Ciaphas Cain, Hero of The Imperium

[Jabber Swarky]

Ohh, Dan Abnett? Yeah, he is good. Heh.

And, Eeeh, Kendal, some planets are just weird that way. Like how on Fenris the population still ride around in dragonboats chucking spears at each other, and see the Space Marines as gods. Though, Fenris is something of a special case, seeing as its an Astarte Homeworld. They can only get away with it because Leman Russ was one of daddy's favorite sons...

[Aaron]

Ohh, Dan Abnett? Yeah, he is good. Heh.

And, Eeeh, Kendal, some planets are just weird that way. Like how on Fenris the population still ride around in dragonboats chucking spears at each other, and see the Space Marines as gods. Though, Fenris is something of a special case, seeing as its an Astarte Homeworld. They can only get away with it because Leman Russ was one of daddy's favorite sons...

Well with SM's (in universe anyway) having their homeworlds as deathworlds makes sense, hardier people blah blah blah. It falls apart in RL, where generally the more backwards and violent the people, the worse soldiers they make *chough*Africa*cough. I let it slide a little because I love WH40K. Though the Soul Drinkers was so bad I was picking it apart as I read it.

[Jabber Swarky]

Yeah, but the real world doesnt have brainwashing equipment, medicae experts and Genetic Engineers who implant various new organs and gadgets in the cadets brains to just upload all the training they need straight to their brainboxes =p

Well, yeah, thats oversimplifying it, but you got to admit that a Space Marine is rather different to Mr Militia over there. Heh.

[Aaron]

Yeah, but the real world doesnt have brainwashing equipment, medicae experts and Genetic Engineers who implant various new organs and gadgets in the cadets brains to just upload all the training they need straight to their brainboxes =p

Well, yeah, thats oversimplifying it, but you got to admit that a Space Marine is rather different to Mr Militia over there. Heh.

Of course they are but with the Imperiums tech, they could take a clerk's son and turn them into a SM. Look at the Grey Knights, they have no memory of who or what they did before induction. So it obviously isn't that important.

[Jabber Swarky]

....So, it seems that we're in agreement, then? Though, uhh, Imperial Tech isnt exactly the highest of technologies, and they only barley know how most of it works. A lot of it still uses Deisel. Heh.

Now, a Dark Eldar mindbreaker, or maybe something from the Tau...

[Aaron]

....So, it seems that we're in agreement, then? Though, uhh, Imperial Tech isnt exactly the highest of technologies, and they only barley know how most of it works. A lot of it still uses Deisel. Heh.

Promethium is not diesel. As for the Imperiums tech, it's on par or better than it's contemporaries. For example since the HH they've come up with Melta-guns.

Now, a Dark Eldar mindbreaker, or maybe something from the Tau...

Ahh the Tau, the race that lives by authors fiat.

[Mikey]

In that first story in Brotherhood of the Snake, didn't that backward planet have weapons called "laslocks?" A flint-struck lasgun?

In the same book, an oil rig/refinery is specifically mentioned - not promethium, but oil.

[Jabber Swarky]

Promethium is not diesel. As for the
Imperiums tech, it's on par or better than it's contemporaries. For
example since the HH they've come up with Melta-guns.

Ohh, yeah. >.< Sorry, got confused for a moment. I seem to remember someone mentioning that Orks use deisel in their Trukks at some point, though.

And, what do you mean contemporaries, exactly? The Eldar (both kinds) and Tau are both more advanced than the Imperium, and the Necrons are.. well, hard to classify, but i'd say they're fairly advanced. You cant really compare the 'nids to artificial tech, and Chaos is pretty similar to Imperium...

w most of it works. A lot of it still uses
Deisel. Heh.

[Mikey]

Promethium is not diesel. As for the
Imperiums tech, it's on par or better than it's contemporaries. For
example since the HH they've come up with Melta-guns.

Ohh, yeah. >.< Sorry, got confused for a moment. I seem to remember someone mentioning that Orks use deisel in their Trukks at some point, though.

And, what do you mean contemporaries, exactly? The Eldar (both kinds) and Tau are both more advanced than the Imperium, and the Necrons are.. well, hard to classify, but i'd say they're fairly advanced. You cant really compare the 'nids to artificial tech, and Chaos is pretty similar to Imperium...

w most of it works. A lot of it still uses
Deisel. Heh.

Actually, Chaos is a little more backward than the Imperium due to templates discovered after the Heresy.

[Aaron]

In that first story in Brotherhood of the Snake, didn't that backward planet have weapons called "laslocks?" A flint-struck lasgun?

Yeah, I haven't figured out what the hell those are supposed to be.

In the same book, an oil rig/refinery is specifically mentioned - not promethium, but oil.

Yes, the Imperium uses practically any energy source it can get it's hands on. That they use oil does not mean that promethium is oil based, in one of the Cain novels there's an excerpt from "Our friend promethium" in which they discuss various energy sources that get turned into it.

[Mikey]

From what I can guess, promethium is colloidal or jelly-ish - it's mentioned as being used "as is" in flamers (or just blessed in incinerators,) so I would assume napalm's sticky aspect would already be a feature.

[Aaron]

Ohh, yeah. >.< Sorry, got confused for a moment. I seem to remember someone mentioning that Orks use deisel in their Trukks at some point, though.

Engines in WH40K will burn almost anything, in The Last Chancers Kage comments that the locals on an ice world burn ethanol from tree pulp.

And, what do you mean contemporaries, exactly? The Eldar (both kinds) and Tau are both more advanced than the Imperium,

Neither the Eldar or the Tau can truely be called the Imperiums contemporaries owning to their tiny size (the Tau don't even hold a sector and lack long range warp navigation or FTL comms).

and the Necrons are.. well, hard to classify, but i'd say they're fairly advanced. You cant really compare the 'nids to artificial tech, and Chaos is pretty similar to Imperium...

As Mikey points out, Chaos is significantly behind the IoM though they get the bonus of creepy shit pulled from the Warp. The Necrons are asleep. Really the only ones that can compete with the IoM are the Orks and the Nids. The Orks have significantly better void shields and teleporters but are almost a directionless rabble and the Nids (who are at least equal in martial abilities) are still drifting in from outside the galaxy.

[Aaron]

From what I can guess, promethium is colloidal or jelly-ish - it's mentioned as being used "as is" in flamers (or just blessed in incinerators,) so I would assume napalm's sticky aspect would already be a feature.

Here we run into WH40K's problem of a crappy canon policy. There's so much diverse stuff out there it's hard to pin down (ie: The Soul Drinkers Omnibus and it's liquid plasma guns ), I imagine that the "as is" refers to what promethium is after it's refined. In Caves Of Ice they certainly aren't pulling out promethium in jelly form from the ice.

[Jabber Swarky]

Heyheyhey, crappy? >:( Steady on there mate. I think the 40K Cannon is one of the most fantastic i've ever seen, its just so diverse. I mean, yeah, theres a lot of it and, yeah, a lot of it is different, but.. its an entire GALAXY. You cant really expect every single thing to be identicle on every one of the trillion trillion worlds in this big ole starcluster we call home.

And, meh, maybe theres different versions of Plasma Power and Promethium that have benefits and drawbacks.. maybe liquid plasma is stabler for longer so it has a mildly longer range or something but is more expensive to refine. It wouldnt come up in the rules, but it could easily be bunged into the cannon and hope no-one really notices, and different regimental leaders all have different tastes.

Or, you know, maybe you guys should stop nitpicking and enjoy the books =p

[Sonic Glitch]

Or, you know, maybe you guys should stop nitpicking and enjoy the books =p

Please, we're trek fans. Nitpicking is what we do.