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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lobo Lurker" data-source="post: 3746737" data-attributes="member: 25172">Hi Relique, the basic conceit of Warhammer 40k is... well, this link might help. <a href="http://www.geocities.com/binarytimekeeper/sourcefiles/sourcemain.htm" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>.Nutshell History--30k years ago: humanity discovers the Warp (dimension of pure chaos). Traveling in the warp is faster than light so humankind colonizes the galaxy (there are lots of hostile aliens).30-20k years ago: Golden Age of Humanity followed by the Dark Age of Technology (science for sciences sake w/out regard to the consequences).-- Humankind is unable to travel the warp due to extensive storms that destroy any ship attempting to travel. Human society degenerates.12k years ago: The Emperor (most powerful psyker ever) is born, unites terra and creates 12 or so Primarchs (uber-powerful giant soldiers). Based on Primarch's genetic material, he creates Space Marines (giant human super-warriors). With the legions of Space Marines, lead by thier Primarchs, the galaxy is reconquered. Emperor retires to Earth.-- ~1/2 of the Primarchs rebel and declare war on the Emperor, lead by the chosen of the Primarchs, Horus (known as the Horus Heresy). Emperor and loyal primarchs defeat Horus and his rebels, but Horus deals the Emperor a mortal blow; he's dying.10k years ago: Emperor is entombed on the Golden Throne. 1000 psyker's souls are sacrificed to him daily so that he cannot die. Emperor turns his unmatched psykic ability to creating the Astronomicon (a beacon in the Warp, allowing navigation).Present: The Imperium is the harshest regime imaginiable. The Emperor technically rules but as he's basically a corpse (most humankind regards him as a living god) the Lords of Terra and the Holy Inquisition do most of the ruling. Daemons bleed out of the warp through rituals and tears in the fabric of reality, aliens threaten humankind and both psykers and mutants are an ever-present threat within Imperial Society.- Society has decayed to the point where new technology cannot be created... all the good equipment is ancient as modern science cannot hold a candle to science from the Dark Age of technology. Technology is treated as a religion (the Cult of Mars, the Adeptus Mechanicus maintains/services technology). Most people are ignorant of science and are slaves to the massive bureaucracy of the Imperium. Human life is worthless as there are untold billions of them out there.This is just a nutshell. Warhammer 40k, violence and darkness constantly tinted by the occult. A very cool setting.This all started out as an RPG setting but turned into one of the most successful tabletop wargames on the market. That's why most of the source/background material is divvied up into Army Types. The link above has fluff information. games-workshop.com should provide more info about the game itself. Not knowing much yourself, your character could easily be from one of the fringe worlds of the Imperium who, by dint of his skills/qualities, was offered a position in the Inquisitor's retinue; the Imperium is filled with individuals who don't really know what's going on.Possible archetypes: bounty hunter, knight, assassin, cultist, arbites (police), sanctioned psyker, astropath, navigator, imperial guardsman, naval recruit, nobility, tech priest, savant (person of learning), and many more.Races: Human, Ratling (small humans; stable mutation), Ogryn (large humans/ogres, stable mutation) and Mutant (ostracized socially, exterminated on sight in other places). I'm hesitant to allow space marines (maybe just one).</blockquote>

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