaos, but they aren't even really sure if Astartes exist.

That is true. I used to get surprised and a bit miffed when people acted so shocked to see Marines. Come on, you live in 40k, of course you've seen them. But given their numbers and how they are either at their monasteries or in the hottest hot zones, it makes sense how so many people could go through their lieves not seeing them.

If you live in squashed in a hive with millions of other people why would you ever need to know what’s on the outside.

We see 40k universe from top down not bottoms up.

I wonder if there is some info for preparedness for guardsmen before the engage chaos and xenos in combat to stop them going crazy on first sight

 ArcaneHorror wrote:
While knowledge about daemons and the Chaos gods is strictly censored, I was under the impression that people in the 40k universe knew more about CSM. Not a whole lot, but enough to know that they are out there. The Horus Heresy, for example, is a well-known, if highly edited, event that is preached about to show what is the fate of traitors. The government tried to push the idea that they are only legends, but given the events as of late and the sheer number of major attacks that Chaos forces have made in the wake of the creation of the Great Rift, I find it highly unlikely that they are able to be hidden by the Imperial government anymore. Between the Guard having to face them more and more, large portions of the galaxy under direct Chaos control, the fact that probably a lot of average citizens saw CSM during the Indomitus Crusade, and the greater need for SM conscription, it wouldn't surprise me if CSM were now something of an open secret. It's actually stated in the lore that the existence Crimson Slaughter is common knowledge in portions of the galaxy. From what I'm aware of, it is now the official line of the Imperial government that CSM are ragged groups of pathetic outlaws, less than a nuisance to the Imperium, instead of the colossal legions and warbands that we know are there, in order to avoid mass panic.

Here is your answer.

A good way to think about it is thus:

Human Civilization as we would recognize it is about 6000 years old. The Horus Heresy happened more than 10000 years ago in-lore, and human civilizations were space-faring species thousands of years before even that. There are countless human populated worlds which have regional governments, or are in states of virtual or total anarchy and despotism. The Emperor sought to bring order and Federation to them during the Crusade, then the heresy happened.

Consequently, there are literally billions of human beings living in complete ignorance of the universe and their identity, and very few people will ever see, let alone hear of an Astartes let alone chaos. Most humans in the Imperium would react to Astartes the way a human being on Earth would react to a God if they encountered one. That's what the Astartes are to most humans--mythical gods. Many don't even know who or what the Emperor is.

You know, that during the Victorian era, there were parts of London so poor that entire generations were literally born, lived and died within the scope a few districts. They not only knew nothing about the world broadly, but amazingly extremely little about anything at all outside of a few suburbs. All they knew is that they were born somewhere in which they would work for a pittance, go hungry a lot of the time, and die like flies at the end of summer.

The Imperium of man is like that for not just millions--but billions of human beings. Rowboat wants to change that. We'll see if he can.

One of the greatest Black Library books of all time, Lord of the Night, has a great write-up of how much the underhive population knows about Chaos in general.

In either the first or second Eisenhorn book, there's a throwaway line about the rudimentary culture on a planet that has one of the recognized categories of deviations from the Imperial Creed, "the Emperor-as-sun worship" - I always thought that was a great bit of world building. Not only is the galaxy of such a massive size, as others have already said, but there's also multiple levels of technology and freedom of information. There's plenty of reasons for an individual to be completely ignorant of what's going on in the wider Universe.

Yeah Zso Sahaal tears that hive a new one and they don't even know what he is. God I love that book. Wish it had a sequel.

Most imperial citizens know jack ****.

Spoilers for Lord of the Night but


An, I see above post already mentions it lol.