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.

So I'm planning on running a 40k rpg where our modern day Earth is in the 40k universe. I know Earth is Terra in the 40k universe. But for the sake of the game, for whatever reason, our Earth has slipped into the 40k universe. Nobody recognizes it as an earlier iteration of Terra. Everybody in the Imperium for whatever reason only recognize Earth as a lost colony of humanity. If you're wonderring why, my answer is because I haven't seen anybody else do it, also several of my players aren't huge into 40k so I figure starting them on regular Earth is good move

How would you use Earth's history, religions, cultures to plant itself more into the "modern" 40k universe?

As an example, there seems to be an awful lot of similarities (at least in terms of architecture, religion, and general terminology) between ancient Egypt and popular depictions of Necrons. So it would stand to reason (at least in this thread) that at one time or another, there was some Necron presence on Earth. This would also indicate that this presence was relatively recent (as it would have had to have influenced the ancient Egyptians). As well, it would also seem to indicate that Necrons acted towards our ancient humanity in a way that could be interpreted as relatively benevolent, or at least radically uninterested. After all, if the Necrons wanted us dead at a time when the pyramid builders were alive and kicking, I imagine the "battle" between us wouldn't really resemble a battle, I mean hell, massacre might even be too generous a descriptor.

I like the Idea of Earthlings being physiologically different from standard humans, not necessarily abhuman, just differently human. As an example, if I had to take a stab at this question in particular, I'd put forward that our humanity is some sort of high Oxygen atmosphere specialist. If a regular human came onto our world without adequate breathing protection, their lungs would experience something analogous to what iron experiences after being submerged in water for a long time.

Alternate takes, ideas, questions, critiques are all welcome.

Well, let me preface by saying that I'm not here to yuck your yum. If you and your friends enjoy the idea, then that's what matters.

That said, it's a big galaxy with lots of variety. Our Earth wouldn't be that big a deal in the 41st millenium. The similarities between ancient Egypt and the aesthetics of necrons (and Thousand Sons for that matter) would only matter if someone familiar with xenos or Prosperan culture showed up to start studying our Earth for some reason. And even then, it would probably just get handwaived as, "Oh hey. This planet seems to have lots of in tact cultural references to Old Terra."

Add to that the fact that time is weird in 40k. The pyramids were made what? Something like 5,000 years ago? So in the time between the Heresy and the 41st millenium, a colony of humans could go from pyramid-era tech to modern tech twice over.

And as mentioned above, our culture wouldn't be *that* weird. Lots of ye olde mythological and cultural references have survived to one extent or another in the 41st millenium. Planets with Earth-like cities exist in the vastness of the imperium. Planets with decent oxygen levels and earth-like atmospheres exist in the imperium. We might be more accustomed to earth-like oxygen levels than most, but there are still probably tons of imperial worlds with similar oxygen levels.

Basically, we'd just be one of many low-tech worlds scattered amongst the stars.

There *may* be something to the idea that we'd be genetically different though. It's implied that humanity in 40k has adapted into some pretty strange shapes over the years, even without going full abhuman. It's possible that our genetics might serve as a more compatible baseline for medical research or for interfacing with dark age tech or whatever. Like, I could see us Earthlings being more likely to be compatible as princeps or what have you. Though that is getting into somewhat uncomfortable eugenics-y territory.

A planet droping out of no where inside and existing solar system would cause gravity problems on a pan galactic scale. If earth was to drop in the void of space, then we would be dead without an orbit, a sun and an enviroment of an existing enviroment of the solar sytem. If we were to drop in to the sol system, then two earth means the system explodes , warp rift on terra opens and we have another eye of terror of some size.

In general transporting planets anywhere is a bad idea and would end very bad for the planet, and even more for everything on it, alive or not.

 Wyldhunt wrote:

There *may* be something to the idea that we'd be genetically different though. It's implied that humanity in 40k has adapted into some pretty strange shapes over the years, even without going full abhuman. It's possible that our genetics might serve as a more compatible baseline for medical research or for interfacing with dark age tech or whatever. Like, I could see us Earthlings being more likely to be compatible as princeps or what have you. Though that is getting into somewhat uncomfortable eugenics-y territory.

Well truth be told, the abhuman angle is really the part of this campaign that I want to explore. It's the part that I consider my portion of the entertainment for this game. I love the idea of having all these different flavors of humanity with their own quirks and perks. It has so much potential, and hasn't really been explored.

Lore wise, we went to the stars, achieved technological wonders that rival the Necrons, and used bio engineering like it was goin out of style, but when it comes to ab-humanity all we have is space ogres, space hobbits, and tall people. I mean that is lazy, even for 40k writers.

Regarding your point about a colony of humans being able to go from stone age technology to modern technology twice, there are planets in the Imperium that are perpetually in the stone age. They might assume that we were a colonized circa great crusade if not earlier, endured some disaster, reverted to a stone age tech level for a long period, and have now only recently progressed to modern technology level. Thus buying this theoretical wiggle room time-wise.

Karol wrote:

In general transporting planets anywhere is a bad idea and would end very bad for the planet, and even more for everything on it, alive or not.

I'm aware, but this is 40k. Canonically, there is a "planet" that is just a giant human in the fetal position. So I'm setting aside astrophysics and the like for the sake of the game.

 Wyldhunt wrote:


Basically, we'd just be one of many low-tech worlds scattered amongst the stars.

We're closer to the Dark Age Of Technology (15k) than 40k (technically 42k currently I think) is. Just because the Imperium is using remnants from that era doesn't mean the Imperium is more advanced, if anything they're more backwards. Put a team of our engineers, scientists and code monkeys to work on a broken land raider and they'll look at its mechanical parts and AI code to figure out the problem. Put some techpriests to the same problem and they'll annoint things with oil, burn incense and say a few prayers and if it doesn't work they'll write it off as the Machine God not answering them.
It's rarely mentioned as far as I know these days but prior to Cawl showing up technological advancement in the Imperium IS still heresy and a lot of the AdMech disapprove of Cawl and his methods. Honestly if you isekai'd modern day Earth in 40k there would be a lot of political, theocratic and social issues to deal with (Americans give up their sovereignty? Islamic States agree to follow the Imperial Creed? The EU allowing France to be turned into a factory?).

SAYING THAT, this assumes that Earth would even be noticed by anyone aside from the star sector's current inhabitants unless it turned up in a particularly important place like the Solar Segmentum or a major warzone (in which case it's screwed). It would also probably be considered a Paradise World by the average Imperial citizen.

Could do it as the "modern" Earth is a time capsule created back during the Dark Age of Technology to "preserve history".

Or it could be Warp shenanigans, and somehow present-day Earth got dropped into 40K's time. Due to stellar drift, they don't occupy the same place, but are fairly close to one another - somewhere between the opposite side of the Sun to between Sol's sun and Antares.

And, as I recall, the Necrons have been to Mars (the Star Dragon) - they may have had an outpost on Earth somewhere, sometime.

And the Eldar are old enough that they may be the source of our faerie tales and places such as Avalon.