40k "another place to stick misc stuff" analysis thread (2024)

Yeah I created another one of those. Basically this is just to put stuff I cant think of putting anywhere else. what I have planned for this are things like:

Battle missions (maybe)

The various Chapter Approved stuff from 3rd/4h and earlier

The Spear of Vengeance campaign (maybe)

Planetstrike (maybe)

Quite possibly all the Apocalypse stuff, including IA apocalypse. I'm actually debating putting the Apocalypse and Planetstirke stuff in a separate thread because it kinda belongs there, along with battle missions and the rest. One of these days I may actually do the REalms of Chaos books too and do that, or maybe rogue trader. i've kinda fallen out of doing 1st edition stuff, but I do have rogue trader stashed away, the quotes at least.

various Forgeworld stuff I couldnt think to put anywhere else (I have a few)

Index Astartes and various other misc stuff.

anyhow: this will at least be the chapter approved stuff with which I shall start. and that shall take us way back to first edition, briefly. I actually dont know if it has any canon value - it may not - but like with Rogue trader itself, or the space Marine novel, it is at least an interetsing glimpse and it might serve some purpose to know a bit about it.

So now, we start with Chapter approved 1: Book of the Astronomican. It's actually a single, self contained update. But its interesting in its own way. 1st edition stuff is always odd to see how things 'were" before they formalized it into what became 2nd edition. I mean early 40K was where warp travel varied from a few thousand c tops to being able to cross hundreds of thousands of light years in hours, you had holonet like astropathic network capabilities, etc.

I'm focusing on preparing stuff for the FFG material (at leats Dark Heresy.) Yeah i know 5th edition lies on the horizon, but there isnt alot of that and frankly, I tend to be bored with it. i may start posting it once 6th edition makes its appearance. I still have a sh*t ton of stuff to cover.

(intro)

Did you know...

The most poisonous recorded creature is the Great Barking Toad of Catchan (CAtachans Bufo Moribundus). When starrtled, this creature emits a poison so potent that every life-form within a kilometer is killed within seconds - including the Great Barking Toad itself! THe poison is so strong that it can even penetrate a sealed suit or powered armour. Respirators offer no protection. Because of its unusual powers, no-one has been able to study it so successfully, and the details of its life-style remain a mystery. Fortunately, the Great Barking Toad is extremely rare.

The Catachan Barking toad circa 1st edition. Like many things, its lasted until modern times. Gotta love CAtachan!

Page 2

In the year 981.M41, Durlan Ocellati, a navigator with the Western Imperial Fleet, chanced upon a warp-route into eastern spiral sub-sector '4' (known as 'The Wheel of Fire') This large tract of space, surrounded by warp-storms, was long thought to be inaccessible. Ocellati, however, successfully mapped a psychic corridor through these storms and re-emerged into real space. This corridor has since been named 'The Straits of Ocellati' after its discoverer. The straits provide access to over five hundred worlds, many of which are inhabited. Some were settled by Human groups before the time of the Imperium, others have been colonised by Orks and other alien races.

A subsector with 500 worlds, although not all are human, and this IS early stuff so the canon isnt as formalized. Still, it's interesting. That the warp route also was accessible within a year woudl be itneresting if we knew the distances involved, but it lays down the idea of stable "warp routes" between systems.

Page 2

In the year 982.M41, the Emperor announced a five-yeaer crusade into The Wheel of Fire and appointed the Spacewolves Chapter of the Space Marines to undertake the mission.

This being 1st edition, the Emperor was sitting on the Throne but still talking. The Space Wolve's home world also wasn't Fenris.

Page 2

Navigator Ocellati was sent to the planet Lucan, with orders to place himself under the command of Enoch Lord Lucan, the Commander of the Spacewolves. Less than a week after his arrival, the Chapter was at full readiness and its equipment stored aboard the Resittution and her sister ship, the Vengeance. Before the year was out, they had passed through the Straits of Ocellati and into the very hub of the Wheel of Fire.

Enoch and the planet Lucan for the Space Wolves, instead of Logan Grimnar and Fenris. I prefer the latter. The Chapter mobilizes for a 5 year crusade in a mere week, and take less than a year to get through the path.

Page 2

The voyage sof the Spacewolves' five-year mission to uncover new worlds and cleanse them of the Emperor's enemies would provide sufficient mateiral for a TV series, if not several high-budget feature films. But soffice it to say, the Marines did their duty. By the year 987.M41, the Spacewolf Armada was approaching its final target, the planet Xit.

Two starships are able to support themselves an the Spacewolves for five years. And the Space Wolves are able to cleanse out and capture 500 planets. 100 Planets per year, and one planet every 3-4 days. They must have been busy.

Page 2

Approximately fifty yeaers ago, a Chardonian Warfleet made a navigation error that resulted in a warp-jump into that area. The fleet was supposed to be heading towards Gundastol for a refit. Having accidentally jumped into the Wheel of Fire, the fleet found itself unable to escape, since the entire area is isolated from the remainder of the galaxy by a surrounding veil of powerful warp-storms. Reasoning that if there is a way in there must be a way out, the Orks have been looking for it ever since. In the process they have settled several dozen worlds, divided into many groups and, predictably enough, started kililng each other. The original warfleet is now reduced to one or two hulks which ply between the settled worlds on an irregular basis.

Orks had a means of navigating the warp back then, but had the same navigational skils they do now. We meet the Ork navigator later (who in modern terms would be a Weirdboy, but we know that Weirdboyz have been used for navigation, communication and other purposes, so this really isn't contradictory save in terminology and that's largely semantics too.)

The Ork fleet settles several dozen worlds in being lost.

Page 3

Xit is just one of a number of independent Ork planets, contact betwene which depends upon the infrequent visits of fleet ships. Xit is rich in mineral ores but incapable of supporting much that Orks care to eat. As a result, the Xits depend upon trade with other Ork worlds to replenish food stocks.

I suppose in modern times this would be debatable, but if the ecosystem is minimal to nonexistent its probably hard for the spores to take root and grow, so it could happen. (its not like you could grow the ecosystem on a barren world. Of course I could be wrong.)

Page 5

Five years ago, Commander Enoch, with nine of the ten warrior companies that comprise the Spacewolves....

Soon they would retgun to their own world of Lucan and the fomrmidable fortress-monastery that was their ancient home.

Out of date info. Included simply for posterity. Like I said, their homeworld wasn't Fenris til 2nd edition. It's not the worst. I've seen Gene-seed in some 1st edition stuff for the Ultramarines refered to as "gene sperm" alongside the mention of a half-eldar Astropath.

Page 6

Surveillance Unit Fury, of the Hunting Wolf company...

Bio-scans reveal considerable habitation, whilst high energy usage is indicated by energy-scan readings.

..

It is surrounded by a strong powerfield and appears to contain heavier defensive armament.

...

Unit Fury ceased transmission as this report ended. Simultaneous energy flashes emanating from the stronghold were picked up on the Restitution's grorund scanners.

Scout group had sensors, use of a ground defence powerfield by unknown forces, and orbital surveillance by a starship. The facility in question is Orkish, built partly from teh remains of an ork ship, which is why it has powerfield defenses.

Page 6

With the Restitution's main armament badly damaged, and the ground-to-space defences of the stronghold potentially devastating, this can only be achieved by a ground attack.

Implies normal method would have been bombardment (at least in support of the assault or in substitute of ground assault), but they are cautious that the enemy might have the firepower to harm them (and their ship is already badly damaged after a 5 year crusade.)

Page 8

Your detachment has been chosen to assault the mountain fortress that houses the island's fission reactor.

..

The exact wheeabouts of the atomic generators is unkonwn. However, thermal scans and rad surveys indicate that the reactor lies deep inside the mountain.

Fission reactor inside a mountain fort. This is part of three different generating stations powering the defenses protecting the Ork base. The second one is unknown initially (but turns out to be basically lava powered), and the third is geothermal.

Page 8

Listne closely, Brothers, for my life's breath is all but spent. There shall come a time far from now when our chapter itself is dying, and our foes shall gather to destroy us. Then my children, I shall list'n for your call from whatever realms of death hold me, and come I shall no-matter what laws of life and death forbid. At the end I will be there. for the final battle. For the Wolftime.

Last words of Commander Leman Russ, Founder of the Spacewolves.

Words that have been mentioned in subsequent editions, although back when this was first published there were no Primarchs, and Russ' disappearance was never explained (although several versions of it have occured over the editions). It does explain the pecularities of why it suggests he died - it can be regarded as mere legend.

Page 9

Although the mists are heavy, this does not affect weapons fire. You may assume that all weapons have sights which will penerate the mist.

Gunsights that can penetrate mist and presumably fog, outfitted to Astartes. Not terribly surprising.

Page 12

After a bit of tinkering and alot of botching, the Orks managed to activate what turned out to be a huge fusion-grid. Such a device could only have been built when the planet was first colonised more than 10,000 years ago.

..

Today the temple provides much of the power used by Kulo's Castle. In better condition the station could provide far more power than the Orks need, but the generators are on their last legs and the Orks do not have the expertise required to fix them.

Fusion grid. Another power source. From what I gather they are referring to the fission reactor in this way too so.. go figure. Its fission and fusion.. or a fusion grid is something else entirely. "botching" I should add is pretty much synonymous with Ork technical knowhow at this point. you hear the term alot.

Page 13

The six columns are the tops of the giant fuel rods which power the fission reactor deep inside the mountain.

Again, its a fission reactor. Maybe its powering the fusion grid, sort of a intermdiary power source to power the fusion reactions, or something.

Page 13

The Horus Heresy is reckoned by many to rate as the greatest single disaster ever suffered by the Imperium. The specific details are known only to the Emperor, but is broader hisotry is the stuff of popular legend. According to one version of the tale, Horus was once the most trusted servant of the Emperor. But in his heat there dwelt a hidden evil, and he became seduced by this evil, and came to nuture demons and other forces of destruction. Horus marched upon earth with a thrid part of the hosts of the Imperium which he had seduced to his purpose. For seven days and seven nights the hosts battled until the Emperor caught Horus by the heel and cast him to the Eye of Terror and with him the third part of the hosts of the Imperium.

A pre-second edition mentioning of the Heresy, although again this is before the Primarchs entered into canon. And once again it could be regarded as simply another legend.

Page 15

You represent a small team of technicians and guards who have been posted to the northern area of "The Rock" where the technicians have built a generating station powered by subterranean pressure. Beneath the slate that forms the upper layers of the island in this area, extensive geo-thermic and seismic acitvity produces titanic presures which blow through a network of natural tunnels and caverns. Some of these fissures open out on the surface in virttually bottomless pits from which scream tornado-strength winds. Occasionally the massive subterranean forces split open the rock itself, opening new pits with explosive violence.

By blocking off carefully selected pits in a localised area, the technicians have succeeded in diverting pressure through a single powerful turbine.

Like I said, geothermal, more or less. Although maybe "steam powered" is more accurate.

Page 18

Should the machine not function upon striking the panel marked 'on' this is an omen of great ill. The reasons ascribed may be as follows. Firstly, the function of inadequate preparation on the part of the operator. Secondly, the action of the machien whose spirit may refuse the binding of the operator. Thirdly, the malintent of some third party upon the operator or machine. The operator must repeat the ritual from the beginning, repurifying himself, enscribing the runes, intoning the incantations, and striking the panel marked 'on'. An accompanying oath may be made. Should this procedure fail, the operator must recourse to consulting the instruction manual.

Runic Spaceflight - an Introduction: Naval Flight Manual W1110E

Included for amusem*nt purposes. 1st edition was so wacky! Plus "Runic Spaceflight" is a cool name.

Page 21

To exploit this natural resource (lava pits), the Orks have built a crude heat converter, using materials salvaged from their defunct spacecraft. This imposing, if rather ramshackle station provides almost half of the power required by Kulo's Castle.

Lava-based power generation. I'm pretty sure this would qualify as geothermal too.

Page 28

Like most Orkish navigators, Fogg is psyschic. ORks navigate by a crude process of intuition and primitive divination. So long as they stick to relatively short warp-jumps this works well enough.

Page 30

They are protected from the wild beasts of the forest by means of a force field called a powerfield., This is one of the ship's systems that still works. Anotehr is the main armament which comprises a battery of six defence lasers. If the three generating stations have been destroyed, however, ,these systems are deactivated.

As I mentioned before, here we find out the defence lasers and the powerfield are part of the downed ork ship's systems, powered by the two geo-thermal/lava/steam powered and one fission/fusion powered generators.

Page 36

Prior ot the assault, fresh provisions are teleported down ot the Spacewolves' rendezvous site.

Teleporter based supply line. Pretty useful I'd say.

Page 37

The castle's laser defences are effective and deadly. If they are operable, the Ork player may use them to attack any one Marine unit...

This represents laser fire against enemies moving from cover and towards the ship. All laser fire is automatic - the system requires no operator.

..

If the laser defences are operable, they may also be used against the Spacewolves' orbiting spacecraft, the Restitution. Although this can't damage the ship, it can prevent Spacewolves teleporting down fresh supplies.

The Defence lasers are basically ineffective against the starship, despite their fears. It can (somehow) interrupt teleportation however (either by forcing shields up or by knocking the ship around or something.) Also the lasers probably aren't anti-ship to begin with, if they can track and target infantry groups in any way (anti-fighter perhaps).

Page 42

Squats are common inhabitants of the Imperium. They are humans, although time and circ*mstance have altered their physical forms and, to a degree, their minds too.

..

Imperial worlds inhabited entirely, or largely, by Squats are amongst the prime recruiting grounds for Imperial Armies. Imperial Armies usually comprise both Squats and ordinary humans (and indeed other varieties of human too). However, when whole armies are recruited upon one world they will inevitably consist of the main racial type. Squat armies, recruited from Squat worlds, have their own distinct traditions of emblems and uniforms.

Squat fluff. The primary detail I found here is that the Imperial army/Guard of the time recruited heavilly from Squat worlds (or worlds with a large squat population.) Sometimes the armies might be mixed and sometimes singular. In 2nd edition of course they become an "allied" force, and in third.. they get eaten. Although one could argue post 2nd edition the remnants basically get treated like any other abhuman force (a specialized Guard unit.) I believe Jervis Johnson posted words to that effect when considering their unofficial use in post-2nd edition games (Eg they get treated as a Guard force.)

Page 43

It is with regrget that we must report the increasing incursions of Eldar Pirate forces throughout the North Galactic Quadrant. The attacks of these alien-forces on Imperial Worlds must be regarded as a long term threat to the security of several worlds in this quadrant. The escalation of Eldar activity in the area may be traced directly to the rise of the cmpany of Eldritch Raiders led by the self-styled "Lord Prince" Yriel (see holoscan visual.) It is now evident that Imperium-fostered rivalries between Yriel and other pirate companeis resulted in factional fighting. Yriel's conquest and absorption of two other groups (Xian's Black Raiders and the Scarlet Command) now makes him the single most pwoerful Eldar pirate in the galaxy.

Eldar at this point were mostly pirates. Yriel was well dveloped even then, although his ties to IYanden craftworld weren't established.

Note reference to "holoscan"

Page 46
[quiote]
Imperial Investigation team "nexus" reports the ending of civil war within the Ork empire of Glorrt. Defeated elements of the rival factions have now banded together into a pirate fleet within the Buchoizi Nebula sector. Imperial Commanders within the sector are warned to increase sub-stellar patrols following the massacre of settlers on Farou. [/quote]

Dispatch of "investigation teams" to observe the results of ORk battles. Also reference to Sub-stellar patrols in sector (Eg non warp capable warships existing.)

Page 47

The Rogue Traders of Earth are a unique breed. They are the ultimate human adventurers, explorers, and conquerors. Operatiung beyond the frontiers of Imperial space, it is their task to uncover alien civilisations, eliminate possible dangers to the Imperium, and to investigate new and potentiall yuseful technologies. The hidden dangers of the galaxy claim many Rogue Traders every year, but there is still no shortage of volunteers. Every Rogue Trader receives a charter from the Emperor as well as a special banner and badge.

..

in addition, each Rogue Trader is entitled to recruit fellow volunteers, and may even be put in command of whole units of Marines from the various Chapters. Troops from units of the army are also allocated, often numbering many hundreds. All of these crusading warriors swear alleigance to their new master, adopting his badges and wearing his colours upon the special tabard which is worn over their armour.

Rogue Traders described. Usual numbers of troops seem to be in the companies (at least for armies) but even possible for Astartes. Curiously in 1st edition such forces swore personal loyalty ot the Trader, which suggests Rogue Traders back at this time were perhaps one of the most powerful groups in the Imperium. Even more powerful than space Marines, Admech or the Inquisition.

Page 48

In actual play, of course, these squads may be broken down into 'tactical' units of 5 models each.

Its gameplay stuff yeah, bt this is probably I'm guessing where the unofficial 5 man "fire team" concept may have come from.

Page 62

The Land Speeder is a patrol and light battlefield attack vehcile. It is used by the Imperial Army as well as by Marine Chapters. It is also a common civilian vehicle, and has found its way into the personal retinues of many Imperial commanders.

land speeder used by many groups, even and includeing Imperial commanders and civilian use back when.

Page 62

The 'Tarantula' mobile weapon paltform is a single robotic attack weapon. It combines a gravitic poweed base with twin las-cannon, each with its own auto-aim and targeter, allowing each cannon to be fired at a separate target within a 360 (degree) fire arc. It is controlled by a crewman who moves the tarantula from place to place and selects its targets..

Tarantula. Another bit of fluff that has survived, albeit changed, into modern times. Robot controlled, though the auto-aim and targeter insure it could operate independently.

Page 64

Mayn tacticians feel it is a cmplete waste of time to equip the army with anything more compelx than a lasgun. AFter all, men can be replaced, and equipment is precious... too precious for grunts at any rate. Still, there are oddities and exceptions in every field. The Elite jump troopers of Army 61 provide an example: They are equipped with jump packs, powered armour and lasguns, a combination especially formulated for attacking defended installations.

An Imperial army group with jump packs AND power armor. That would be incredibly rare back then, and probably virtually unheard of in recent times (save amongst officers or perhaps certain highly elite units. but mayb that would be just semi powered carapace.)

Page 65

The Chapter [White Scars] has been instrumental in achieving many improtant victories for the Imperium, not least of which was their part in the destruction of Tyrannid Hive-Fleet 'Behemoth' (745 of the current millenium) Strangely enough, this remains the Whitescars only action against these foul servants of Chaos.

In 1st edition the White Scars assisted against Hive Fleet Behemoth. And peculiar to see the 'Nids regarded as "minions of Chaos" (although it could be argued they spread anarchy wherever they go.)

Page 65

The Chapter is a mobile one. Its headquarters is the vast space barge/monastery 'Conastantius', and the White Scars fleet numbers ove ra hundred craft. The majority of these re fully Warp capable and so the Chapter has an unusually high number of AStropaths and Navigators attached to it.

They have retained their mobility, but more on a ground/tactical level than in space. They also have a homeworld, but they may also have such a Battle barge/monastery, and that many ships (though it woudl be large for a Space Marine fleet.)

Page 65

One unit which is unique to the White Scars is the Soul Drinkers. This is a special Assault group of which all the members are veteran hand-to-hand combat specialists. The number of squads in the group varies but there is normally at least one available to the Commander. All of the Souldrinkers have Champion status and are armed with power swords and Refractor fields in addition to their powered armour.
..

The Souldrinkers have full Company status but rarely have more than 3 squads extant and do not have any higher officers. The squad leaders (Sergeants) report directly to the Lieutenant commander.

Heh. Soul Drinkers. I think I like this version better than the Ben Counter one.

Page 65

The Chapter also has the capacity to field specially upgraded "Cobra" squads. These are equipped with jump packs so that they can deploy rapidly and remain highly mobile.

.

Each of the Chapter's companies is able to equip a portion of its men as a Cobra force. Companies 4 and 7 maintain a permanant list of 4 squads each for Cobra Squads...

"Cobra" jump pack squads. In 1st edition not every Assault squad had jump packs.

PAge 69

Anotehr standard Imperial design, the Grav-Attack is the most common hover vehicle used by both Marine Chapters and the Imperial Army. It is solidly based on Eldar origin, although Imperial designs tend to be less streamlined. On worlds of suitable terrain, the Grav-Attack takes over the battlefield role normally performed by the stalwart Land Raider. Medical and Communications variants are included in most munitions stores, as well as troop carriers and assault versions.

The Eldarian Grav-Attack forms the grgreater part of most vehicles used by that racee. Most other races use them infrequently - when captured models are available.

The Grav ATtacks were equipped with multi lasers and bolters in a fixed mount (forward)

The stat block lists a turret mounted multi laser and 2 bolt guns, the latter being fixed mount and forward firing. Also has auto-drive, auto-aim, targeter, and energy scanner. Part of me wonders if this was the "shampoo/deoderant bottle" attack ship of olden times,

Page 70

The 13th/5th (The thirteent Imperial Army of the fifth quadrant) is commanded by the erudite Julius Hylgar of the Priesthood of Earth. Hylgar is a senior member of the Administratum and was assigned to military cooridnation duties at an early stage in his career. Having shown a high level of enthusiasm and dedication to this particular field of the administratum's work, he was soon appointed to the personal staff of the great General Marcus Aurelius.

This makes me think Space Romans.

Page 70

Hylgar is assisted by a personal staff of over 100 -including members of the priesthood and other supernumeraries - and has direct control over the 12 army brigades which comrpise the 13th Army. Hylgar is also able to call on the servicees of a contingent of the Imperial Fleet, and has three Warp-capable craft for his private use.

The Hell-Raiser's 12 brigades are garrisoned in the Korlane system and Hylgar has his headquarters on the paradise planet of Durla V. The Garrisons are each led by a senior officer of the Imperial Army with the rank of Brigadier General, the highest non-Prieshood rank in the army. As is tradition, each Brigade is divided into 10 Companies, led by a captain.

12 Army Brigades of 10 companies, all Garrisoning one system. In 1st ed: a company is 100 men, which means 1000 men per Brigade (which is rather small, since modern brigades can be between 5-10,000 men.) Depending on definition of "brigade" this could mean 12,000 to 120,000 troops for a single planet. If this were an "aveerage" garrison force, this would mean 1 million armies, and a total of 12-120 billion troops devoted to Garrison duty.

Note acesss to a "Fleet conteingent" and three personal Warp capable ships (a million contingents and 3 million "private" warp capable ships as a total.)

Page 72

- many of the officers (Sergenat Magjors, lieutenants, captains, etc. have force fields (refractor or conversion fields, mesh armour, or mesh and flak armour combined, communicators, ifra-vision visors, and photocromatic contacts or visors. Even an Ogryn Veteran Sergant has flak/mesh armour, a photochromatic visor, communicator, laspistol, and a power glove. That must be a smart bugger.

Page 73 - squad arrangement: all flak armor and lasers. Sergeant has communicator and photochromatic visor.

- "striker squads" have flak and mesh, las guns, frag grenades. Also a heavy bolter heavy weapon with two suspensors and a targetr. Sergeant has communicator and bio-scanner.

Page 74
Guard Squads (Champion level) - all troopers have helmet with photochromatic visor, flak armor, bolt guns and frag/krak grenades. Additional mesh armor as well.
Sergeant has communicator. Other units have missile launchers with frag/crack missiles. Additional equipment is targeter snad suspensors for heavy weapons, the sErgeant has a bio and energy scanner.

Recon squad - again photochromatic visor in helmet, flak armour with cameleoline, and lasguns and blind grenades. 1 Trooper has plasma gun. Sergeant has bio scanner, energy scanner, and communicator. One extra communicator. Recon squad may also have jump packs.

Page 75 - Assault squads - Flak armor, mesh armour, laspistols. Sergeant also has communicator and power glove.

Page 75
-
Ogryn Power squds - 6 troopers with hand weapon and primitive armour, 1 sergeant with autog un and flak.

PAge 75

Ogryns are particularily slow-witted and the standard troopers cannot cope with even the simplest of Imperial technology. Because of this they are poorly armed and generally only wear the most primitive armour. They are rarely uniformed and the appearance of a suqad can be very varied - odd figures aving bits and pieces of primitive plate and chainmail mixed with furs and hides. The cumulative effect of this is to give the standard troopers a basic armour saving throw of six. Heroes are batter equipped and will usually have at least flak armour for protection. The standard Ogryn troopers carry only hand or hafted ewapons; their feeble brains being unable to cope with the intricacies of shooting guns.

Implied here that flak is considered superior protection to plate and chain and hides, at least against most kinds of attacks.

Page 76

Small tracked carriers are a feature of many armies across the galaxy. The carrier provides a convenient method of transporting large and unwieldy pieces of heavy weaponry into position on the battlefield with relative ease. The Imperial Army favors their use, as do Orks and pirate groups. The Marine Chapters tend not to employ them, ,preferring instead to reply on man-portable s upport weapons. The carrier is, quite simply, a heavy weapon mounted on a set of tracks, ,and is treated exactly as a small vehicle. The crew, which normally numbers two, sit on the tracked superstructure while it is moving, and may dismount when the main armament is firing.

..

Equipment space is limited, and is normally taken up by an Auto-drive facility and a Targeter for the gun, which is aimed and fired by the crew.

Multi lasers are standard armament, but they also carry multimeltas and lascannon. An early sort of Chimera, perhaps?

Page 76 - other vehicles in clude Black Shadow bikes with side car (multi melta) Hellfire class Land raiders, Imperial (Land) speeders, and the Rapiers.

PAge 77

The mole mortar employs an inversed mortar launcher and special ammunition to launch a a subterranean shell or "tunnel torpedo" whch burrows its way underneath the battlefield. The mole mortar was actually developed to attack tunnelling vehicles,..

Mole mortar. Described elsewhere.

Page 77

The Tarantula has three basic components, a mobile gravitic-powered base, a body including auto-aim and targeter systems, and armament. It is, in effect, a robotic weapon mount controlled by a crewman who can move the Trantula from place to place and select targets.

As before, taratnulas are noted as being equipped with auto aim and two targeters. They can equip tow pair of any kind of heavy weapon.

Page 78

En, route, he has numerous minor duties to perform, including a policing visit to the rebelling Horne's World in teh Claw Nebula, and an investigation of the lost world of Diarack, inaccessible for nearly three generations because of Warpstroms. These have recently abated, and Astropathic studies have discenred a possibel navigation corridor; the Administratum are keen to establish the genetic purity of the world's population, and Borodin has authorisation to take any necessary action - potentially a dangerous and time-consuming task.

"normal" duties of a Rogue Trader leaving the Imperium on a task/

Page 85

The Nebula is not a hazardous itself, but since the systems within the Claw Nebula are "border" types, where the full weight of Imperial ifnluence is not often felt, it is the perfect breeding ground for rebellion and other criminal activity. The Imperium is in an almost permanant state of war with various Claw Nebula factions, including a string of minor Pirate nations.

..

Crangor has a reasonably wide range of troops and equipment at his disposal. This is partly luck, and partly because he has managed to extract an oath of fealty from a Squat Clan leader of the Kalak-Azrum system. This has provided him with access to a range of contraband Imperial equipment and a sizeable contingent of Squat warriors. The Clan leader;s third son is now Crangor's Bosun and the Squats are unswervingly loyal to both him and Crangor, een to the point of fighting alongside Eldar.

In modern terms such an area would probably be termed" frontier" or "wilderness" space, although its unlikely that human habited worlds would be just ignored like that.

Also one of hte pirates managed to suborn Squats. Much like happened in the Space Marine novel. Squat pirates! And working with Eldar.

Page 90 - Eldar squads all have Mesh armour, refractor fields, laspistols, photochromatic visors, communicators and respirators. Some are armed with shuriken catapults some with flamers, or meltaguns, or missile laucners. They can also get flight packs., targeters, energy scanners, and bio scanners.

Page 93

The many monastery fortresses of the Legiones AStartes all have maintenance facilities that allow the creation of new armour camouflage shcemes and insignia designs. THese are controled by SID robots and operate automatically. Reprogramming is only required for occsaional standard uniform updates. Often, those who have failed the Marines' initiatino process stay on at the fortress (assuming they remain mentally and physically intact) to become artisans and adminsitrators working in just such fields.

FAbrication tech of a sort.

Page 93

Sometimes, exquisitely detailed scrolls containing proverbs or evne portraits of the Emperor himself have been painted onto a uniform one week, only to be vapourised in battle the next.

I'm not sure whether this means just the armor is vaporized, the part of it with the heraldry is, or the armor and the person.

Page 93

But parade ground armour inevitably loses its layers of lacquer and paint. Not only does it become battle worn and weathered, but it is also subjected to the changing tastes of the trooper wearing it, as he becomes a different being, scarred by the horrors of conflict and moulded by the chemical and hypnotic treatment administred by members of the Apothecarion.

Personality changes are inflicted by chemical and hypnotic treatment, not much surprise there.

Page 101

Eldar pirates also make regular use of mercenaries, but since they feel a natural antipathy towards Orks, and find Humans irksome, their favoured choice are the massive Zoats. Mercanary groups of these weird creatures are very rare, however, and the few groups to be found within the Imperium are renegades from the Hive-Fleets of the dread Tyrannids. Either abandoned by, or escaped from their former masters, they have little choice but to fight fo rwhoever pays the best and complains least.

More of Eldar pirates (who wont work with humans or Orks if they have a choice) and the Zoats who "fled" the Tyranids.

Page 102

The 'Thopter wa sa local model, ancient and noisy, the dull beat of its engines dwoning out any attempt at conversation.

..

"How far are we form the place?" he asked.

"About twenty miles. It's impassable overland of course, but only a few minutes in a 'thopter."

Ornithopters. Assuming 32 km in 2-3 minutes is between 640 and 960 kph.

Page 106

Acquisitors can be found on many battlefields, salvaging and removing alien artifacts and items for later study, often under the guns of the enemy.

..

As a virtual Earth Native, the Adeptus Terra inducted him as soon as he left the training creche. His scientific aptitude was noted, and he was assigned to the Adpetus Mechanicus.

Erasmus has had his brain augmented by an electrograft, which gives him a complete memory of many of the technological items the Adeptus Mechanicus have studied. In turn this allows him to rapidly evaluate alien items on the battlefield, and reject those object swhich are of littel worth.

Imperium salvaging alien tech for study. And an electrograft that baiscally gives photographic memory.

Page 107

Often he is so involved in noting that Space Marines fail to pick up spent (but nevertheless expensive to manufacture) cartridge cases that he doesn't relaise the enemy wants to kll him.

Astartes weapons (eg bolters) have casings.

Page 108

Most assassins are taken from feral worlds during infancy, but Jaku is something of a rarity. He is form a hive world, and was recruited at a very late age: 14. The reasons for these breaks with normal practice were simple: The assasins required an operative who was at home on hive worlds, to remove troublesome Imperial Governors.

Hive world assasins are considered a specialization, and teenage Assassins are rare.

Page 108

[Psi-Assasin]
A highly trained and dangerous assassin. Tarik enjoys nothing more than frying his victim's brains before finishing them off by more orthodox means. His abilities to cause fear, and even route whole units, make it a relatively easy task to neutralise any guards around his target.

[/quote][/quote]

Psychic assassins. The Assasinorum probably has them, and I bet they form their own temple. (something like the Culexus, but only the opposite.)

Edit: Though I only learned the detail later, I believe book of the Astronomican features one of those mentions of Ollianius Pius, who is of great importance to a certain Guard-loving subset of the fandom as I understand it. At least I remember a picture of him being on a flag and being a patron saint or something appeared. Whether this is THE FIRST reference or not, I have no freaking clue.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

Connor MacLeod wrote:The voyage sof the Spacewolves' five-year mission to uncover new worlds and cleanse them of the Emperor's enemies would provide sufficient material for a TV series, if not several high-budget feature films. But soffice it to say, the Marines did their duty. By the year 987.M41, the Spacewolf Armada was approaching its final target, the planet Xit.

How about that for a Star Trek remake? Also, I think the entire creation of the Space Wolves Chapter and their homeworld was to set up a lame pun about being led by "Lord Lucan".

The Space Marine Painting guide booklet, incidentally, mentions that the Space Wolves take pride in adhering to the precepts of the Index Astartes, while the Ultramarines are known for deviating from it by painting slogans on their vehicles. How times change, eh?

Page 69

Another standard Imperial design, the Grav-Attack is the most common hover vehicle used by both Marine Chapters and the Imperial Army. It is solidly based on Eldar origin, although Imperial designs tend to be less streamlined. On worlds of suitable terrain, the Grav-Attack takes over the battlefield role normally performed by the stalwart Land Raider. Medical and Communications variants are included in most munitions stores, as well as troop carriers and assault versions.

The Eldarian Grav-Attack forms the greater part of most vehicles used by that race. Most other races use them infrequently - when captured models are available.

The Grav Attacks were equipped with multi lasers and bolters in a fixed mount (forward)

The stat block lists a turret mounted multi laser and 2 bolt guns, the latter being fixed mount and forward firing. Also has auto-drive, auto-aim, targeter, and energy scanner. Part of me wonders if this was the "shampoo/deodorant bottle" attack ship of olden times,

Yes, it was.

As for Ollanius Pious, that was a different book - the Warhammer 40,000 Compendium, reprinting an article from a White Dwarf. The John Blanche painting showing F Company, Necromundan 9th with their banner depicting Ollanius Pious, is here.

Well I am going ot make a MASSIVE update here sort of.

I'm not going to cover Chapter Approved this week. It's more 'old school' stuff before I move on, but later in the week or something I may throw more Chapter approved in just because Iw ant to get rid of it.

Right now we'll cover an oldie but one I suspect many know: The Realms of Chaos books. They were very old stuff pertaining to Chaos in both Warhammer and 40K both, so it was a bit mixed. I pretty much ignored all the WH stuff and only focused on the 40K side of things. the bulk of it pertains to daemons, the Emperor, the Sensei and the star child stuff... so we're delving into the quasi-canon and 'retcon' area again. My personal belief is 'the idea is sound even if the details are wrong' - that is what the Starchild, sensei and all that represent (basically the imperial version of gods, daemons, chaos champions, etc.) is plausible, but the specific ideas have been discarded or remade to suit modern times.

Anyhow here we go: First part will be Slaves of Darkness

Page 10

As their great ships travelled through warpspace the Old Slaan protected themselves with powerful enchantments..

Old Slaan/Old Ones had Warp engines I guess.

Page 212

The Warp is also an important factor in the survival of the human race. Spacecraft, capable of voyaging thousands of light years in a matter of days, travel across the warp. by such fragile means Humanity is bound together in a single Imperium, led by the Master of Man, the Emperor. The Emperor's will may be mighty, but his reach is long only because warpspace may be crossed by his fleets.

"thousands of light years" in days could be anywhere from 120,000c to 1.8 million c, depending on the interpretations of "days" and "thousands" (taking it fairly limited we're talking hundreds of thousands to a few million c. Other interpretations, of course could be more open ended.

Page 212

within warpspace, the fabric of Chaos ebbs and flows, forming eddies and vortices of pressure and potential energy, concentratin gpower in relatively 'small' locales. These swirls and eddies, great warpstorms that can seal off huge tracts of warpspace (and real space- spacecraft are unable to navigate warp storms), are capable of unimaginable acts of creation and destructions. The storms are the Powers of Chaos, its lords and masters, formed of the endlessly fluid fabric of their universe. As their concentration within the warp changes, the Chaos Powers ebb and flow.

Warp storm activity in the 40K universe seems strongly tied to the Chaos gods (and possibly others) and their effects upon it. This obviously means they are screwing around with warp travel for the imperium and one reason it can be so risky. given what we see in the Horus Heresy (when they blocked off Warp Travel for the Imperium but aided Horus and his allies) this makes sense.
It also suggests that yet another way the Emperor and Chaos war is in trying to either facilitate or hamper warp travel for humanity, and their presence (or absence) can have a huge impact on warp speed.

Page 213

Other warpstorm Powers, the more formidable of their kind, however, achieve coherence of a different order, and they are able to manipulate the warp around themselves, holding the fabric of the warp in a pattern of their own choosing. Such Chaos Powers sitll wax and wane with the flow of the warp, but their core of intelligence and personality remains, protected by its own power. The great Powers of Chaos - Korne, Slaanesh, Nurgle and Tzeentch - are beings of this magnitude.

We draw a further distinction here. The aformentioned "warp storm" powers were more temporary, or unformed powers... they may briefly coalesce or gain in power, but they invariably fade. The four Chaos Gods, however, have reached a 'criticial mass' which gives them a certain degree of permanance in the warp - the wax and wane to a much lesser degre than their compatriots (possibly due to some sort of self-sustaining nature - so long as they can be sustained and remain intact.)
This adds a further dimension to warp travel.. independent of the Four, normal warp powers waxing and waning can f*ck with warp travel (and realspace) but the permanance of the four creates even more problems and conflict.

Page 213

There is undoubtably another irritant which forms ripples in the warp: Mankind.
...
Such abilities are a legacy of Man's close relationship with Chaos, a link that is growing in strength.
...
- psykers - have psionic powers, and each cuases a pinprick of disturbance within the warp; each is a seed for a warpstorm; each can rouse a Chaos Power. The blaring of the Astronomican, the Imperial psychic beacon, is a constant pressure within the warp. The homing signal enables the ships of Humanity to navigate safely within the warp, but its transmissions echo across the wapr, causing untold ripples and unpredictable flows.

Humanity's psychic activiites ciontribute to the disturbances of the warp, unsurprisingly - evne (or especially) the Astronomican. The latter may be a more controlled sort of disturbance, but it will still interact with (and stir up) the warp and its currents.
Also while psykers are 'seeds', I would think that their danger is largely one in aggregate. A single psyker tapping the warp is unlikely to, by himself, set off a warp storm or grab the notice of Chaos. millions or billions of psykers doing so is another story (Eg astrotelepathy.)
It suggests that simply to exist as a galactic power using the warp as a bond will carry with it some inherent warp disturbance, and thus effect the preicsion and speed of warp travel. Indeed, with time (and with the growth of psychic ability) it could be argued it gets even worse.
Humanity in general, even if it is only weakly psychic, doubtless contributes to the effect, especially as their numbers increase - every little bit will count, and sheer numbers can make up for the lack of individual power (1e5-1e6 humans for every psyker.)
Chaos cults, of course, only add to this, and their dealings furthre stir up the pot.

Page 213

Over the millenia each has fed on an aspect of Man: its rage, lust, corruption and inconstancy. As they have absorbed this power the Chaos Powers have gained human aspects...
...
Corrupted and moulded by the thoughts and feelings of reailty, the wapr Powers nuture more hatred and depravity in the hearts of Mankind. And so a circle is established - Man's follies feed the warp Powers, and the Powers encourage Man to further follies.

The cycle as it stands. It does rather closely parallel what the Eldar went thorugh with Slaanesh, so it is quite possible this leads to an ultimately self destructive breaking point, much as was feared in the Inquisition War novels.
Of course, if humanity is feeding the four Gods, it is also feeding the human God/the GEoM as well. I imagine it ultimately becomes a matter of who gains more from the actions. And it does make a bit of sense of religion, as cruel and nasty as it is. If these actions are going to happen anyhow, its better that their power go to the entity with whose interests humanity best lies (the Emperor) rather than feeding the Chaos Gods.

Page 213

..they [Chaos Powers/Gods] are slaves to its [The Warp's] currents. As a result they have created servants - Chaos Daemons - who are not bound so closely to the warp.
...
A Daemon is 'born' when a Chaos Power gives up a little of its accumulated power to create a separate being. This power binds a collection of senses, thoughts and purposes together, giving it a personality and conciousness that moves within the warp. The Chaos Power can reclaim the power and independence it has given to its Daemon children at any time, thus ensuring their loyalty. It is only through the loss of this power that a Daemon can be 'killed'.
...
The lesser Chaos Powers can also give brith to a Daemon. The ripples of warpspace create short lived and very minor Powers, some of whom invest all their energy in a single Daemon. They 'become' the Daemon, and gain independence form the warp's ceaseless currents, exchanging the potential of greater power for the certainty of maintaining their current energy.

the creation and purpose of Daemons. Basically one purpose seems to be that they act as agents of sorts - they are more stable constructs of the warp than a Chaos God, and give it a measure of permanance in the warp (especially for the lesser gods.) it can pour its power into and maintain a portion of itself - a receptacle not unlike the way Daemons can use living beings as vessels for their own power whilst in realspace.
one imagines that Chaos Daemons also, by virtue of being a lesser, weaker 'power' are also more sensitive/observant of events at a more local/smaller scale than a great Chaos god is, so they act as observers and spies for things that may be of benefit to said god, as well as intermediaries with the realspace denizens they deal with (it also facilitates "multitasking" I imagine - a sort of delegation of authority.)
The trick that minor gods/powers pull to gain stability by 'possessing' a daemon they create is rather clever, and it would help explain Slaanesh (how it could always exist, how it could have a daemon devoted to it, even whilst it was not properly 'born' from Farseer.)
Page 213

The final group within the wapr are creatures who owe little or no loyalty to the Chaos Powers. Astral Spectres, Astral Hounds, enslavers and the like exist within warpspace, but they are not creatures of Chaos.

The distinction being, I imagine, is that they are 'native' denizens of the dimenseion of warp space, whilst the Chaos Gods and their daemons are the offspring of a warp/materium interaction (so to speak.) I imagine their existence helps explain why Daemons might be different from the Gods/Powers too.

Page 213

This odd timeflow even allows some psykers to make predictions as to future events and cataclysms, although such omens are rarely clear cut. The Astronomican's constant signals, spacecraft in the warp, unexplained psychic echoes, cratures moving within the warp and the whirlpools of psychic misery that cloak some planetary systems contribuet to the 'white noise' of warpspace.

The mechanisms of divination and precog and the problem sin its accuracy. One imagines that it works going backwards (reading the past) as well. Other abilities tied to this could be teleportation (messing with space or distances, creating gates or wormholes or beaming objects/peopl ethrough the warp.) Warp travel can benefit from tweaking time and space in the warp as well (shortening or lengthening distances, adjusting the time relative to realspace, etc.)

Page 214

By worshipping Chaos, covens hasten the end of Humanity. Unless te species can evolve without interference, it will fall, suffering the fate of the Eldar. The soul of Humanity will arise as a new Power of Chaos.
This is the purpose of the Chaos Powers in nuturing their coven followers.
...
and the world may be protected and isolated by a Power for years, even centuries.

There seems to be a race against time in this way - trying to outrun the failure of the Imperium/golden throne, and outrun Chaos plan to plunge everything into Chaos, in order to bring into being a new human god. The Eldar seem to be doing the same (as well as assisting humanity in their own way in fostering a new 'god' as well.)

Page 215

The Eldar adopted, refined, and perfecte dthe ancient Slaan knowlege of the warp and its movvments. they established a network of wormhole tunnels through warpspace, linking gates aboard tjheir craftworlds, planets and smaller spaceships. It was possible for an Eldar to walk from one planet to another, across hundreds or thousands of light-years of real space.
...
stretching across their space and, or so it was theorized, backwards and forewardsin time.

The Webway. Built upon and expanded upon the Old Ones knowledge. Also the temporal aspects of the webway (as we saw again in the Inquisition War novels.)
Page 215

The Library's 'mind' defends itself against the weak who would misuse its knowledge by refusing entry to all except those who have acknowledged and tempered the Chaos within themselves.

Implies a self-ware active resistance to interefrence and intrusion, especially from Chaos. One wonders how Draco got in, and if it was deliberate...

Page 216

His mind, so long the bastion of Humanity against the horrors of the warp, is failing. His once indivisible will is fragmenting; parts of his psyche are at war; independent thoughts and feelings arise within his mind, emerging from the whirls and splits of his age-old personality. His conscious mind is still in control but, year by year, his dreams and visions of the warp grow a little clearer.
...
The good intentions have been soured by the practicalities of Imperial power; guilt and shame for past decisions grows over the centuries. And Mankind remains as stubborn as ever and turns to Chaos, despite the best efforts of the Emperor and his servants.
...
The Emperor can see the peril that is coming. There will be a time when he has deteriorated to such a point that he can no longer continue, even sustained by the power of a million psykers. His mind will break completely and his self-imposed task as Humanity's guide will have been in vain. The emerging race of Psychic Man will fall to Chaos.

We saw some of this hinted at in the Inquisition War, and it probably reflects his origins as laid out in the Realms of Chaos books (which while not directly refrenced in modern fluff, have been hinted at.) It may even be that the reason his mind is fragmenting is tied to the failures of the Golden throne... if it sustains his body and his body is weakening, the fragments making up his soul probably would be coming apart with the phyiscal body or something.

Page 216

he Illuminati are marked by a single common experience; they have been possessed by Daemons.
...
But there are some that escape, either by fluke or sheer force of will. These people have been able to withstand the possession and cast the Daemon out, taking control of his own body once more.
...
They have had the most intimate of contact with Chaos; sharing a mind with one of its servants.
...
To many, the Illuminati are mad, scarred and twisted by their experiences, brought to a level of bitter cynicism that has no equal. The Illuminati see themselves in a different light. They have become the ultimate realists, aware of the terrible nature of the universe they inhabit. They have survived Chaos, and achieved a balance that eluded the Eldar. They have mastered the Chaos within themselves and now oppose Chaos in the broader universe.
...
Because of the this, the Illuminati are some of the few allowed access to the Black Library of the Eldar.
....
The Illuminati have become the most secret of secret societies, standing above and beyond the Emperor. They manipulate and interpret the Imperial Will to bring about their objectives.
....
For the Illuminati, the ends - the preservation of Mankind - justify any means, up to and including the destruction of the Emperor and the Imperium.
...
The Illuminati know of the fall of the Eldar, and seek to prevent the same thing happening to Mankind.
...
The fall of such a numerous, vigorous race as Man could bring about the complete merging of the two dimensions. In such a new, radically altered warp-reality, Chaos would be in the ascendancy. Mankind would perish, and a new warp Power would arise.
This is the future that the Illuminati seek to thwart, and in doing this they mean to rejuvenate the Emperor.

The illuminati. Proof that one can survive daemonic possession.. that it is not entirely one way or inevitable. There even seems to be a measure of benefit, although this may be a mixed blessing.
They are also allies of the Eldar, although as we saw in Inquisition War this wasn't a perfec tor happy union (given Eldar arrogance towards humanity - at least of Ulthwe - this is not surprising. It's likely the Eldar see the Illuminati as pawns as any lesser race is.)
The Illuminati also seem to have rather significant influence in the Imperium - they mention an Inquisitor-Illuminati and several of those we saw in Inquisition War... they probably infiltrate all the Adepta and manipulate events in the Imperium to their own ends (like the Hydra cabal.) This probably repreesnts a not-so-minor way the Eldar influence the Imperium directly.

Page 217

During his life he fathered many families...
..
They [Emperor's sons] too are immortal, but while their father is mankind's most powerful psyker, they are the exact opposite. They are psychic blanks, who cannot be seen or sensed by psykers. As a result, they are safe from the mental interference of warp entities, and they have the power ot channel and use warp energy directly. The emperor's sons are also stronger, tougher and faster than the rest of Humanity, in many ways the genetic counterparts of the Marines of the Legiones Astartes. They are, however, infertile..
...
Only when he meets, or is drawn to, another Sensei does the truth emerge. The new Sensei is taught that he has other abilities: the power to tap warspace and channel the energy gained into combat; the power to sense Daemons and feel disturbances in the flow of the warp; the power to remain hidden from any psychic. Once trained the new Sensei is inducted into the 'Brotherhood', and burdened with the knowledge of his fate: to battle against Chaos.
..
..a few defy their brother Sensei and flee to Chaos becoming Grey Sensei, among the cruellest servants of darkness.

The Sensei.. i think they're prototype Primarchs, meant to be the Imperial analogue of Chaos Champions or Daemon Princes or the like... but they also have a distinct Highlander/Jedi feel to them too.
How they fit into current canon I have no idea. I'd gues ssome sort of special super Psyker or super Librarian.. maybe something like Da'Kir from the Salamanders novels. Their psychic "blank" ness would be the same ability the Emperor has to hide, and their ability to safetly tap the warp is the same (due to their raw power or "evolved" nature, rather than being something else.)

Page 217

The Illuminati have an altogether different interest in them. Mankind will fall unless the Emperor is renewed; therefore the Illuminati are manipulating events to a point where this can happen.
...
At the moment the Emperor's will breaks, the Illuminati will offer up the remaining Sensei in a sacrifice to the Golden Throne of Earth. The Emperor and the Sensei will be united, in just the same manner as the Emperor has absorbed countless psykers. The new, evolved Sensei-Emperor, father and sons, will arise to protect and lead Mankind. Such is the plan of the Illuminati.
...
The Emperor must never learn of the Illuminati's existence or plans, for pre-knowledge could easily result in his premature abdication of power. If Humanity is to be saved by the Illuminati scheme, the Emperor may see no reason to continue. Likewise, the Sensei, unaware of their heritage and destiny, must never learn the truth, or they may be unwilling to meet their appointed fate.

The illuminati grand plan. I gather they see The Sensei as some sort of extension of the GEoM... facets of the same Chaos power or god being.. possibly other champions or avatars, and they intend to do some sort of sacrifice ritual to create a new god, not unlike the efforts of the Eldar to create themselves a new god with their own souls.
One might parallel the Sensei perhaps to the efforts of the Thorians to locate a new "Body" for the Emperor, or one of those rare "super-psykers" that have manifested like in 'Warped Stars' (also by Ian Watson.) That's about the closest parallel to mdoern canon I could find

Page 219

Relatively speaking, daemonic intrusions into the psykers' minds are rare.

In a way that's true.. at least directly from the warp. Unless they are constnatly using their powers or particularily active, the churning and currents of the warp (the 'white noise') that distorts and blocks out all other psychic activity would mask warp usage (or even contribute to it.)

Page 221

...teleporters are sensitive pieces of equipment. They tap into other universes when transmitting their cargoes, and it is all too easy for a teleporter beam to enter warpspace accidnetally.

This may suggest teleporters "skim" the Warp in a manner reminiscent of ether drives.. or only very shallowly breach it, and the risks are in coming into contact (unprotected.) the alternate interpretation is they create some sort of 'tunnel' akin to a shokk attack gun, which may put a different spin on the idea of 'dimension. All the failures more or less end up with people dead or possessed or mutated, or sometimes both (fused into lifeless lumps of flesh, or one huge lump..)

Page 226

Occasionally, the host mind is strong enough to put up some resistance and prevent the Daemon from taking over completely. The mind of the mortal host retreats to a dark corner of the possessed brain, but it survives throughout the many changes its body undergoes, mute witness to the havoc wrought by the Daemon.

ther eis some truth to this. We know Fulgrim's mind survived his possession (although by the daemon's choice. ) The exalted from the Night Lords novels had its hosts' mind still intact, and could evne take back temporary control.

Page 226

A corpse can serve Chaos just as well as any other body, and a Daemons will may prove strong enough to motivate a dead and deathless corpse for centuries.

Destruction of the body, rather than just killing it, is the means of depriving the Daemon of access, at least once it is in material space.

Page 231

Their vast and rotting space hulks are built form the remains of salvaged spacecraft, bioengineered and mutated creatures of deep space, and general debris of all kinds. The hulks drift across the galaxy, often dropping into and out of warpspace.
..
The Renegade's hulk drifts into a system, he and his retinue teleport down to a planet, steal any transport and equipment they require, plunder the planet of resources, and retreat..

Space hulk bound Chaos Renegades... one example of such forces and their means of attacking. one such example was during the 13th Black Crusade.

Pag e240

Horus chose bioweapon bombardment on Isstvan III, and the planet became a tomb in seconds. The psychic scream of the 12 billion who died during the Scouring of ISstvan...

Issstvan.. happening in 'seconds'

Page 241

The Crusade against Horus, although of the utmost urgency, took more than 180 days to plan and launch.

This implies it may have taken no longer than 6 months to reach isstvaan from Terra, it being "halfway across the galaxy" from the Imperial throneworld. 100-120,000c

Page 243

the first Inter-Legionary War - the horus Heresy - lasted less than a decade, but it nearyl destroyed the Imperium

timeframe of the HH. Considering many of the other timeframes and broad events in the HH depicted here were true (Davin, the Eisenstein, etc.) we might figure this is also, although HHCV implied only two years.

Page 244

Possessed Legionnaires are naturally attuned to the warp, and have no difficulty in guiding their Legion transports (which are now little better than hulks) across warp space to almost any point in the galaxy.

Means of Traitor navigation - possessed CSMs (probably Librarians.

page 244

The Inquisition has maintained a watch upon the system within the Eye through its irregular nullship probes. The nullships, spy vesels hidden behind screening shields and psychic barries, are equipped with massive snesor arrays to take physical readings of the EYe warp worlds and collect data on the various Traitor Legion bases and ofrtresses. Specially trained psykers, themselves watched for signs of Chaos-contamination and wrong-thinking, monitor the thoughts and feelings of the Legionnaires.

Null/spy ship recons.

Page 246

The origins of the Ordo malleus are very ancient, and predate the Emperor's confinement in his throne-machine. The Ordo was originally established to police the thoughts and deeds of the Inquisition itself. It is still responsible for the moral purity of all Inquisitors, but it is now also charged with seeking out and destroying all manifestations of Chaos within the Imperium.

Also the Sensei. It could be the Malleus was originally the only Ordo dedicated to all these tasks, but over time th other ordos.

Page 246

It [Malleus] is controlled by a council of 169 Masters, who have the right to direct audience with the Emperor. Their authority extends even to the Master of the Inquisition who has, on more than one occasion, been tried and executed by the Msaters of the Ordo.
Below the Masters are the Proctors and Proctors Minor, each of whom controls a chamber of the Ordo.
...
The number of Inquisitors Ordinary and Historical in a Chamber varies from only a few score for the Chambers Theroetical and Histroical to hundreds for some of the Chambers practical.

inquisitors Ordinary are the rank and file of the Chambers, and the Theoretical and Histroical do the research and archiving of the Inquisitional records. By this implicaion there would be tens if not hundreds of thousands of Inquisitiors in the Malleus alone, and probably many times that outside of it. Given the diagram on the next page the tens of thousands could be for researcher s(and veterans who survive) to hundreds of thousands of field Inquistiors.

Page 247

Mindscrubbing removes any and all memories of the Ordo's true purpose, but requires its vicitms to be completely retrained. Mindscrubbed Marines cannot even feed themselves, let alone fight for the Imperium.

Much like the Inquisitor Baal Firenze.

Page 250

Difficulties in manufacture, in particular a dearth of negative psychic energy (even with the discovery that Sensei can be rendered down for such energy) make psycannons rare weapons.
...
Psyk-out shells are impregnated with negative psychic energy. This is collected from the by-products of the Emperor's metabolism or rendered down from captured Sensei. No other sources of this energy have been discovered, which makes psyk-out weapons a rarity.

Not sure what 'negative psychic energy' is supposed to be or why the Empy and Sensei generate it. Sounds like PAriahs though!

Page 251

A power shield is a thin sheet of plasteel with a very small power field generator incorporated into the design. The generator produces a small power field sufficient to cove rthe surface of the shield.

Not unlike a storm shield.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

Now Lost and the Damned.

Page 6

Every flesh-and-blood creature has a simultaneous existence in both dimensions. The physical aspect lives in the material universe, but its existence creates a shadow-self in Chaos. It is from this shadow-self formed from pure energy that humans draw their mental powers such as resolve, vigour and determination.

The duality of 40K living beings.

Page 7

Severed from its psychic link to the material body, the shadow-self drifts in the Realm of Chaos. As it does so, some of its energies are dispersed into the general flow, but the strongest and most distinctive mental traits remain. The countless shadow-selves flow together because they are mutually attracted by their common traits.
..
this movement causes eddies and tides within the warp, and leads to the creation s of vortices or whirlpools formed almost entirely of common traits.

Chaos powers and their creation.

Page 7

The Traits which characterise the Chaos Powers are insanity, violence, ambition, greed and others of a kind which are often felt to typify the worst of human nature.
..
.. Chaos Powers also exist which typify fellowship, charity, law and other redeeming characteirstics. Indeed no Chaos Power is wholly one sided, for no human or other creature is wholly good or evil, and likewise neither are their shadow-selves.
...
..Khorne has inherited the warrior's sense of honour and martial virtue. Nurgle may typify decay and disase, but he also embodies human hope and energy that defies the inevitable.

The duality of Chaos Powers.. they're not all good or evil. more.. amoral.

Page 7

The four Great Powers of Chaos represent the four largest and most powerful of these many co-joined entities. They are so large that they have achieved a coherent consciousness and will, a mind formed form the collective emotions and beliefs of the countless myriads of shadow-selves that comprise it.
Other Chaos Powers sometimes achieve temporary consciousness, but their existence is less stable because they are smaller; they may be likened to slumbering gods whose dreams sometimes achive a passing solidity and who will prehaps one day awake to full awareness.

Chaos Gods vs other 'sleeping' powers. This may have relevance on the nature of the Eldar Gods (and their attempt to create a new God) and the whole stuff pertaining to the GEoM. For that matter, it explains how Slaanesh always existed yet coudl be "born".

Page 10

The total energy of a Chaos Power is reflected by the number of shadow-selves which make up it spresence in the Realm of Chaos. Thus, the greater the number of his mortal followers and worshippers the more powerful he is. As the energies of the Chaos Powers are used up to create daemons and conduct their affairs, they need to be constantly replenished. It is therefore in the Power's interests to promote the character taits he embodies among mortal men. Thus, all warriors, no matter their conscious feelings, are contriubting at least a little of themselves to the body of Khorne. This contribution is all the greater if the warrior is a devotee of Khorne, and especially if he is a Champion of Khorne.
..
All those who suffer and struggle to overcome suffering contribute a little to the body of Nurgle, all those who strive for change contirbute to the body of Tzeentch. It is because these traits are so common in human nature that the Great Powers are as powerful as they are.

The measure of a "power' of a Chaos God, and how that power/energy is tapped from living beings. First, I imagine the souls/shadow-selves includes both living and dead followers (when they die their souls that are dedicated to that god go to that God.) . Secondly, the way the "power" a living being contributes to gods is a complex web (EG all warriros contribute to Khorne, etc.) and it does explain why the four Choas Gods are powerful. But there is more to it than that.
Consider the Ork Gods, or the Tyranid hive mind. They are powered by the 'shadow selves' of a unified and powerful species devoted to their respective "Powers" completely and utterly. Indeed for the Orks not only are they 'racial' gods (the God of Orks) but Gork and Mork represent "aspect's as well.. so they gain from that as well. And the sheer number of orks explains why Gork and Mork are potentially the most powerful gods.
Likewise, Slaanesh may actually have an edge here, as he seems to have subsumed many aspects of the Eldar "gods" and benefits greatly from his connection to them, as well as being an aspect God (pleasure.)
By that same token, the human Emperor/God is the god of humanity. It could likewise encompass both the racial and 'aspect' qualities.. and would have potential to become extremely powerful if it could draw from both. Humanity is however more inconsistent than Orks, so this probably isnt as devoted or reliable - faith is a very subtle but forceful thing to trigger, and the Orks uncomplicated and straightforward natures are an asset here. Nevertheless, the Imperial Cult is a strong tool for strengthening the Emperor, and it is quite likely that being the 'human' god (or at least potentially the human god) would enalbe him to co-opt and weaken the ability of humans to contribute to the other Chaos powers spontaneously (EG an act done in the name of the Emperor, such as killing, could still benefit Khorne, but the intent focus on the Emperor would rob it o fmuch of that benefit - much in the same way being a servant of Khorne can enhance it.)
Given all that, small wonder the Eldar fear humanity creating a fifth Chaos power.... such an entity backing humanity would be insanely powerful, and could be decisive for, or against Chaos. The race (the Emperor, the Eldar, Chaos, etc.) seems to be towards which side the sleeping 'human god' might land on.

Page 10

...he [Champion] surrenders his shadow-self to the Power, so that it merges and becomes part of his Patron. In return the Chaos Power rewards the Champion as he sees fit..

A bit like Sorcery really, but probably not quite the same. It doesn't neccearily entail tapping the Warp, but it can grant all manner of abilities. The person becomes a conduit.. an Avatar.. for the Power/God. This has obvious benefits as it allows the Chaos entity to directly influence reality.

Page 10

Th eChaos Powers feared the Emperor because he understood them and sought to change human nature so that they would be starved of power.

The threat of the Emperor, and his great work.

Page 86

When a man, or other intelligent creature dies, his shadow-self drifts in the warp. There it meets and coalesces with other shadow-selves with which it has an affinity. these appear as whirlpools of energy within the warp, whirlpools made up of shadow-selves which share a common residual belief or emotion. As only the most deeply rooted emotional states survive death, the shadow-self is not a proper reflection of a human or other sentient personality, but only of its core beliefs and most strongly felt emotions.

Along with the whole 'aspect' stuff (anger/fear/etc.) they become both greatly simplified and broken down

Page 86

The shadow-slef of a dead creature does not as a rule retain the personality or mind that characterised it when alive. When shadow-selves coalesce in the warp, they begin to achieve consciousness of their own. The larger they become, the more closely do these entities approach full consciousness. The four Chaos Powers of Khorne, Slaanesh, Nurgle and Tzeentch have long since achieved full consciousness. There are also other powers which, although far smaller and less potent, are in the process of creation. They might be described as waking, or drifting in and out of consciousness, or in a dream state in which they dimly perceive the mateiral world. These are all nascent powers, power sin the process of becoming. One day they will achieve full consciousness.

Gods in potentia.. they have no 'permanance' but they still exist, grow unti lthey reach that critical point.

Page 86

Nascent powers may also create daemons. These daemons are given birth during moments of relative coherence, or sometimes as an off-shot of the dreaming mind of the unborn power. The daemons have energy only whislt their power is coherent or active, although they are not destroyed as their master slumbers, rather they become inactive until he wakes once more. Such daemons may interrupt in the lives of mortals just as other daemons do, furthreing the interests of their patron..

This has interesting implications, especially coupled with the use of such daemons as vessels for lesser Powers.

Page 86-87

..there are also independent daemons which owe no allegiance to any power. Such cratures are small parts of the warp, discreet whirlpools of energy far tinier than the Powers, but full conscious
A daemon of this kind is likely to have a mortal origin.
...
His mind and shadow-self unite to form a daemonic creature that inhabits the warp and which can manifest bodily in the material world under circ*mstances.

Independent daemons and dAemon princes. Sort of a hybrid entity, I guess.

Page 87

Other daemons are born from an amalgam of highly focused shadow-selves. This is an unusual occurance. Recorded instances stem from great tragedies involving the sudden death of several people at once and under particularily horrifying or heroic circ*mstances. The shadow-selves of the group pass into the warp at the same time, their material proximity ensures their warp proximity, and the circ*mstances of their death ensure a commonality that draws them togehter and into a single vortex of energy. The result is a daemon whose character is dominated by the events or emotions elicited by a common death. Such daemons may result from the heroic last stand of a gorup of warriors. More strange are the daemonic death cults whose members make a pact to live as murderers, hunting down and strangling or stabbing their victims, thereby establishing a commonality of mind or shared experience. These death cultists then saly themselves in the belief tha ttheir souls will converge and form an everlasting daemon.

This is noted as another way of creating an "unaligned" Daemon... and its interesting because it echoes the Fall of the Eldar in some ways. It also echoes another, rather familiar, creation story of a powerful psychic entity.

Page 87

Perhaps they are a natural part of the warp itself, its indigenous inhabitants who regard the influx of shadow-selves from the material unvierse as an unwelcome invasion. Maybe they are conjoined shadow selves of creatures that lived in an unimaginably early time before the living races of the current era; ancient Powers whose potency has waned to the point where they are but minor energies...
...
It could be that they ar ethe shadow-selves of some material creatures thatw e understand nothing of; the warp forms of things we regard as inanimate but which have their own immeasurably slow thoughts and live ssuch as trees, streams, rocks and whol eplanets..

Other possible "independent" Daemons. Some such may be what the Enslavers and other warp-spawned Xenos are. Or the Furies, unalinged warp entities.

Page 162

It can be plainly seen as a swirl of stars in the form of a vast unlbinking eye spanning ove rten thousand light tyears of space.

The Eye of Terror.

Page 162

No one can say exactly how many of these realities [EoT analogues of stars, systems, planets] exist inside the Eye of Terror. There must be many thousands if not tens of thousands. Indeed, their number and even their very form are probably inconstant and unpredictable.

That's a pretty safe assumption.

Page 163

Navigators of the Imperium will shun space for thousands of light years around rather than risk minor evitation in course which might take them into its boundaries.
...
Many can recall other Navigators who travelled too close to the Eye in a foolish attempt to cut a few days from tehir journey time only to vanish forver.

Taken togehter, it echoes the "thousands of light years in days" statement from Slaves to Darkness. Sufficed tos ay we are talking 240-350 thousand c at least.

Page 163

Now those [webway] entrances are sealed with bonds of wraithbone a thousand times stronger than steel...

Potential strength of Eldar Wraithbone.. even if normal wraithbone (say for starships) is a fraction of that.. its pretty damn insanely powerful. And Imperial starships are tougher still.

Page 163

The Inquisition never rests in its bid to oust Chaos Cultists from Imperial worlds, and whole planets have bene destroyed in order to eradicate thriving cults.

Possibly by large scale warfare, by orbital bombardment/extermiantus measures, or both.

Page 165

Because the Eye of Terror exists both in realspace and the warp it can be reached by spacecraft travelling in iether the mateiral universe or the immaterial warp. By moving into the Eye of Terror a spacecraft can move between the two alternative universes.

Nautre of the warp.

Page 165

The flow of the wapr can carry a spacecraft through time as well as space, so that what seems like a few days' travel may take a craft through thousands of years of time. Imperial ships are built to minimise these effects, adn their crews are careful to navigate round the worse eddites and whirlpoools of the warp. Chaos spacecraft are inconsiderate of such matters, and they are content to drift through time and spac euntil the winds of chance bring them to a suitable target.
Ships sometimes get caught up in the warp and subjected to the disturbing effects of time distortion.

This may be referencing time dilation factors in the warp (a few days in the warp is thousands of years in realspace) but it could be comparing journeys (again thousands of light yeras in a few days).. its hard to interpret.

Page 168

Cultists devote themselves to either the Undivided Glory of Chaos, on eof the Great Powers, a lesser Chaos Power, or a Daemon of Chaos.

The kinds of chaos cults. They cn come from all walks of life. Some may seek escape, or power, or wealth. Some may be ninilists or psykers, or seek knowledge. Or maybe adventurerers or excitement seekers. Some may be subvsersives. Most who fall to chaos really are fools, since Chaos is adept at subverting and coopting various groups and organizations to its purpose.

Page 168

The Imperial Cult teaches the Emperor is the divince representativ eof the entire race, who needs the worship of people everywhere to remain strong so that he can protect humanity. This creed is essentially true. The loyalty and determination of all of the Imperium's citizens is an important part of humanity's survival. But the Imperial Cult's teachings are also true in a literal way, because the Emperor does need the spiritual energies which his worshippers create in the warp.

Which means he is like a chaos power himself (or a Daemon. Or both) All the souls of those who die steeped in his faith (willingly believing in it, that is), including all the psykers sacrificed to him, or soul bound, the troopers, etc. They all go to strengthen him. Which is, when you think about it, alot of people.
example. It has been typically said that deaths and casualties in the Imperium can run into their millions (at least) in a single day. That is quite easily trillions, if not quadrillions of people as a bare minimum. Consider: The Earth has a annual mortality rate of 8.37 per 1000 people. In an Imperium of a million worlds, with billions of people average apiece (quadrillions) we're talking trillions, if not tens of trillions dying annually. Over a 10 millenia period, that is single or double digit quadrillions, and that is probably an underestimate because the Imperium is generlaly considered a sh*tty place to live.
Even scarier is how you consider the Orks outumber the humans...
An interesting sub-point of this is the Primarchs. We know (to an extent) that the dead primarchs and saints are like daemons on their own, allied to the Imperium. The "deaths" of chapter serfs and MArines under both the Imperium's aegis and in their own Chapter cults probably strengtens primarchs (to a lesser degree than Empy, but still quite a bit - which in turn strengthens the God Emperor) - hell the way the Imperial cult canonizes saints and Space Marines and the Primarchs probably strengthens them.

Page 168

According to the mysterious strictures of the Cult mechanicus knoweldge is the supreme manifestation of divinity and all creatures and artifacts which embody knowledge are holy because of it. The Emperor is the supreme object of worship because he comprehends so much. Machines which preserve knowledge from ancient times are also holy, as is research which creates new knoweldge. Machine intelligence is respected no less than human or other organic intelligence. To the Adeptus mechanicus a man's worth is only the sum of his knowledge. His body is simply an organic machine capable of preserving intellect.

Some of this arguably would need changing (EG machine intelligence to machine spirit) but the idea that knowledge and technology is holy (and the Emperor is the sumof all knowledge) persists in the "quest for knowledge" and the idea of the Omnissiah and such, so I would say that while the specifics may differ, the essential core of this idea is true.

Page 169

..their use of humans as raw material from which they create the special cyborg machine-creatures called Servitors. Servitors are supplied to the various governmental and military organizations throughout the Imperium including the Administratum, the Space Marines and other parts of the Adeptus Terra. Typical Servitors are Technomats who operate and service machines, holomats who act as holographic recordists, Lexomats who are like human computers with tremendous calculating powers, and Drones which are living robots - stupid and essentially mindless slaves ideal for menial work and little else.

Servitors and servitor variants.

Page 169

Traditional Warrior Cults are practised on many worlds where warfare is enemic. Not all such worlds are primitive by any means, even some of the most technically advanced worlds have warrior cultures. In some case this violence is highly ritualised, and takes the form of arena combats and formal duels. In other cases the fighting is restricted to certain classes or individuals, so that the ordinary members of society can go about their daily lives unaffected by the gangland style assassinations and vegneance killings which go on around of.
Although disapproved of by the Adeptus Ministorum, warrior cults are tolerated by planetary government and the Adeptus Terra. They promote martial ideals and warrior skills which are actually very useful to their local governments and even t othe Imperium itself. As many of the cults stress the noble values of conflict, such as the protection of the weak, they act as a stabilising force in what might otherwise seem a dangerously violent society.

They also support the military recruitment/conscription that constantly goes on, the "siege mentality" that drives the xenophobia, the constant wartime production and stockpiling, and generally keeps the attention of the Imperium's subjects focused outwards or inwards against potential (or even imagined) threats rather than focusing it on the governments (local or Imperial). Although there is truth to the "noble values' too, since protection of the Imperium is commonly emphasized.
I tend to think of "Warrior cult' as being more of a of the "military worship" society like you get in the USA (the whole "support the troops/right to bear arms/violent revolution and shooting is the way to solve thins/declare war on social ills" mentality) - in essence a rather violent form of tribalism (which varies not only from outright military stuff, to pseudo military stuff like the constant infighting of Hive Gangers.)

Page 169

many a savage tribe on some backward planet splashes idols with the sacrifical blood of their enemies, unaware their God is yet another aspect of Khorne the Blood God. Indeed the Adeptus Ministorum might well make efforts to introduce the worship of the Emperor among such people.

Which eitehr means that Chaos (even khorne) can inadvertantly or deliberately infiltrate and coopt the Imperial cult, or that the Imperial Cult will try to coopt worship away from the Chaos Gods. I imagine its a constant war both ways as one tries to do it to the other and vice versa. Faith is a tangible commodity in 40k, after all.

Page 171

Extreme political organisatisons make particularily good fronts for a Chaos Cult...[political manipulation]
...
Warrior cults also make useful front organisations. [miliary manipulation]
..
Labour, marketing and manufacturers unions can also hide a sinster Chaos Cult. [economic manipulation]
...
Businesses can provide excelelnt cover for the growing Chaos Cult... [more economic manipulation]
..
..while the corporate cover facilitates all kinds of moeny raising acitivites [more economic manipuation.]
...
in some places gangster organisations hav ea semi-legal status where they ar etolerated so long as their behaviour falls within certain limits. Sometimes the planet's whole politicla structure is based around gang power and constant intre-gang warfare...[Hive/criminal manipulation]

Various fronts and avenues of power for Chaos cults. It also tends to show a nice cross section of the kinds of "nonmilitary" organizations that can exist, even if regulated or restricted in the Imperium. If they didnt exist (political, economic, etc.) or existed in very limited forms even, they wouldn't be very useful as fronts.
Other accepted fronts are philoshopical or relgiious organizations. They can also acquire military and economic and psyker assistance.

Page 172

On worlds where life is relatively safe and quiet the Chaos Cult will usually set itself up as the champion of some worthy cause such as a world-wide charity, enviromental concern group, social welfare organisation, or some indisputably beneficial body.

Such organizations also exist in the Imperium, and can be coopted by Chaos (unsurprisingly.)

Page 172

They [Cults] may also use psychic powers to contact Chaos renegades dirfting through the warp and guide them to their world.

Using regular psykers to somehow act as beacons and communicators with Chaos forces.. its possible, although not neccesarily as long ranged or reliable as Navigators and Astropaths.

Page 172

Fifty years ago the world of Chianco lay at the cetnre of a rich trading sector in the teastern par of the Imperium known as the ultima Segmentum.
...
Interstellar spacecraft from the whole sector clustered around Chianco, their merchant crews bidding frantically for cargoes, while Free Captains stood ready in orbit awaiting the chance to snap up a lucrative contract. Below on the planet itself the mining machines and tireless fuel pumps worked the harsh rock, squeezing the wealht of the world from teh ground.
...
That was fifty years ago. Today Chianco is a barren rock where a few tired barbarians scrape a living from the ruins of a once great civilisation.

Chianco - an economic hub of the Imperium.

Page 174

This is the Emperor that humanity knows - the Emperor of the Imperial Cult.

Which means it may be propoganda.

Page 174

..space does not permit us to examine every detail of a life-time spanning almost fifty thousand years.
...
Only much later would he identify the time of his birth as the eigth millenium BC or the palce as Central anatolia.

The purported Birthplace of the Emperor and the time.. this is.. roughly consistent with what Horus mentions in horus Rising, so its probably accurate.

Page 174

originally the warp was filled with the natural psychic forces of animals and plants, so that its energies flowed harmoniously and fluidly, creating a unifying force that moved psychically through all living creatures. When the first intelligent races developed, their individual and extremely potent minds filled the warp with new and very powerful energies.
..
..while the energy of the warp was harmonius, the souls of men were often troubled...
...
These negative energies congregated together in the warp, drawn to each other by mutual attraction, until they formed troublesome spots of disharmony...
...
These disharmonious forces eventually became the Choas Powers, psychic entities created from the fears, repressions and inadequacies of humans and other intellignet species.

The polluting of the Warp. If this had any merit still.. I'd parallel it with the evnts between the Old Ones and the Necrons/C'tan and the War in Heaven. AT least, as the starting point for the Warp getting polluted and the Chaos powers forming. Humanity having any input in this either comes along much later, or is supposition due to human hubris.

Page 174

During the Emperor's youth and early life the Chaos powers were insufficiently strong to disturb the natural harmonies of the warp. The warp's energy was still free to flow through the psyche of living things, maintaining the oneness of natura nd uniting all things under its care.

I wonder if this was one of the psychic "engineering" projects of the Old Ones.. or one of their anti-Necron/C'tan weapons. Also the un-coaleseced Chaos Powers were far less of a threat.. this actually suggests that the warp turbulence stemmed mostly from the births of the well known Chaos Gods.
This whole "flow of energies" thing is also the reincarnation idea.. which ties to the Eldar as well as humans I suspect (The Eldar needing soulstones to gather their souls so Slanesh doesn't suck them up.)

Page 175

Inevitably, the process of civilisation severed mankind's links with the natural forces of the warp, and created new ones based upon his own character. In time these disharmonious forces were to grow into the Chaos Powers.

Again this seems human-centric propoganda. we know the Necrons and Tau can evolve technology without f*ckingup the warp.. it is more liekly that the disharmony came from the increased warp-connection of various races due to Old Ones tinkering f*cking things up. Had humanity been untouched it probably wouldn't be so disturbed. Constant warfare and death and such can't be helping either.

Page 175

The old shamans were guided by the warp and in turn guided their people.
...
..the Energies they depended on were becoming increasingly difficult tot ap. Worst of all, they were losing the ability to reincarnate. For as long as anyone could remember, when a shaman died his soul had flown into the warp and bathed in its energies, awaiting renewal in another body. Now the souls were being lost, chased and consumed by the malignant Chaos Powers.

Its interesting that the shamans were 'guided' by the warp - this either suggests Eldar like farseeing/divination, or that some active sentienc (a 'god'?) was involved.
The reincarnation bit is also interesting. Some paritcular ability to the shamans, or was it all humans? Were the reincarnated the ones providing the guidance (similar to the Squat's Ancestor spirits, perhaps?)
anyhow they meet to debate and decide that if the Shamans all die, the Chaos powers will consume humanity and the planet and all of humanity will be lost in some distant future.

Page 175

many of them could remember the dawn of their race, when in other bodies they had walked under African skies. Having survived so long, for millions of years, it was not their way to die without hope or purpose. They therefore decided to pool their own energies by reincarnating in a single body. In their thousands they swallowed poison, and in their thousands they died, and their kind was gone from the earth.
Within a year the man later to be known as the Emperor was born. As he grew older his powers began to manifest themselves and he gradually remembered the thousands of lives that lay behind him. He was the New Man. But he was also the past. His powerful mind could still sift the natural energies of the warp, entier the lives of plants and animals, promote harmony, and ease the suffering of others. And he remembered how he was made to live forever, so that he would never have to reincarnate, but would surive unchanged for eternity.

The Shamans are alot older collectively speaking.. they mst have each had tens of thousands of lives (or more) thousands of shamans but thousands of reincarnations... Kinda odd they have him "remember" here... that doesn't become obvious in the modern fluff.
Also the shamans 'create' the Emperor by simultaneous mass-suicide... which echoes the forms of independent daemon creation mentioned previously. Which in turn suggests the Emperor is (a kind) of daemon.

Page 175

..soon he began to help where he could, using his ancient wisdom to spread efficient government, crop management, animal husbandry, technology and peace. HE always used his influence carefully, adopting the guise of a normal man, and without revealing his true nature.
...
He travelled the entire globe, watchign and helping, sometimes adopting the persona of a great leader o radivsor. In times of trouble he became a crusader, a religious leader or messiah, at other times he remained back-stage contributor to events, an advisor to kings,a court magician a pioneering scientist. Many of the guises he adopted were humble, others became monumental figures of world history or religion.

The Emperor has an influence on society from behind the scenes. Sometimes directly, usually indirectly.

Page 175-176

.. the instinctive values of martial honour, ambition, defiance and self-satisfaction could nver be eradicated. Some of the New Man's plans were less than successufl: seeds of wisdom often failed to flourish or grew into uncontrollable monstorsities leading to persecution and war.
The Chaos Powers sensed the presence of the New Man and his efforts to curb their own power and growth. Even before they became fully conscious the Chaos Power srecognised the Emperor as their greatest enemy.
...
By the end of the Middle Ages all three of thse Chaos Powers had awoken to full consciousness.

First Khorne (warfare), Tzeentch (politics and nation building), and then Nurgle (pestilence and plague.) Again I'm doubtful this can be directly ascribed to humanity, even if it was quite numerous (there are lots of space going races preceding humanity) but they might have been a sudden influence somehow.
Also not all the Emperor's plans went well.. this may in small part explain why he turned out the way he did Great Crusade era.

page 176

Thus, while the aggressive and unstable race of man must be largely blamed fo rthe growth of disharmonious forces in the warp, they are not alone its casuality.

like the Eldar and Slaanesh. I'm still inclined to think this might be overstating the case... as the warp was f*cked up millions of years before humanity took a stand. Humans might have been the "straw that broke the camel's back" in the case of the other three Chaos Gods, but then again other living beings would be active and contributing in the warp too, so that the three Chaos Gods arose (or at least finished incarnating) in the Middle Ages could be coincidental.

Page 176

Slaanesh grew almost entirely from the unrealised pleasures of the Eldar. The living strove to deny their own secret desires, but when they died their shadow-selves melted back into Chaos, and their long-guarded temptations were released to feed the Chaos Power slaanesh.

Eldar formation of Slaanesh. Described as a balloon, which eventually burst, and lead to the fall.

Page 176

Scientific advances of the third and subsequent millenia AD brought some knowledge of the warp to ordinary humans.
..
mankind learned how to travel throught he warp..
..
The New Man himself was instrumental in these scientific advances.
...
Soon there were human colonies throughout the galaxy.

The Emperor was behind warp travel.

Page 177

Over a hundred years beofre the waking of Slaanesh, the Emperor sought to estalbish his rule over the Earth and bgan to mould its people into a loyal army. He started to plan the re-conquest of the galaxy in anticpation of the dispersal of the warp storms..
...
...in order to meet that threat he put the best scientific brains on Earth to work. Weapons and spacecraft poured out of the Martian factories to bolster beleagured forces throughout the galaxy.

Implies roughly a century to prepare for the Great Crusade. The HH novel "A Thousand Sons" implies he built hundreds of thousands of starships in that time (Warships and transports probably) on Mars alone, so it suggests such preparation took decades, tops.

Page 177

The Emperor's intention was to create a whole race of super-humans form the genetic blueprint of the Primarchs. By making them loyal and strong he hoped that they would prove immune to the malign psychic influences of Chaos.
The primarchs were to be shining examples of humans free from the taint of corruption. The energy of the uncorrupted warp would flow through them as it flowed through the Emperor himself, invigorating them and conferring special powers such as were possessed by the shamans of old.

The Primarchs sound alot like the Sensei, or perhaps variations of them. ARtificially created Sensei perhaps? If so they aren't all quite the same thing - they tended to be bigger than human (Sensei aren't - such a thing would be obvious), they don't have any conscious ability to manipulate the warp save Magnus, and their abilities are far above a Space Marine. They may have been custom tailored for that, whereas the Sensei are alls (basically) mini-Emperors.
I'm also unsure what the "race of super huamns from the genetic blueprint of the primarchs" means. It could suggest that he intended to create the Space Marines as being directly cloned/birthed from the flesh of the Primarchs, rather than created through implanted humans. That echoes some of what we see in Red Fury, at least.

Page 178

The emperor evolved another plan. Using genetic material which had been imprinted from the Primarchs into laboratory gholems, some of their qualities could be reproduced as discrete biological organs. By implanting these organs into a young growing body a person with some of the qualities of the Primarchs could be created.

Plan B. Again it seems that the difference is in that he uses the geneseed to create implants, rather than using the primarchs to directly grow the Marines themselves.

Page 178

By the time that the warp storms were ended, the Space marines and other Imperial forces were ready to begin their reconquest of the galaxy.

Again that implies 100 years were spent preparing fo rthe Great Crusade (or roughly that)

Page 184

But the Emperor [Defeating Horus] had over extended his own powers, for no man of living flesh could act as the vessel for so much power and survive. The charred husk of the Emperor fell to the ground..

This implies that what did the Emperor in wasn't his own injuries so much but rather drawing too much of his own body through a mortal frame. It reinforces both the Avatar/Champion-like nature of the Emperor (he has alot more power than his physical body can manifest) but also his quasi-daemonic nature (as well as origins.) He is in many ways much like a daemon incarnating in the body of a psyker, albeit a deliberately and specially prepared one. Possibly because despite being sort of like a daemon, he's closer to a daemon prince than a literal daemon (the whole body merging thing alluded to before.)
They also mention its possibel he could be tainted/corrupted (possessed) by Chaos,s o he's not totally immune.
This tends to suggest his ability to "tap" the pure warp is that he acts as some sort of psychic filter, not unlike the way Orks and Tyranids tap the warp (which suggests he or the human god long term would occupy a similar role.)
Also once his immortality was gone age pretty much stole in on him rapidly. Which suggests some sort of weird stasis/temporal effects preserving him, I'd think.

Page 185

..the Emperor's psychic power, his soul was cast adrift upon the tides of the warp, to be carried on the random undercurrents and eddies of the Sea of Souls until such time as it was ready to be reborn. Although the Powers of Chaos hunted tirelessly through the warp for the Emperor's soul they could not find it.
...
Like the shamans of ancient times, the Emperor was at one with the whole warp, so his soul melted easily into it and so remained hidden from the Chaos powers.
...
Although he was dead by any ordinary understanding of the word, while some of his cells still lived they provided a link through which hi sspirt could communicate with the material universe. While his body was relatively fresh it could be animated, and was even to speak a little.

The Emperor "animates" his head body.. anotehr daemon-like quality (albeit more temporary) and it serves as a conduit for his soul as long as he's alive. Also he's cast out and "hidden" on the warp, which is interesting considering he's also fighting them.

Page 185

Even the Golden Throne cannot keep the cells of the Emperor's dead body alive forever. Over millenia the link between soul and body has become increasingly tenuous. Worse of all, the Powers of Chaos have begun to infiltrate his mind, sowing seeds of doubt, dissolution, and fear.

Probably echoes the failure of the golden throne again... that Chaos can 'influence' him isn't terribly surprising.. he isnt yet a literal god and he is fallible (he can be outwitted or defeated by the other Gods.)

Page 185

As the spirit of the Emperor drifted through the warp it gradually dissolved into the flow of energy, returning to the cosmic force of the nature of the warp in its uncorrupted form. Only a tiny core of the Emperor's humanity remained whole, like a small child bobbing upon the tide of a colossal storm in a tiny reed boat.
Thus the soul of the Emperor was cast adrift into the warp. While the Emperor's soul survived there was still hope for mankind. For just as the New Man had been born from the collective souls of the shamans of old, so the Emperor's soul might be reborn one day. But that day would lie far in the future, when the cries for a new saviour would strengthen the core of the Emperor's soul within the Star Child and rekindle it into new life.

It sounds alot as if the soul of the Emperor "fragmented" partly.. one part (the lesser part.,. the shamans perhaps) is left intact and trying to play god and run the Imperium., but the greatr part (the Star child) is left drifting and sleeping. What he is 'born' as.. a new god? The fith chaos god, only for order rather than Chaos? Everything hinted at from the Chaos side of things (nascent chaos Powers, the creation of daemons, etc.) has suggested this is possible. It would make sense if the incarnated Emperor was not only an avatar/daemon prince-like entity created from the shaman gestalt, but was also the physical vessel (container) for a portion (most of?) the essence of the nascent, unaware human god-being (which we think of as the Star Child.)
Certainly modern fluff suggests there is some higher/independent power that even the Emperor may not be consciously aware of directing and influencing affairs, such as with Euphrati Keeler.
Ironically of course, the stasis of the emperor is keeping him from being supposedly reborn. It probably also is why he can be hunted (and means he is at a sort of danger.. or was) but given the Emperor ordered this it's more his doing than theirs.. so apparently he doesnt know he can reincarnate. Or, he wasn't ready.
It's also noted the Illuminati know this and know of the "ssecond coming of the New Man" and the Star child. given the 3rd edition codex and it being a chaos plot, its possible that this is distorted information. the essence could be true ( a human god born of the Emperor's soul and such, much as the Eldar intend to birth a new Eldar god) but misdirected to destroy the Emperor and plung the Imperium into Chaos (EG he won't be 'reborn' this time, nor is there a 'star child.')
Of course this means as well that Tzeentch totally fooled both Illuminati AND the Eldar. Not impossible but I kinda doubt he pulled it off for this long.

Page 185

When a Champion... ..pledges himself to the service of his Patron Power, his very soul becomes part of the Power's energies. The Star Child also has his Champions, known as the Sensei.
..
..these people are actually descended from the Emperor's own descendents, and their genetic structure is similar to his. Not all the Emperor's descendents are Sensei, and almost none of them realise that they carry genes from the Emperor or that it is this which gives them their powers.
..
Their most important trait is their immortality. Although they can be killed they do not age, and possess amazing powers of recovery. They are also protected from the Chaos Powers, and the untainted flow of the warp can move through them unimpeded. A Sensei cannot experience hate, bitterness or irrational anger, because thees things are part of the disharmony of the Chaos Powers. They radiate natural confidence and harmony, and can even draw upon the energies of warp to use their psychic powers. Sensei do not risk attracting daemons or other malicious psychic forces by using their powers.
..
..they are utterly invulnerable to the predations of Chaos Powers. in fact because they harbour no trace of emotions and concepts embodied by the Chaos powers they are largely invisible to them.

The Sensei. Basically "champions" of the human god. This tends to suggest a similar role for the Primarchs and Space Marines (for the Emperor at least, and possibly through him the human god) I suspect they are also in a way its "possessed" - corporeal daemons... since technically anyone could be a Champion.
Their abilities probably descend from the abilites of the Emperor as well as being bestowed by the SC. Given that the Emperor bred early (probably) he is more than likely to have fathered a good many children and spread his seed (albeit diluted) through humanity. This may explain in part the fact not everyone is "compatible" with Space Marine geneseed (since that descends from the Emperor as well) They may also represent extrmeely powerful psykers (like the boy in Warped Stars, again.)
the "haromny" aspect of their natures makes sense too - its the same sort of thing Orks and the Tyranids have, and they ar eable to tap the 'pure' warp. This suggests they also represent the 'future' ideal for humanity. Perhaps the Emperor's genetics are breeding true in humans, and his plan was to introduce that into the race ot protect them from Chaos? A new, powerful and psychically stable race, all bound/connected by a single gestalt godlike consciousness (like the Orks, in other words.)

Page 186

The STar Child repreesnts the human part in the unity of the warp, the flow of psychic energy which permeates all living things including Mankind.

It basically acts as a human god, in other words... unborn of course, but still present.. and can bestow blessing sand benefits upon its champions and Avatars. And it probably has its own daemons.
It also mentions they baiscally act like Robin hood.. which means acts of piracy against the Imperium. That goes over well.

Page 187

..his heroism and valiant deeds hav etouched the sleeping mind of the Star Child. The Sensei is drawn through the wapr to commune with the Star Child. The Sensie passes from the mortal world and becomes one of the special servants of the Star Child known as a Sensei Master.

Yet another jedi like analgoue, but with daemonic-like overtones.. not just a champion, but perhaps a Daemon prince. They call it Apotheosis.

Page 187

just as a successful Champion of Chaos can become a Daemon Prince, so the valiant Sensei can become a Sensei Master- the equivalent to a Daemon Prince of the Star child.
..
The Sensei is drawn into the warp where it is absorbed into the Star Child. However, the Senesei's individual mind and personality is not destroyed - it can emerge from the Star Child at any time and manifest itself as a Sensei Master. The Sensei Master looks just like the Sensei it evolved from. In fact a Sensei Master can return to the mateiral universe and walk around quite unnoticed...
...
..a Sensei Master would only do this if his mortal friends were in some kind of danger.
..
Because the Sensei Master retains a strong emotional attachment to his old comrades, he can intervene to help out his old Adventurer Band and its new Sensei...

as I said.. human "daemon princes".. although they seem to represent sort of the "Saints" of the Imperium as well or living saints or similar things to that. Basically someone with a strong psychic connection ot the human god-consciousness and is empowered by it.
The Emperor is probably the Super-SEnsei Master type. Or close to it. Maybe thats what he is trying to become

Page 190

The Sensie acts as a focus for the protective powers of the star child..
..
The Star child passes a little of its own power into the Sensei, allowing him ot channel more warp energy against daemonic foes..
...
The Sensei becomes able t endure incredible amounts of damage by a combination of luck, sheer stubbornness and physical power.
...
As the Sensei's mind falls increasingly in tuen with the Star Child, so his body becomes increasingly perfect. This allows him to move with the prowess of an athelete, to leap over vast distances, to run faster than one would think psosible, and to lift incredible heavy objects with the astonishing ease.

Sounds alot like some of the Powers the Emperor has (his golden glow - protective powrs, perfection, channeling more power against Daemons, incredible resilience, etc.) Others include master of disguise, heroic alter ego, reedming enemies.. etc.

Page 252

Ta small craft might only have room for a single Warband while a drifting Space Hulk might become the vessel by which a thosuand Warbands can be propelled into the universe.

Scores to tens of thousands, perhaps

page 252

not only can ships be thrown thousands of light years off course by travelling through it, but they can also be caught in temporal whirlpools which carry them backwards or forwards through time or which trap them in limbo forever. Craft from the Imperium always avoid the area whereever possible . The ships of the Chaos renegades have no choice in the matter, they are already deep inside the EYe of Terror when they set out.

Dangers of navigation inside the eye.. extreme dilation of time and space. I imagine lesser "pools" exist in the warp.. and the Navigators give some benefit in predicting and avoiding those, one reason why they are so safe, fast and effective.

Page 256

Not even the ministrations of advanced technology can entirely eradicate the dangers of disease on long space voyages. A ship travelling betwene far flung planets always risks contamination by alien viruses or mutated bacteria.

Chaos only likely makes this worse, but I imagine the multitude of worlds in the Imperium, in addition to the fact new ones are found every time (or interact, which is likely to have profound changes on ecosystems) make this insane. That they can instigate any sort of stability on this is impressive frankly.

Page 268

As well as watching over the Planet of the Sorcerers the glowing eye of the Tower of the Cyclops also peers through the warp into the galaxy itself. This allows the Sorceror-King to spy out the the arcane artefacts and talented psykers which fascinate him, so that he can dispatch raiders against the Imperium.

an interesting sort of psychic scrying ability.. basically a form of psychic FTL detection. I imagine psykers (or some technological means) could emulate it.

Page 268

The Thousand Sons are able to navigate their way to the material universe by following the scent of psychic covens or sorcerous summonings. From their spacecraft they can detect and track these emanations by means of large crystals called seer stones, transparent crystal spheres approximately a metre acrosss.

Rather like using the Astronomican or Astropathic Beacons/relays to navigate, or by Navigators homing in on sources of soul-light they see in the Warp. Or the way the Tyranids use Genestealer broods or iniltrator 'nids as ah oming beacon.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

Chapter Approved 2001. This was around 2nd or 3rd edition or somewher between those near as I can tell.. and as a concept it didn't seem to last long, but it was interesting in the sense of the fluff and information it had. It even has some of the 'stats' we come to know (and blame) on Imperial Armour.. its possible that those come from here (or they may come from Inferno magazine.. there's elements from both I think so its not really fair to blame it solely on Forge World.)

I also don't know if this has any status, and what status if it does. but like most of the 'quasi' stuff I post, it is informatinve and interesting if nothing else, and it might just come in handy some day. You never know when a bit of information will be valuable.

So.. enjoy!

Page 4

Clad in ceramite power armour, they carry an awesome array of weaponry with which to smite their enemies, the wealth of the Ecclesiarchy ensuring that they are equipped with the best wargear the Imperium has to offer

Sisters of Battle have the best money can buy (mostly flamethrowers and bolters) but they're still essentially human. One of the reasons allowing them to equip the SoB with bolters.

Page 4

One of the Adeptus Sororitas' greatest weapons is faith, and their zeal is a potent force, manifesting as divine inspiration that drives the Sororitas to unprecedented levels of performance.

In non-religious terms this likely means that they're either acting as Champions/vessels (collectively) for the Emperor's psychic power, or they are tapping their own collective, latent psychic power and manifesting it as "Faith" (EG similar to what Orks can do).

Page 5

Such is the fervid, unquestioning nature of this belief that collectively they can cause miraculous phenomenon to manifest. There are those amongst the Administratum who claim such things are simply mass hysteria brought about by the trauma of battle, while others maintain that it is a form of collective psychic projection. It is enough for the Ecclesiarchy simply to know that the Emperor marches alongside their armies and those who doubt His almighty power are fools of the worst kind.

In-universe, the "collective psychic projection" angle has likewise been suggested as a mechanism for the Sorortias "faith"

Page 6

She [Saint Aspira] wore a magnificent cloak of velvet and fur, which had been blesed in the Ecclesiarchal Palaces of Terra to ward away the blows of the Emperor's enemies.

Yes, its a magic cloak.

Page 11

A sister of one of the Orders Famulous can use her connections with the Imperial nobility to command other Imperial servants to provide her with troops. These are usually Imperial Guardsmen or Planetary Defence Force personnel.

...

One of these members [Sister Dialogus] can use her considerable language skills ot translate prayers spoken in High Gothic into other languages so that they can be understood by those around her.

Ways thee other branches of the Sororitas can benefit the military arm of the Ecclesiarchy. In addition to the Frateris militia, they can co-opt (through faith) actual military troop sfor their own purposes. Another of the ways the Ecclesiarchy tries to get around the limits on their military power, no doubt.

This latter power also gives the Imperium (or more appropriately, the Ecclesiarchy) a way to put down potential rebellions or heresy. Since the Famulous often work inside noble houses or other aristocrats they are in a position to take action against such individuals if they should decide to rebel by denouncing the potentail heretics and rallying potentially loyal members.

Also, the Sister Dialogus and one of the benefits of their language skills. Another unmentioned one is that anything they are used to translate probably ends up being filtered to the Ecclesiarchy, so they have an intel/spying function as well (even if they don't think of it that way.)

Page 12

Confessors are given carte blanche by the Ecclesiarchy to preach where they wish. They have no formal diocese, as does a Cardinal but instead mofe from settlement ot settlement, (sometimes world to world) rooting out apostates and blasphemers, and instilling fervent faith in the loclas.

..

Most Missionaries are part of the massive Missionarius Galaxia, although some are individuals who have privately ufnded their own mission stations. Missionaries bring light to the darkness, teaching the doctrines of the Ministorum to rediscovered human worlds. They are farmed for their hardy endurance, no-nonsense practicality and quiet, but solid, faith

Confessors are a more mobile (and militant) form of Confessor.

Also one of the (rare) mentions of the Missionarius Galaxia (nice Dune reference there.) and the roles of Missionaries.

Page 13

The Crusade of the Red Redemption, or Redemptionists as they are more widely known, is a powerful sect within the Ecclesiarchy.

If some recall, this group was a notable religious influence on the Hive World of Necromunda. Since then they apparently have become a more widespread organization.

Pge 13

Redemptionists...

..

Up to two models may be armed with one of the following weapons each: Autocannon at +10 pts, heavy bolter at +5 pts; palsam gun at +8 pts; flamer at +6 pts; meltagun at +10 pts; heavy stubber at +3 pts; grenade launcher at +5 pts.

Despite being game stats, I noted these details simply to indicate the sorts of weapons Redemptionists got hold of.

Page 18

Necron warriors and war machiens are constructed from highly complex materials which seem impervious to many armaments of the Imperium, while their ability to reconstruct themselves after even the most devastating damage means that there is little foes can do to halt their implacalbe advance.

Necron durability vs Imperial weapons.

Page 18

The Necrons fight without fear, pity, or remorse, destryoing all before them with arcane weaponry that defies rational explanation. These horrifting weapons can strip a living organsim down to its constituent atoms in seconds and even the thickest armour offers little protection

Gauss weapons disintegrate living beings in "seconds" and ignore armor (basically). IT's worth noting, of course, they've done this in less than a second too.

Page 19

These are horrifying weapons that can strip the flesh from a living creature and destroy its target atom by atom. In a heartbeat it dissolves skin, muscle and then disintegrates bone until nothing remains. Even the thick armour of a vehicle can be penetrated by these strange alien weapons which flay the armour off layer by layer.

Like I said, is implied to work faster. Peculiarily its implied their penetrative ability is just "layer by layer" stripping of armor rather than actual penetration, but we also know that they can put narrow, deep holes in their target. Maybe its a matter of setting - trading off range for power or smething.

Page 20

The grasping, metal claws of Necrons pulse with unnatural energies that seem to warp the armour of vehicles as they strike.

Built in power weapons. Might not be on every Necron, but its an interesting capability. One has to wonder if the melee attachments on their rifle have similar.

Page 21

I saw Lukiz and Hucks collapse, their skin and muscle stripped from their bodies by these metal daemons' weapons...

Partially stripped but not completely disintegrated.

Page 22

Immortals carry the terrifying gauss blaster weapon, which can strip a living target down to its constituent atoms in seconds.

Funny that its bigger and more powerful yet is implied to have a same timeframe as the gauss flayers. Unless it refers a bigger weapon (like a Tyranid) or a greater area of effect (like a melta weapon.)

Page 27

The Imperial guard is a huge and widely diverse organisation that includes a large number of very specialised formations. Although the ubiquitous Imperial Guard Infantry Company is far and away the most common Company sized unit used by theGuard, equally as important, though considerably less common, are the Imperial Guard Armoured companies.

An armoured Company consists almost exclusively of armoured vehicles, with the only infantry contingent being Armoured Fist squads whose Chimeras can keep up with the other vehicles in the formation. an A typical Armoured Company can have from 12 to 24 vehicles, most of which will be Leman Russ battle tanks of one form or naother.

..

Armoured Companies are very specialised and this, combined with the difficulty of raising and maintaining an Armoured Company, means that they are only used for the most important duties. They are used to spearhead attacks, to exploit a breakthrough, or to act as a mobile reserve that can be used to counter-attack and blunt an enemy offensive.

Fluff concerning Armoured Companies. Take note of the numbers of 12-124 vehicles. An armoured regiment, therefore, can comprise hundreds of venicles, much of which are tanks. Armoured fist (mechanized infantry) are part of an "armoured company"

Page 36

The Earthshaker can fire 'indirectly' at targets it can't see in the same way as a mortar or Whirlwind. Earthshakers that fire indirectly obey the normal Earthsaker cannon rules, except that they become Barrage (ie, Guess range) weapons with a range of 36" -240"...

Normal range is implied to be (Therefore) "direct fire" in most cases (LOS range) If we go by game mechancis (normal range being 120") indirect ifre range is 2x LOS range, which will be determined by the horizon largely. For a Basilisk this works out to the 15-16 km range or so fromthe IA books (maybe that's how they figured it.)

Now this is all blatantly game mecahnics and can and probably should be ignored.. but it's interesting nonetheless as it suggests 'two' kinds of ranges.

Page 37

Souped-up Engines: Because they operate so far in fornt of the main units, the crews of Salmander Scout vehicles often overcharge the engines of their vehicles in order to make a swift escape should they encounter strong enemy forces. Imperial commanders tend to overlook such breaches of regulation given the dangerous missions lightly equippeds cout units often have to perform.

This likely can apply to other vehicles, since its a non-standard configuration. The "actual" speed is probably more akin to a normal Salamander or a Chimera.

It's worth noting that this capability also indicates that despite needing the AdMech for alot of things, the non-AdMech troops and support group would seem to know something about the vehicle's functioning and operation.

Page 39

The conqueror replaces the standard turret weapon with a shorter barreled version of the battle cannon, firing a smaller, less destructive shell. The reduced recoil allows the vehicle to fire whilst on the move, making this Leman Russ variant more mobile when leading an assault.

Difference between conqueror and normla Russ.

Page 52

Many novitiates have queried me in the past as to why, given the symbiosis of algal material in Ork DNA, their greenish pigmentation is apparent only in their skin and not other parts of their anatomy such as blood plasma, inside the mouth, internal organs, and so on. The answer to this is simple. Much like more primitive platn forms, the green pigment of Orks is produced by photosynthesis occuring in algae just beneath the skin, a phenomenon which does not affect internal tissues. This means that an Ork's blood, with its oxygen rich haemoglobin, is just as red as that of hom*o sapiens and often more so due to its enhanced capacity for carrying oxygen.

A bit on Ork physiology, noting on their plant like qualities and having red blood still.

Page 55

Even with the filtering effect of his armour's auto senses, the noise of the battle was still deafening.
..

Egil nodded, passing the word to his men. The green runes on his visor display blinked as the Space Wolves acknowledged his orders.

Auto senses and visor display.

Page 55

He landed badly and cursed as nhe fell in the rubble, looking back ot see Kaarlson slowly lumbering through the ruins. He screamed his name as the mass of the Titan's foot smashed through the builidng and crashe ddown upon the Wolf Guard Terminator.

..

He looked over towards te flattened building and watched with astonishment as the rubble began to shift and heave. Massive chunks of plascrete and steel were pushed aside as Kaarlson pulled himself free of the debris. His Terminator armour had been gashed open in a dozen different places and his blood was splashed crimson against grey, but he was alive.

Terminator armor mostly surviving being stepped on by a titan. Impressive feat, but its worth noting that other factors (like the state of the ground) and the kind of Titan.

Page 57

Created in the greatest secrecy around the time of the Second Founding utilising specially engineered gene-seed, the Grey Knights are amongst the most faithful defenders of humanity. Legend has it that the Emperor Himself ordered the creation of this unique Chapter to form a force dedicated to fighting the dread creatures of Chaos.

..

Traditionally, the Grey Knights Chapter Master is a member of the inner conclave of the Inquisition.
...

Advanced bio-engineering and psycho-surgery is utilised to condition the Grey Knights to face daemonic foes without fear and their lives are filled with ritual, meditation, and self denial designed to strengthen the mind and steel the soul against teh orrors of the daemonic.

The Grey Knights are screened to exclude all but the most resilient psykers. They are then trained until they reach a new level of mastery that allows them to combine their abilities in a gestalt power that far exceeds anything they could achieve alone.

..

They alone can stand beofre tthe might of a Greater Daemon with any hope of banishing it back ot the Immaterium from whence it came.

The Grey Knights: Training and capabilities.

Page 57

Guided by the finest Navigators of the Navis Nobilite and conveyed by the fastest ships produced by the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Grey Knights stand ready to fight the minions of Chaos wherever they strike.

Grey Knights vessels are (of course) among the fastest ships (implied in warp travel, but could also mean sublight as well.)

Page 60

In case you don't know, blind grenades are just a high-tech version, which causes electromagnetic interference on scanners and such like, a bit like a chaff dispersner on a warplane).

Blind grenades described. AGain. Still in canon in some form I believe.

Page 64

Planets which vary tremendously in their civilisations and technical achievements all harbour the followers of Choas - from the most blood-spattered practitioners of worship on feral worlds to the sophisticated membership of secret societeis on hive worlds. Even on comfortable, civilised worlds there are those who crave forbidden knowledge, whose lust for unearthly power and arcane lore overrides their loyalty to the Imperium.

..

Under the guise of normality, perhaps beneath the legitimate facade of a labour union, a seemingly harmless charitable orgaisation or a business venture, the cult will accumulate power and will recruit additional members through blackmail, bribery and corruption.

..

The Cultists will summon plagues of daemons through possession, vile rituals and sacrifice, they will send forth a call to draw renegades and Chaos Space Marines to their aid. If their efforts meet with their gods' approval they may even be blessed with a Greater Daemon or Daemon Prince to lead them against their foes.

As we knew, Chaos Cultists can be found in variying forms and degrees everywhere. That said, I'd think they'd have a better time on feral worlds. Or Hive Worlds (at least in the underhive). Chaos' own worlds seem to favor the feral/feudal setup regardless (cf Daemon worlds) but that's hardly definitive (Chaos is whimsical after all.)

Page 64

Up to one model in ten may be given one of the following weapons: Plasma gun at +6 points, meltagun at +6 pts; flamer at +2 pts; heavy bolter at +6 pts;, Grenade Launcher at +8 pts; heavy stubber at +4 pts, autocannon at +6 pts.

Heavy stubber: This is an old-fashioned automatic weapon which fires a hail of solid shots. Though most commonly found amongst defence militias and hive gangs, they often find their way into the hands of Cultists as they are simple to maintain and operate.

Chaos cultists extra weapons. This is basically the sort of stuff you commonly expect hive gangares and PDFs to have, as noted by the heavy stubbers. Chaos troops can be considered potentially well armed, if not well trained.

Page 66

Merkin was blown apart by an explosive bolt as soon as he stood up to shoot. Then Jaynak and Veril and three others who Abrom didn't know suffered the same fate. Malakur was lucky and only had his arm blown off, but his screaming ceased in seconds as his life-bloo gushed out onto the dusty rubble.

Bolt round blows apart a person, while another merely just blows a limb off.

Page 67

\
Every Champion of Chaos aspires to the immortality that daemonhood grants, but few are aware of the price they must pay, for to recieve the power of the daemon is to revoke all traces of humanity.

...

Their intimate contact with the raw energies of Chaos, however, drastically changes and corrupts their physical appearance, as well as their very souls, so it is no longer possible to see the humanity that was once there.

Chaos Champions and the dangers of mutation.

Page 72

Rhino APC - Models: Patterns 1 to VI Within each pattern type are literally hundreds of regional variations using local materials and engineering techniques

Forge world of origin: Virtually every industrialised world of the Imperium can produce Rhinos.

Armamnet: 2 Storm bolter (800 rounds)

Armour: 30-60mm

Maximum speed: 70 kph on road, 55 kph off road

Crew: 1 (Driver) Passengers: 10 Space Marines or Battle Sisters

Fording Depth: 1.20m

Weight 30 tonnes unladen Length 6.6M Height 3.6M Hull width 4.5m Ground Clearance 0.44M

Non-Imperial Armour Rhino stats. We can at least see where some of the IA stats came from at least. Note in particular that Rhinos are incredibly easy to produce on an "industrialized" world in some form. Moreso (arguably) than the Chimera we might say. In turn we might consider that at least some form of low-grade Rhino is accessible to Guard, PDF, and other forces. (The ones you see usually restricted to the Sororitas, Astartes, Inquisition, or Arbites are generally higher end models.)

PAge 72

Shredded Eldar corpses lay strewn around, torn to pieces by an hour long bombardment from the Ultramarines' Whirlwinds nearly a thousand metres away.

REsults of Whirlwind tank bombardment from close range.

Page 72

Four space Marine Rhinos sped across the snow and ground to a halt beside the emplacement, the ceramite doors sliding smoothly back along oiled runners.

Astartes Rhinos.

Page 73

Razorback: Models IIIrb-VIrb
Forge world of origin: Razorbacks are produced everywhere that Rhinos are produced, many Chapters perform conversion work in their own workshops. Iinitlaly developed on Mars based STC data.

Armament: Variable configurations, most common patterns include - twin linked heavy bolters, twin linked lascannon, lascannon and twin linked plasma guns, multi-melta.

Armour: 30-60mm

Maximum speed: 70 kph on road, 55 kph off road

Crew: 2 (Driver, gunner) Passengers: 6 Space Marines

Fording Depth: 1.20m

Weight 31.5 tonnes Length 6.6M Height 4.95M, including turret Hull width 4.5m Ground Clearance 0.44M

Razorbacks seem to be something nearly as common as Rhinos. Despite the reduced crew capacity (might fit in a few more normal sidzed troops) they have the potential for nastier weaponry. That said I prefer the Chimera more.

Page 73

The Ork Killer Kan toppled backwardd, thick black smoke spewing form its interior and rivulets of molten metal streaming from the plasma impacts. Brother Janus of the Imperial fists swung the turret-mounted plasma guns around...

Plasma guns on a Razorback melts a hole on a Killer Kan, although we dont know how big or how thick or the other detials. Assuming an arbitrary head sized hole (20 cm in diameter) and a 5 cm thickness and iron composition.. 20 Megajoules. Within possible range for plasma weapons.

Page 73

Janus saw a mob of Gretchin dragging some kind of artillery piece forward into cover and cranked the turret around. White-hot bursts of plasma vaporised the first Gretchin, and the rest ducked hurriedly into cover as more searing bolts hissed around them.

Gretchin vaporized by Razorback plasma armament in a relatively short period of time (beofre the others can duck away - seconds) Assuming a 50 kg Gretchin (~70% water), we're talking double or triple digit MJ - say 80-100 MJ depending on factors like effiiency, water content, GRetchin mass, etc.

Page 74

Falcon: Models: Multiple configurations reported.
Forge world of origin: All Eldar craftwolrds manufacture the Falcon; many Exodite worlds have limited manufacture and repair facilities.

Armamnet: pulse laser and twin linked shuriken catapults with variable configurations o fsecondary weapons including Shuriken cannon, scatter laser, missile launcher, bright lnace and starcannon.

Main ammunition: 4000 pulse capacity.

Armour: 35-60mm
Maximum speed: 180 kph at low altitude, 850 kph at high altitude.

Crew: 2 Pilot, Gunner Passengers 6 Eldar

Fording Depth & ground clearance: skimmer

Weight 20 tonnes Length 9.63m Hull widght: 6.92m, Height: 3.61

As I've noted before, Eldar vehicles are less tanks and all more or less gunship or small aircraft/speeders. Ammo for the pulse laser isnt much good unless we knew how many pulses fired per second (it may even vary anyhow.)

Another interesting detail lies in the ability of many Exodite realms to produce or maintain Falcons. This correpsonds to the function of such worlds as "Colonies" supporting the Craftworlds.

Page 74

The Falcon's passenger compartment is a sealed, pressurised enviroment form which the passengers can observe events outside the hull from a range of monitors.

Internal capabilities of the Falcon.

Page 75

Wave Serpent:
Models: Multiple configurations reported.
Forge world of origin: All Eldar craftwolrds manufacture the Wave Serpent; many Exodite worlds have limited manufacture and repair facilities.

Armament: Twin linked shuriken cannons and twin linked shuriken catapults with numerosu alternative configurations

Main ammuntion: 5000 Shuriken cannon salvos

Armour: 35-60mm

Maximum speed: 180 kph at low altitude, 850 kph at high altitude.

Crew: 2 Pilot, Gunner Passengers 10 Eldar or 5 Wraithguard and a Warlock.

Fording Depth & ground clearance: skimmer

Weight 23.5 tonnes Length 9.85m Hull widght: 7.1m Height: 3.61

Like Falcons, Wave Serpents can be built on Exodite worlds.

Page 76

Chimera:

Models: Patterns 1-XVII
Forge world of origin: Mars, Gryhponne IV, STygies VII, Ryza, Voss, M'kand, Armageddon, tolkan, Accatran, Triplex Phall, Graia, Metalicus, Vanheim, Phaeton, and many other sites.

Armament: Hull heavy bolter, turret multilaser (1,500 individual laser shots) (6 hull mounted lasgun)

Armor: 80-150mm
Maximum speed: 70 kph on road, 55 kph off-road

Crew: 3 2 Drivers, 1 Gunner

Passengers 12 Imperial Guardmsen or 6 Ogryns

Fording Depth: Amphibious

Weight: 38 tonnes

Length: 6.90m, Hull width: 5.70m, height 3.72m, ground clearance 0.45m

Chimera stats not much different from the IA ones. Note the multilaser shots. As I alluded to before, Chimeras seem to be a more specialized design than Rhinos and actually harder to build. As I noted previously, this is likely a qualitative difference than anything (a low end Rhino is easier to build thana Chimera, but a Chimera is still easier to build than a high end Rhino.)

Chimeras seem to have a much larger personnel capacity (gunners and drivers plus the troops equals fifteen, as opposed to 11 or so for the Rhino.)

Page 77

Immolator models: III-VIII

Forge world of origin: The Immolator is a conversion based on a stnadard Rhino, that can be produced in virutally any Sororitas workshop.

Armament: Inferno cannon (20 shots)

Armour: 30-60mm

Maximum speed: 70 kph on road, 55 kph off road

Crew: 2 (Driver, gunner) Passengers: Battle Sisters

Fording Depth: 1.20m

Weight 32 tonnes unladen Length 6.6M Height 4.7M, including Inferno cannon Hull width 4.5m Ground Clearance 0.45M

Immolators are likely one of those "high end" or specialized Rhino variants I spoke of. It could be either (the Immolator is the result of a special deal between the AdMech and Ecclesiarchy over the design detials as I recall.)

The most interesting detail is the fact the Sororitas, like the Arbites and Astartes and other groups maintain their own workshops which seem separate from the AdMech.

Page 78

Land Raider: Models Pattenrs I-VII

Forge world of origin: Anvilus-9 was the source of many of the oldest Land Raiders but now they are produced in very small numbers on many forge worlds.

Armament: Sponson mounted twin linked lascannon, hull mounted, twin linked-heavy bolters. (Godhammer Kz976 Lascannon requires barrel replacement after 2000 firings.) Crusader variant: 2 "hurricane" pattenr bolters, twin linked assault cannon and multi-melta.

Armor: 91-95mm (note that the composite construction cnosisting of 2 cermaite layers, 1 titanium/plasteel lasyer, 1 adamantium layer and 1 thermoplas layer is equal to 365mm of conventional steel armour.)

Max speed: 51 kph on road, 48kph off road

Crew: 2 Commander, Crewman Passengers: 5 Terminators or 10 Space Marines. Crusader variant can carry 8 Terminators or 15 space Marines

Weight: 72 tonnes (unladen) 81 tonnes (fully Laden)
Length: 10.36m, Hull width: 6.10m, height: 4.11 M Ground clearance: 0.45m

Land raider. As has been noted in the past, some think that this provides a quantification of vehicle armour but what passes for "conventional" steel in 40K is unknown, considering steel by nature is an alloy (eg: What are they alloying the steel with? This being 40K can mean anything, up to and including demons. They'll use daemons even in nukes after all.)

Page 78

The Land Raider represents the pinnacle of armoured vehicle technolgy in the Imperium. As such, the measure of protection provided by its massively armoured hull cannot be compromised by extranous hatches and firing ports.

..

The Space Marine gunner is assisted in selecting and targeting the enemy by the Machine Spirit.

...

If the crew are stunned and unable to direct the Land Raider, then the Machine Spirit will take over temporarily.

Space Marine Land Raiders, protective capability and the Machine Spirit capability

Page 78

The Land Raider is fully submersible to 36.57m This does not mean that it won't throw a track on a reef or get bogged down in a river bed so they are immobilised as normal by difficult terrain.

It can even drive underwater!

Page 78

Orks cannot safely approach the Land Raider until the Machine Spirit has been disabled.

..

Chaos Land Raiders use the Machien Spirit rules, although they replace the Machine Spirit with something altogether more malign!

Machine Spirit hate foul Xenos. Chaos uses Demons (I told you they use demons for everything. The same way Ork use gretchin and squigs for everrything.) Land Raiders may eeven fire daemon powered lasers. Or osme other gun that uses daemons as ammo.

{Page 79

The Worldeaters Land Raider rumbled across the debris-strewn ground in the armoury's outer courtyard, crushing steel and stone beneath its armoured treads as small arms fire pattered harmlessly agianst its adamintium skin. Its hull-mounted bolters raked the loyalist position, the mass-reactive shells cutting down Imperial Guardsmen by the dozen.

Land Raider in action.

Page 79

A missile speared out form the barricades, smashing into the vehicle's side. The explosion rocked the Raider and slewed it sideways, but the tank rolled onwards, its thick, multi-layered armour absorbing the impact.

Land Raider takes a (presumably) anti-tank missile that slews the tank sideways, implying considerable momentum. Likely, its a shaped charge, since it's well known HE shells aren't used as anti-tank munitions (neither in real life nor in 40k)

Page 81

The Original Grav-Attack Tank as seen in WD95, built from a deoderant bottle by Rick Priestly Himself! Using Jervis' new vehicle design system even this old model can be used in teh latest version of Warhammer 40,000

The Grav Attack as mentioned in the last Chapter Approved. This may mean it's still (technically?) canon, since grav vehicles are mentioned in other sources (LEgion, Draco, etc.) as in use. Wouldn't neccesarily be common though.

Page 84

Armour 9: This should be reserved for non-militray vehicles with no protection whatsoever, for example a car or truck.

Be aware that vehicles with this armour value are horribly vulenrable to enemy shooting.

Game mechanics and probably unquantifiable, but interesting to note what the protective values mean.

Page 84

Armour 10: Unarmoured or very lightly armoured military vehilces can have this armour value on any facing, and other amroured vehicles will have it for lightly armoured rear and side facings.

In adition, strongly built civilian vehicles can have this Armour Value. For example, a bulldozer could be Armour 10 rather than armour 9 on most facings.

Again, game stats, but an interesting for comparison puproses.

Page 84

Armour 11-12: Lighlty armoured vehicles will have this Armour Value on their front and side facings, while more heavily armoured vehicles may have side and rear armour facings iwth this value.

Again, comparative.

Page 84

Armour 13-14:
Only heavily armoured vechiles will have Armour values this high, and then only on their front and side facings. Only incredibly tough and well-armoured vehicles have an value this high on their rear facing.

Again, comparative, but not very quantifiable.

Page 84

Eldar Vehicles should not be given Armour values of 13 or 14 as they rely on more sophisticated forms of proteciton than thck armoured plate.

Seems more like a game mechanics based restriciton than "they can't do it." Besides, they have those wave serpant warp-force shield thingies.

Page 86

A 'co-axial' weapon is one that is fixed besides another weapon of a different type, a bit like a twin linked weapon but where two different types are used. For example, a tank might have a turret mounted autocannon with a co-axial heavy bolter mounted beside it.

A number of Imperial tanks come with coaxials, although it doesnt seem to be a "standard" modification.

Pag e86

Gatling weapons are basically an even bigger version of a twin-linked weapon, with even more gun barrels.

Proposed in 3rd edition or so, but only really seen til 5th, when you got the tank designs with the mega-bolters or assault cannon.

Page 86

Long barrelled weapons, as their name implies, are much longer than a normal version of the weapon. This allows them to shoot further than the normal version, adding 50% to their range.

..

Long barreled weapons must be at least twice as long as the normal length for a weapon of their type.

VAnquishers basically, although arguablly I'd say a long barreld "battle cannon" differs from a Vanquisher regardless. After all, the autocannons on Hydra are long barreled weapons and they're still autocannon. And there has been some variation in battle cannon length. Also, Vanquishers don't have significantly greater range than "typical" battle cannon. In universe, it would merely represent the variation in battle cannon desing.

Pgae 86

Shorter barrel: The weapon's range is halved.

Conqeueror gun like, but does not confer mobility advantages but rather reduced range. Quite a bit more than the conqueror apaprently. Again, it would rperesent the variations in Battle Cannon design.

Page 88

The Eldar races is sophisticated and technologically advanced and their vehicles are often protected by energy or holo-field.

..

Eldar energy fields don't work against close combat attacks and no more than one may be iftted per facing.

Eldar can, in theory, have shields on vehicles, Arguably different than void shields or powerfields.

PAge 88

Imperial titans and some other vehicles or fixed defence sites are protected by a form of energy field called a void shield. These can't be fitted to most vehicles as they need large plasma reactors to power them.

Void shields need plasma reactors, so any vehicle or installation using them has to have plasma reactors of some kind. Possibly if there is a power source of comparable magnitude alternatives may be found.

Page 88

Ork Mekboyz seem to have an innate ability to construct enregy fields in a bewildering variety of types and forms.

This we know.

Page 88

Souped up engine: Some vehicle enegines can be souped-up to make them faster.

Russes are included in this, giving further evidence that their engines can be modified (in addition to the short story, the variation in engine performance betwene designs, etc.)

Page 88

Targeter: Vehicles often have a targeting matrix, optical enhancement sstem or other device to increase the chances of their guns hitting. This must be represented with some sort of radar dish, sensor or gunsight on your model.

Clarification of what can represent a "targeter". on a vehicle.

Page 95

Bombs: Bombs have the same effectas mortars.

..

Big bombs: These work in the same manner as a normal bomb, but it has the same effect as a Griffon Mortar.

Possibly game mechanics, but may be useful comparison wise.

Page 95

Rockets: rockets have exactly the same effect as hunter-killer missiles.

..

A bomb or big bomb can be upgraded to a smart bomb...

Rockets and "smart bombs". Again comparison or analysis purposes only, even though they may be more "game mechanics."

Page 103

Exocrine:
Bred to stalk opponents at long range, its forelimbs are fused together to provide a skeleton for a fruther weapon symbiote firing high velocity chitin shells with a silicon based penetrator core. A surge of isometric muscle contraction starting in the head frill provides the motive power along with an electromagnetic boost from adapted nerve bundles.

Tyranid construct with what seems to be a APCR or APDS type weapon. Implied to be a non-chemical propulsion method, possibly electromagnetic (or electromagnetic assisted.) Titan o fsome kind though, as I recall.

Similar to the "Hive Guard" coming about in 5th edition.

Page 103

The Trygon is a massive, snake like organism, distinguished by its attack of flaring electircal energy. It is a living weapon whoes movment generates an electircla field from the thousands of scales that cover its mass. Energy from the scales is conducted along hardened nerve synapses to its blade-like forelinbs.

Trygons came back in 5th edition. "shock" weapons, literally.

Page 103

The Haruspex is another genus of assault spawn. Equipped with short-ranged bio weaponry, it is intended to rush at enemy lines, squirting acid and fragmentation spines. Its mandibles are very powerful and anything resisting them will have its armour weakened by acid.

Another kind of Tyranid assault troop. Gotta admit that they're versatile.

Page 103

Sergeant Curtis stabbed his bayonet through the head of a Termagant, pulling the trigger to blast its body clear.

lasgun blast imparts enough momentum to knock Termagant clear of bayonet. Or maybe just blow it apart.

Page 103

It's enormous forelimbs ended in gigatnic, razor claws, blazing coronas of electrical energy arcing downwards into terrfieid Imperial Guardsmen, burning them to death where they stood.

..A blinding geyser of blue-white electricla flame erupted form between the beast's talons, fountaining through the ranks of his terrified soldiers. Curtis ran for his life, but the Trygon's dischrage washed over him seconds later. The electircal inferno instantly seared the flesh from his bones, his blackened skeleton running through the flames for another two strides before collapsing into a smoking pile of scorched bones.

Trygon reduces trooper to a mere pile of bones. roughly 70-80% of the mass vaporized/cremated from the body - definitely in the megajoule range (double or triple)

Page 103

It is assumed that all models are equipped with pressure suits or rebreathers which allow them to operate in the airless atmosphere of the hulk..

Kind of neccessary for non-power armored troops since Space hulks aren't always spaceworthy.

Page 114

\
Hero - Crime: Refused a direct order to lead his men on a pointless and suicidal attack.

He was also a commissar if I remember, may have been an officer in this iteration of the Last Chancers however.

Page 114

Ox: Wargear, Heavy Bolter. Special Rules: Ox can move and fire with the heavy bolter. He carries his own ammunition and doesn't have a loader.

Yet another example of a "normal" human able to lug around a heavy bolter without assistance or a carriage.

Page 114

Brains: Profile: An expert on many forms of technology and all round brain-box.

..

Crime: Hacking into the Regimental accounts system and changing his pay code.

Regimental systems are at least to some level computerized, and hacking isn't uncommon.

Page 114

Demolition Man:
Profile: An expert with explosives, and capable of picking any lock and disabling any security system.

Interesting traits.

Page 114

Shiv: Wargear: Plasma pistol, mono-filament knife (counts as a power weapon.)

Trooper (criminal) with a monofilament knife. More often seen equipped on Astartes.

Page 115

Scope: a Trained sniper and expert marksman.
Wargear: Needle sniper rifle.

Usually carried by ratlings, whereas long-las are favored by the human guardsmen.

Page 115

Grease monkey: Profile: Expert mechanic reputed to be able to maintain, drive, and repair any Imperial vehicle in the galaxy.

Crime: Stealing an Eldar grav-vehicle belonging to the Ambassador of Iyanden Craftworld.

Lots of interesting detail here. There's Eldar Ambassadors in the Imperium somewhere, maintaining some sort of residence in human space if they actually keep grav vehicles to be stolen. Not to mention that the Imperium actually considered this a crime. Ranks right up there with conducting embassies with the Tau.

It also suggests grav vehicles aren't uncommon, at least in civilised parts of the Imperium.

Page 115

Animal: A schizophrenic psychopath, but reputed to be one of the best all-round warrios in the Imperial guard

Wargear: Meltagun, scanner, close combat weapon.

Animal has lighting fast reflexes...

He's a non Astartes, psycho Ragnar Blackmane. Note he carries the scanner. (yeah, give the crazy guy your only sensor gear.)

PAge 115

Warrior Woman: One of the renowned Warrior-women of Xenan 7, an expert tracker and huntswoman.

..
Crime: Membership in a banned organisation (ref; Artemis sub-cult).

I'd love to know why its a banned organization. Unacceptable to the Ecclesiarchy, prehaps? Maybe they believe the Emperor is a woman

Page 116

Pulling a las-chisel from his belt, the guard burnt out the rivets on the shackles and they dropped ot the floor with a heavy clang.

las-chisel. They'll make a laser into anything. (Although if this were space marines, it woudl be a bolt-chisel.)

Page 116

And again and agian until one day you're just a little bit too slow, or just plain unlucky, and you catch a bullet or a knife, or a plasma grenade blows you to bits.

plasma grenades seem to be recognizable in the Imperial guard.

Page 118

By edict of the Ordo Xenos: For distribution to: Departmento Munitorum Imperial Guard Command Staff of Emeritar level Clearance and above..
Adeptus Arbites Precint Houses, investigative and judicial courts
Planetary Defence Force commanders subject to Governance audit 896

..

They [Lictors] are delivered by quasi-independent seeker drones which jump ahead of the main fleet swarm, in all probability to assess life bearing worlds and their autochthonous inhabitants prior to the arrival of the hive ships (typically a four to twleve week delay.) The Lictors perform a similar function to the seeker drones on the planet itself. They rove ahead of the Tyranid ground swarms seeking out pockets of enemy resistance and native lifeforms to be absorbed.

Edict from Ordo Xenos dispatched to varying organizations in the Imperium, from Guard to Arbites to PDF. Not, I note, the AdMech or Astartes (but they may already know.)

Note the method of deployment for Lictors. "seeker drones" deployed ahead of a fleet for scouting and recon purposes and with an implied independent jump capability. Also implied long range detection/scanning capability of some kind (at least for signs of life.)

Page 119

Lictors are covered with tiny chameleonic scales which shift their colour and texture to match their surroundings Thesemake Lictors exceedingly difficult to spot except at very close ranges (Typcially one to three metres according to reports from survivors of Lictor attacks).

...
A Lictor's body gives off little heat and the creature is apparently capable of remaining completely motionless for days at a time, soe ven energy and motion surveyors are of little use in divinging their presence.

Lictor's stealth properties.

Page 119

The powerful upper claws form their primary weapon and are edged with a fractal chitin compound. A Lictor's upper claws have been noted as being capable of penetrating up to 80mm of Armaplas and shattering up to twentyfold cermaite sheathing.

"fractal" is often another term in 40K to denote "mono-molecular." Basically really sharp. Abilities against armor boradly quantified.

Page 119

The Lictor will then use the most foul of its abilities, the omophaegic practice of directly absorbing a victim's genetic data and immediate memories by consuming their brains.

I wonder if they grabbed this from the Space Marines they absorbed, or had it beforehand.

Page 119

They [flesh hooks] are formed out of a carbon based chitin with a monomolecular edge and attached to lengths of tough muscle fibre situated between the ribs. The hooks are fired by a sharp intercostla muscle spasm, allowing Lictors to snare their victims from a distance.

Again a monomolecular Tyranid weapon. Flesh hooks are also used for scaling puproses.

Page 119

The Lictor xeno-type has undergone few observable adaptations since it first appeared in the Imperium. The earliest autopsises of Lictors from Hive Fleet Behemoth at the Battle of Macragge are entirely consistent with those from Hive Fleet Kraken on Ichar IV. This indicates that the Lictor is as well adapted to its function as can be, unlike the more fluid, unfixed xeno-types which appear to undergo almost continuous gene-splicing and forced evolution as the Tyranids attempt ot 'grow' extra advantages for their predatory conquest.

difference betwene Lictors and other Tyranid forms. Some Tyranids are "fixed", others are "un-fixed" and subject to constant enhancement to "improve" them.

Page 119

Deathworld veteran troops should be employed to meet the threat of Lictors wherever possible, as their natural fieldcraft and hunting abilities are likely to succeed where orbital surveyors and other devices fail.

Suggested means of countering Lictors. Note that the "devices" bit in context to earlier statements about chameleonic and low IR sginature properties. This suggests much of Imperial detection gear is either optical or IR, at least in detecting life forms.

Page 121

It is said to be made of a stuff known only ot the ancients: light as silk but strong as steel, flame cannot burn it and where it is rent asunder, it re-spins itself as perfect as the day it was first made.
It is marked with the names of all seventy seven Chapter masters; beginning with Guilliman and ending with young Calgar.

Battle Standard of Macragge.

Page 121

It as taken us two centuries to bring the 1st Company back to full strength after its sacrifice at Macragge.

This has varied since I have heard merely a century, although "full strength" is a bit vague. The Frist company may have only been fit for "active" service after a century, and required a further to fully re-requip and recruit to something like old standards.

Page 121

But Cassius had four centuries of experience of reading the hearts of his Brother-Marines, he knew that this Ancient would die defending the banner if neccessary, as the others had.

Ultramarine at least 4 cneturies old.

Page 122

Chaplain Cassius is among the oldest members of the Ultramarines Chapter, discounting those who fight on with the blessings of internment within Dreadnought armour.

Although close on four centuries old, his eyes remain sharp and his aim steady, and his sturdy presence within the Ultramarines battle lines fills the hearts of his younger brethren with pride.

Cassius is again 4 centruies and onel fo the "oldest" Ultramarines. HAs not apparently degraded his abilities, however.

Page 123

The plasma blaster was a specially built combi-weapon crafted by the famed Artificer Putus in the 38th Millenium. It incorporated tow plasma guns on a weapon mount suitable for replacing the storm bolter on a suit of Terminator armour.

..

This means that it may always rapid fire....

Plasma version of the storm bolter. Scary that it can rapid fire. Imagine what would happen if Termiator suits carried this as standard rather than storm bolters.

PA{ge 129

this fascinating treatise in reply to someone who thought planetary bombardment in the 41st Millenium would be a simple matter of knocking a few asteorids out of orbit so that they hit the target planet - rocks, after all, are free..

This is from the "Rocks are not free, citizen!" bit that has been floating around the 'Net for some time. I have no idea if it has any standing, but on the off chance that it does, I'm commenting since its in here. And if not.. well.. its still damn amusing, because i can picture some twit in 40K doing this.

Page 129

Finally, the Tech Priest sfinished, the Emperor's officers may begin manoeuvreing the Emperor's warship to abut the asteroid at the prepared face (expending yet more of the Emperor's fuel), and then begin boosting the stone towards the offensive planet.

..

After a few days of expending a prodigious amount of the emperor's fuel to accelerate the asteroid into an orbit more fitting to the Emperor's desires, the Emperor's ship may then return to the planet via superluminous warp travle and await the arrival of the stone, still many weeks (or months) away.

After twiddling away the Emepror's time and eating the Emperor's food in a wasteful pursuit of making sure that the emperor's enemies do not launch a deflection imssion, they may finally watch the ordinance impact the planet (assuming that the EMperor's ship does not need to attempt any last-minute course correction upon the rockt, using yet more of the Emperor's fuel).

Two months, O&M Titan class warship: 4.2 million Imperials,

Two months (rations, crew of same, Tech Priest Pastor, Servitor Parish, fuel) total 9.8 MI.

..

See Also

v0.31:Magma forge - Dwarf Fortress WikiAnvil — Dwarf Fortress WikiFace Palm moments you had in Dwarf Fortress

5 Warheads, manga-melta, One day O&M Titan class warship, one day, rations and crew of same.

..

Given the same results with under one third of the cost, the Emperor will have saved a massive amount of His most sacred money and almost a full month of time, during which His warship may be bomabarding an entirely different planet.

Much of the text. Not all of it, but its still pretty funny, especially the "entirely different planet" part. And repeated mentions of "The Emperor's fuel" Note its hard to quantify the bombardment (probably not Exterminatus though) The fuel is also "dihydrogen peroxide".

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

I'm going to post Chapter approved 2003 and 2004 both as separate posts. Again X-mas, and mainly because I'm bored with dragging it out and I want to get it all posted. I really have this urge to move sh*t up and just get on with other stuff like the FFG material. Which to be honest, I find way more interesting and fluffy and generally more sensible than even 5th edition sh*t. But I want to get through all the other stuff first so.. here we go.

Page 4

When the Waaagh! finally leaves the battle-scarered planet in search of fresh conquest, the survivors emerge from hiding and the process of rebuilding must begin.

..

A small trace of the Ork Waaagh! is left behind and will in time grow into a new menace known as Feral Orks.

All Orks give off spores which are dispersed on the wind. A fw of these spores may fall into remote zones on a planet's surface, the dense jungles or dry arid plains, places where most civilisations find it difficult to survive. The spores rapidly infest the area and grow without the threat of discovery Over a relatively short period of time these spores will mature into full-grown Orks and band together in loose tribes.

Ork spore theory. Nothing to see here, move along.

PAge 4

At first these tribes are small in number and are of little threat ot the planet's inhabitants. The Orks are uncivilised, even by the low standards of Orks. They have little concept of language and no grasp of technology. At this early stage in their existence they are hunted and preyed upon by all manner of savage beasts. It is a very important stage in the Feral Ork's development, where only the strongest will survive.

Out of this period a particularily cunning and strong Ork will emerge as the leader and the other Orks will gather round him. It is at this point that a Feral Ork tribe will begin to emerge. The tribe learns to fight against their natural predators through use of its numbers, and as it grows and expands its territory, more and more orks are drawn to the group.

The Feral Orks learn to scavenge weapons and equipment left by the previous Waaagh! Although much of the technology is far too advanced for them, it does not take long fo rthe Ork to realise thae gruesome effect of pointing the noisy metal thing at an enemy. Minutes after this incredible discovery the tribe will go to war, shooting at any targets that come before them, conquering all the other rival tribes and uniting under one banner.

Feral tribe development. Sort of an Ork "childhood" I guess, except instead of puberty you have technological growing pains (and steam powered gargants.)

Page 4

As more and more Orks join the tribe they are able to specialise in their abilities. The biggest and strongest Orks are able to bully the smaller and newer members of the tribe to hunt down prey.

..

As the smaller Orks spend much of their time hunting down prey, they become excellent shots. Others learn how to track and trap their prey, taking the skulls or hides as trophies of their prowess. Some learn to make use of the beasts of their home world using them as mounts to hunt down fast prey. Some will discover other primitive tribes, and so the main tribe grows exponentially.

As the tribe expands, claiming more and more territory, it is inevitable that it will clash with other races. At first only small outposts will be attacked. Then the tribes will strike in massive raids against towns and entire cities, before swiftly disappearing back into the wilderness. With each new raid the tribe gains more and more equipment and more and more thirst for battle until it will lauch itself on a frenzy of conquest.

Once the Feral Ork Waaagh! has started, it can gain an unstoppable momentum. The entire planet will become consumed by the Orks in a furore of battle, until all that there remains to fight is each other, which they will do with savage abandon.

This really makes me wonder if Feral Orks are perhaps the Orkish version of the Genestealer infestation. A Feral WAAAGH is still going to be a WAAAGH and it makes me think it would (if it becomes big enough) a menas of drawing Ork attention to a planet.

Page 5

They [Wyrdboyz] draw their power from the Waaagh! energies subconsciously released by other Orks excited minds as they go to battle. This energy can grow to such an intensity within the Wyrdboy's mind that he is unable to control it, resulting in his brain bursting from his skull in an almighty blast. For this reason they prefer to stay away from battles, but the Feral Orks need their talents to make up for their lack of heavy weaponry and tend to insist tha tthe Wyrdboy turns up.

Wyrdboyz. They're heavy weaponry for feral Orks because they lack even the rudimetnary heavy weapons most normal Orks do.

Page 5

Unable to contain the Ork energies any longer the Wyrdboy vents it forth in a stream of green psychogenic energy [like a flamethrower]

..

The Wyrdboy's belief in Mork and Gork is so complete that it will cause a manifestation of their power. This takes the form of a large green fist or foot dsecending from above.

Wyrdboy psychic attacks.

Page 5

Instead they have Ork speciliasts known as Pigdoks who specialise in the training, adaptation and healing of beasts. It has been argued that the Feral Orks' low technological base means that their survivla is dependent on their effective use of animals such as Boars and Squiggoths.

For battle, Pigdoks build special syringes with big red knobs wich can be presssed to inject Cyboars with a high dosage of adrenaline stimulant. The efect is to make the beast more agressive.

Amazing how low tech orks still manage to develop stimulants and stimulant dispensers. Nevermind the cybenretic boars. Maybe they use steam powered cybernetics?

Page 6

Bangstikks are long poles with explosives strapped to the end. Used exclusively while mounted on a boar, they are not the most precise of weapons as they are woefully unbalanced. The bangstikk is used just like a krak grenade to attack vehicles and bunkers.

Despite being described as "feral" they manag eto develop some grasp of explosives.

Page 6

A cyboar is extremely tough, reinforced with steel plates and bionic limb, has its tusks replaced by blades and has an injection device which pumps it full of stimulants.
..
A Warboss can instruct a particularily skilled Pigdok to upgrade his Cyboar into a monstrous combination of beast and machine. A super Cyboar follows the same rules as a Cyboar, but it gives the Warboss a +3 save due to the massive amount of metal and armour plate. In addition, the Cyboar is fitted with what is commonly known as Da Big Red Knob. This is essentially an injector system which pumps stimms into the Boar's system cuasing it to hurtle forward at an alarming rate.

"Feral" Orks can develop some measure of bionics, as well as steel forging technioques.

Page 6

Feral Orks are superstitous in the extreme and will sometimes get the idea that an otherwise useless object is really a powerful talisman. [with protective properties if lucky]

.,..
Feral Orks often daub themselves in dyes and paints that the Wyrdboy has prepared in the hope that some of his latent psychic powers are abosrbed into the mix. [anti-psyk protection]
..

Wyrdboyz frequently carry coppers taes to give themselves some protection against `Eadbangs.

A rather peculiar aspect of the WAAAGH effect.

Page 7

Although all Orks are innately psychic, a rare few have the ability to channel this power. Most of these Shamans, or Wyrdboyz as they are more commonly known, are bullied and used as just another potentially destructive weapon to carry into battle. In battl ethey accompany the mobs, soaking up the raw Waaagh! enegy that large numbers of Orks create, channleing it itno a powerful psychic burst.

Weirdboyz again.

Page 7

Whilst the ability to shoot prey is essential to a Feral Ork tribe's survival, they still relish close combat.

Shooting implies some form of projectile weapon.

Page 7

Feral Orks do not have the same resources as nromal Orks and are dependent on a select few highly skilled Orks ot bring them food to eat and furs to wear. Wany of these Orks band together into elite groups that call themselves Trappas. Th Trappas have perfected the art of setting snares and digging staked pits in order to catch their prey, and are skilled at sneaking up to targets for the kill.

The feral version of commandos I guess?

The interesting thing here is that this implies FEral Orks have much less of a "mobile ecosystem" compared ot normal Orks, as they evidently rely on hunting to provide food and clothing.

Page 7

Bang Trap: this is a large number of stikkbombz strapped crudely togehter and attached to a tripwire.

..
Fire bomb : VEry similar in appearance to a bang trap, a fire bomb explodes in a shower of highly combustible liquid.

..

Punji Pit: A simple crude but effective trap; a small pit with sharp stakes placed at the bottom whcih is covered with various foliage.

vairous traps. Again note that even feral orks seem to have a rudimentary understanding of chemistry - insofar as it applies to explosive and incendiary devices.

Page 8

If a particularily skilled Pigdok lives within the tribe then he often spends his free time manufacutring bombs and explosives. Those Orks fortnuate enough to possess a catche of stikkbombz group togehter in raids.

I guess the Pigdoks are part Mek and part Painboy. Does this mean there aren't any more stema powered gargants?

Page 8

Not yet skilled in the arts of hunting and trapping, these Orks [huntas] rely on strength in numbers to protect themselves from predators (including other Orks). They hunt in large mobs, depending upon the sheer number of guns to kill enough prey. competition

Its worth noting that whle they use sluggas and shootas, they also have rokkit launchas and burnas and big shootas as wel. Or, at least they can, once agian showing how feral "feral" orks can be.

Page 8

A Feral Ork reaiding party will often come across a small community of Orks that have spored up away from the larger tribes. These Orks are usually armed with the most basic primitive weaponry such as clubs or spears. The Ork raiding party will bring these wild Orks back to their tribe and over a period of time will teach them da proper Orky way.

Ork version of pressganging.

Page 8

Most Feral Orks have little concept of technology and ocasionaly their introduction to even the simplest mechanical devices will be too much for the Orks' small brains to handle. When this happens an Ork can become psychotic and lose what little rational thought processes he had in the first place.

And yet, they can make explosives and guns and the like.

Page 9

On rare occasions a lucky Feral Ork tribe may find damaged vehicles left by other forces., If their Pigdok is skilled enough they often manage to get the vehicle up and running using steam, pedal or even pure boar power.

I guess they still do have steam power. Pedal power I won't comment on, save that it says something about Orkish endurance and strength if they can make Flintstones car technology work.

Page 10

Squiggoths are enormous creatures which are usually hunted down by Orks for food. Feral Orks see the great beasts as more than simply food, as for them the Squiggoth also represents a means of transport. Over time they have discovered that they can harness these beasts and make mobile platforms on their backs with which o carry the tribe into battle. This has led to the Pigdoks breeding larger and larger variants of the Squiggoth.

The Squiggoth.

Page 11

When the forest world of Tanith fell ot a surprise attack by the vanguard of a Chaos fleet....

...

intended to fight in the Sabbat Worlds crusade, were barely founded when a storm of destruction rained down upo ntheir peaceful, arboreal world.
..

..Gaunt robbed the tanith of a chance to fight and die with their homeworld.

Implying the Chaos attack occured in a very short space of time.

Page 11

The Tanith troops, almost entirely comprised of light infantry, excel in stealth operations and commando raids.

Light infnatry roles of the Tanith.

Page 11

Expert marksman, the lack of Tanith armoured support is more than made up for by thei rresourcefulness and skill and, when allied to another Imperial Guard regiment, their skills can really come to the fore.

This probably means that their marksmanship, while significant, is probably no better or worse thana ny other regiment noted for marksmanship.

Page 11

Tanith troops ar c haracterised by the camo-cloak they wear, a thick and robust garment that is woven with cameleoline, a substance that takes on the appearance of its surroundings.

Tanith cloaks.

Page 12

Tanith soldiers are rightly respected for their marksmanship, and many are fully trained as master snipers. Able to operate indepenently of their squads if neccessary, these Tanith troops stick unwaveringly to the doctrine of the sniper, and their often-customised lasrifles are kept in impeccable condition.

"customized lasrifles" used by the snipers.

Page 12

The veteran squads of the Tanith are the original Ghosts, and all remember the day when they were evacuated from the founding fields without the chance to fight for their homeworld.

..

Options up to two models may replace their lasgun with a Long-las (counts as sniper rifle...)

..

Up to three models may be armed with one of the following weapons each: A flamer... bolter... meltagun.. plasma gun.. tube charges (counts as demolition charge)... grenade launcher.

...

Two guardsmen may be formed into a weapon team armed with one of the folooinwg: heavy botler... missile launcher.. autocannon..

Tanith "veterans." They havent used meltaguns since the first novel, and they've never had or used plasma guns or bolters.

Page 13

The Tanith 1st is almost entirely composed of light infantry platoons, the renowned Gaunt's Ghosts.

..

although the ranks of the original Tanith troops have since been bolstered by gangers, militiamen, and surviving soldiers from the Imperial vicotires at Vervunhive..

..

Up to two models (in Command section) may be armed with one of the following each: flamer.. meltagun... plasma gun... grenade launcher... long-las (Counts as sniper rifle)..

..

Two guardsmen cna form a weapons team with one of the following: heavy bolter... missile launcher.. autocannon...

..

Up to one model [regular squad] can have one of the following: flamer.. meltagun... plasma gun.. grenade launcher.. long-las (counts as sniper rifle)..

..

Two guardsmen can form a weapons team with one of the following: Heavy bolter...missile launcher.. autocannon...

the rest of the Tanith suqads.. this suggests that the bulk of the Tanith forces are Vervunhivers.

Page 16

Precognition: Brin Milo has, on numerous occasions, shown a considerable measure of psychic ability. He innately knows when himself and evne Gaunt are about to come under attack...

Confirmation that Brin really is psychic.

Page 18

Although there are hundreds of Imperial Guard regiments fighting in the Third Armageddon war, many of them carved out a bloody reputation for themselves during the constant and bitter fighting.

Hundreds of regiments in the third armageddon war. aklmost certainly an underestimate.

Page 20

In addition to his normal equipment every Ork Hunter also carries his 'scalper', a huge machete-like weapon that can be used to decapitate an Ork with one blow.

I guess the ARmageddon Ork Hunters needed their own version of an Improbably Huge Catachan-like Blade so they didnt feel left out.

Page 21

Armageddon Ork hunters very rarely have a chance to return to Cerbera base and replenish their ammunition, their patrols often lasting weeks on end. As a result, the Armageddon Ork Hunters commonly use captured Ork weaponry. Some of the strongest Ork Hunters have even been known to wield the crude axes of the Orks in close combat. Various Imperial reports have postulated that the Armageddon Ork Hunters actually prefer Ork weapons for the sheer noise and chaos they can cause when an ambush is sprung.

Ork hunters operating "in the field" using Ork weaponry, and the supposed reasons for this preference.

Page 22

The history of the Death Korps is peculiar indeed; when the Autarch of Krieg renouncd the Imperium his populace rose up against him in a devout fervour, and the regiments raised to combat the heretic responded with such horrific force that the planet of Krieg ws changed forever. In fact, this uprising led to a five-hundred year long campaign of atomic purging that resulted in teh previously populous Krieg degenerating into a toxic wasteland of ash and ruins.

Slightly different version of what Impaerial armour 5 described, since IA5 suggested that the use of atomics was because the Imperial loyalists were grossly outnumbered, wheares here they describe the populace being so fanatical to eliminate a heretic they f*ck up his own planet to purge him.

Of course IA5 also gives us serial-numbered meat droid guardsmen, whereas non IA Kriegers still had names and personalities, even if they were still zealot assholes (EG Swordwind and Warriors of Ultramar)

Page 22

Their Martyrdom in the name of the Imperial cause is well documented, for the Korps do not fear death. In fact, many seem to welcome it, and a platoon of Death Korps will quite willingly follow orders deemed to be suicidal by less dedicated troops.

this much at least they have in common with thier IA5 counterparts.

Page 22

The Death Korps expect to be fighting in the deadliest warzones and their soldiers are equipped accordingly with respirators, cold-weather gear and survival packs that allow them to act in the most extreme operational enviroments.

This too.

Page 23

The lasguns of the Death Korps opened fire, searing into daemon flesh in as perfect a firing drill as displayed on the subterranean rifle ranges of their home planets. Coalescing in the air mere feet ahead, a horned, dripping head leered out from the ether, straining forward to catch the trooper next to Mahler in its disended jaws. Mahler and his squad took out the thing's eyes, firing pointblank as it came for him, the ghastly apparation dissipating at the last second as his bayonet punctured its bulging forehead.

Subterreanean planet world.. that is the same. Rigid determination, telling DAemons to f*ck off.

Point blank fire from rifles ake out daemons 'eyes" Also note, that like in Swordwind and WoU, we have a NAMED Krieg Guardsmen. Not a barcode.

Page 23

To the right, a troupe of clawed daemon-hags danced and slithered forward, their sensuous bodies writhing obsecnely. One of them headed toward Mahler, its grinning features twisting into a foul parody of a woman from his past. Its aura of evil beauty was overpowering. Claws raised, it reared back to strike. Mahler shot it in the mouth.

Krieg Guardsmen prove resistant to Slaaaneshi wiles - at least the lower tier stuff.

Page 23:

"Shouting praises to the Emperor, the Death Korps blew apart dameon upon daemon, their grotesque forms liquefying and running like quicksilver across the dermal landscape.

...
Lasguns sliced through unprotected flesh time and time again,the air sizzling with the stench of battle. And yet not one of the Death Korps hesitated in his duty. Mahler expected nothing less.

Lasguns slicing and blowing apart daemons. Arguably daemon flesh is at least as tough as normal flesh, probably tougher, so this is not much different from blowing apart normal people. The problem is we dont know how many shots are doing it, or how many troopers, or what, so it can't be calced.

Page 23

On the left flank, a flock of daemons wheeled towards them, their long-limed bipedal steeds carrying the screeching riders at shocking speed toward a weakened spot in the Death Korps' line.
Just as Mahler feared they would hit home, the Krieg Death Riders swept over a fleshy ridge, sonorous voices rising above the deafening howling of the daemons in a battlecry of devotion and rage. Hunting lances burst through the flanks of the daemonic cavalry, massive discharges of energy tearing apart the lithe creatures and bowling their riders to the ground.

Death Riders are fanatical and actually use lances (power weapons it would seem.)

Page 23

contemptuously, one Daemonette pivoted gracefully and snipped off the head of a Krieg steed with a viscious claw, another smashing a Death-Rider from his saddle before sinking its teeth into the face of his mount. But the Death Riders had earnt their formidable reputation for a reason, their wounded steeds regaining their feet, sparks flying form the damaged machinery implanted in the resilient beast.

Death Rider steeds are cybernetic here. Rather than genetically engineered monstrosities. Of course nothing says they can't do both.

Page 23

Mahler was shocked to see a g igantic, many armed nightmare burst from the ground in a spray of ligth and blood, is elongated face bellowing a deafening battlecry. The cry was answered by mass lasfire, a hundred guns spitting defiance at the beast. It strode toward their lines, paying as much heed to the Guardsmen as a grox would to a lashfly. Firing on full auto now, Mahler caught a glimpse of a Leman Russ with a damaged turret speeding forward toward the Greater Daemon on what was obviously a collison course, well away from the battleline. The Daemon was inhumanly fast, and smashed one of its claws down into the turret, peeling it open as if it were paper. Its other claw neatly snipped the barrels from the tank's guns. The thing was on the hull in the blink of an eye, its lithe limbs working fast as it peeled back the armour, intent on feasting on the souls of the guardsmen inside.

Krieg rifles have full auto fire here, and implied a hundred lasguns fire on the daemons. Greater daemon rips top of the turret off a Leman Russ in an instant.

Page 23

With perfect clarify, Mahler saw one of the tank crew turn calmly and discharge his laspistol into the stacked battle cannon shells by the loading breach.

The resultant explosion was cataclysmic, a vast mushroom of noise, light, and dust. It annihilated not only the tank and the greater Daemon, but slaughtered hundreds of its nearby minions.

Battle cannon ammo blowing up the tank, as well as shredding the Greater Daemon and hundreds of other daemons.

Page 24

The Death Korps, although far from suicidal, have no fear of death. They gladly lay down their lives in the name of the Emperor and willingly seek ou tthe most hostile and punishing battlegrounds on which to display their devotion.

..

The Death Korps are used to being outmatched in close combat but fight on nonetheless showing their courage and slaying those who oppose humanity.

AT this point.. not suicidal. A rather significant distinction between IA5.

Page 24

The Rough Riders of the Death Korps take to the field of battle on bionically enhanced steeds, the augmented constitutions of the beasts meaning that they are slightly faster and hardier than the average mount.

Bionic rather than genetic enhancement.

Page 25

Rojo's krak grenades arced overhead, blowing a hole in the side of teh bunker even as Janssen led the charge, his bulky flame cylinder clanking against his pack.

Earlier he'd pulled a pair of krak grenades. Together they blow a man sized hole in the bunkers.

Page 25

Laspistol in hand, Rojo led his squad into the bunker, putting a shot through the forehead of a writhing, burning boy on the left of the entrance and another into the torso of a soldier curled into a foetal ball, clawing with blackened hands at his wrecked face.

..
Checking the dog tags of the corpse at his feet, Rojo scooped up its helmet and put it on as his men filed in, folding down the comm-bead and opening a channel with a filth-encrusted finger.

Helmet with comm bead. By the way these are Salvar chem dogs.

Page 25

How they [Salvar Chem-Dogs] came into being as an Imperial Guard regiment in their own right is indicative of the depths the Imperium had to plumb in order to stem the tide of Orks that invaded the Armagedon sector during the Third Armageddon war.

The Chem-Dogs were initially formed into a fighting force by Judge Callistar in response to an armed uprising on Salvar itself. Salvar, once an inhospitable mining world useful only for its rich chemical deposits, was converted into a penal settlement when it failed to meet Imperial tithes.

..

However, during the Armageddon War, Judge Callistar quickly found that such a force of immoral, desperate cut-throats could be forged into an effective fighting force with the addition of but a few simple directives. Conscripted into the Imperial guard en masse, the Chem Dogs were given two motivational imperatives; they could keep whatever they took from the enemy, and that if they broke the law they would be sent straight back to their toxic nightmare of a home world.

Origins of the Salvar Chem dogs. Penalties of failure to meet tithes.

Page 25

Stationed in the rotting underhives of Armageddon's hive cities, the salvar chem-dogs quickly adapted to the cramped, noxious enviroment. Any Ork forces attempting to infiltrate into a hive from below not only had to fight the crazed mutants and monstrous denizens of the Underhive, but some of the most hardened criminals and desperados in the Imperium.

Not only being cannon fodder, they are adept at close quarters battle in nasty enviroments. and of course, in salvaging.

Page 25

This man retains the traditional four tube Salvar pattern rebreather canister and filter mask, a bulky and akwward piece of heavy equipment in comparison to that used by the Armageddon Steel Legion.

..

This trooper also carris a number of non-standard pieces of gear, such as improvised body armour and a civilian-made vox caster and dust goggles.

The vox-caster is depicted as a headset like device with a whip antenna. It provides some interesiting contrasts between what Guardsmen migh be equipped with depending on their standing. The Salvar chem dogs clearly aren't from a sophisitcated or rich world, so their equipment is lower grade and less stnadardized (and more improvised.)

Page 26

A routine equipment check recently uncovered a peculiar modification that the majority of Salver Chem-Dogs have implemented in their (often stolen) rebreathers and filter masks. It seems that many Chem Dogs have adapted their filter packs to adjust the gases that they inhale. In the hectic arena of battle, hyperventilation of this altered gas can lead to the Chem-Dogs caring little whether they are wounded or if their fellow criminals are killed, in the fervour to slay their enemies and loot their bodies.

Drug use, in other words. Which seems ot be illegal for normal guardsmen in some respects, but is normal in penal legions. The Salvar tend to straddle the boundary.

Page 26

Due to being posted in the Undervie, the occasional Salvar Chem-Dog may have acqiured a piece of rare and arcane technology known as Archeotech. Dating back to the first colonisations, mayn of these ancient artefacts are so advanced that their owners rarely know eaxactly what they are for.

..

The device can be used to focus an amber cutting beam of great intensity upon a stationary object. Against immobilised vehicles and bunkers, the model may attack as if armed iwth a chainfist.

..

The Archeotech can be stimulated to produce a deafening wave of white noise that can stun an unprepared soldier into shocked inactivity.

..

When activated, the device projects a thin beam of crackling cirmson light. It counts as a power sword.

Archeotech.

Page 28

Elysian Drop troops are amongst the best rapid-response troops that the Imperial guard has to offer. Not only do they have some of the best and most well cared for equipment and a high proportion of Storm Troopers within their ranks, but they have perfected the tactic of attacking by grav chute.

Elysian assets. Again, like the Death Korps the Elysians are depicted differnetly in IA than they are elsewhere.

Page 28

However, the Elysian Drop Troops' combat doctrine does not afford them such luxuries as Leman Russ Battle Tanks or even the ubiquitous Chimera troop transports. Nothing bulkier than the lightweight Sentinel can be deployed by grav-chute. As a result, Elysian Drop Troops specialise in ambushes and attaining and holding objectives, and cannot hold their ground in a protracted firefight for long. In large scale conflicts this dictates a hit-and-run style of warfare whereby the Elysians achieve their goal and then quickly disappear. In smaller engagements the Elysians are experienced and well-equipped enough to operate for long periods of time without fresh supplies.

Not totally true anymore of vcourse, but interesting in how they are applied compared to others (more akin to Space Marines than regular Guardsmen.)

they also had drop ships and specialized in space based operations (like as mentioned in the armageddon website.)

Page 28

Skopios had a thin but breathable atmosphere, so the sergeant has dispensed with the bulky and uncomfortable type 5 pressure helmet that the Elysians usually wear. When worn, the pressure helmet draws air from dispensers in the trooper's backpack, which also carries other vital supplies and communications gear. The sergreant has chosen to replace his standard issue lasgun with an M36 Mars pattern assault shotgun, a popular choice with elite groups like the Elysians.

Pressure helmet.. perhaps one of the few things Forge world borrowed on, that and the shotgun preference. They have backpack comms gear too.

Page 30

Elyasian Special Weapons Team
Elysian Drop Troops use very few heavy weapons in their forces, preferring ot rely on the powerful medium-range weaponry favoured by their signature units of Storm Troopers. Some units specialise in the use of these weapons to such a degree that they can more than adequately fill the niche of heavy weapons troopers in other armies.

..
Squad: The Squad consists of one Veteran Sergeant and between 5 and 9 Elyasian Speical Weapons troopers.

Weapons Hellguns. Any member of the squad may exchange his weapon for a shotgun.... The Sergeant may exchange his hellgun for a laspistol and close combat weapon....
..

Options: Up to three models may be armed with the following: flamer... plasma gun... meltagun... grenade launcher..

Non Grenadier/Storm trooper Veteran troops equipped with Hellguns. This was what I always considered one of the cooler ideas for Elyisians. It may seem odd, but remember that by some definitions a hellgun is nothing more than a lasgun with a hotshot pack attached,

Page 30

Due to the fact that the Elysian Drop Troops deploy from grav-chutes, they can shell the enemy without fear of hitting their own troops. This promotes an atmosphere of fear and confusion amongst the enemy, causing them to run for shelter whilst the Elysians target the warzone and begin their aerial deployment.

..

Air Strikes are resolved as a preliminary bombardment..

Presumably the air strikes come from the Vultures/Valkyries they use.

Page 30

Because I wanted these guys to look as if they were wearing carapace armour, but be distinctly different to the Storm Trooper models, my starting point was to get a hold of a bunch of space MArine Scouts.

...

I added a little green stuff to these to form the visor of their Type 5 pressure helmets, no doubt incorporating all kinds of thermoscopic and photochromatic gadgets.

Out of universe games stuff, but it shows some intent about the Elysians (like their hardshell stuff was meant to be carapace, and that in conjunction with their elite nature and significant equipment they'd have infrared (thermoscopic) and night vision/anti flash stuff (photochromaitc.)

naturally, none of this shows up in the IA guardsmen because that goes agains tthe grain of what IA Guardsmen are

Page 32

Gang Militia....
Unit size: the Unit consists of 5-20 Gangers and one gang leader

Weapons: a vareity of home-made and black market weapons of dubious quality. Thse count as either a laspistol (or autopistol) and a close combat weapon, or a shotgun, or a lasgun, or an autogun. There can be a mix of weapons within each Ganger Militia unit.

..

Up to one model may have one of the following: flamer.. meltagun... heavy stubber... grenade launcher...
...

In addition, one other model may have one of the following: Heavy bolter.. missile launcher.. lascannon... plasma cannon...

very heavily armed militia.. but still militia.

Page 34

The Kroot are expert jungle fighters and trackers, who can be found fighting as mercenaries across the Ultima Segmentum and beyond. The majority of Kroot warriors fight as mercenaries in the armies of the Tau. Their integration into the Tau empire requires them to provide troops to the Tau military, and furthermore attempts to prohibit them from fighting alongside the armies of other races.

Kroot evolution depends on their absorbing the genetic traits of other races, selectively inheriting the most desirable. They do this through eating specific prey animals to ensure that the next generation take on certian characteristics of that animal. Unfortunately, the Tau insistence that the Kroot fight exclusively for them would lead to a disastrous stagnation, as they have absorbed the traits of most of the creatures from within the Tau region. To collect as wide a range of characteristics as possible, they secretly despatch entire armies of mercenaries to fight alongside other races in order to expose themselves to creatures and enviroments not found in Tau space.

The result is that each of these mercenary bands develops seperately to the mainstream of Kroot society. When they periodically return to the Kroot home world of Pech, they bring with them a wealth of new traits to be absorbed by the race at large. These itinerant bands often appear radically different from the standard Kroot, having absorbed all manner of outlandish genetic data.

Kroot fluff. Supsiciously this has remained largely unchanged, unlike some of the Guard sh*t.

Page 35

Having feastted upon the flesh of chameleonic reptiles, the band has gained a limited ability to blend into its surroundings.

...
Many creactures rely on their fast reactions to avoid predators and this band has inherited some of this speed.

..

The band has inherited excellent night vision...

..

Ork Hybrid: Often referred ot as "Green Kroot", all models increase their toughness...

..

Sixth Sense: These Kroot display an unnerving ability to predict imminent danger.

Various kinds of Kroot variaitons and evolutions. This can give them alot of versatility

Page 36

Kroot mercenary armies fight alongside a score of races across a thousand war-zones. As payment for their services these Kroot often obtain weapons not available to them when fighting alongside the Tau.

Various weapons and gear include... Bolt pistols and boltguns, sluggas, splinter pistols, Shuriken pistols, power wepaons, frag and krak grenades, meltabombs, auspex, bolters, splinter rifles, shuriken catapults, Shootas, meltaguns, plasma guns, flamers, stormbolters and Evicserators. This probably has changed over time, since they seem to use tau-modified weaponry for the most part now.

Page 36

Kroot rifle: a baisc slugthrower relying on chemical propellants and the transfer of kinetic energy, adapted by the Tau to fire a charged pulse round supplied by them. The Kroot rifle is fitted with blades near the muzzle and stock.

...

The incredible hand speed that a Kroot possesses due to its unique musculature makes these blades effective assault weapons...

Kroot rifle, again remains unchanged.

Page 37

A Master Shaper rules over a mercenary band. He negotiates contracts iwth employers, leads his warriors in battles and directs their evolutionary development.

..

The nymune organ regulates the Kroot metabolism, and the Shapres often manipulate this in order to boost the energy levels of the warriors.

The Master Shaper and Kroot metabolic control.

Page 37

Minor psyker abilities
One of the roles of the Master Shaper within Kroot society is to provide a focus for the practice of ancestor worship. Those individuals with a particular gift may gain the blessings of their long-departed predecessors and manifest shamanistic powers.

Minor psychic powers belong to shapers, not unlike the stuff the squats had.

Page 37

A Shaper council sits below the Master Shaper int eh chain of command within a mercenary band. Each council member is responsible for a number of kindreds, coordinating their evolution with the other members of the band to obtain the desired mix of skills and abilities.

Kroot "government" such as it is./

PAge 38

The Stalker kindreds have sought out the stealthiest of predators living within the depths of the galaxy's gungle death worlds.
..

The Carnivore kindred represent the core of the Kroot Mercenary band. They are flexible inb attle and their Shapers are always on the lookout for fresh foes whose speical abilities they can inherit.

..
The kroot species [Vulture Kindred] has an avian ancestory, and these kindreds have resurrected this aspect of their evolutionary development by eating the flehs of winged hunters. although not suited for extended flight, their wings allow them to spiral onthe warm updrafts above the jungle canopy and then swoop down upon the heads of their enemies.

More on Tau variation. Some can even fly (sort of)

Page 39

Trackers are most frequently used as mounted scouts, but also play a light cavalry role on the battlefield...

Mounted on other Kroot variants of course.

Page 40

Some bands have access to the kroot hunting rifle; a variant of the standard Kroot rifle adapted to fire longer range and more precise ammunition.

A high powered rifle round.

Page 40

Krootox herders lead their charges into battle, laying odwn a devastaitng volley of fire from the Kroot Guns mounted on the Krootox's back.

Which are also slug throwers As I recall.

Page 41

"Hold your fire!" The captain came striding into the clearing, his command group spreading out and forcing the horrified guardsmen to lower thier weapons.

"They're on oour side!"

Kroot allied with the Imperium.

Page 42

The Tyranid hive fleets have now been assailing the Imperium for 250 years. In this time, whole Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes have been lost in the maelstrom of battle along with countless millions of Guardsmen.

Scope of the Tyrannic wars.

Page 42

One realistation has been that the swarms that descend from the hive fleets at the early stages of an attack are often significantly different form those that follow.

...

Mycetic spores are more than just the Tyranid version of drop pods, they are a vital part of their ecology. The Tyranids are a space dwelling race but their prey is terrestiral. Mycetic spores are one of a number of different spore types used to seed target planets. Some types affect the weather, others the flora and fauna, and some evne introduce new species. Militarily, without the mycetic spores the hive fleet's ships and their Norn Queens would have to risk planetary defences and waste valuable energy to feed. With mycetic spores the hive fleet can gather around the prey planet and bombard it with seeding swarms, only descending themselves whne all resistance is crushed and all the juicy bio-matter is ripe for consumption.

...

Mycetic spores are not as sophisticated as drop pods, but the sheer numbers of spores dropped ensure that some will get through the planetary defences. As with any contested landing, the first few minutes are critical. If the seeding swarms can establish safe landing sites then the Tyranid reinforcements can be directed to those locations and, in short order, massive concentrations of Tyranids can be built up ready ofr the Hive mind's signal to attack. If, however, the seeding swarms can be defeated then there is nowhere safe for the successive Tyranid swarms to land and planetary defences will continue to claim a hihg toll. With no chance to build up, the Tyranids that have landed can be counter-attacked and dirven from the planet altogether.

Mycetic spores described - part drop pod, part orbital bombardment weapon. Implied deployment time of minutes (kilometers to tens of km/s dropping speed - similar to other drop pods.) The interesting thing is that they servve as a kind of bio-warfare, used to prepare and subvert the very ecosystem to the Tyranid advnatage.

Page 42

If you think of a swarm as a single large predator then, if it is a complex swarm relying on several genus operating almost symbiotically, it can be hamstrung by planetary defences upsetting its balance. Even against a planet with minimal planetary defences, heavy losses can be incurred, so the creatures in the first swarms down have ot be robustly simple in their approach.

..

It [seeding swarms] rely on the most numerous creatures in the swarm...

..

Heavy losses during planetfall are cnacelled out by launching successive waves, with each brood having hte same role as its predecessor. If one is destroyed the next will replace it. Other boords manifest a chemical imbalance that ensures that they are unusually hyperactive. They are faster, stronger, and even more ferocious than their kindred, but the rate at which they expend their energy causes them to burn out within minutes of their landing.

The "first" waves.. teh guants and such who are most expendable.

Page 43

The Faithful Traveller was 400 klicks out form Mhakken and still some 700 klicks from its destination port, Kirishi, in the middle of the roughest, coldest ocean on the planet. The spores had been dropping for the three days during which the Faithful Traveller had been at sea.

..

Even here, though, the crew was falling to the Tyranids. Unknown viral conditions, fevers brought on by the oppressive, unseasonable temperatures...

..

Other things were in the ocean too - the engineers reported scratching noises against the hull. Even the water was changing, a sickly purple crust spread for miles across the ocean like a mauve plague.

Effects of 3 day Mycetic spore bombardment: viral infections, severe climate/temperature shifts and fevers, and subversion of the oceans. The last bit can be pretty sneaky, as this means the Tyranids can deprive a planet of all water, including drinking water.

Page 44

He unsnapped a krak grenade from his combat webbing and pushed himself to his feet as the spore began to ripple with inner life. This was when the creatures were vulnreable, before they had a chance to break free of their protective cocoons.

Mycetic spores and their cargo are vulnerable before the 'Nids break free.

Page 44

A blur of motion, almost too quick to follow and the creature was free. Its talons and claws tore through the squad as its mutated adrenal sacks pumped horrifying vigour through its alien metabolism. Within seconds the infantrymen were dead, shredded strips of bloody flesh, no longer recognisable as human. The genestealer did not pause to savour its handiwork, the chemicals thundering thorugh its body drove it onwards ina frenzy of slaughter.

augmented genestealer shreds an entire squad in seconds. Note these are "expendable" troops then by definition

Page 44

The only Tyranid models excluded from a seeding swarm are Biovores, Ripper swarms, Old One Eye, and The red Terror. Biovores are not included as the hive fleet will already have saturdated the target planet iwth a spore mine preparatory bombardment if the mission calls for it. ripper swarms will come later when organised resistance is crushed and the business of consuming the planet's bio-matter is begun.

Excluded "seeding swarm" Biovore munitions can be deployed as part of normal bombardment.

page 45:

The first chimera skidded to a stop. Clay's squad dismounted while the rest of the Company roared on.
..

Mycetic spores had penetrated the planetary defences and landed in and around the hydro-electric facility. The upper floor of the administration building had a gaping hole in it; the squad's job was to check it out. They had barely got within 500 paces when a horde of fanged and clawed Hormagaunts leaped from the building's upper windows and bounded at them. The Guardsmen obeyed their training and Seargent clay's terse orders - firing short controlled bursts form their lasguns as the Hormaguants closed.

They were too many and too fast to be stopped by lasguns alone though, and the Chimera added its heavy weapons to the salvo, ripping a hole in teh brood just as the squad's heavy bolter coughed into life. The surviving Hormagaunts still came on and were tensing for a final leap when they were enveloped in roaring gout of fire from the squad's flamer.

Guardsmen with lasguns engaging moving hormagaunts from ~500 paces away. A "pace" can be anything from .75 meters to 1.5 meters, meaning the range can between 375 and and 750 metres.

Page 45

Following their gaze he saw a nother brood as large as the last dropping form the building while yet another seemed to be massing within. Even Nathaniel Clay, twelve years a veteran, hesitated briefly before his stoic sense of duty reasserted itself. "We may need to put some overtime in today men," he said with a feral grin. "Fire!"

Twelve year veteran. They engage successive waves from the same distance, reinforcing the range estimate.

Page 54

Even though high-powered lasers and plasma weapon scour the battlefields of the 41st Millenium, close combat remains commonplace - sieges, city fighting, boarding actions and tunnel warfare are noted more for the ferocity of the fighting than any strategic nuances. Seasoned warriors always bear a deadly array of clubs, knives, frag grenades and bayonets for close-quarters fighting.

The prevalence of close in weapons seems to be attirubted to the prevalance of certain kinds of terrain. Note that grenades are defined as close combat weapons for this purpose, meaning that it is possible pistols and other close range weapons do as well.

Page 54

Power weapons splinter cermaite armour plates and melt plasteel in the blink of an eye, smashing through even the toughest armour like paper.

Explosive damage against ceramite, thermal against plasteel "in the blink of an eye" - implying a very rapid discharge of energy. This may suggest ceramite is more brittle than plasteel, but more thermally resilient.

Page 54

A power fist or claw is a powered, armoured gauntlet surrounded by an energy field that disrupts solid matter.

..

Lightning claws are commonly used as matched pairs. They consist of a number of blades extending form a housing on the wrist and back of the hand. Each blade is a mini power weapon in its own right...

...

Thunder hammers release an ear-splitting blast of energy when they strike.

...

A power wepaon (typically a sword or axe, but more rarely a glaive, halberd or mace) is sheathed in the lethal haze of a disruptive enregy filed. When a blow is struck, a crackling blast of energy tears at the target, eating through armour, flesh, and bone with ease.

Various powerfield weapons.

Poisoned weapons are particularily feare dand can include everything from normal weapons daubed in venom to hypodermic claws.

..

Force weapons are potent psychic weapons tha tcan only be used by a trained psyker such as a librarian. They are treated as a power weapon, but can unleash a psyhic attack that kills an opponent outright.

Poinson and force weapons. Force weapons are psychically powered power weapons with an added ability.

PAge 60

Most psykers manifest a broad range of capabilities from psychometry (object reading), telekinesis and precognition through to weather summoning, temporal distortion and mind control. Training and willpower hugely influence the abilities of a partiuclar psyker...

Scope and variety of psyker abilities, and how variation is influenced.

Page 60

Telekinetic psychic powers: The psyker cna move coins and light candles iwth his meagre power but that's about all.

Thunderclap

Force bubble

Protect

Holocaust

Flamewall.

TK powers.

Page 61

Movement psychic powers

Supernaturally quick (increasd reflexes/initiative)

Tangle (incapacitates movement of enemy)

Fleetfoot (up to double movement rate for unmounted squad)

Leap (as if equipped with jump pack)

Read Minds ( know what the enemy may plan)

Relentless (Allows to treat as stationary for using rapid fire or pistol weapons - which basically means increased ROF)

Probably variations on TK, devoted to movement (or lack thereof)

Page 62

Enahncements psychic power:

The psyker may have good teeth or neat hair thanks to his powers but nothing of practical use on the battlefield.

..

Iron fist (increased damage)

..

Warp shifting (protective ability)

..

Shield...

..

Blessing of th machine god (range weapon treat as master crafted.)

..

Iron Arm (Psyker trated as if equipped with close combat weapon and power fist.)

The ability to affect/improve solid matter in some way.

PAge 62

Will psychic powers:
The psyker is good at sticking to diet plans and giving up bad habits but nothing more.
...
Sense minds (counts as being equipped with a scanner)
..

Inspire (increasd leadership)
..
Cause fear (reduces enemy leadership)
..
Battle fury (increases fighitng abiliy)
..
Glory (Becomes fearless and ignores morale)

Telepathic/empathic type powers - both in terms of reception and projection.

Page 63

Temporal psychic powers
The psyker's effects on the timestream are mostly conicidental and inconvenient, lengthening times in waiting rooms and during dull social events for example.
...

Slow time (reduces initiative for non walker/vehicle things)

...

Healing (resorts wounds... accelerated healing)

..

Stasis shell (Can't move, shoot or asault or be touched/affected_

...

Warp time - increases movement.

..

Temporal distort (alters luck or allows rerolls)

the real fun stuff.. powers which f*ck around with time.

Page 64-73 (Vehicle transport rules covered previously. I'll ignore these.)

Page 74

Deathwatch members are volunteers from Space Marine Chapters that rigidly adhere to the Codex Astartes.

Pre Deathwatch RPG deathwatch stuff. Probably varies from the modern iteration since the modern deathwatch is alot more flexible.

Page 74

On the Eastern Fringe of the Imperium, the Inquisitorial Fortress at Talasa Prime has recruited, trained, and equipped Kill Teams from the Ultramarines, Scythes of the Emperor and Lamenters Chapters for service against the Tyranids.

More on Kill TEams. Note the Inquisition provides extra training and gear.

Page 74

Each [deathwatch team member] may then select one of the following ammunition types at the cost specified in the squad rules opposite.

* M.40 targeter with auto-sense link and stalker silenced shells
* Metal storm ammunition
*Inferno bolts
*Kraken bolts
...

As a reward for the service provided to the Deathwatch, the rare ammunition types they use are made available in limited numbers when the volunteer Space MArine si back in regular service with his Chapter.

They can share out (to a limited degree) some of the fun stuff they're given access to. Probably another tangential advantage of the relationship and a means of encouraging Space Marines to continue it.

page 74

Deathwatch are, of course, recruited from all different Chapters including Space Wolves, Blood Angels, etc. Howver the discipline and training of such individuals is legendary amongst their own brethren so Deathwatch squad members and characters are never subject to the Special Rules which apply to specific Chapters.

Deathwatch recruits are exceptional (for all intents and purposes) meaning you can't just recruit anyone to do it.

Page 75

Up to 2 space Marines may be equipped with a special weapon from the following list in place of their bolter: Heavy bolter with hellfire ammo and suspensors(*1)... M.40 targeter, bolter & ammo (*2)... plasma gun... meltagun.. flamer...
...

Any Veteran can be armed with a weaponf rom the following list unless they are also armed iwth a special weapon....
Power fist... lightning claw... or a pair of lightning claws... (replaces both bolter and Close combat weapon), power weapon...
..

All models not armed with a speical or veteran weapon may be issued with one of the following special ammo types: metal storm(*3)... Inferno bolts (*4)... or kraken bolts (*5)..

Again Deathwathc gets some damn neat gear.

Page 75

All Deathwatch marines have True Grit.

Bolters have a pistol grip which means that they can be fired with a single hand. This takes considerable practice and skill so it is not normally encourage.d Units noted as having the "true Grit" skill, however, have learnt how to use their bolters in this manner.

...

.a bolter is too unwieldy to be fired with one hand while simultaneously hurling yourself at the enemy.

Deathwatch ercruits as arule all seem adept at using boltguns like pistols. No wonder the Astartes boltguns have no stocks.

Page 75

The Deathwatch have many ways of reaching a battlefield by surprise.
..

Whether this is by teleporter, termite, alien technology, drop pod or grav chute...

Deathwatch deployment methods.

Page 75

the Heavy Bolter is potentially a very versatile weapon - if equipped with an additional suspensor unit that provides just enough stability ot allow it to be fired on the move. The effective range is seriously reduvced but it gains the ability to provide suppressive fire while advancing. Because Kill Teams often operate alone, this justifies the use of the increasingly rare suspensor units.
..

The hellfire is a ceramic sheath which shatters on contact inot thousands of needle-like shards which penetrate the hide of the target and carry mutagenic acid intot the enemy's bloodstream.

Hellfire ammo and suspensors. Note the suspensors provide stability on the move (EG they don't really reduce mass.)

Page 75

A normal bolter equipped with an M.40 targeter with auto-sense link and Stalker silenced shells acts as a perfectly satisfactory sniper weapon.

Meaning alll Deathwatch personnel have a pistol that is a glorified sniper rifle, albeit one using subsonic ammo.

Page 75

A bolter loaded with metal storm ammunition may be fired form the hip with remarkable accuracy. The metal storm shells explode in proximity to the enemy, their fragmentation casing making pinpoint accuracy unneccessary. The penetrative and destructive qualities of the round suffer as a consequence.

Turning a bolter into an impromptu grenade launcher.

Page 75

A bolter loaded with Inferno rounds can cause far more horrific wounds than a conventionally loaded bolter. This is achieved by filling the bolt with an oxy-phosphor gel.

Because some xenos are vulenrable to fire.

Page 75

A bolter loaded with a Kraken penetrator round is capable of piercing the toughest hide thanks to its adamantine core and improved propellant.

Basically a sort of sub-calibre ammo round. This implies Adamantine is rather dense, denser than normal ammo/shells. Uranium dense perhaps? Or possibly even denser, since we know uranium is used in some bolter shells.

Page 76

Almost all Chapters of Space Marines have had Emperor's Champions of their own at one time or another, especially during the period following the Horus Heresy. Although the practice is much less common in the 41st Millenium, there are still several Chapters that have an Emperor's Champion, especially among the First and Second Founding Chapter's whose history dates back ot the dar days of the Heresy

They're basically like Black Templar EC's, save they don't benefit from whatever genetic traits the Chapter has (IE Blood Angel Black Rage), Generally this means they are given some high end gear (Artificer armour, master-crafted weapons, etc.

Page 76

A river of foulness was pouring thorugh a breach in the mile high palace wall. Fighting machines and troops forced themselves through the gap.

"mile high palae wall"

Page 77

At any one time, there are uncountable bloody wars being fought out across the galaxy; brutal, destructive campaigns where thousands die with every passing minute.

wars that kill thousands "every minute".

Page 79

Captain Bradburn surveyed the war-torn battlefield intently with his thermal-imaging scope. As his gaze travelled over the ruins below, he could see countless glowing red hulking shapes lumbering through the darkness towadrds the position of his Death Korps Legion. He was certain that the Orks would hit within the hour.

Guard due with thermal imaging scope. I believe he's also a Krieger, also named rather than numbered.

Page 79

Bradburn raised his comm-link, still looking through the scope at the building...

Guard officer with handheld comm link.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

Chapter Approved 2004, the last one. This one is slightly bigger than 2003, so it has to be split up into two posts. This is part 1

Page 6

It [Ossmodula] monitors and secretes hormones affecting epiphiseal fusion and ossification of the skeleton while at the same time, engineered hormones encourage the forming bones to absorb ceramic based chemicals administered in the Marines diet. Two years following implantation, the long-bones will have strengthened considerably and ther will have been a general increase in the size of the recipient's skeleton. Extreme ossification of the chest cavity caused by growth of ribs forming a solid mass of inter-laced bone plates provides a Space Marine with an armoured layer to protect his secondary heart and lungs.

Discussion of the enhancement of a Marine's physical skeleton during the implantation process.

Page 6

It is even rumoured that Black Dragon Apothecaries deliberately encourage such growths, even going so far as to knowingly implant aberrant zygotes into some initiates. This is exceptionally dangerous, and the practice is forbidden by Imperial edict but the old traditions die hard as the ferocity of the Dragon claws is much valued by the Chapter Masters.

Deliberate encouragement of mutation amongst Marine Chapters.

Page 6

Each Chapter is required to send 5% of its genetic material to the Adeptus MEchanicus on Mars. This 'tithe' serves two purposes: enabling the Adeptus Mechanicus to monitor the health of each Space Marine chapter, and store gene-seed with a view to founding new chapters. The Adeptus Mechanicus has on several occasions threatened the Black Dragons with military action unless it complies with this decree and even when the Chapter has submitted genetic data, its veracity has often been considered suspect as each sample provided has passed the most stringent genetic purity checks without fail. without being able to prove anything, many Adepts believe that the Black Dragons submit genetic material culled from other sources. How this can be possible is unknown and the Adpetus Mechanicus is eager ot fully investigate the medical practices within the Black Dragons.

Discussion of the tithing of Space Marine Gene-seed, and further evasions by the Black Dragons. We know how tihs can go, considering the issues with the Astral Claws.

Page6

The Black Dragons are a Chapter who push the Inquisition to the limits of tolerance.

..

Their heads and forearms sport bony crests and these obvious physical mutations make long-term cooperation with other Imperial bodies impossible.

More conservative members of the Inquisition, one assumes. They're still not as moronic as Soul Drinkers though.

Page 6

The Minotaurs are a chapter that operate largely within the structure of the Imperial war machine, although the Inquisition and the Ecclesiarchy have on numerous occasions attmepted to investigate them. The Minotaurs, like all other space Marine chapters are an autonomous organisation and will therefore only answer a call to arms on their own terms.

..

It has been stated by several Imperial commanders that the Minotaurs are an unreliable and unpredictable force that they would prefer to avoid altogether in preference to more tactically balanced if less assualt-oriented allies.

Example of how Space Marine autonomy works, although reputation and popularity can affect usage.

Page 7

Appearing as ghostly appartions to aid beleagured Space Marines, this mysterious force has intervened in desperate battles on numerous ocasions.

..
Eyewitnesses report the visible areas of the Space Marines flesh are in a state of decay, lending the legionnaires a horrific, charnel aspect.

..

The examination of starship debris recovered in the Maran sub-sector suggests a link between the Legion of the Damned and the fate of the Fire Hawks Chapter. The Fire Hawks were declared Lost in the Warp in 983.M41, twenty years after the enitre chapter set out for Crow's World on a counter-invasion mission against the Eldar. The Inquisition are unsurprisingly keen to discover if the Legion of the Damned and the Fire Hawks are in fact one and the same chgapter, and if so, how they gained their mysterious and deadly abilities.

The good Old Legion of the Damned. As we know now, they ARE the Fire Hawks, and we know they are largely corporeal.

Page 7

It has been speculated by some Imperial scholars that the inception of the Lamenters was an attempt to utilise the Sanguinius strain of gene-seed, breeding out the deficiencies known to mar that otherwise superior DNA. If such an experiment did in fact take place then its primary objective sseem to have been achieved, in that the Lamenters adhere to a strictly 'Codex' formation and the chapter does not field any Death Company. However, the Lamenters appear to have suffered from the most appalling twists of ill fortune and tragedy, and are undoubtably stricken with a morose curse that is reflected in the bleeding heart and teardrop emblems adorning their power armour.

Such bad luck being the Badab uprising (The Astral claws) and running into Hive Fleet Kraken amongst probably others. It shows the problems (like most of the Chapters shown here) of dicking around with the gene-seed to improve it. The interesting thing here is that, like all Sanguinius-derived chapters, there seems to be a significnat psychic element to it - in this case, unfavourable probability manipulation (EG bad luck.)

Page 8

Today, barely three companies of the Lamenters are still at large in the galaxy, and it would seem their curse of sorrow and ill fortune follows them still.

In other words, an under-strength Chapter. Still, they fared better than the Scythes of the Emperor and some other Chapters (again the Soul Drinkers.)

Page 8

Nothing is known of the Flame Falcons Chapter, for they were declared Excommunicate within a centrury of their inception.

...

At the height of the battle, their largest engamgent at that piont, the first company were observed to spontaneously immolate at the height of the fiercest fighting agianst the rebel force. Fearing witchcraft, the chapter's commander reinforced the front line and snet for an Inquisitor who was accompanying the Imperial army. When it was reported by the reinforcing Space MArines that the members of the first company were not dead, but were in fact fighting with renewed savagery covered in flames to which they were immune, the commander declared it a miracle, a gift sent from the Emperor.

The Inquisitor had a different opinion. Knowing that he could not assault the Flame Falcons immediately, he bided his time, witnessing the remainder of the chapter undergo the same change as the first company.

Upon successful completion of the campiagn, the Flam Falcons returned to Lethe in celebrant mood convince, as they wer,e that their unique ability was a manifestation of the Emperor's grace. Soon after, the Gray Knights at the inquisition's behest assaulted Lethe, ruthlessly destroying the cursed chapter. It is thought that a small number of Flame Falcons escaped that day, but of their fate, nothing whatsoever is known.

A more extreme version of f*cked up geneseed due to tampering. Alot like how the soul Drinkers were treated, although I wouldnt automatically call bursting into flames a mutation instead of a blessing (whereas sprouding spider legs is obviously mutation, unless you're a brain dead Soul Drinker.) Again interesting that tampering with the gene-seed seems to result in what amounts to a almost certainly psychic mutation.

Page 8

The Brothers of the Flame Falcons chapter are cursed with a terrible mutation that causes their bodies to become wrathed in flame The inquisition is particularily uncompromising in punishing these mutants wherever it encounters them.

Maybe the Inquisition is afraid they'll set buildings on fire in the imddle of a battle.

Page 8

The Sons of Antaeus are only officially recorded in one source; the chronicles of the Third Inter-Guild War of the IncaSector of 850,M41 to 901.M41.

..

Since that time, a force matching their grey and black livery has been sighted by a number of chapters in the Ultima segmentum, and these accounts have always made specific mention of the size and apparent hardiness of these mysteirous Adeptus Astartes. They are reportedly capable of surviving hits from weapons that would slaughter another Space Marine.

Super tough Space Marines, although their existence is barely known. Shows just how unlikely it is they can accurately track Space Marine formation (more reliabily than perhaps the IG, but not by much.)

Page 8
[qyiote]
The Eldar Falcons and Wave Serpents made straight for the Sons of Antaeus...

..

The Incredulous Capotain Rakman gives an amazing acoc*nt of the Sons of Antaeus' stand in the face of a storm of Eldar firepower, against which the mysterious Space Marines stood seemingly impervious.
[/quote]

Including agianst APC and grav tanks.

Page 8

During the inception of the Sons of Antaeus Chapter, its creators extensively modified the gene-seed in order to create Space MArines of exceptional durability and toughness. How they achieved this is unknown, whether their skeletal structure was enhanced with some artificial substance, or whether a more esoteric procedure was used. Less sympathetic observers point out that the chapter appears every bit as resilient as the Death Guard Traitor Legion.

Discussion of possible ways of "enhancing" Space Marine durability. The enhancing of skeletal structure with some other substance makes Space Marines seem more artifiical or cybernetic, although the Deaht Guard analogy might hint at something more psychic.

Page 10

All Orks give of spores which are dispersed on the wind. A few of these spores may fall into remote zones on a planet's surface, the dense jungles or dry arid plains, places where most civilisation finds it difficult to survive. THe spores will rapidly infest the area and grow iwhtout the threat of discovery.

Ork spores seem to favor locales that are sparsely or totally uninhabited and difficult for other races to live in. AS a survival mechanism it makes sense, given that it makes discovery (and eradication) of the infestation less difficult, and the adverse conditions are likely to

Page 10-17: already covered the Feral Ork stuff (only the rules updated) so I'll ignore this.

Page 17

An Imperial Guard armoured company consists almost entirely of armoured vehicles, with the only infantry included being those mounted in chimeras to keep up with the rapid advance of the tanks. A typical armoured company can consist of anything between twelve and twenty-four tanks and is primarily used to batter through enemy strongpoints, exploit a breakthrough, or act as a mobile reserve to counter-attack advancing enemy.

An Armoured Company will often be used to spearhead attacks and, break through enemy lines. Special missions or objectives of an particularily critical nature are often entrusted to Armoured Companies, though they are unsuitable for holding ground or raids into enemy territory. Armoured Companies are specialised formations and how they are raised and integrated into an Imperial Guard army is quite different to a regular Imperial Guard regiment.

Armoured companies defined. The interesting thing is that this implies that all armoured companies all (or nealry all) have at least some mechanised infantry. Armoured companies have 12-24 tanks, which presumably doesnt include the infantry. They're essentially a mobile force deployed this way (unless you have someone like the Krieg using them, anyhow. Just because armoured companies use tanks this way doesnt mean tanks aren't used differently by other companies/regiments.)

Armoured companies are also specialized and thus not "typical" IG regiments.

Page 17

Most of the regiments raised for service in the Imperial Guard are infantry, which is not surprising as the one resource the Imperium has in abundance is manpower. However, while the Imperial Guard is rightly regarded as a ponderous organisation which specialises in delivering bludegoning hammer blows to an enemy rather than the decisive rapier-thrusts of the Adeptus Astartes, it still needs a way of breaking through defensive lines and taking the battle ot the enemy.

Armoured Regiments are the assault arm of the Imperial Guard. Raised on industrialised worlds and equipped with unsophisticated but rugged vehicles they have been the weapon of choice for Imperial Guard Generals for as long as the Imperium has stood. An armoured Regiment consists of several companies; normally there will be at least three but some regiments boast over a dozen. Because of the sheer power of tanks in action, Armoured regiments normally split into their constituent companies in battle. A company of tanks can be allocated to an Infantry Regiment to provide close support or conversely operate on its own, supported in some cases by troops detached from infantry regiments in the same army.

It is rare for tanks and infantry to be officially part of the same regiment but once intermixed to fight it is common for secondments to become permanent, at least for the duration of a war or crusade. In all practical cases the Armoued Company is the level of tank formation most commonly encountered.

The TL;DR version is: Armoured regiments/companies/etc. and presumably the armoured Fist regiments too -are the offensive arm of the Imperial forces, whilst the Infantry are the defensive arm (or at least the backup offensive arm.) This meshes with other referencs of the Guard (offensively at least) as a mobile force, and taking/holding ground and fortifications does require lots of men (especially in garrisoning its myriad planets, facilities, etc.)

At least, all of the above is theory. As we well know, it is quite possible for the IG to decide using men instead of tanks to launch an attack (on foot) is a brilliant idea, and this has been done. I'll leave debate of how "common" such a practice is up to others, though.

The other interesting tidbt is the origins of such regiments (industrialised worlds), which says something about their commonality (EG this will include hive and forge and probably a good many civilian worlds. So while men may be more numerous vehicles can't be dramatically less common, which meshes with what is implied in 5th edition.)

We also learn that an armoured regiment can be as few as 70 tanks to nealry 300, depending on number of companies and size of company.

And yes they are "unsophisticated" generlaly, but relative to what we aren't really told (I mean it could be to Tau and Eldar, or in regards to waht other arms of the Imperium use, etc. Its certainly not compared to Orks! although with Orks sophistication is no indicator of effectiveness)

PAge 17

An Armoured company will always have a commander operating either alone in his own tank or supported by an HQ Squadron of one or two more tanks. The LEman Russ Vanquisher is a popular choice as command tank as its long barreled battle cannon is especially effective in the hands of a Veteran crew. The company will consist of three to six squadrons of tanks, each squadron having a command tank and one or two other tanks. These will most commonly be Leman Russ tanks although Demolishers, Hellhounds and Chimeras can be pressed into service.

companies comrise 3-6 squadrons, with 2-3 tanks apiece, more like 6-18 vehicles per squadron by that benchmark,b ut its not too far off the 12-24 bit (the other half dozen or so vehicles can be made up by other stuff like hellhounds, Chimeras, etc.()

Interesting to note Demolishers are treated as being in the same category as Hellhouns and Chimeras (although it makes sense given their largely specialist role.) It also implies that Vanquishers are fairly common as command tanks, and that a company might have 3-6 such vehicles in the company. I wouldn't find this an indicator of the Vanquisher class itself being rare, although I can certainly believe that certain patterns of it are in decline.

Page 17

Whilst the formal organisation of armoured companies contains only tanks some cross-attaching of units is commonplace. This is not based on any standard practice formalised in Imperial Guard manuals but is instead either improvised by experienced commanders or a necessity of battle.

The most common attachments are infantry from Steel Legion-style formations (The Steel Legions are specifically an Armageddon unit but the term is used more widely to describe infantry units entirely mounted in Chimera transports.) The Chimeras enable the infantry to not only keep up with the tanks but to add significantly to an armoured company's firepower. The infantry are invaluable in dense terrain where the risk of assault by enemy infantry is at its highest. Despite their power, tanks are vulnerable to attack by determined infantry.

"Steel Legion style formations" are in other wrods, Armoured Fist units. This implies it is quite common fro infantry to be attached to tank units, although this implies it is an unofficial arrangement rather than armourd fist units raised with the armoured company (as hinted at before.) It could be both, although the "ad hoc" appraoch is dependent upon logistics (EG having the units and vehilces to attach in the first place.)

The first paragraph shows how "formal organziation" and doctrine tends to break down in the field - the Munioturm and IG hierarchy can issue all the directives they want, but in the field commanders largely do as they wish (within limits, since there are of course the Commissars) As noted before, this can be both good and bad, depending on the commander (esp since some of the guard policies are frankly retarded.) but it takes out alot of the "standardization" an army would find useful.

Page 18

In addition to normal Armoured Fist squads, Armoured companies are frequently assigned support weapon squads, armed with lascannons, autocannons, missile launchers, heavy bolters and mortars. These squad are mounted in Chimera tansports and can therefore be deployed in the thick of the action. They are especially valualbe for the covering fire they provide, enabling the tanks of the Armoured Company to stay mobile and concentrated. Mortar teams are used to speculatively bombard concealing terrain ahead and to the sides of the line of march. Whilst the expenditure of ammunition seems frivilous, the number of times this fire uncovers enemy infantry lying in wait for the tanks justfies it many times over. Heavy bolters and autocannons can then be speedily deployed to cover the tanks. In the event enemy infantry try to get amongst them and manage to break through the Armoured Fist squads then these rapid firing heavy weapons can blast them at their most vulnerable as they rush the tanks.

The inclusion of special, indepednently deployed heavy/special weapons is an interesting touch, and I suspect it adds a bit to their flexibility, especially the mortars. Especially in conjunction with Chimeras and Armoured Fist units.

Page 18

Missile launchers and lascannons are used ot perform a tactic known as 'sword and shield.' This involves the tanks of the Armoured Company engaging enemy tanks right in front of the concealed anti-tank teams. The tanks act as the shield, keeping the enemy armour busy while the anti-tank teams act as the sword and pick them off at leisure.

Also known as "Hammer and Anvil" Although tanks aren't very mobile in this role, methinks.

Page 18

When it comes to reconniassance Imperial tanks are too large and noisy to perform the job well. To fill this niche Armoured companies are commonly assigned squadrons of Sentinel walkers. The Sentinel is the workhorse of virtually very Imperial Guard formation and it is the exception to the rule that all Armoured Companies include only tanks. Armoured Company commanders are always enthusiastic to secure Sentinel support and when they get it will do anything to avoid letting it go. The Sentinel has such excellent all-round capabilities that a tank formation acting independently is hamstrung without them. They excel at sniffing out the enemy, and having located them, are sufficiently well armed to support the tanks in the ensuing battle. Broadly speaking they are used in two roles: pure reconnaissance as described above and as tank hunters. While the Armoured Company's taks roar forward Sentinels can occupy concealing terrain and fire accurately with lascannons in support. Their flimsy armour is less of a disadvnatnage when the enemies' attention si fixed on the near-invulnerable Leman Russ. The other advantage of Sentinels is that they can go virtually anywhere an infantryman can go but take their heavy firepower with them. They can find routes through difficult terrain for the tanks to follow and give a commander the means of finishing off an enemy when the tanks' firepower dries them deep into a wood or town.

Sentinels are pretty ubiquitous in the IG - both infantry and armoured companies (well pretty much anyone) can be expected to have them. Within their limits, they're pretty useful IMHO.

Page 18

Finally it is possible that artillery units wllb e assigned to an Armoured Company. This is actually very rare as artillery is at its best when set up a good distance form the enemy lines and is able to remain static and bombard continuall. This method of fighting is diametrically opposed to the bludgeoning tactics of the Armoured Companies. Sometimes the artillery is transferred to act as imrprovised tanks to swell numbers and other times they are there because formations merge in the heat of battle without any real tactical reason. In either case Griffons and Basilisks are not entirely at home in armoured companies and will often find themselves doing jobs they would not normally be expected to do.

Depends on the kind of artillery (Griffon mortars, for example, as opposed to basilisks.)

Then again not al artillery is "static" - Basilisk are explicitly mentioned to be mobile, but they would still work better when separate from Armoured units. The "improvised tanks"/assault gun role implies some similairity in capability/firepower between arty and at least some kinds of tanks. Whether this is good or not, is a matte rof preference.

PAge 19

Armoured Companies of the Imperial Guard are reknowned for the speed and ferocity of their assaults, smashing through eenmy positions with the thunder of their armoured vehicles.

Speed and again mobility. Although not as much compared to some of their enemies (Ork Speed Freeks, Eldar, and usually Tau.)

PAge 19

An armoured Company does not have any attached support vehicles or ammo carriers; these will normally be provided for an indivdiual campaign by the Departmento Munitorum. Each squadron can contain a mix of vehicles, but the newer the regiment the more liekly they are ot be the same. These lightly armed but very valuable vehicles will never be risked in combat if there is any other option. Their crews are not combat hardened and are often made up of men who can only be trusted to labour rather htan fight.

No organic support for the armoued company. Like for the infantry it largely seems to be provided by the Munitorum, but in the case of vehicles it is because they are bigger and more complex and generally considered (by the Munitourm) to be more vaulable. Age of a regiment can affect its composition, unsurprisingly (newer regiments are untested and more standardized, while veterans are more trusted and have access to better gear, but also tend to suffer from the random logistics of the Munitorum)

Page 19

When units are assigned to support the Armoured Company from other formations such as infantry or artillery they are assigned to either a company commander or a suqad commander. This keeps the internal organisation of the armoued company constant and avoids confusing battlefield command with additional sub-units. It is acknowledged that tank commanders do not always know what is best for their support units so a degree of autonomy is acceptable. The sergeants of Armoured Fist units, for example, quickly learn what is needed of them and do not wait for an order to intercept enemy infantry.

Integration of other units with an Armoured company. Note again that all this mixing and matching, like with infantry regiments having armour or artillery attached to it, tends to be done at the company level or lower (depending on the unit) Whilst regiments can be fielded en masse (especially for infantry), they are still basically administrative formations - the company (or battalion or platoon or squadron or whatever) is the actual "fighting" unit.

again this is both good and bad. It allows for versatility, esp given the wonky logistics of the Imperium in some cases, but on the other it lacks alot of the familiarity and coordination that would develop amongst a more "organically raised" combined arms force. On the other hand, there is still that whole "horus heresy" thing.

Page 19

Armoured companies of the Imperial Guard are renowned for the speed and ferocity of their assaults, smashing through enemy positions with the thunder of their armoured vehicles. Their deployment is not undertaken lightly, for it is a logistical nightmare to co-ordinate so many vehicles togehter with their associated materiel, such as ammunition, fuel, food and water, and alll manner of sundreis consumed at a frightening rate by an Armoured Company Whole convoys of fuel trucks fullow in the wake of an armoured company, which in turn need to be guarded and fuelled, generating even longer supply chains..

Page 19

As well as spearheading assaults Armoured Companies are also particularily effective as mobile reserves, breaking up enemy offensive that have burst through friendly forces. Enemy troops and armoured fighting vechiles that have battled through a first line of defence are typically disorganised nad scattered - easy prey for a concerted counter-attack. Their speed allows them to react rapidly to the changing fortunes of the battlefield and often the sudden arrival of squadrons of heavy armour has turned retreat into attack. Such dramatic operations produce a different breed of Guard officer, one more used to flamboyant displays of herosim than the drudgery of common footsloggers. Used to the protection of several tonnes of steel and armaplas, many officers are prone to wilder exceesses of courage than those who know that only a few thin layers of ablative material stand between them and death.

"mobile reserves" - I guess this amounts more towards a variation of "hammer and anvil" on the defense - using them to plug up holes and push back enemies th tmay have broken through the largely static defensive infantry forces.

Also, the note of how their orles and equipment change the attitude of those soldiers.

Page 19

The Imperial lines surrounded the hive, a total distance of three hundred and forty miles.

I think it's circumference, rather than diamate or radius, but who knows? Anyhow even with Cirrcumference the diameter of the forces covering the hive is some 170 km, which is an upper limit on the size of this particular Hive.

Page 20

Colonel Sirhan remains the only warrior in the 124th Cadian to have won the Order Of Macharius, following his actions at the Battle of Vrodken Ford, where he and his company fought and destroyed a Chaos Battle Titan. The Titan protected the one place where armoured vehicles could cross the River Astur and which led to the enemy rear echelons. Imperial forces had taken a fearsome pounding trying ot cross the river with pontoon bridges and every attempt had met with failure.

....

Dawn was breaking as his socut vehicles reported the presence of the ford, though they attracted heavy fire as they attmepted to cross. Determined to exploit this ford, no matter the cost, Sirhan led his vehicles from their laager and drove his tank straight into the water.
As the tanks reached the centre of the river, a thunderous termor shook the ground and the towering shape of a Titan emerged from behind the sides of the river valley. Three Leman Russ were blown apart in as many seconds by the Titan's guns, before the rest were able to scatter and return fire. The behemoth's void shields flickered as shell after shell impacted, but none could penetrate its thick armour and another swathe of tanks exploded under its withering firepower.

Colonel Sirhan charged forwards, his tank belching smoke as it emerged from the river. Supporting infantry waited in the shadow of the titan, but as more and more tanks emerged from the river, the weight of their suppressive fire began to take its toll. The shells of the few tanks that had survived to close with the titan were close enough to bypass their foe's shields and armoured plates cracked and ran molten beneath their repeated barrage. Realising that it had underestimated its foe, the titan began backing off, but Colonel Sirhan was not to be denied. e drove right up tot he titan and unloaded his remaining ordnance into its weakening leg joint. His last shell detonated against the giant war machine's joint and a shower of flame and in a shower of flame and metal shards, the Titan collapsed on top of the Colonels' command tank, crushing him and his crew to death. The last, battered survivor of the company was able to vox regimental HQ and tell them what had happened. Within four hours flanking elements of the 124th Cadian regiment had crossed the Astur and were able to catch their enemy completely by surprise, rampaging through their baggage and supply camps.

This is the first case I remember hearing of IG forces taking on a Titan (followed by the Munitorum manual, and then the latest IG stuff, althoubh both latter treat it more as hearsay.) This example is treated as known and well established.

It is impressive that a few dozen tanks (or hundreds perhaps) could take downa Titan, even if it was a Chaos one (and thus not exactly normal, or sane), they took massive lossesn in doing it, and they still had to get inside the shields to do so.

Interesting that until they got under the shields the combined shields and armor proved totally immune to evne massed gunfire. and even then it was only by taking out a leg joint (which may have been luck) they actually defeated the Titan (not actually destroying, but crippling it.) The fact that their ammo turned the armor molten rather than shattering it completely, also suggests unusual ammo (some sor tof heavily thermal shell, likea melta bomb)

Page 22

Infantry can be used in virtually any terrain, can be used to police rebellious populations, perform more menial digging and entrenching and provide garrisons for backwater worlds. Whilst an Armoured Company can be used in this way, and at a pinch the crews can shoulder their lasguns and act as improvised infantery, this is really a waste.

Uses of infantry vs uses for armour. The versatility and numbes of infantry are their prime draw for the Imperium, whilst armour units are specialized more towards warfare (and offensive warfare, at that.)

Page 22

Because the Imperial Guard as a whole is operationally quite slow it is sometimes quite advantageous for their advance to be spearheaded by Armoured Companies. In this role they advance ahead of the main army in tigh tformations, often spported by Sentinel squadrons seconded from the reconnaissance units. These formations will advance at maximum speed cutting holes in the enemy formations before pressing on without pause to isolate pockets of reisstance which can then be mopped up by the more conventional Imperial Guard units advancing behind them. Massed armour is almost impossible to stop without the enemy committing their own mobile forces, thereby allowing the Imperial Guard to seize the intiative and force the enemy to fight a battle of attrition. This approach is most effective when the line of attack is aimed at weak pionts in the enemy line. Overall the objective is not to destroy the enemy by direct action but to fragment them and get the armoured companies amongst the amongst second line formations disrupting supplies nad over-running depots.

The key to success is how well the tanks are supported; lack of fuel and ammunition will oftne halt their advance long befor ethe enemy are able to do so and counterattacks laucnhed against the isde sof the line of march will drain the Armoured' company's strength and may cut them off entirely.

discussion of tank warfare for the Imperium, with an eye towards the various levels. Note specifically the explicit mention of how the Imperial Guard "as a whole" is operationally slow, which is quite sensible. Trying to coordinate all its myriad components together and all at once (nevermind amassing them, assembling them in one place, and then deploying them) can be both cumbersome and slow. They can deploy them piecemeal much more quickly, but with tradeoffs in coordination and unity. But component parts of the IG can (and are) much more mobile and faster than other elements are.

Page 22

Oftten the Imeprial Guard will be fighting on battlefronts stretching hundreds or even thousands of miles. The lethality of 41st millenium weaponry makes constant attack very expensive in lives and even the Imperial Guard cannot simply continue to throw away men attacking strongly held positions. The result will often be that the battle lines stagnate into gruelling trench warfare. Few enemies can sustain this type of battle against the Imperial Guard because of the massed supporting artillery that can be brought to bear. There comes a point in this type of battle though where the enemy have been weakend enough and a decisive blow needs to be struck.

HAH! clarification of the "WW1 trench warfare" and "attrition warfare" crap. One cant' deny that those do form part of potential IG tactics, and they can and have been used (including when it would be better to apply something else, since the IG has more than its share of Zapp Brannigans) Ultimately, the scope of the battlefield, the lethality of weapons, and (although not mentioned) logisicla considerations invariably mean that the IG have to pay some consideration to casualties (despite what some of the fluff propoganda says about "limitless manpower" - infantry and people are MORE expendable than machines, in a relative sense, but both are still finite. They're not f*cking Orks or Tyranids.)

This again gets back to this whole "theory vs practice" dichotomy. It really can go one way or another (very good or absolutely sh*t) with the Guard, depending on circ*mstances, variables, and whatnot.

Page 22

As units will naturally disperse to minimise artillery casualties the sight of the armoured Companies shaping to charge will force the enemy to mass their own firepower, making the final Imperial Bombardment more deadly. The attack can actually be delayed while the tanks add their cannon to those of the artillery. When enemy units start dispersing or even falling back the signal will be given to charge.

The tank attack will not be slowed by trenches, wire, shell holes, or mud...

..

Light artillery such as mortars can continue to fire as even if they are not on target their shells cannot harm the tanks.

[/quote]

Artillery and armour working together. Interesting that tank guns will add to artillery bombardment, although it isnt clear whether this means line of sight or non line of sight bombardment. Probably th eformer.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

Part ttwo of CA 2004. And then I am done with this tedious (But still interesting) sh*t and can move onto more interesting stuff. Well almost

Page 22

ACcess hatch for targeter box

Lucius 1500 gas turbine engine

120mm smoothbore main gun, elevation from -10 degress to +32 degrees.

Three barreld smoke grenade dispenser, gunner's periscope allowing 45 degree field of vision

Weight: 61 tonnes

Hull lenght: 7.08m Hull Width: 4.86m Height 4.42M

Barrel length: 3.07m Ground Clearance: 0.45m

Armour: 45-200mm

Max speed: 29 kph on road/19 kph off road.

Main Ammunition: 36 shells in flash protected magazine. Stowage capacity for three variant shell types (AT, Conqueror, etc).

Fording Depth: 1.9m

LEman Russ stats. Generally less impressive than even the IA stats. Gas turbine engine. 120mm main gun. only a 3 meter long barrel though. Interesting in the variation of shell types.

The thing also lists the Russ as having a targeter, so they do seem to come with targeting gear fairly standard

Page 29

Because they operate so far in front of the main units, the crews of Salamander Scout Vehciles often overcharrge the engines of their vehicles in order ot make q swift escape shoudl they encounter strong enemy forcees.

As do some other vehicles. We know Russes have at least on one occasion.

Page 31

The Conqueror replaces the stnadard turret weapon with a shorter barreled verison of the battle cannon, firing a smaller, less destructive shell. The reduced recoil allows the vehicle to fire whilst on the move, making this Leman Russ variant more mobile when leading an assault.

Even though the IA version makes it slower than a regular Russ.

Page 32-45 - already covered in last stuff.. not gonna do it again.

Page 46

To the disgust of the Imperium the Tau are constantly improving their technology. Driven by the need to serve the greater good Water caste scientists and Earth caste workers have laboured ceaselessly to further refine their formidable rail gun technology. The result is the rail rifle, a version of the rail gun light enough to be used by a Tau warrior on foot without the aid of a battlesuit.

Because they're dynamic, you see.

Page 46

At this stage the rail rifle is undergoing field trials with specialist units. It may be issued more widely or it may be refined further before being mass-produced. The relatively slow rate of fire, the bulk of the weapon and the currently unstable targeting mechanism still do not meet the stringent demands of the Ethereal and Fire Castes. Even so it is a lethal weapon using a linear accelerator to fire a solid slug at extreme velocity. In the Tau armory only Broadside armour has been found to offer any protection against it and it will mortally wound even the larger Tyranid bio-organsims. The impact is such that a terget will frequently be hurled backward by its terrifying power and this combined with the distinctive whine fo the hypervelocity slug has been seen to have a demoralising effect on the enemy.

Benefits and tradeoffs of the Rail rifle. It seems to be the Tau equivalent of an AMR sniper rifle and basically the only projectile weapon (as far as KE for damag goes) we see infantry using.
Context suggests that this weapon is mostly used against heavily armoured, non vehicle units since "only Broadside armor providing protection" and "Tyranid bio-organisms" are not vehicles (and it would be a bit silly that vehicles could be hurt but not super armored mecha suits. Hell by logic you could include titans in that if you were being pedantic.)

Hypervelocity implies at least 2-3 km/s velocities, which is consistent with more explicit statements of 6-10 times the speed of sound. if we take the "impact" hurling things backwards literally (as if by momentum) it implies the weapon incorporates some sort of anchoring mechanism (which means forcefields) or some bizarre counter-recoil mechanism (like a recoilless rifle) to prevent the wielder from flying back.

Page 46

Pathfinder team:
Team consists of 4-8 Pathfinders.
Equimpent: Pulse carbine with markerlight target designator.

Options: Pathfinders may carry photon grenades.... and EMP grenades... Up to 3 Pathfinders in a team (but not the Team Leader or Shas'ui) may replace their pulse carbine and markerlight with a rail rifle.. If desired these models may further upgrade their rail rifles with the experimental hardwired target lock interface...

..

Rail Rifles: Pathfinder teams have recently begun to augment their normal weaponry with rail rifles which have the following profile:

Rail Rifle range 36" Strength 6 AP3 Heavy 1, causes Pinning.

A rail rifle upgrade would actually be pretty damn useful, as it gives them the equivalen tof heavy snipers to augment the shorter ranged carbines

Page 46

The Fire warrior loaded a fresh power cell into the rail rifle as Kassad reminded everyone that although the rifle came pre-loaded with a hundred rounds of trilium-tipped solid darts the energy requirement of the weapon was too great to be met by the integrated power cell. The cartridge cell provided enough surplus power for a single shot, although this slowed the weapons' rate of fire adequate compensation was to be found in the penetration and stopping power of the shot.

Fluff on the rail rifle specifics. Interesting that it comes "pre loaded" with one hundred solid darts (implying hypervelocity APFS type rounds) which would be quite effective at penetration, but pre-loading suggests they don't use clips which can be a drawback in a sustained battle. Hell a magazine feed doesn't seem too complicated an idea to integrate into the weapon at all.

I assume the "integrated power cell" is also some sort of miniature reactor or perhaps a fuel cell (powered by some ongoing, long term reaction.) Which is not bad.. but if they need an additional, single-use power cell to provide additional power, why don't they ditch the built in cell and have the single use cells provide all the power? For that matter why can't the built in cell use a capaictor to build up sufficient energy? Or failing that, why dont they use some sort of separate power source (like the backpack ones Hellguns use?)

We dont know the mass of the rifle, but the internal ammo magazine can't be more than 1 kg or so (suggesting 5-10 gram bullets, but I'm betting on 5 grams or less.) I'd bet on KE being between 15 and 60 kj or so.

I should mention that "Mark of the Xenos" indicates that that version of the rail rifle includes a 16 shot clip, does not require an extra single shot power source, and largely serves as a heavy sniper weapon. Given that the above is largely still experimental I would assume they revamped the design and the Mark of the Xenos weapon is the "field" version, since the MotX version is also less pants-on-head retarded.

Page 46

The Fire Warrior hefted the long, rectangular rifle and adjusted a dial on the side of his helmet where a flex fromthe weapon's sighting mechanism was plugged into his external interface node. Kassad continued to explain that the improved target lock allowed a team leader to designate different targets to all members of his unit euipped with the device enabling multiple enemies to be suppressed. It was clear ot the experienced Me'drek that the bulk of the weapon made manual sighting awkward.

rail rifle targeting helmet with a direct interface link of some kind like an MIU.

Page 46

The Fire Warrior aimed and fired, there was a brief screech as the dart sped to its target, struck it centrally with such force that it was not only smashed but scattered all over the range.

..

After the shot had been fired the Shas'ui had swayed and tumbled backward. He gripped his helmet and tore it off, dropping the prototype rail rifle to the ground. The onlookers were horrified as the Fire Warrior sought to tear out his hardwired target lock interface with his bare hands before stiffening and crashing to the floor.

..

"The interface is still malfunctioning. The weapon's power requirements are leaking into the targeting mechanism and causing fatal feedback. You had promised that this error had been corrected."

..

"We have reduced the defect incidence three-fold exalted one. In time it will be corrected but the weapon does all that you have asked it.

Yes, that's right. The Earth Caste deliberately field test dangeorus weapons on their own troops. For the Greater Good, of course.

Page 46

"You dare supply a weapon that will kill my warriors? What do you connivers know of the battlefield, of honour, of courage, why.." Va'shant's hand was on his shoulder.

"You are right of course Me'drek. Still we are soon to need sucha w eapon to protect all our castes. Perhaps the price is one we must bear, to serve the greater good."

The anger drained from Me'drek. He nodded.

"Aye, for the greater good."

Bet you thought I was joking about the "For the Greater Good" bit this time too, didn't you? Frankly I think the Fire Warrior commander was right to be pissed. The Tau are supposed to give a sh*t about their own people and avoid unneccessary casualties, remember? I guess that is by the highly selective interpretation of "unneccessary" they use. I mean, I can understand that they need the rifle, but there is NOTHING that suggests they actually need the interface to make it work (it certainly doesn't in Mark of the Xenos!) - so if the rifle is needed they should just employ the damn rifle without the interface and make do, not risk killing off their own valuable soldiers just so they can get a dubious, cutting edge technical advantage, no matter if it is for the "greater good" or not.

f*cking Tau.

Page 47 - I won't cover this part since ther'es nothing technical,but its worth noting that Mordians in large numbers (comapnies at least) fall to Slaaneshi daemons in this case (unlike the Kriegers in the erarlier Chapter approves, it must be noted.) Daemonettes in this case as well. This would seem to suggest that the sheer fanaticism of the Krieg is considered an improtant asset, conisdering how grim and disciplined I remember Mordians being described. But compared to the sheer cold fanaticism of the Death Korps, they're wusses.

Although given recent iterations of the Krieg, we might just chalk it up to the Kriegers being glroified meat droids nowadays. They probably don't even f*ck the conventional way anymore (not enough time or skulls involved.)

Page 48-57: earlier stuff, more repeats. Not gonna cover it.

Page 60

A flyer is basically an aircraft - ie something that can fly along very fast in pretty much a straight line - as opposed to a skimmer which is more like a modern day helicopter.

Skimmers are likened more to helicopters, which probably makes sense since so many skimmers are also classified as "gunships.

Page 64

A "co-axial" weapon is one that is fixed beside another weapon of a different type, a bit like the twin-linked weapon but where two different types of weapona re used.

Coaxial mounts.

Page 64

Gatling weapons are basically an even bigger version of a twin-linked weapon, with even more gun barrels.

Like an assault cannon. Or a vulcan megabolter.

Page 64

Long barrelled weapons, as their name implies, are much longer than a normal version of the weapon. This allows them to shoot furhter than the normal version, adding 50% to their range.

..

Long barreled weapons must be at least twice as long as the normal length for a weapon of this type.

This variation seems to be distinctly different from Vanquisher cannons, given Vanquishers were mentioned before explicitly, and Vanquishers involve more than just a longer barrel. This is actually more along the lines of the "long barrelled" autocannons used in Hydra batteries. Presumably Leman Russes could benefit from this (meaning they gain a barrel something along the lines of 5-6 meters, although some scaling might suggest a weird 7-8.

Presumably conqueorr cannons oculd be done like this too, though they would be something like 5 m or so. I doubt you could scale up a Vanquisher cannon. And even if you could it wouldnt be mountable in a turret. Maybe you could stick it on a Titan or super-heavy though.

normal Russ range seems to be around 2-3 km normally against their own enemies, so I guess it would be between 3-5 km with a "long barrel" variant.

Page 65

Mega weapons are simply huge versions of the weapons from the standard weapon lists

Vulcan Megabolter perhaps? Or maybe like the upscaled Battle cannon on Thunderhawks and Baneblades.

PAge 65

Shorter barrel: The weapon's range is halved.

HAld the diameter too. Actually smaller than conqueror cannons.. probably akin to a a Demolisher or Conqeuorr gun though. Bet it would be used in Trench or attrition warfare where range doenst matte for a tank.

Pge 66

The Eldar race is sophisticated adn technologically advanced, and their vehicles are often protected by energy or holo fields.

Interesting they suggest Eldar actually do use shielding on vehicles (well we knew about the Wave Serpent of course, but this implies more.)

Page 66

Imperial Titans and some other vehicles or fixed defence sites are protected by a form of energy field called a void shield. These can't be fitted to most vehicles as they need large plasma reactors to power them.

Mentions void shields need plasma reactors to function, meaning that "personal" or man protable void shields probably aren't literally void shields. It also implies that the other kinds of void shields (like on Leviathans) are Titan-grade. It also implies that some of the fixed defensce site void shields are Titan-grade.

Page 66

Some vehicles engines can be souped up to make them faster. Flyers, immobile vehicles, and any vehicle with 51-56 points of armour may not be given souped-up engines.

A russ (with 48 armour points) can have a souped up engine, incidentally, much like in the Gav Thorpe short story from the old IA entry.

Page 66-67

Targeter: Vehicles often have a targeting matrix, optical enhancement system or other dvicec to increase the chance of their guns hitting. This must be represented with some sort of radar dish, sensor, or gunsight on your model.

This provides some context of what "targeter" can mean.

Page 76

Many alien skimmers have retractable landing gear that can swing down from the hull of the vehicle, enabling them to set down upon a lvel surface, either to disembark their passengers or ot maximise the use of cover.

Makes sense.

Page 76

The Air caste are so valuable to the Tau race that almost all of their airborne vehicles have a self-contained co*ckpit that can be ejected intact when the machine suffers irreparable damage. The pilots fly down to earth under the pod's own gravitic mobility.

antigrav ejection pod. Amusingly this suggests Air Caste might be more valuable than, say, Fire Caste.

Page 76

Many Tau flyers are fitted with specialised Drone Racks, to deploy a cloud of artificially intelligent Gun Drones whilst still in flight. The Drones then drift down into the enemy lines, sowing mayhem with their pulse carbines.

Because I guess bombing the sh*t out of someone is too primitive, unless its starship weapons.

Page 118

The VExantrope is a delicate mask of bone and flayed skin that has been adorned iwth runes of confusion and illusion. It grows onto its wearer's face, and psychically projects the appearance of the viewer's most trusted friend or loved one.

Dark Eldar "technology." Those wacky Dark Eldar.

Page 118

The creation of Nightmare Dolls is a risky practice in Commorragh, as the Dark Eldar view those who use psychic powers as amusing playthings. These vile toys ooze an aura of pain and can place their owners in a feverish delerium whereby they are often granted visions of the future.

I guess this is the Dark Eldar version of listening ot music in order to sleep.

Page 118

The Mask of the Damned plays upon its victim's deepest fears and phobias. It projects hellish visions into their brains, often dropping them to their knees in anguish even in mid charge.

Dark Eldar love their psychological dickery.

Page 118

Dark Eldar are said to be able ot seal the essence of a daemon withina rune-covered cask. The runes are inimical to the imprisoned djinn, and drive it wild with agony. upon the daemon's release, it appears as a winged, blinding figure before returning to the warp, and its screams can incapacitate even the bravest foe.

Because it takes creative dickery to get maximum satisfaction - f*ck with a daemon AND with their enemies at the same time.

Page 118

This detestable device [Animus vitae] resembles a sphere of barbed wire, which can be made to explode outward, capturing unfortunates within its agonising embrace nd slowly draining their life force. The Dark Eldar find this highly invigorating.

Slavery, pain, AND Vampirism all in one package!

Page 118

Xenospasms, variants of the Terrorfex grenade launcher, shoot pitted obsidian spheres laced with tortured wraithbone. The wriathbone reacts ot such suffering by exuding a black aura of agony that plunges non Dark Eldar into excruciating convulsions of fear and pain.

They even f*ck over Wraithbone. Oddly this means Wraithbone has some measure of life or sentience to it. Otherwise this might indicate it has some sort of eldar spirit in it.

Page 119

As the vehicle falls upon its foes, arcane grenades made from captured eldar wraithbone sow discord and terorr withint he enemy's ranks. The vehicle is fitted iwth a larger version of the Terrorfex...

I guess they can't make their own wraithbone. One wonders how they manufacture sh*t.

Page 119

The vehicle's open deck is covered by a wide-area shadow field, enveloping the vehicle in darknessa nd hiding its true location.

Shadowfield - Dark Eldar version of a holofield.

Page 119

During battle a Haemonculus tortures captured slaves and traps their screams in special voiceboxes. These cries of agony are filtered through complex projectors to create a wave of terrifying sonic energy around the vehicle, which can scatter enemy units.

because normal sonic weapons aren't enough for the Dark Eldar.

Page 133
p

While most vehicles travel across the ground using wheels, tracks, or legs, some advanced machines are fitted with anti-gravitic machines that enable them to swoop and hover a few metres above the battlefield. This is not true flight, but rather gravitic repulsion in a limited plane. The Space Marine Land Speeder is the only Imperial vehicle with this capability as the helio-prismic engines are very difficult and expensive to produce, limiting their issue to only the Emperor's elite troops.

..

It [Land Speeder] is capable of high speeds and can excute very tight turns but is limited in its vertical movement by a climb/dive incidence of no more than 35 degrees from the horizontal due to inverse flux anomalies which arise beyond this point.

Benefits of antigrav devices, noting they only provide a form of lift but not thrust. We also get reasons for why antigrav vehicles are limited for the Imperium, as well as the limits of Land Speeders.

Page 133

Imperial vehicles are often ancient in design, the basic plans having been rediscovered thousands of years ago, befor ethe Emperor's ascension.

Although due to the efforts of capitalism, many new vairants have been "rediscovered" in more recent times

Page 133

On any battlefield, there are places where conventional vehicles cannot go: built up areas, dense forests, narrow tunnels, and so on. For this reason, many armies use vehicles that are propelled by two, or sometimes more, mechanical legs. These vehicles are usually capable of carrying as many weapon systems as a tank can on a significantly smaller and lighter chassis. They combine the armoured might of a tank with the manoeuvrability of an infantryman. In general, these vehicles have a single crewman. Space Marine Dreadnoughts, however, are more than simply one man vehicle.

..

The Eldar Wriathlord, on the other hand, does not have any crew at all. It is 'piloted' instead by a psirit stone cntaining the vital essence of a dead Eldar warrior.

Implication that many walkers (like Wraithlords, Dreadnoughts, and possibly Sentinels) carry tank level firepower (probably in lascannon form.)

Page 134

Most vehicles can move up to 12" in the Movement phase. This is relatively slow, but it represents a cross-country speed rather than moving flat out.
...

Some vehicles are notably fast either because of their light construciton or powerful engines - or both! Fast vehicles can move up to 24" in the Movement phase.

...
Vehicles, other than skimmers or walkers, who follow a road for the entire movmenet phase may add 6" to their maximum speed."[/quote]

I have to wonder if the Forge World stuff was inspired by this crap. If so, this might imply that they can move at least 2x their off road speed at "maximum" (some 40-50 kph and perhaps up to 70 kph on road.. at least by Forge world stats. The Chapter approved codex stats would be "only 38 kph off road and 58 kph onroad.

Page 134

Skimmers: These are vehicles that hover above the gorund using anti-gravity drives, huge turbofans, supernatural energies, etc. Note that these are not full blown flying machines. They generally hover at a few metres above ground level but are capable of making a powered boost to gain height nad cross obstacles.

Skimmers "hover" a ew metres above the ground but can "jump" higher. Need independent drive system.

PAge 135

Fast vehicles: These manoeuvre more rapidly than ordinary tanks and other vehicles so they can fire heavy weapons when they move faster.

Page 1345

Having sophisticated weapons systems that are fully integrated with their crew, walkers can engage targets on the move more eaisly than other vehicles.

Supposed benefits of Walkers. This would imply War Walkers and Sentinels are excluded, though.

Page 137

Ordnance weapons may be fired on the move but the chances of an accurate shot are greatly reduced. Normally an ordnance shot will land somewhere near the target but when firing on the move, the shot oculd go anywhere.
..

If the shot missies then it has disappeared over the horizon or the crew have simply been unable to aim because of the vehicle bouncing about and have not managed to fire a shot.

"over the horizon" impiles some fairly signiificant range for all ordnance weapons (which Includes among other things, Battle cannons as I recall.) although "on the horizon" ranges aren't neccesarily *accurate* ranges (in fact they probablhy aren't.)

Page 137

A vehicle is much harder to destroy than a creature of flesh and blood. Most fighting vehicle are heavily constructed from steel and tough alloys and their hulls are protected by thick armoured plates, sloped or angled to deflect shots. Any hits that do penetrate may only cause slight damage or strike non-essential systems. In the case of ligther vehicles the shots may simply pass stiraght througha nd out the other side without causing any damage at all! on the other hand, vehicles carry a supply of fuel and ammunition that will blwo them apart if they are hit, and however tough the vehicle is, the crew can always be stunned or disabled by hits made against its armoured hide.

Benefits and drawbacks to vehicles over personnel. The sloped/angled armor is interesting.

Page 138

Ordnance weapons: These fire such enormous projectiles that they can smash thorugh armour or hit with such force that the target vehicle's crew are turnd to mush.

Effect of ordnance weapons - implies imparting extreme acceleration to the target.

Page 138

Armour values are different for each type of vehicle. They represent not just the thickness of its armour but also how difficult a target is because of its size and speed, how tough and numerous its crew are, etc.

Armour values are an abstraction of various elements, in other words.

Page 139

An explosion slews the wreck d6" in a direction determined by rolling the scatter dice.
....

the massive impact slews the wreck d6" in a direction determeind by rolling the scatter dice.

Former is penetrating hit, the latter an ordnance hit. The explosion is from the shell, not the fuel or ammo, since that's the next level of destruction. This echoes (and may have inspired) some of the various cases of weapons impacts knocking tanks over, throwing them sideways, etc.

Page 141

Specailist tank hunting troops are often equipped with melta bombs - fusion based thermic charges which can reduce a battle tank to a burned out wreck in milliseconds.

..

Some troops are equipped with krak grenades, a special type of shaped charge designed to epentrate armour and (hopefully) stopping vehicles in their tracks.

Melta bombs are defined (here, sa in other core rules from 3rd and 4th edition) as fusion based explosives that operate in the milliseconds range. Krak grenades are designed as a sort of "shaped charge"

Page 142

Their warp-spawned (psyker) powers were capable of laying waste to entire armies and sub-continents

Might be literal, might be figurative, inmteresting comment on possible ideas. If its literal it would almost certainly be the insane psyker types (alpha plus).

Page 142-145 - already covered.

Page 142

And naw you can have battles between armies who don't have to fear isntant vapourisation by some ravening, extra-planar megadeath power...

Again might be figurative, included simply of interest and may not be accurate as an offhand comment. take as you will.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

this update is a two parter: First the Spear of Vengeance Campaign, which basically covers events on Kadillus, the planet of the Dark Angels featured in Purging of Kadillus and Angels of Darkness. It's brief. Part two is longer, but a single update. It's Planetstrike, which is full of all sorts of fun and hilarious fluffy bits (including megatonne Earthquake bombs)

Enjoy!

Spear of Vengeance:

Page 2

In his youth a bolter shell tore off part of his skull during a raid. The warband's painboy fitted an adamanitum skull to Ghazghkull..

Bolter round explodes part of Ork head, although Ghazzie survived.
Page 2

Force field technolgy is first used to 'catch' a passing space hulk and then to create a bubble of air around it so that Ork warbands can teleport onto the hulk...
..
the telly porta uses the same principles as force field technology...
..
Based on the smaller Shokk Attack gun, telly portas open up a tunnel through warp space which allows the Orks who enter this force tube to travel great distances in a small amount of time.

This implies power fields the Orks use may be partly based on teleporter technology, which in turn implies they may be related in some way to warp tech - not surprising considering that void shields are tied to warp tech as well.

Page 2

..they [tellyportas] have never been used ot successfully teleport a Weirdboy. Travel through the warp is far too dangeorus for these members of Ork society - the psyker, and often the operators, end up being devoured by daemonic entities or having their heads explode with the pressure of so much psychic energy!

Weirdboyz are susceptbile to the warp in some way as a sort of psyker, although they seem tob e safer/different than other psykers - probalby due to the means they draw power.

Page 2

The Piscina system lies approximately 60,000 light years east of Eye of the Terror.

This suggests the Imperium is far more than 60,000 LY across.

Page 2

There are eight planetary bodies in the system, two of them are gas giants with a substnatial number of satellites, four are small balls of rock atlernately burned by the star or frozen by the void. The remaining two worlds possess habitable biospheres. Piscina IV and V both support native ecologies...

two habitable worlds in the planet/system.. a bit smaller than our solar system.

Page 3

Piscina IV pays its tithes with the bounty of its oceans that are worked by mile-long factory ships and submersible harvesters. A combination of land based and undersea mining operations generates its limited weatlh..
..
Kadillus' power and heat is supplied by ancient thermal vents bored into the heat of the volcano and high above on the surface...

"mile long factory ships" and subs - a combination of agri and mining activities. Also geothermal power.

Page 3

They tapped into the Imperial power grid with the help of a captured map and built a beacon that gave Scylla a location to lock onto and, more importantly, beamed additional power back up to the space hulk to run the telly-porta.

Orks wer eable to cobble together (or co-opt form the Imperium) remote power transfer means to run the power plant. Also note that the geothermal plants could outstrip any Ork power plant the teleporters could run.

Page 4

The power grid is based on a network of geo-thermal energy conductors that have been driven down through the crust of the planet into the molten magma. The heat from there is used ot turn massive turbines which provides thousands of gigawatts of energy. If a power plant was destroyed, it could set off a chain reaction in the magma, causing Piscina IV's hundreds of volcanoes to erupt simultaneously and tear the planet apart.

"Thousands of gigawatts of energy" provided powerplants, although the geothermal taps are such that they could effectively destroy the planet as well. Go figure.
IF anyone wants to guess at the amount of "Thousands of gigawatts" they're free to. My guess is enough to f*ck up the planet, which is alot of thousands.

Page 7

..his skull was caved in by a bolter shell, almost killing him. Amazingly, he showed remarkable resilience, even for an Ork..

Implied that blowing apart or caving in an Ork skull is lethal even for an Ork usually.

Page 7

After Armageddon, Ghazghkull was believed to have died, but his nemesis, Commissar Yarrick, tracked the warlord to the Squat world of Gologtha. There, Ghazghkull had again subjugated most of the population and in one savage battle managed to capture Yarrick.

Hey a Squat World! I guess they still existed

Page 7

It was in a Squat mining colony on an unnamed asteroid that Nazdreg first encountered Ghazghkull.

Squat mining colony. This would imply the Squats existed in some form or another as abhumans even into the modern era, although they have long since lost their independence from the Imperium due to the 'Nids. (In other words they are a long list of second class abhuman citizens administered and ruled by the Imperium - like Ogryns and Ratlings and the tohers.)

Page 9

The power plants of Piscina IV produce their geothermal energy from deep thermal vents drilled into the volcanic beds. This energy is then conducted through a grid of conduits to the cities. Any explosion or destruction of the thermal power stations could easily start a chainr eaction in the magma mantle and result in a critical melt-down of the whole planet.

Again planet wide consequences for the magical geothermal taps.

Page 15

The obvious course of action for the space Marines was to destroy the power plant - but this could lead to a Geo-thermal meltdown which would have dire consequences for the entire planet and everyone on it.

Again, if we didnt need enough emphasis, destroying the plants will destroy the planet.

****

PlanetsTrike:

Page 4

Thousands of reckless and battle-hungry warriors plunge downward upon trails of flame and vapour like vengeful angles, pouring from the drop craft and low-orbiting spaceships that darken the skies above. Megatonnes of ordnance hammer down around these skyborne warriors, their detonation so devastating that the skies themselves seem afire..

Thousands of.. what kind of Warriors? Space Marines? Guardsmen? Both?
Also "megatonnes" of ordiannce, although its not sure whether this is in terms of quantity/mass or yield the KE of millions of tons of ordnance would still be in the E16-e17 Joule range, suggesting megatons of firepower (nevermind millions of tons of TNT in general)
Amusingly if the ordnance was anything of vaguley nuclear yield (or anything better than modern TNT) yields could get.. interesting for bombardment

Page 16

Bastions can take the form of anything from reinforced ferrocrete bunkers to pyramidal tombs made of living metal. Bastions are typically resilient enough to withstand orbital bombardment, and often form the cornerstone of a planet's defence network. Many bastions are semi-autonomous, and their weapons can automatically fire upon the enemy.

I doubt "withstand orbital bobmardment" references all kinds of yields and firepowers, since this could be interpreted to withstanding even Exterminatus level weaponry. Still it's an indicator of resilience of some magitech mateirals.

Page 17

Imperial Bastions are near-impregnable edifices built from foot-thick ferrocrete plating and the remains of faithful Imperial servants.

Very typically grimdark. Because as we know skulls are an important building material. Although given how 40K magic works, there could be some bizarre human equivalent to the WAAAGH effect working with remains.
Also "foot thick ferrocrete plating." I'm not sure if it refers to the plates being a foot thick individually, or the armor plating being a foot thick in total. But "ferrocrete" being plating itself is.. interesting, as it implies it is more a metallic substance than concrete like.

Page 18

Defence lines and bastions are often bolstered by wepaon emplacements called interceptor guns. The most common interceptor guns are quad-guns, consisting of four autocannons mounted upon a highly manoeuvrable gun platform, and icarus pattern lascannons, heavier versions of the weapons used by Imeprial troops that are ideal for shooting down armoured targets as they attempt to land.
..
Interceptor guns are rare and complex artefacts of war.
..
An interceptor gun is an automated weapon. However it can be fired manually...
..
Qud-guns usually mount four autocannons, whereas Icarus-pattenr lascannons mount a single super-charged lascannon able to engage targets at extreme range.

At last! anti-aircraft laser cannons as well as autocannons, although the ICarus pattern lascannons are single mount. Note that both are automated weapons. Go figure.

Page 18

Defence lines are built from crenellated shield sections that link together into a solid shieldwall..
...
Ageis Lines [Imperial] can be built and deployed at great speed, lending them the nickname "instant fortress.'

Not ure if the first part refers to force field or physical shields - it could go either way. The "instant fortresses" are an interesting example of modular, fast deploying Imperial structures.

Page 20

A fortress often has automated weapons built into their bunker annexes; heavy duty silos and lascannon turrets that can bring potential invaders crashing down to earth.

Lascannon and missiles this time, both foar anti-air/aerospace purposes. Again, automated (which probably means machine spirit or more likely servitor controlled.)
Page 21

The missile silos of the Fotress of Redemption can take a horrendous toll on enemy reinforcements and even engage ships in low orbit.

What kinds of ships we dont know, but they might be some kind of orbital torpedo. Deathstrike analogue mayhap?

Page 34

Many races provide their forces with prefabricated power sources, or they patch into existing conduits found amidst the ruins. THese are used to drive autoloaders and power feeds to their maximum capacity, or to overcharge laser-based weaponry, allowing all types of weapons to sustain a prodigious rate of fire

AS we've noted in cities of Death and previous supplements, energy weapons can be linked to external or independent power sources besides backpack sources and power packs for near-infinite rates of fire. If 40K had some sort of compact backpack fusion or fission generator....
Oh wait they do. for power armor Go figure!
Page 34

The defence line includes a command centre with which to coordinate the repulsion of the invader's forces. This might be a communications node attached to the upper storeys of a stronghold, or a cogitator bank that aids the control of nearby forces.

Methods of coordinating forces.
Page 35

The stronghold houses an ancient device that can generate a localised void shield, much like those used by the god-machines of the ADeptus Titanicus.

Titan like void shields can be deployed on stationary platforms as well. I wonder if this is comparable to city voids, or something smaller? Given the scale of 40K, I'd guess smaller type theatre shields. Maybe something like we saw in Straight Silver?

Page 36

Vital strongholds are often protected by a maze of laser beams that criss-cross no-man's land,lopping off the limbs of those careless enough tog et caught in their deadly net.

Laser traps with s ustained cutting effects. LAsguns probably can do this too.

Page 37

In extreme circ*mstances, modified force pylons will be dropped by a fast-moving aircraft onto the batltefield below. The weighted pylons fall straight down and embed themselves in the ground before activating, creating a defensive force field where there was open ground mere moments before.

Airdropped force field barriers - more shielding tech. Some sort of powerfield I guess.

Page 37

Force pylons are stationary generator nodes that project a static perimeter of force fields. These fields prevent invaders from attacking vital installations.

Again more force field defenses.

Page 37

Out of the clouds roars a gigantic lander with a large black shape underneath it. As it roars overhead, the craft releases its cargo, and a new bastion thuds into the battlefield with an earth-shaking impact.

Its insane when you can drop entire, ready-to-use forts onto the battlefield like that. Of course this is 40K, so over the top, large scale deployment of insane numbers, tonnages, etc. is pretty much par for the course. Wait til I get to some of the shipping numbers hinted at in Rogue Trader!
Page 39

The attacker has assailed the enemy strongohlds with a terrible electronic afflcition, causing his bastions and automated weapons systems to malfunction and even jam at critical moments.

40K version of cyberwarfare/hacking. May or may not involve psykers, psychic entities, or some Waaagh-like belief effect.
Page 40

The bulk lifter pilots who deploy the invasions support units can, in desperate circ*mstances, drop their cargo directly onto the field of battle. These emergency drops are notoriously risky, as no bulk lifter wants to hang about over a battlefield for long!

Direct deployment from orbital/aerial craft, while not preferred, is possible.

Page 40

The attackers elite assault squad has been equipped with an arcane device that can 'phase' a sphere of matter into another dimension for a few vital seconds. Though this does no lasting damage itself, this 'portable hole' buys a vital window of time in which the attackers can hurl grenade packs and blasting charges from the outside of a stronghold into its interior..

This would have interesting applications as a weapon/warhead itself, especially as a means of bypassing defenses. Of course, its just a more short range sort of teleporter technology...

Page 41

Some invasion forces employ weapons that can ignite the upper atmosphere of an enemy planet, whilst others employ such an unrelenting barrage of Drop Pods and heavy munitions that the skies turn into a roiling malestrom. In the final moments before a planetfall the defenders withness the skies themselves tear and burn.

The potential for this to be an insane number is mitigated by the fact it doesnt specify just how HIGH up in the atmosphere we "ignite", and how high a temp is involved for that, but even if we defined "upper atmosphere" as above 100 km (something like 99.9999%) or so we'd still be talking gigatons of energy - although the mass/means of "ignition" and such are sufficiently vague that we can't definitively say even that. Still the potential yields (gigaton to teraton, over an unspecified time period and at an unspecified altitude) COULD be consistent with the other sorts of yields associated with other weapons mentioned in this source, so I wouldn't totally rule it out, either.

Page 41

The attacker unleashes one of hte most arcane weapons in the 41st Millenium - the stasis bomb. The bomb's target is wreathed in a shimmering force field that holds it trapped in a pocket of time like an insect in amber.

Stasis bombs are back!

Page 42

In the still void above, crosshairs fall upon the image of a doomed stronghold. Wtihout warning, a pillar of searing ruby light flashes downwards and carves a great scar across the planet's surface.

Laserburn tactic. Not quantifiable, but amusing nonetheless.
Page 42

Planetquake bomb: The attacking forces drop several megatonnes of explosive straight into a fissure in the planet's crust, their detonation causing the earth itself to convulse like a wounded animal. The resultant explosions wreak havoc above and below the surface of the world, sending fountains of red-hot magma boiling into the air and bringing the enemy's fortifications tumbling to the ground.

"several megatons" of explosives creating a huge quake. Again whether this is yield or mass we anre't told, and could bave interesting implications. The details themselves suggest a fairly significant, widespread quake happening (especially the "earth heaving//havoc on the surface" bit and fountains of magma erupting.) How devastating? I dont know. Several megatons at leas should be equal to a magnitude 6-7 Quake, although whether that could trigger any sort of magma or volcanic eruptions is up for debate. Equally possible is a gigaton range detonation triggering significant quake.
A teraton or so (magnitude ten) can IIRC create global-scale quakes, and is pretty devastating, but I'm not sure how storngly we can argue that.

Page 42

The attacker's spacecraft have located a meteor and, using advanced tractor beam technology, altered its trajectory so that it plunges downward on a collison course with the defender's forces below.

Unless the tractor beam provides some sort of shielding effect or force field augmentation, the mteor would have to be pretty large to stay intact on reentry. Or maybe the tractor beam controlled the descent?
The real issue I would have is shooting down such an impactor if it were moving too slow or was too small. Or hell, even deflecting it - I doubt tractor beams can deflect gunfire.
Page 44

The stronghold itself is semi-sentient, imbued with a machine spirit that has a limited capability to access and control the systems of its host.

Imperium only tactic obviously, but fortress/strongholds can have their own AI-like capacity.

Page 44

Teleport barrage: This merciless tactic was first used by the Iron Hands against Chaos forces in the isege of Caliope 9. Instead of teleporting troops within a bunker, a technomage simply opens a wide spectrum beam and scrambles the molecules of its inhabitants. Any subsequent entrants to the building find its metal and stone fused with the flesh of its defenders.

Again Imperium only. Rather creative, if brutally nasty application of teleporters. Note that this is different somehow from stuff like Eldar D-cannons, which seem to be some "line of sight" warp displacement rather than a point to point one.
Page 44

Huge sub-orbital transprots take station in the upper atmosphere and project cones of anti-grav from ancietn and frequently ill-maintained gravity genrators. Imperial Guard troops literally step into the anti-grav field and float down towards te ground. This approach is extremely dangerous, as even a glancing hit from ground-to-air fire may cause the anti-grav cone to veer wildly, leaving the drop-troops to the tender mercies of the world's gravity...

Guard only. To my knowledge first showed up in Tactica Imperialis, and were large, rather rare devices. Grav chutes are easier and simpler.
Page 45

the grotesque bio-ships hanging in low orbit saturate the planet below with biological agents that force the native plant life into a growth spurt of surreal proportions.

'Nids only. EXample of one of the varied, and nastily creative way for 'Nids to bombard planets.

Page 45

The skies flash blinding white as the Tau launch a high-tech bombardment of lumina flares at the foe, saturating automatic tracking stations with light. The shadow-haunted battlefield is illuminated starkly, each enemy stronghold a beacon for the Tau's guns.

Tau only. They REALLY love flashbang like weapons over say, fragmentation weapons. Why this isn't mocked as a high tech "starshell" or lamp tactic outlined for the Guard.. I dont know.

Page 45

As the attackers advance, reality shifts around them - perspective and geometry twist out of phase until none can tell the difference between up and down. Few warriors can fight under such mind-bending circ*mstances.

Necrons only. Because they're bizarre soullless lovecraftian-esque Alien robots remember?
Page 47

++"Impact in ten.. nine.. eight.. Holt pull it together, six.. five.. get those weapons ready you maggots, three.. two.. [VOX LOG DISTORT]. Out out out! Go you pukes, go! That's tha target that one there.
..
- Sergeant Stig "Bull" Krieger, Cadian XIV Orbital Assault, the Battle of Parched Earth.

Drop pod orbital assault? I can't be sure if the Cadians were specially trained for this, or they were just one of several regiments utilizing a form of orbital assault.

Page 51

The skies glow like the firment of hell as a punishing bombardment of fire rains down, and the shattered earth begins to crumble and break apart under the massive forces wreaked upon it.
..
Can the defenders hold fast as their fortiifcations are crumbling around them?

Orbital bombardment. sounds nasty, not very quantifiable sadly. Given context in the book, and similar bombardments outlined elsewhere (EG Battle of Macragge) we're probably talking "megatonnes."

Page 54

It is only with the heroic sacrifice of the 1st company and the intervention of two entire Imperial battlefleets that the invaders are finally driven off.

Battle for Macragge involved "Two" battlefleets - unsure if this means the Macragge forces plus the Battlefleet Bakka force, or some other battlefleet.
Page 54

The agri world of Ursula Spinal drfits into the path of a hrud migration. It quickly becomes infested, its hydrocrops crumbling ot dust and its defenders aging fifty years in the space of a few months as the Hrud's innate entropic fields take their toll. Six regiments of Valhallans make planetfall and pure the infestation with fire and fury. A full half of the Valhallan regiments are later declared unfit for duty due to extreme premature aging.

Side effect of fighting Hrud and the reason Hrud are so dangerous? They can f*ck with time and space - speed of aging is hundreds of times faster than normal.

Page 55

During the War of Dakka, Warlord Grog takes battle to the Tau-held world of Atari Vo in the most direct manner he can devise - by propelling a titanic dagger-shaped metoer he uses as his base through the atmosphere and plunging it burning tip straight into the Tau capital city. Several billion of ATari Vo's Tau populace die before Grog and his Dakka Elite step out of the meteor's shieldcore chambers..

A rather clever and very Orky means of destroying planets.
This is also proof that the Tau have worlds with significant populations (billions) which fits broadly in with the idea of sept sizes being less than 13 billion tau (Septs are at least major systems as I recall)
I vaguely recall tha tthe Tau have "hundred of worlds.. less than a thousand or so worlds at least.. meaning that the Tau numbers cant be more than hundreds of billions or several trillion at the most. This (probably) doesn't include auxilia races.

Page 55

Specially modified drop pods burrow deep inot the flesh of the moon-sized bioship, allowing the Deathwatch to plant megatonnes of explosive within its reproductive chambers. Upon their detonation, the splitner fleet falls into disorder..

Deathwatch attack on a Nid Hive Fleet and Norn Queen specifically. In this case it cannot literalyl be taken as a term of "mass" since there couldn't be enough Deathwathc to carry millions of tons of explosive (much less stick it on a ship) so this may mean, context wise, that the "megatonne" usage is yield (At least in thsi book.) This is sufficient to f*ck up Tau coordination and their reproductive chambers. Does not neccesarily mean it destroys the bioship (and evne then that doesnt mean a bioship is an inert target.)
Also note the "moon sized" bit, which suggests considerable size (miles in diameter easily?)
Page 57

Nobgrok is in the middle of using the Basilica's orbital magno-laser batteries to burn his name into Gloriam's moon when he is interrupted by the mysterious appearance of vengeful Space Marines..

No idea how close the moon is to the planet, the the Basilica in question is explicitly described to be on planet, although I suppose it may refer to ground controlled orbital defense platforms or satellites, rahter than ground based weapons.
The space marines are "armoued in flame and bone" - the Legion of the Damned, in other wrods. either way the closest moon in our solar system is Phobos, some 8-9 thousand km from Mars, although most are tens or evne hundreds of thousands of km away from their respective planets. Like I said, context suggests that gorund based weapons are capalbe of thousands/tens of thousands of km range, but I could be wrong

Page 57

Ursarkar E. Creed and his hand-picked "mission elite"..
Despite the fact that the remote but titanic cannon-fort Voice of Godhood has fallen to the insidious Fabius Bile...
..
Creed and five Valkyries gunships full of Cadia's finest launch a masterful assault..
..
They waste no time in reconsecrating the defiled megacannon and turning it upon the rearguard of the Chaos armies.

The creed version of the dirty Dozen.. although in the case its more like a company givne what we learn about the Mission elite earlier. This could mean the Valkyiries are carrying anything from 20 to upwards of 60 men, depending on what sort of company size you go with.
Page 57

Blackheart's chaos space marines lure the majority of the Chapter away from its home world, disable the fortress' power shields..

Power shields instead of void shields?

Page 58

With the hailstones came a million mycetic spores, each drop-sac pregnant wih a brood of warrior orgasnisms.

Tens of millions of warrior organisms?
Page 58

At a microscopic level, Tyranid phage cells fought to consume the aggressive expansions of Orkoid spores.

Ork/Tyranid biowarfare!

Page 59

The brood-ships assimilate and reproduce at such an alarming rate that there is no end to the Tyranids pouring from the skies into Ork territory. Similarily there is no shortage of Orks to continue the fight, for as the greenskins die, their corpses shed thousands of spores that settle and grow...
...
..Tyranids evolve and adapt new ways to slaughter their Ork foes, just as the Orks grow bigger and stronger on their diet of perpetual war. The augurites and xenosavants of the Imperium observe the war for OCtarius from afar...

Orks vs Nids.. the eternal struggle. Note the long distance obsevation by "augurites and xenosavants" - possibly psychic and remote/probe observation.

Page 60

Not only was evacuation logistically impossible due to the billions of Imperial citizens living in the labyrinthine hives of Gnosis Prime...
...
The Eldar fell upon each hive's garrison with a terrible fury. Millions of humans were slaughtered and the industrail complexes set aflame.

"billions of citizens" logistically impossible for the Imperium to evacuate, at least in these circ*mstances and timeframe. The Imperium has pulled off similar (or at least a fair fraction of it - millions easily) in other cases.

Page 62

In teh closing days of the year 981.M41 worlds such as Vorlinghast, a munitions factory world, were of extreme importance to the ongoing war effort.
..
For this reason when Vorlinghast stopped in its flow of supply ships crammed full of battle tanks...

"munitions factory world" and its deployment of supply ships with tanks and other products.

Page 62

Vorlinghast was recorded to be host to sixteen regiments of Imperial Guard.

Possibly a typical factory world garrison - tens or hundreds of thousands of troops.

Page 62

The infected planet could not be quarantined or declared subject ot Exterminatus, for its munitions factories were more vital to the Imperium than the lives of the popiulace that operated them.

As we've known from elsewhere, not every world can just be blasted to pieces or quarantined.

Page 62

..Rex commanded his Tech-Priest accomplice, Magos Dimitri, to fire a data-burst ona tight frequency at each stronghold and emplacmenet, codified with the highest Inquisitorial clerance. Within the hour the automated defences swivelled downwards and fell silent, their machine spirits coerced into submission by the MEchanicus priest's deft signals.

Mechanicus/Inquisitorial signals can rapidly shut down any defenses.

Page 64

..the Marines Vindicant Land Raider suddnely flipped over, hanging in the air for a lethal second before landing with an earth shaking impact upon two of the infected Space Marines. Behind it stood a Daemon Lord..

Daemon lord can flip a 70-80 ton Land Raider.

PAge 64

Sebastius knew that there was but one option open to him. He opened a comms channel to the tTrike Cruisers ahead and, coordinates racing across the interior displays of his visor, barked a set of integers into his vox-bead.
...
With the precision typical of the Astartes, the three STrike Cruisers opened fire upon the coordinates given by Sebastius. Three blinding thunderbolts of pure white destruction speared down into the plaza with enough force to level a city block.
...
With the Daemon king reduced to a nothing more than a smoking crater by the lance strikes from the MArines Vindicant spacecraft..

3 Strike cruisers perform a precision orbital bombardment frm an unknown distance, accurate enough to stirke and wipe out a daemon lord. It takes enough firepower to "level a city block" to kill said DAemon Lord.

Page 64

Within a month the world of Vorlinghast was populated once more, though every citizen was required to wear a rebreather at all times and feed only from thrice-blessed protein troughs.

Man this place sounds like a great place to live
Page 66

Worse still, a stray missile strike detonated within the arsenal of the Crimson Fists' fortress-monastery, causing the entire mountain-sized edifice to explode spectacularly.

Destruction of the Crimson Fists fortress monastery. Depicted elsewhere in various ways.

Page 71

In such times Creed assembles his Mission Elite, a hand-picked company of veterans, each of whom is an expert in demolitions, melta weaponry and close-quarter fighting. The Mission Elite are famed for lightning assaults deep into enemy territory, rappelling into battle from their Valkyrie gunships and wrestling vital objectives from the foe.

Creed's "dirty dozen" force I alluded to earlier. Note that Cred's veterans have their own Valkyiries - whether they are organic to the Cadian forces, or attached in some manner borrowed from the Navy on Creed's authority... we don't know.

PAge 72

The hunter cadres stationed upon the arid world of Iolac soon proved Grog wrong. Holing up in force field-protected gun-bastions and comms outposts, the TAu took a horrific toll on the Orks teleporting into battle all around them.
..
..their railgun-equipped defence pods. These are essentially low level bastions each with a twin-linked railgun.

Tau static defenses. They learned their lesson against the Orks at least. Defensive railguns too. Nasty.

Page 73

The Tau use sophisticated force pylons to keep the enemy at bay, and a high-technology landing pad to bring in more reinforcements.

Hey look, more tau static defenses! I guess mobility uber alles isn't ALWAYS the answer, nor is constantly retreating.

Page 74

Hive fleet Leviathan is the largest and most terrifying Tyranid invasion to have penetrated Imperial space.
..

Though the number of bio-ships that comrpise the Hive Fleet is beyond counting, each planetary invasion is intiated by a roughly analogous horde of warrior organsisms further split into countless smaller tendrils.

Tyranid tactics and invasions.

Page 74

..each of its component swarms probe the defneces of the enemy in much the same manner. Firstly the 'vanguard organisms' that typically precede each invasion revealed themeslves...
..
Once the populace was in a state of panic, thousands of warrior Tyranids made planetfall, bursting out from fat cartilaginous pods known as mycetic spores and flowing together in an unstoppable horde. Where this 'living tide' was not sufficient to engulf the planet's defneces, the leader-beasts accompanying them called for reinforcement from the bio-ships above. This came in the form of yet more mycetic spores, each carrying a gigantic warrior breast that functioned as a living battering ram. This 'Third wave' of monstrous assailants tore open Gorgo's planetary defences with horrific ease..

More on Tyranid tactics during invasion, especially the vanguard organisms and the differing stages.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

Being released in early 2010, Battle Missions marks my first foray into 'fifth edition' analysis. The reason why it won't go with fifth edition analysis is that its one of theose supplementary things like Planetstrike. It's interesting, but not spectacular. Enjoy!

Page 8

Fully a thousand regiments of Imperial Guard stand at constant readiness to respond to an incursion and no less than ten Space Marine Chapters maintain their fortress monasteries close by to watch for any sign of invasion. Three titan Legions wiat for the call to arms and the untold vessels of Battlefleet Obscura constantly make patrols and sweeps...

Forces guarding the Eye of Terror.. and thats a lower limit.

Page 8

Once or twice in a millenia, the Chaos Space MArines will be united in an unholy Black Crusade.
..
Far more common though are raids made by a single Chaos Space MArine Lord and his followers. Such raids can range in size from invaisons not much smaller than a Black Crusade down to an incursion by a single ship.

Frequency of Black crusade incursions.. actually seems alot less than twice a millenia, given there have been only thirteen. Comparisons to more common raiding, some of which are mini black crusades in their own right.
Page 9

As a lact of defiance and vindictiveness the REnegades unleash a barrage of seismic missiles and virus bombs, destroying the colony and rendering the entire planet uninhabitable for centuries.

Battle of Trantarion station.. probably not a huge colony. Still its an interesting way to wipe out a planet. It's possible the seismic missiles contribute to the destruction/planet killing, but more likely they shake up belowground targets and expose them to virus attack.
Page 10

..the Chaos Space marines will attempt to escape with as much loot as they can physically carry. AFter all, supplies are scarce in deep space, and the followers of the Chaos Gods do not bleieve in making things that they can far more easily steal from their enemies.

Except for Chaos Forge Worlds, but even they force Chaos troops to barter for what they need.. So the primary goals of Chaos forces is usualyl devastation and (possibly) loot, to either take what they need or to buy it from those renegade/Chaos forces who do make it.
Page 24

"For many Imperial commanders the form of warfare employed by the Dark Eldar is difficult to grasp and therefore to counter. Whereas the duty of the Imperial Commander is either to seize or defend territory, the Dark Eldar make war only to steal."

One way to interpret this is that Imperial commanders and PDF forces aren't used to mobiel warfare - at least not the scale and magnitude the Dark Eldar practice. On the other hand it may just mean they're not used to Dark Eldar techniques specifically (slaving, stealing, terror, etc.)
IT is worth pointing out that they specifically say "Dark Eldar" tactics, as if this excludes (By contrast) Craftworld Eldar tactics, because Eldar are just as mobile.
Page 24

The purpose of these raids is not to conquer, but to bring death, to pillage and steal, and to capture new slaves to take back to Commorragh.
.....to gain an especially desirable item of loot, or to capture a prestigious prisoner to take back in chains to Commorragh. Such things bring great prestige to the Dark Eldar that secures them, and the leader of a Dark Eldar Kabal or Cult will be more than willing to sacrifice the lives of any number of his followers if the rewards are great enough.

In other words, objectives not much different from other Chaos forces, except Daemonic incursions (which is only to destroy and enslave and corrupt.) And whilst the tactics my differ, they remain the same in willingness to sacrifice others for personal gain or prestige.

Page 26

The Dark Eldar will often attack at dawn in order to maximise the elemetn of surprise. The Dark Eldar space fleet will attempt to appraoch the planet undetected, off-loading the raiding force on the night side of the planet. The Dark Eldar will use the cover of darkenss to move into positions as close as ppossible to the target of the raider.
When the first rays of dawn streak the horizon the Dark Eldar will launch their attack..

More on dark Eldar tactics. Nothing really revolutionary as far as teh tactics go. Maybe its the technology.
Page 28

The main reason the Dark Eldar launch their raids is the capture of slaves to take back to Commorragh. The most prized slaves are those that are captured in the bloody heat of battle and the Dark Eldar that takes such a prisoner can win great prestige. Doing this is not without risk, however, for the Dark Eldar risks capture themselves, and any Kabal or Cult that loses more slaves than it captures will lose prestige and may be overthrown.

If they lose too many troops in doing it as well, they may also risk overthrow. So there are tradeoffs even from their POV.
Page 32

If we are to defeat these enemies we must learn everything we can about their ways, so that we may in time properly combat the threats posed to our endeavours by them. Make no mistake, the Eldar still wield sufficient power ot seriously contest the right and proper expansion of the Emperor's servants to the goal of utter dominance of the galaxy.

This may seem questionable in light of their smaller numbers, but we must remember that as remnants of a mighty society, they often command weapons of mass destruction equal to or greater than what the Imperium use. That, with their uniformly greater technological and psychic superiority and access to the webway (faster and more reliable FTL and communications)
(and yes, this comment does carry the unspoken addendum "compared to the tau." The tau do have many advantages over the Imperium, including with their technology, but it is neither uniform nor does it factor int he warp much. And their FTL and comms are slower.)

Page 32

The Eldar usually strike swiftly and without warning, aiming to annihilate their enemy quickly and avoiding long, drawn out battles.
..
The Eldar are not interested in fighting protracted battles, and will usually attempt to annihilate their enemy in one swift blow. They are aided in this by their Farseers, who are able to utilise their extraordinary psychic abilities to pin-point exactly the right time and place to strike against the enemy.

Eldar tactics. Again their psychic abilities enable them to effectively pull off what the Tau rely on (essentially) luck to achieve.)
Page 33

Eldar Spacecraft destroy uninhabited planet Drachor 16/Alpha.

Eldar spaceships can basically conduct planet killing attacks, although methods and numbers aren't specified.
Often they ally with Imperials to destroy Chaos, or Dark Eldar. At least 3 separate examples are noted. Of course they also help rebels agianst the Imperium in another.
Page 33

Eldar emissaries [from Ulthwe] provide Inquisitor Lowry with information that, 100 years later, will help solve the mystery of the Levicus Anomaly.

Eldar helping Imperium, and implied embassies between the two races.
Page 33

Their ability to move their vessels more rapidly from system to system than any other known race also makes hunting them down difficult in the extreme.

The Webway being described with its obvious advantages.
Page 36

..they will attempt to pin the enemy in place by engaging them with long-range fire, while mobile elements of the Eldar army work their way into positions to deliver a flank attack. The Eldar will engage the enemy from a strong defensive position, using long-rang weaponry fitted to grav platforms or armoured vehicles such as the Fire Prims to pin the enemy in place.
..
..Eldar falcons, wave Serpents and Jetbikes swing round the side of the enemy line and then rush bakc in to attack it from one or both flanks.

Interesting how Eldar tactics are quite similar to Tau, with emphasis on mobility and speed and heavy firepower. The differences of course are the Eldar have their own close combat specialists (when needed) and their psychic/webway advantages. The tau likely compensate with numbers (including auxiliaries.0

Page 38

...rarely have enough forces to try to take and hold the ground they capture, or to maintain a heavily garrisoned front line. Indeed it is alien to the nature of the Eldar to even consider doing such things. Instead they will rely on a screen of light troops such as Rangers, war Walkers and Guardians...
..
This thin defence line will engage and slow down the enemy attack, buying time for the Eldar to rush mobile reserves up to the front line. These reserves consist of infantry units with dedicated transport vheicles, supported by Eldar armoured vhicles, Jetbikes, and Vypers..

Again more Eldar tactics.

Page 40

"You will fight on countless battlefields on a thousand different worlds across the galaxy. And whether oyu fight in our great crusading armies or serve with the smallest garrison..

IG forces described. Garrison duty seems more likely.
Page 40

The Imperial Guard is the largest and most diverse military organisation the galaxy has ever known. Numbering in the billions and equipped with armoured vehicles, artillery and all the other adjuncts of mechanised warfare...
..
..vast as the Imperial Guard may be, the galaxy is larger still, and even the Guard's vast resource are stretched to the breaking point as it attmepts to protect the Imperium from its enemies.

pretty much bog standard IG description. note they don't eally emphasize them as "truly limitless" as they are described as being hard pressed to hold back the various enemies they face. Also note the reference to mechanized warfare and "diversity" - which is an asset and a drawback (diversity cuts into their standardisation.)

Page 40

At any one time, the Imperial Guard will be fighting battels on hundreds of thousands of different battlefields. These conflicts can range from small policing actions on a backwater planet, to vast miliary campaigns involving tens of millions of troops, and everything in between. Such is the colossla nature of this unending war that no-one has any real idea of how many troops are under arms. It is not uncommon for the toll of casualties and influx of new recruits to run into millions in a single day.

"hundreds of thousands of battlefields" "tens of millions of troops" and so on. And of course the "no true idea on how big the Guard is due to various factors (inaccurate recordkeeping, unreliable communications and FTL, time dilation, etc.)

Page 40

The Imperial Guard is often likened to a sledgehammer..
..
The Imperial Guard is not a swift, decisive force...
..
Instead the Imperial Guard is used to bludgeon a foe into oblivion in blooy campaigns taking months, years, or even centuries.

An accurate, although context-sensitive description. They CAN reply swiftly, although the time costs them organization and unity ( They can deploy faster in a piecemeal manner, or they cacn deploy more slowly in a unified, more crushing, manner as one example.)

Page 40

The might of the Imperial Guard can be turned to many tasks, from huge armoured thrusts by whole regiments of tanks, to large commando raids or vast sieges...

like mentioned before, diversity, in its good and bad parts.

Page 40

Although one Imperial Guardsman can never be the equal of a Space Marine, there are millions of Guardsmen for each Space Marine, supported by untold numbers of tanks and artillery pieces, and it is in this huge mass of men and materiel that the that the true strength of the Imperial Guard lies.

A million or so Space Marines.. trillions of Guardsmen (at least)

Page 40

They will rarely be able to inflict a swift knockout blow, a task for which they are poorly suited, and will instead attempt to swamp the enemy by sheer weight of numbers. If this strategy doesn't work, the Guard will dig in, constructing huge siege lines made up of trenches supported by bunkers and bastions, in an attempt to tie the enemy down in a long, drawn-out campaign.

This is where the lakc of any real standardization suffers. They can amass lots of forces, but they aren't neccesarily as well equipped or consolidated as they need to be, due to logistics, politics, warp storms, or whatehver. Or they may have an indiotic, inflexible, or insane command staff. Or they may be facing something nasty like daemons.

Page 41

Any attacks that the Guard Make will, if at all possible, be carefully and meticulously planned.
...
..the enemy lines will be hit by a hurricane barrage. Once this has suppressed the defenders the Imperial Guard's main attack force will lumber forward to overrun the position.
This pattern of attack will be repeated again and again..
..
This constant grinding war of attrition will slowly wear down the enemy's ability to carry on fighting, while the huge reserves of troops the Imperial Guard can call on means that thy will be able to sustain the fight no matter how many casualties they suffer.

An over-generalization, and a contradictory one. This tactic never works against the 'Nids, and it will only rarely work against Orks - both races that greatly outnumber the Imperium. Moreover it ignores how the "siege" regiments exist as specialized forces to deal with this sort of engagement specifically. This comes after it is claimed that the so called huge reserves are thinly stretched.
Also, "tying them down" and "attirtion/trench warfare" are not neccesarily the same thing. More often than not IG forces are likely to be outnumbered (on the defense at least), and offensives can be handled differently depending on the commander involved.
Overall it just sounds like they pulled this (and many of the subsequent missions) striaght from IA5.
Now, all that said, that isn't to say it never happens, or even rarely happens. A fair share of it does happen, and not just to specialized regiments. Siuch is the unpredictable nature of the IG, its leadership,

Page 42, 44, 46 - Trench and attrition-style warfare and all that jazz. I dont think I need to
belabour this point further. More mention of how the guard is "near limitless"...
Page 46

The troops manning these positions [Trenches] are not expected ot take part sin wars of manoeuvre. Instead it is there task to hold the line against enemy attack, in order to allow mobile and reserve formations the time needed to launch a devastating counter attack.

Sounds not too bad, but then again it is labeled Trench Warfare and this is the Guard, so it probably is alot worse than it sounds.
Page 48

..there are those that say the evidence points to the Necrons having a hand in the creation of the human race...
...
..then we are nothing but cattle, bred for one purpose: to feed the abominable appetites of the C'tan, the inhuman rulers of the Necron race.

Well it is certainly possible given they engineered the Pariah gene in humanity but I somehow doubt the C'tan would engineer psychic abilities into humanity.

Page 48

The Necrons willa ttack with terrifying precison and speed, usually catching the enemy completely by surprise. The Necrons fall on their foe from all sides, their aim being to encircle the enemy and make sure that no one escapes the trap alive ot tell the tale.
...
Necron Spacecraft have started to appear across the galaxy, and large Necron armies have descended upon planets to prey upon the creatures that live there.
..
..i would appear that the C'tan feed upon the living energy of mortal creatures and therefore do not regard their attacks so much as warfare but as a harvest of lesser beings.

It implies a considerable threat fron the 'Crons, although the scale isnt' immediately obvious. Certainly they are a greater threat than the Tau (and possibly the Eldar - I dont know how the Eldar feel about combating the Necron menace exactly). They are almost certainly (currently) less of a threat than the Tyranids, and possibly the Orks - although the potential for them to be that dangerous is not impossible.

Page 48

The first warning of usch an attack will be when a Necron fleet appears in orbit above the planet. Any planetary defences are swiftly dealt with by the Necron space fleet, and then Necron warriors and other troops will start to materialise on the surface of the planet.
..
..the Necrons will determine the locations of vital installations and population centres. They seem to care little for the casualties they suffer at this stage, and even less for engaging the enemy in a conventional battle. Their aim appears to be purely to learn as mcuh as they can about the planet...
...
Once their reconnaissance is complete theywill strike in force. Their aim is rarely to conquer the planet, but rather to surround and capture large groups of inhabitants.

Necron tactics.

Page 49

low-altitude survery drones locate two sets of ancient structures..
...
C.A.T. reconnaissnace drones are entering the structure.

Survey and reco drones. The C.A.T. is a throwback to Space Hulk if anyone recalls.

Page 54

Wherever possible the Necrons will attack where there are few or no military units to defend the civilian population...
...
When such tactics are impossible, the Necrons will attack the defenders head-on, materialising in front of enemy positions and advancing implacably on the foe. Their aim is to mercilessly crush all resistance..
...
There will be no second chance for either side, no opportunity ot regroup and fight again..

Necron tactics.

Page 56

The Orks are the most savage and warlike race in the whole galaxy. Their huge empire is divided amongsst thousands of warlords.
...
..they are actually capalbe of a high degree of co-operation.

Waaagh effect. Also thousands of Ork Warlords, although given the scale of Ork infestation this may be a underestimate (although warlords dont need to have vast empires either.)
Page 56

Whole planets are razed, millions of captives are taken and put to work in crude factories producing more weapons and vhicles for the Orks to use.

Orks rely on slave labor for construction purposes, unsurprisingly.

Page 56

..can only be stopped by meeting the Orks head on with even greater force. Some say that this is exactly what the Orks really wanted all along and that Ork Waaaghs! are simpyl the best way the Orks have found of getting involved in the biggest, noisiest and most violent battle possible.

Given what we know of Orks, this is probably likeyl.

Page 56

The main Ork army will be preceded by a swarm of Orks riding vehicles like Warbuggies, trukks and Warbikes, all of whom have but one main aim: to find the enemy and attack them as quickly as possible...
...
If the intiial Ork blitzkrieg proves insufficient ot overwhelm the foe, then it will be followed up by a full-strength attack by the main Ork horde. Vast mobs of Boyz will quickly move into position, supported by a plethora of heavily armoured vehicles and artillery pieces. As soon as the attacking forces are in position they will hurl themselves at enemy positions while heavy weapons will unleash a storm of fire intended to disrupt the enemy and keep their heads down.
..
..the Orks will regroup and attack again.. and again.. and again.. until either they are all but wiped out, or the enemy defences crubmle...
..
.. engaged a foe that is too tough for them to defeat, then they feel no shame in calling discretion the better part of valour and retreating. They know that in time they will be joined by enough Boyz to crush even the stoutest opponent. In the meantime they will do their best to inflict as mcuh damage on the enemy as possible before making good their escape..

More ork tactics, which says alot about their motivations/goals/psychology.

Page 58

The Orks will not give their enemy time to prepare, swiftly closing to attack range a nd launching an all-out assault straight from their columnof march. Ork buggies and warbikes will harry the flanks of the enemy, while slower moving vehicles and Ork Boyz that are on foot will attack the enemy head on.

Orks are combined arms . Sort of.

Page 62

it's not unknown for an unwary or overcondifent opponent to suffer such heavy losses that the Orks iwll change their minds and instead of reterating they will go back on the offensive once more.

More Ork psychology,

Page 64

"There is less than one Space Marine for each world of the Imperium.

This could be interpreted to mean there are routinely less than a million Space Marines, or that there are far more than a million worlds. Either possibility is plausible - losses will keep Space Marine numbers below maximum strength (And we know Chapters invariably suffer casualties much of the time) but we also know there are more than a million worlds after some fashion.

Page 64

The Adeptus Astartes is not always a subtle instrument to be delicately wielded like a surgeon's knife. Sometimes it can be likened to a mighty hammer.."
..
Drop pods and Thunderhawk Gunships will be used to land Space Marine squads right on top of the enemy.
..
..an armoured column made up of Space Marine infantry in Rhino transport vheicles, predators and Land Raider tanks will move up in support. Space Marine Scouts and Space Marine Bikes will pounce on the flanks...
..
..Whirlwind multiple missile launchers will provide artilelry assault.

/quote]
Space marines can be sledgehammers too. go figure.

Page 70

It is often vital to disrupt enemy supplies and reinforcements from reaching the front line.
..

..small Space Marine detachments will be dropped behind the enemy and ordered to hold vital 'choke points' through which the supplies and reinforcements must pass.
...
..while at other times the enemy will find themselves under attack when Space Marine drop pods slam oto the ground all around...

More Space Marine tactics.
Page 72

The Tau are a young and dynamic race..
...
Their empire now covers a region almost 300 light years across, with their home world at the centre.

The scope of the Tau Empire. This makes them soemwhat larger than your average Imperial sector. It is possible that the worlds within that terirtory are more densely clustered than compared to a sector, however.
Also note the typical 'dynamic' adjective appended to the tau.

Page 72

The Tau do not eneter battle lightly, and hwen they do so they will make sure that they have formulated a comprehensive battle plan and that all of the troops taking part know exactly what is expected of them. Tau battle strategy is based purely upon the destruction of the enemy's military formations, at the minimum cost in casualties ot the Tau themselves. The capture of ground and strategic objectives is only important if it allows the Tau to achieve their primary goal of destroying their opponents ability to fight.

Blah blah "Killing Blow" and "Patient Hunter" Basically "well planned and carefully coordinated attacks" aimed at wiping out the enemy, or "waiting and drawing the enemy into a vulernable position" then wiping them out. And long range attack. They're blue-skinned Eldar with anime smecha vehicles.

Page 72

The third main strand of Tau battle strategy is the preservation of their army.
...
..they will almost always do their best to minimise their own causalties. A tau army will usually make a fighting withdrawl if it is confronted by a strong enemy attakc and will wait for the offensive to lose momentum before making a carefully planned and executed counter-attack.

This is, as I've noted before, a double edged sword. If you have land/space to give up and a place to retreat to, this can make sense. Especially considering the numerical inferiority of the Tau. But there is always going to be a point where retreat is either impossible or impractical - or at least becomes outright surrender. Otherwise, why do Tau fight to keep planets?
Whehther or not they fight for cities or such is up in the air. I wouldn't assume that resources are always more important than life, or vice versa - at least not in 40K - The Tau can more easily replace cities than lives, but situations, but what if you rely on your infrasturcture to maintain your army? Or resources? Does keeping your army fighting matter more or less than casualties.
Later iterations of the Tau seem to have toned down this whole "give ground at all costs" mentality - the tau will now employ or utilize fixed or static locations (at least defensively) if the situation warrants it, although they still try to employ their key tactics in doing so.

Page 74

..a Killing Blow battle plan will often involve airlifting units to positions behind the main enemy line. The enemy position will be carfully reconnoitred before tha ttack is carried out, and simulations will be run before a batle plan is decided upon and then the attacking formations will be fully briefed on the part they will carry out..
..
..some or all of the ATtacking Tau formations will be transported in Manta transport crat and dropped out of sight behind the eneimy lines.
...
..they will attack the enemy from the rear...
...
The enemy will find themselves trapped between the two opposing Tau forces, as between a hammer and anvil.

More tau tactics.

Page 75

Savon raised his pulse carbine to his shoulder. He sighted through the viewfinder of the integrated markerlight. The landscape was magnified ten fold, every feature marked with a wealth of targeting data.
...
He adjusted the markerlight's magnification, zooming right out.
..
with the flip of a switch, he activated the markerlight.

Tau pulse carbine with scope and markerlight.

Page 78

The Tau are a pragmatic race, and accept that not every battle will go exactly to plan, no matter how carefully they prepare. They know that there will be times that an opponent anticipates what they are going to do, or has sufficient strength to blunt an attack.
..
..the Tau will withdraw from battle rather than pressing on..
...
..they consider it a sign of gross incompetence to remain in a battle once the momentum has shifted to the enemy.
...
Supporting units will lay down a hail fo fire, allowing any troops that are close to the enemy to fall back...
..
The whole army will then start to disengage, one unit providing covering fire while another moves. Escape routes will have been carefully prepared as part of the Tau battle plan and befo rethe enemy knows what has happened they will have lost any chance they might have had for a comprehensive victory.

This makes the tau sound alot better than when I covered the Codex, and makes more sense than what I covered. Although as I said above, giving ground is a double edged sword, and I wouldn't assume that giving ground in ALL cases is always wise. War is never predictable lik that. Moreover, it still seems to hint that the tau rely on careful advanced preparation, which may or may not be possible and plays more on the "tau being lucky" gimmick.

Page 78

From somewhere behind came a supersonic scream. The first seeker missile streaked overhead at a startlingly low altitude. At the last instant the missile rose, before diving upon the vehicle's top armour.

Supersonic Tau missiles.

Page 80

The Tyranids need this genetic mateiral to evolve their technology..
...
The raw mateiral used to create these creatures is the living biomass found on the planets that the Hive Fleet encounters. Every living thing, no matter how mighty or how small, is assimilated and digested and then used to create new Tyranid cretures.

Tyranid resources.

Page 80

Because of their low energy signature the Tyranid Hive Fleets are almost impossible to detect as they travel through the void.

Note it doesnt make them totally detection proof, just very very difficult. And it is implied to occur mostly at very very long ranges. This does depend on the detection methods the Imperium or other forces know about or employ (I'm sure some people could think of things, although its equally possbiel the 'nids can magic some counter.)

Page 80

As they approach an inhabited plane thte Tyranids launch salvoes of mycetic spores ahead of the Hive Fleet. THese carry shock troops such as Genestealers, Hormagaunts and other creatures to the surface of the planet..
..
These spores are oftne inaccurately reported as meteor showers, but experienced troops soon learn to dread the telltale fiery streaks..
..
The first wave of mycetic spores will be dropped in a haphazard manner over the entire surface of the planet but succeeding waves will be targeted upon areas where the first wave has met the most determined resistance.

Seems a combination of orbital bombardment and drop pod assault.

Page 80

Within days of the first mycetic spores arriving, the planet's surface will be overrun with Tyranid life forms and microscopic aliens pores will have perverted most of the native flora. Eventually the planet will be reduced to an alien wasteland, its air thick with poisonous gases and the landscape socoured of all signs of life.

"days" to conquer and render down a world.

Page 81

This sector map indicates only those worlds of strategic importance of sentient populations of 100,000,000 or more.

I think that means "strategic importance or sentient populations"
I'd say there are no more than 15-20 "major" worlds listed, and mayb eonly half or 2/3 of those could possibly have te "greater than" populations listed.

Of interest are one factory world, one Forge world and two hive worlds, and a mining world. There are various feral and Death worlds of course.

Page 82

When a Tyranid Hive Fleet first encounters an inhabited planet it will launch a wave of mycetic spores.
...
This first wave of spores will arrive sporadically over the course of several days or even weeks and be widley scattered.

bombardment tactics. Days or weeks may imply tens or hundreds of km/s velocity.. possibly faster. Depends on how many "Weeks" and the distances involved. I'd think reentry at least suggests hyper-velocities.

Page 84

The first wave of a Tyranid assault is really only intended to gether information
...
..whatever happens on teh surface of the planet becomes known to the hwole of the Hive Fleet, and appropriate action can be taken to deal with anything that threatens to stop the Tyranids in assimilating the biomass of the planet.
..
If resistance is encountered then further waves of mycetic spores will be launched to deal with the threat, and if these dont succeed then yet more invader swill be dispatchd to the planet's surface...
..
..it is as if their once verdant planet is turned intoa death world..

Tyranid tactics.

Page 86

The world will lie in ruins, the majority of its population either dead or, far worse, assimilated by the Hive Fleets to create new Tyranid creatures. Even the surface of the planet will have been corrupted, the landscape torn by brood nests that spew forth alien monstrosities and rent by the huge capillary towers used to funnel the bio-mass of the planet back to the waiting hive fleet.
..
..the few surviving inhabitans battle to the death against a Tyranid horde that will have adapted and evolved to suit the conditions that prevail on the planet.
..
The tyranid attack is starting to destabilise the planet, causing termors, cave-ins, and volcanic eruptions.

Tyranoforming. Note the "adaption" bit, and the severe evological damage and planetary destabilization (earthquakes, collapses, and volcanic eruption.)

Page 88

The bastion was the last bulwakr standing between the xenos-filth and Veron Hive: home to ten million souls and the last Imperial held starport.

Hive city of 10 million. One of the smallest hives I've known about. Assuming it rperensets a 'hive world' in the 'billions of hive worlds' bit from Heart of Rage (which I'll cover in Fear the Alien), It would put the Imperial population in the tens of quadrillions, at least... possibly hundreds.

Page 92

In the year 456.M40 an invasion took place on the Imperial planet of Bruttulus. Tau troops launched a surprise attack, taking over the planet's defence laser batteries and shield generators, making it impossible for Imperial reinforcements to reach the planet's surface.
...
..he could reach the generator station and destroy it, allowing Imperial reinforcements to land on the planet.

Once more we see the tau favor infiltration and taking facilities intact to use against their enemy, Rather clever really. I'll give the tau their due - they're good at infiltrationa nd sabotage and subversion.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

andrewgpaul wrote:I didn't realise the Storm of Vengeance scenario pack was republished for 4th edition (here). Amusingly, since that PDF still mentions the Squats, that's the most recent canon reference to them.

From what I hear it got changed in Purging of Kadillus to a Demiurg planet. DUM DUM DUM!

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

Next update is old and non game. Its an old online supplement to the Impeiral Munitorum manual that Graham McNeill had written. and I covered long long ago. I'd always meant to do it but I realized I'd never done it. It's not online anymore, so I have White Rabbit to thank for providing me with it.

It's a single update, so enjoy

Page 2

The Imperial Guard is a highly mechanised fighting forcewhose strength derives from huge reserves of artillery, tanks, mobile weaponry and men.

The Guard is "highly mechanized" - read into that what you want. Maybe they're not totally mechanized, but it implies it is not trivial either.

Page 2

There are many different tanks in the Imperial arsenal, but to describe every variant of every design would be impossible. Despite the regulations of the Departmento Munitorum, field modifications are often made to vehicles and local commanders sometimes have to improvise hybrid machines from spare parts. If the fighting is taking part on an Imperial planet, then the world’s own locally produced fighting machines may also be available, which can take almost any form primitive landclads to sand crawlers and ultra-fast speeders.

They standardize in theory, but in practice standaridzation is a joke. Not ethe usage of "locally produced" vehicles including speeders along with improvisations and variants and field modifications.

Page 2

It is certain that every Guardsman will, at some point, either ride within an Armoured Fighting Vehicle or have cause to fight alongside a Main Battle Tank.

Again they don't seem all that rare.

Pgae 2

Advancing behind the charge of armoured vehicles is a standard tactic of the Imperial Guardsman....

Is this good or bad? I dont know.

Page 2

All of the vehicles described herein are sanctioned by the Departmento Munitorum and are employed regularly by the 91stRegiment, though it is not an exhaustive list and many other variants exist within the regiment’s inventory.The vehicles listed here are, however, the most common.

again lots of varieties.
Page 3

This section lists the most common types of shell available to the tanks and artillery of the Imperial Guard. There exist more exotic and advanced shells, but such is their rarity they are only ever employed under specialised circ*mstances and are therefore not covered here.

usual obligitory grimdark.

Page 3

The most common shell type is high explosive. Such shells have a steel casing, a weight of explosives and a fuse. Typically, these shells are used to attack massed formations of infantry or light vehicles, as the shell’s explosion is unlikely to damage heavily armoured battle tanks. Imperial Guard heavy mortars and the rapidly vanishing Griffon tank are equipped with this type of shell and it is most effective when the position of the enemy is known through observation and map co-ordinates.

Standard HE stuff. Again uiseless against tanks.
Page 3

Depending on the type of fuse selected the shell can be set to explode on impact with the ground, in the air above the enemy or after penetrating a short distance into the ground (to transmit more ground shock to covered positions).When the fuse detonates, the explosives shatter the casing and spray the surrounding area in hot, razor sharp fragments of steel. It is these fragments, rather than the blast that inflictsmost of the fatalities caused by these shells.

VAriable fuse.

Page 3

Main battle tanks, such as the Leman Russ can be equipped with high explosive shells, but most tank commanders prefer anti-tank rounds to be loaded in their guns.

This suggests HE rounds aren't utilized in Russes as a rule, unless they are forced to. And certainly not for anti-tank duty.

Page 3

The enemies of the Imperium often use their own debased forms of battle tanks...

Often it can take several regular shells to destroy such an armoured vehicle, but against such foes, a tank will sometimes be equipped with an armour piercing shell. Such shells are comparatively rare and it is uncommon to find more than one such shell within the magazine of all but the oldest tanks.

Blah blah "armour piercing rare" blah blah. I take this with a grain of salt, but go figure.

Page 4

To withstand the shock of punching through thick sheets of armour plating, shells were designed with a greatly strengthened case with a hardened, shaped tip and a much smaller explosive payload (rendering the shell into a virtually solid missile). The impact of such a shell is unlikely to destroy an enemy tank, but even a glancing impact is enough to stun the crew of a vehicle
struck by such a heavy shell. Once an enemy tank is halted, even if only for a few seconds, it is a simple matter to engagewithmultiple conventional shells to destroy it. Though of an ancient design, some are fitted with a softer metal cap to the penetrating tip, which improves penetration by reducing the initial shock of impact that can otherwise shatter the shell. Given the age of the armour piercing shell design and the rapidly diminishing stock of them in existence, they are rarely employed except in desperate circ*mstances.

That's right. It's ultra rare tech to make a solid slug of metal to shoot out of a gun. Even though they do this for autoguns, stubbers, autocannon, bolter, and even macro cannon.

Page 4

The most requested shell in the Imperial Guard arsenal is the anti-tank shell, thanks to its ability to defeat the heaviest armour imaginable. The antitank shell is the bane of armoured vehicles, due to its ability to easily penetrate thick armour and kill the crew of a tank with a single shot. As might be expected, such deadly shells are comparatively rare and though most tank commanders try to keep as many as they can on board their vehicle, they will only be used against targets where regular shells have a low probability of a kill shot.

YEah.. anti tank shells are rare too. Less rare than an aP shell (and more useful) but still rare. You have to wonder what the f*ck a "regular" shell is. This is especially hilarious considering how widespread krak and melta munitions are in a man portable manner!

Page 4

The shell is formed from an explosive shaped charge that creates a high-velocity jet of molten metal on impact that can punch through virtually any armour2. This hypersonic jet of plasmic metal eats through thick armour with ease and flares out within the body of the target tank, incinerating the crew and damaging onboard systems and controls. The key to the effectiveness of an anti-tank shell is the diameter of the warhead. As the penetration continues through the armour, the width of the hole
decreases leading to a characteristic ‘fist to finger’ penetration, where the size of the eventual ‘finger’ is based on the size of the original ‘fist’. In most cases, anti-tank rounds can expect to penetrate armour of one and a half to twice their width.

In other words, its a glorified shaped charge. Which could mean its an oversized krak round if you take that interpretation. Note the confusion btween "motlen" and "plasma". and that its hot enough to burn/cremate the crew inside (megajoules to gigajoules - and this is AFTER penetration..

Page 4

..some, like mine laying shells, are used to scatter smaller sub-munitions, including anti-personnel and anti-tank mines. The Imperial Guard makes significant use of mine laying shells in their preliminary bombardments to seed the ground before an enemy advance with explosive ordnance. These are generally far more lethal against both armour units and infantry than simple high explosive shells, since the multiplemunitions create a larger kill zone and increase the chance of achieving the direct hit on the weakest point of an enemy tank’s armour. Mine laying shells can be fired by tanks or artillery pieces..

Mine laying shells.

Page 4

The tank squadrons of Commander Rittman of the Fighting 56th claim to have destroyed an enemy titan by using such shells, though the probability of this is low given the thickness of a titan’s armour and the protection offered by void shields. Rittman is said to have rebutted this by claiming that his drivers were so daring that they were able to get their tanks within the void shield perimeter and that his gunners were so skilled that they were able to aim their shells at the same impact point and thus punch ever deeper into the titan’s body until it was destroyed. No records exist to prove or disprove this, but every tank in the squadron proudly bears the kill-marking that commemorates this deed.

Another case where a tank force gets under void shields and supposedly takes down a Titan.

Page 5

Not all shells are designed to kill or destroy (though they are in theminority and are almost never carried by a tank expecting to fight enemy tanks).

SElf explanatory.
Page 5

Artillery delivery can lead to irregular and unpredictable patterns ofminefield with more misfires encountered than if mines were individually placed. Such delivery also makes it extremely difficult to map these minefields and has led tomany unnecessary injurieswhen the locations of such areas are not passed to other
Imperial forces

More mine shells.

Page 5

The smoke shell is designed to create a smoke screen behindwhich infantry forces
can advance without fear of aimed enemy fire. There are two main types of smoke shell, those filledwithwhite phosphorus or shells that scatter smoke grenades.

Self explanatory, again.

Page 5

A starshell provides battlefield illumination during the hours of darkness. A starshell has a fuse that ejects a pyrotechnic flare that emits a white, coloured or infrared light at a calculated altitude, where it slowly drifts down beneath a heat resistant parachute.

Illumination shells.
Page 5

The carrier is simply a hollow shell equipped with a fuse that ejects the contents at a calculated time. They are often filled with pro-Imperial leaflets, but can be filled with anything that meets the weight restrictions and is able to withstand the shock of firing

Self explanatory.

PAge 6

...It [Sentinel] is chiefly employed in a reconnaissance and close support role in small actions, though it can also be utilised as a sentry vehicle – though this should be in support of infantry sentries, not instead of them. For its size and weight it is well armed, but its lack of substantial armour makes it unsuitable for massed vehicle combat.

Sentinel tactics.

Page 6

..its articulated legs enable it to stalk quietly through even the densest undergrowth while permitting impressive bursts of speed over open terrain. It walks with a struttingmotion and its small, finely balanced co*ckpit is stabilised with complex gyroscopic sensors.

gyro sensors.

Page 6

As befits a variant from Catachan, this Sentinel is most frequently equippedwith a heavy flamer for jungle clearing and rooting out of hidden infiltrators. Often the flamer Sentinels are accompanied by variants mounting an enormous eviscerator
chainblade...
...
Most useful in the role of infantry support, the Mars pattern Sentinel is equipped with a
multi-laser...

The variant [Cadian Pattern] that makes up the bulk of the Cadian 91st’s inventory, this Sentinel has the flexibility to work in multiple roles, serving as infantry support or as a flanking vehicle that excels at picking off light enemy vehicles (sometimes even working its way around a flank to target the thinner armour of heavier tanks)
...
The heavily industrialised hive world of Armageddon produces some of the most sought after Sentinels, as its variants carry lascannons, making them ideal tank-hunters. The Sentinel’s speed enables it to work its way into the best position to snipe at the weak rear and flank armour of enemy tanks.

Sentinel variants.

Page 6

Sentinels also fulfil many other roles in an Imperial Guard Army, acting as forward scouts, perimeter security and as logistical vehicles. In this latter role, the Sentinel is adapted tomount power lifter claws that enable it to carry standard pattern supply
crates and munitions..

More Sentinel roles/tactics

PAge 7

The Chimera is the Imperial Guard’s most numerous armoured troop carrier and infantry support vehicle, and the vehicle with which most Guardsmen will be best acquainted. It can carry a full squad and one passenger (most often an officer, commissar or priest) plus its own crew. In fast moving battles, the Chimera can transport its infantry squad for many miles and this mobility is essential to the fast moving warfare that typifies an Imperial Guard attack, but is less useful in urban fighting and static defence.

This implies both that Chimera is not rare in the Guard, and that (offensive) Tactics in the guard is highly mobile (with light tanks and troop carriers at least. Leman Russes may or may not be a nother story.)

The other role of the Chimera is to provide close support for infantry once they have debouched from its crew compartment Its turret mounted multi laser is capable of cutting a swathe through nearby enemy troops and reducing light vehicles, such as ork warbikes and buggies to blazing wreckage. For massed tank attacks, Chimeras act as support vehicles for the heavier Leman Russ, often fighting ahead of the main battle lines or on the flanks, or side by side with the battle tanks, adding their weight to the formation’s massed firepower.

Chimeras work well both in tank and infantry support roles.

Page 7

The Chimera chassis provides the basis for countless specialised vehicles from fuel tankers to OfficioMedicae casualty evacuators, munitions carriers, mobile communications vehicles, recovery vehicles and even military construction vehicles like bulldozers and cranes. It is the most versatile of all the vehicles produced for the ImperialGuard and it can be adapted to take almost any power plant from sub-nuclear stacks to wood burning steamturbines.

Nuclear powerplants and steam powerplants. Note as well that it seems to be pretty damn common even if it isnt used exclusively as a troop carrier (unsurprising consideirng how common Trojans are)

Page 7

An example of a highly specialised variant on the Chimera chassis is the Hellhound close assault flame-thrower.
...
Nothing can escape the immolating fire of the Inferno cannon: troops in the open are reduced to ashes, enemy squads hiding in bunkers are set alight as the liquid flame pours through vision slits, while tank crews are baked alive inside their vehicles. Each burst of flame from the Inferno cannon expends so much promethium gel that the only practical way to use the weapon is to mount it on a vehicle. To reduce the risk of explosion from enemy attacks, the tanks of highly volatile promethium are carried inside the armoured section of the Hellhound, which is then pumped up to the turretmounted Inferno cannon. The gunner
can set the range of the blast by adjusting a valve at the end of the barrel to get the right pressure, opening it wide to cover a larger area over a short range or closing it tight to fire a longer-ranged, more focused blast.

Good old Hellhounds.

Page 8

In all that time there have been many fundamental changes in construction and appearance, but the capabilities of the vehicle have changed very little. The chief reason why designs varied was not to improve the tanks, but to accommodate the use of different materials, power plants and repair facilities available to its builders.

The armoured hull of the Leman Russ is designed to be tough, long-lasting and easy to repair. In the hands of the Imperial Guard, a Leman Russ might find itself deployed in places as varied as the blistering heat of an acid waste or the moist chill of a methane swamp. Itmustwithstand all these environments as well as the shells and energy blasts of the enemy. For this reason, the tank’s armour is not the most sophisticated, but it is practical and tough; easily capable of withstanding a shot from all but the most powerful enemy weapons.

Leman Russ design philosophy.

Page 8

The Leman Russ’s armament can be varied considerably, but the turretmounted battle cannon is fundamental to the design and variations that dispense with or replace the battle cannon are usually given some other name. In addition, the Leman Russ generally carries a hull-mounted lascannnon. This weapon is specifically designed for tank busting, for attacking and killing enemy machines and especially large, tough creatures, such are found in tyranid swarms. Side sponson mounts are also integral to the design of the Leman Russ, which can be fitted with a variety of standard heavy weapons and are intended to provide close infantry support or to keep enemy troops at bay.

Leman Russ variations. It's implied that Battle cannons are not specifically anti tank weapons, but the lascannon are. The cannon seems to be a generla purpose weapon.

Page 8

There are innumerable variants on the basic Leman Russ frame, such that it would be impossible to categorise themall in this tome. Instead,we shall concentrate on some of the better known variants

Like all Imperial vehicles there are a sh*t-ton of variations.

Page 8-9

The first recorded use of the Conqueror was in the equipping of Skitarii forces supporting the War Griffons titan legion during the relief of Castra Septus. The replacement of the standard battle cannon with the smaller, less destructive Conqueror cannon gave the tank a much greater mobility, allowing it to keep pace with the titans and participate in the final destruction of the besiegers of Castra Septus.

Implies that Conqeuror tanks can keep up with Titans. One imagines they're expected to keep up with Scout Titans especially, the vehicles most likely to need support.

Page 9

...the Conqueror has proved to be a popular tank with its crews, as its increased mobility allows it to react quickly to changing battlefield circ*mstances, finding cover quickly if it finds itself in trouble, or exploiting a break in enemy lines.

Of course any tank can do this in 40K, esp with 5th edition.

Page 9

Though more sophisticated than the basic LemanRuss tank, the Vanquisher is becoming a rarer sight in the armies of the Imperial Guard, as the skills and knowledge required to repair and replace them were lost in 635.M35when the orkwarlord Arrgard the Defiler destroyed the forge temples of Tigrus.
...
The Vanquisher battle cannon is designed to fire antitank shells, making it a popular tank with Imperial Guard commanders, as
there are few armoured vehicles in the galaxy that can withstand a hit from these deadly munitions. Though other forge worlds, notably Gryphonne IV and Stygies VIII, have tried to replicate the design of theVanquisher, they have met with only limited success...

Blah Blah Vanquishers rare.

Page 9

...the Executioner is now only manufactured on the forge world ofRyza.Thisworld is renowned for the single-minded obsession with which its adepts pursue the Quest for Knowledge in the mystic arts of plasma reactor and magnetic containment
field construction. The Executioner is armed with a plasma destroyer, an extremely powerful weapon that is capable ofmelting through the armour of an enemy tank in the blink of an eye, though, like its man-portable cousins, it can be a temperamentalweapon.The long recharge periods and potential to dangerously overheat in the midst of
battle make it an unpopular tank, but the sheer lethality of its weapon ensures that it still sees regular service.

EXecutioners can melt through armor, but not much else.

Page 10

The Leman Russ Demolisher is a common variant of the basic tank design and is produced in limited numbers alongside the ordinary versions of the Leman Russ.

Demolishers seem more specialized and rarer than regular Russes.
Page 10

The Demolisher cannon is a terrifyingly destructive weapon, blasting through layers of plasteel and concrete alike in a storm of plasma and flying debris. Originally designed to destroy bunkers and similar fortifications, the Demolisher cannon was soon found to be capable of obliterating enemy vehicles with equal ease. This deadly versatility makes the LemanRussDemolisher siege tank an extremely valuable vehicle.

Demolisher shells are "plasma shells."

Page 10

The Demolisher cannon fires even large and more devastating shells than a battle cannon. These huge shells are far heavier than the standard battle cannon ammunition and resemble larger versions of anti-tank rounds. They consist of an outer layer of standard high explosive and shrapnel surrounding a chemical core. When the shell strikes its target the explosive detonates, blasting a hole in the target’s armour and scattering shrapnel everywhere. At the same time, the explosion also sets off a chemical reaction that superheats the second layer. This hurls a plasma jet lancing through the hole blown in the armour and spreads flaming death and molten metal over a wide area, literally ripping the target apart from the inside.

Shaped charges do NOT used plasma jets, nor is a jet of molten metal a plasma jet (the onl rationalization is the molten metal comes from secondary effects of melting the hull.)
The hilarious bit is that Demolishers aren't exactly ultra-rare vehicles, nor are Demolisher cannons, yet their ammo is "similar" to an upscaled shaped charge (or krark round!) which is SUPPOSED to be yet another rare ammo. GAH!
The other interestingbit is the "chemical core" that reacts and creates a superheated plasma jet. This suggests a non-explosive damage mechanism, which in turn may suggest some variation on Electrothermal/electrothermal-chemical technology.

Page 10

The Griffon armoured weapons carrier is one of the most frequently employed Chimera variants, though it is becoming rarer thanks to a quirk in its weapon mount, the technology of which is becoming harder to source when one is damaged. It is tailored to provide closeto- medium range mobile artillery support...

Yep. Anything that's halfway decent is guaranteed to become lost-tech for the Guard.

Page 10

The heavymortar is simply a support version of the standard mortar used by Imperial Guard Mortar support squads. It is simple to construct and does not malfunction as often as other support weapons, but its massive size means that it can only be mounted on vehicles.

This cannot be the "quirk" making Griffons rarer. The silly thing about that idea is that normally if the IG loses some aspect of a vehicle that makes it function well, they just modify the variant to work without it or adapt some workaround (EG Vanquishers.) Since the Mortar isn't the obvious failure point (far from it) one has to wonder why Griffons are anything approaching "lost-tech"

Page 10

The main advantage of the heavy mortar is the variety of shells it can fire. These have been developed from existing shell types and take advantage of the larger calibre of the heavy mortar to make much more destructive versions. Of these shell types, two are unique to the Griffon and warrant particular mention...

Take note of this, since it implies these shell types exist in other forms, which means either artilery (like Earthshaker) or battle cannon rounds.
Page 10

Upon impact, a melta shell undergoes a sub-atomic reaction, which releases a blast of intense heat. The shell is capable of melting away vehicles and buildings, while living targets are instantly reduced to molten meat and bone.

Flesh-melting temps have varied quite a bit depending on source, and there' s actualyl some dispute as to whether it literally "melts". I suspect it does not, since it technially won't phase change. The mateirals in it individually *might* melt, but more likely skin would combust (assuming the stuff boiled off.) temperatures to cauterize, boil, or generally make flesh slough off the bone and go "loose" probably is more appropriate to melting. Call it double digit MJ per person, although we might just handwave it for single digits if you want to go with something like flash burning.
The fact the shell can melt away "vehicles and buildings" though suggests a far higher yield (single or double digit gigajoules) This is not an efficient means of destroying a target, but probably sh*t ass scary. (OH sh*t I'M BURNING.)
Also note that this is one of two scaled up ammo rounds, meaning some other artillery uses these! They don't even seem to be particularily rare either.
Page 11

[Inferno shells] This type of shell contains a small explosive charge, surrounded by a highly volatile concoction of phosphorous and synthesised compounds distilled from promethium. The explosive charge detonates on impact, spreading the compounds and phosphorous over a wide area, which then ignites on contact with the air to create a conflagration that melts through armour and clings to exposed flesh. The chemicals continue to burn and eat away flesh long after the initial explosion

Possibly a cheaper alternative to melta weapons/ Note it can melt through armor and burn flesh easily. This gives us an idea about how flamers work as well, since promethium is the ammo.

PAge 11

Of all the Imperial Guard artillery, theBasilisk is themost numerous and well known. It is fully mobile, easily able to keep pace with the main infantry advance, and can be deployed ready for battle with in a matter of moments. It is most effective when deployed en masse in a barrage of many hundreds of guns6,
...
However, the Earthshaker can also be used as an assault gun,

Earthshakeers described as "fully mobile" and deployable in seconds.

Page 11

The Earthshaker fires shells of such awesome proportions that a target hit by one can literally shake itself apart. The huge shells not only cause considerabledamage fromthe shell’s high explosives, but also send powerful percussive shockwaves through the
target. Even if the vehicle’s armour is not penetrated by the shell, great shards of its inner armour are torn away, rivets and loose equipment are sent ricocheting through the target’s interior at the speed of a bullet, killing crewmen and destroying machinery and vital controls.

Earthshaker rounds are implied to be devastating. although the KIND of Earthshaker rounds is up for debate, considering Earthshakre round masses vary from 19 kg to 38 kg 125 to 132 mm, and muzzle velocity varies from 410 m/s to 815+ m/s.

The target doesnt specify the kinds of armoured vehicles, so it could literally mean anything (you could even suggest titans, although I highly doubt it.) It also implies some sort of f*ckoff massive shell.

Page 11

Most Imperial vehicles adopt a paint scheme appropriate to the war zone they
find themselves within, and this is generally enough to conceal a tank from the inferior eyes and technology of most enemies, the tank will find itself up against.

IG Camo seems to have some measure of sensor-disrupting capability built in.

PAge 11

During the siege of Raphon Guardia, over three thousand Basilisk artillery pieces were tasked with breaching the walls. Millions of tonnes of ordnance were expended in the opening days of the bombardment, but such was the strength of the xenos fastness that it took a further week of constant shelling to bring down the walls.

Millions of tons of ordnance in "days" expended, far les sthan a week at least, from 3000 guns. Assuming 3 days of constnat bombardment and one shell per gun every 10 seconds (6 rounds a minute) is around 25 kg per shell.

PAge 12

Against particularly sophisticated enemies, vehicles must also be concealed from orbital surveillance and alien surveyors/biological senses.

vehicles need to be hidden from sensors and orbital surveillance, which acutally is a bigger issue consideirng the presence of starship and sations compared to real life.

PAge 12

Imperial Guard camo-netting is designed to be lightweight, non-snagging and reversible to maximise survivability in differentwar zones. Some camo-netting has heat reflective qualities (though often this is a fluke of production rather than design7) that will defeat enemies able to perceive objects in the infrared spectrum.

Heat reflecting camo.

Page 12

In addition to the main armament of an Imperial Guard tank, some vehicles are also fitted with one-shot, hunter/killer missiles fitted with a war spirit caged within the weapon’s warhead.
...
Hunter/killer missiles are typically fitted with a krak warhead, though rarer issues may have a melta warhead. Each missile can defeat the armour of practically any armoured vehicle...

Krak and melta HK missiles. Not exactly rare tech, and they're self-guided munitions at that.

Page 12

The hunter/killer has an effectively unlimited range and the system will operate in all weather conditions in which the tank’s crew can see the target throughout the missile flight by using either a day or night sight (the use of a targeter will substantially increase the probability of scoring a kill shot).Once battle is over, the launcher can be cleaned and refitted with anothermissile inminutes..

HK properties note the "effectively unlimited" range and the working with a targeter.

Page 12

The lethality of the hunter/killer missiles was proven beyond doubt when a missile fired by the Leman Russ Glory of Heller went straight through the tank it was aimed at and penetrated the armour of the vehicle next to it. A missile fired in a later battle went clean through a two-metre beam and knocked out an enemy troop carrier on the other side. In both instances, the hunter/killer performed a feat it was supposedly incapable of accomplishing.

Funny enough this sounds alot like the performance ascirbed to a TOW missile here

The lethality of the TOW missile was proven beyond doubt during the 100-hour ground campaign when one of the antitank munitions fired by US troops went right through the tank it was aimed at and penetrated another tank parked next to it. Another TOW went through a six foot dirt berm and knocked out an Iraqi armored personnel carrier on the otherside. In both instances, the TOW performed a feat which it supposedly was incapable of accomplishing.

We might infer that a HK missile has roughly similar performance to missiles like that, although a "two metre beam" could be quite impressive depending on what it is (a steel beam or a wooden beam, This might even also provide some kidn of comparison of armor capability although we dont know anything about the "beam" or the "tanks" involved (broadly speaking the implication is roughly equal to somehwere between a metre or two thickness of said beam.)

Page 13

Enclosed within a steel hull and with only a few vision blocks through which to gather visual information, tank commanders rely on their vox systems to maintain command and control in order to stay alive. The standard Imperial Guard vehiclemounted vox-array provides short-range, two-way vocal communications together with frequency-hopping transponders to
thwart enemy vox-thieves.
...
The standard vehicle-mounted vox array consists of various combinations of two basic components, a pushbutton receiver-transmitter with built-in loudspeaker and an auxiliary receiver. Most models allow the user to transmit across between five and ten channels, allowing a commander to talk to the tanks in his squadron and tune in to the higher levels
of command-vox traffic. Controls are operated manually and, in most cases, a trained vox officer would be required to select each frequency manually and relay communications to the tank commander.

IG vox systems.

Page 14

The multi-laser is a rapid firing laserweapon capable of shooting powerful energy blasts with greater frequency than a normal, infantryman’s lasgun. The advantage of mounting the power packs on a vehicle is the boosting of the power available to each shot and the quicker recharge times between volleys.

The pulse rate of the multi-laser is modulated at such a rate as to make each impact of a laser blast much more powerful than a standard pattern lasgun, but the force of the impact is dissipated very quickly reducing its armour piercing qualities.

Where an infantryman’s weapon can be stopped by even the thinnest of armour, a multi-laser can punch through primitive armour, though even flak armour offers a reasonable chance of protection against a hit from this weapon.

These qualities render themulti-laser a weapon best suited to engaging large numbers of unarmoured opponents or lightly armoured scout vehicles with thin hull armour.

Sevreal points of note in each paragraph:

First, multilasers unsurprisingly fire more often than regular lasguns, and that mounting the power packs on the vehicle provides a greater overall output to the weapon (increased power per shot and faster recharge.) Likely this is referring to being able to mount heavier/bigger powerpacks than a person can carry. It is interesting the "faster recharge per volley" as it implies multialsers (and possibly lasguns) can fire off short barrages before recharging for another shot.

The second paragraph carries impliaction about the operation and destructive mechanism of multilasers (and probably lasguns as well.) Reference to pulse rate and "modulating the impact" make it sound more like the "blaster" type pulse lasers Luke Campbell theorizes on (creating a train of explosions to make holes in people). The "reduced armor protection due to dissipation" further implies this, suggesting perhaps that the number of explosions created is less than is needed for penetration (for whatever reason - either they are spread out to hit multiple targets, or they use fewer, more individually powerful pulses which can make bigger but less penetrating holes.)

The third and fourth paragraphs are a little odd. It implies that body armor is quite protective as a rule, stopping infantry smallarms and that even flak can possibly stop multilaser hits (even though a multilaser is more powerful thana lasgun) It implies light vehicle armor is also equal to flak, roughly speaking. It also suggests body armor is largely designed to stop the kinetic/explosive effects of energy weapons better than purely thermal.

Page 14

Most Imperial Guard vehicles are able to mount a weapon on their front glacis...
...
Flamers spray the area before them with liquid promethium gel, which burns through foliage, sticks to flesh and even burns
underwater.
...
The Chimera is capable of mounting a heavy flamer in its turret and the Catachan pattern sentinel has a heavy flamer slung under the pilot’s compartment, though the most common configuration for vehicle-mounted heavy flamer is in sponsons fixed to the side hulls of Leman Russ battle tanks.

Because we know tanks can never have enough flamethrowers, even when you have the Hellhound.

Page 15

The heavy bolter is the ideal weapon to kill attacking enemy infantry,with its high rate of fire and high lethality upon impact. Again, heavy bolters may be found mounted on the hull glacis of many tanks, notably the Chimera and Hellhound and Leman Russ, but this gives only a limited field of fire and can only shoot against enemies to the front of the tank. For battle tanks expecting to drive into the heart of an enemy formation, it is in the sponsons that such weapons are best employed. This placement gives the best overall, all-round protection from attacking infantry and covers the most vulnerable areas of attack.

Use of heavy bolters as a front-mounted weapons.

Page 15

Most Imperial Guard tanks are fitted with smoke launchers to obscure their outline and confound enemy gunners attempting to draw a bead on the tank when they must traverse open ground. Smoke launchers are essentially smoke grenades fitted to the hull of a tank that a tank commander can detonate when he feels the need to hide his tank in a blanket of thick,
obscuring smoke. This smoke is used to confuse or mislead the enemy and provide protection to the firing tank. The smoke screens vehicle movements, defeats enemy gunners and allows the tank to move into a more desirable location without fear of attack.
...
..but once fired, they must be reloaded from outside the vehicle at battle’s end.

Smoke grenade launchers.

PAge 15

The advantage of using searchlight is that multiple Imperial units will be able to fire on enemy units they would not normally be able to see, though it also exposes the tank to fire.

Supposed advantges of searchlights.

Page 16

Searchlights are on many types of tanks and generally furnish two types of illumination: white light and infrared light.
Depending on the terrain, enemy situation, and cloud cover, searchlights may provide direct illumination or reflected illumination from low clouds. Searchlights can mark targets, objectives, or boundaries. They can also be used to increase deception by illuminating an area or point outside the intended area of action. It should ALWAYS be remembered that the tank employing the
searchlight is easily detected and extremely vulnerable. Searchlights should only be used when no other system for battlefield illumination is available.

Two different kind of searchlights.. interesting at least. Iv'e never heard of infrared searchlights but it does make some sense given my admittedly limited knowledge, although I dont know if its ever been done IRL.

Page 16

Because the equipment carried on an armoured vehicle will vary depending on whether it is used by the squad or vehicle crew, a standard combat-loading plan hould be developed for each vehicle. The authorised squad equipment may also vary based on squad mission, planetary location, and basic loads of ammunition. Only mission-essential equipment and ammunition should be carried on or within an armoured vehicle. Personal items shouldNOT be carried.

[/quote]

Again we see cases where attempts at standardization may fall flat, and the whole "theory vs practice" thing probably comes into play. They say no personal items, but you just know that is going to be ignored by most IG forces.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

I just decided I'm going to stick the Apocalypse and IA apocalypse stuff here because.. well because I can. Only the core stuff is 'large' enough to justify a separate thread and that not by much. Besides it fits alongside the planetstrike stuff anyhow.

After this I think I'll take a break and get into Tactica Imperialis, SWC, 13th Black Crusade, and eventually Horus Heresy: Collected Visions, which will all go into one thread. I am going to hold off on HHCV though because I want to wait til I actually start covering the HH series (Which I am planning to perhaps parallel with the FFG material, and maybe 5th edition. Since 6th edition is on the horizon it seems a good time to start 5th.)

I'm going to throw out Apocalypse in the whole, in two parts. It's pretty interesting in some parts, but not really a key source all things considered.

Part 1

Page 21

"The Imperium! How mighty its aspect! How far-reaching its boundaries! As one world dies ten more are brought into the fold. Fear us, for we count the lives of planets, not men!"
- Cardinal Morius Blate, Ecclesiarch Primus.

This implies the Imperium discovers/colonizes/reconquers (on average) 10 planets for every one lost. This may be hyperbole - one can never be totally sure when it comes to the Ministorum's view on things - but even if it was true there would be some caveats to this. It does not, for example, take into account the kind of world lost vs the world's gained - losing a hive world or forge world would not be equal to gaining 10 newly established colonies, outposts, or feral/feudal worlds. Even a newly reconquered world that was highly developed may be less useful because it is damaged in the conquest, and may need time to recover or rebuild.

If anything, this speaks more towards long term viability of the Imperium and the scale than anything else (much like with the shipbuilding, it isn't too fast in the short term to be significant.)

Page 25

The entire Ultramarines Chapter, hundreds of regiments of the Ultramar Defence Auxilia and the massed squadrons of Battlefleet Tempestus fought billions of Tyranid organsims for possession of the planet.

The Battle of Macragge, again, IIRC. Note the "hundreds of regiments" for the Ultramar defence forces (again?).

Page 57 - its mentioned here that Baneblades have "machine spirits" in them

Page 80

The ground trembles as a squadron of Baneblades trundles through the orbital bombardment of the Chaos fleet toward the enemy battle line.

Baneblades, it seems, are resistant to some form of orbital bombardment. IT sounds imperssive, but the context is still pretty vague (what kind of bombardment, distance form the points of impact, yields, etc. - I mean we know they can't survive direct hits as per other sources, but even an indirect strike is probably impressivev, although I would hesitate to jump to say, "megatonnes" level bombardment as the rule

Page 80

The combined Imperial forces upon Thesus Reach believe Abbadon is walking into their trap, and they are prepared to unleash Exterminatus to see it succeed.
...
..escape before a barrage of cyclonic torpedoes incinerates friend and foe alike?
..
Thesus Reach is an industrial planet...
...

The High Lords of Terra have anticipated Abbadon's arrival upon the planet. They have ordered a lethal trap set for him...
..
When Abbadon's presence on the planet is confirmed, the Inquisition intends to unleash Exterminatus on whatever is left of Tesus Reach.

cyclonic torpedoes "incinerate" the forces/population on the planet. Frankly I'm hard pressed to think that the Imperium could really think wiping out Abbadon is worth annihilating an industrial planet. I mean, maybe they have a sh*t ton of those - "industrial" planets can be anything from civilised worlds to hive worlds (or evne pseudo-forge worlds) so they may be alot more plentiful than I'm assuming, but it seems more likely that in this case the High Lords are being f*cking idiots, given how Exterminatus is treated in almost any other case (Eg Kryptman dealing with 'Nids.)

I suppose its possible that they figure they would lose the planet either way, so wiping it out gives them nothing to lose (EG again dealing with the Tyranids.) - a similar case like this was mentioned in Tactica Imperialis.

Page 80

Imperial Assassins stalk the streets. Mighty god-machines of the Adeptus Titanicus train their immense guns upon the wasteground.

Assassins, and Titans. On a planet they intend to Exterminatus. Have I mentioend how f*cking retarded this sounds yet? I'm half tempted to say this is all game mechanics and didn't really happen but.. you never know what might happen. *sigh*

So yes, its quite possible the High Lords decided that Titans, Assassins, massive amounts of troops and vehicles, and probably Space Marines.. and a whole f*cking industrial planet, were worth sacrificing. To destroy Abbadon. Who has failed to conquer Cadia, or get more than a few systems away from the Eye of Terror (raids like the Gothic War don't count.)

Make up your own response here. I have to lie down.

Page 81

,,the Inqusition intend to evacuate the Imperial commanders and commence the bombardment of the planet with cyclonic torpedoes. To ensure they can begin the Exterminatus they must first drive away Abbadon's personal flagship, the Planet Killer.

They intended to use a single defence laser to drive it off. HAH. And you thought the Abbadon Trap was bad. Although this at least has the benefit of being portrayed as some DAoT superweapon, so how it works could very well be ascribed to "magical" like many other DAoT objects.

Page 87

The Defence laser that towers over the west gate of Bellephon is a miracle of Dark Age TEchnology. It is capable of smashing a Titan into a thosuand pieces, or even engaging targts in orbit abov the planet.

Apparently its the main (only) defence laser too. That must be some miracle of Dark Age Technology, but who the f*ck knows? DAoT is supposed ot be some scary impressive sh*t, so maybe one DAoT laser can do that.

Page 90 - Gargantuan craetures and super-heavy vehicles belong to roughly the same category, suggesting similar magnitude of firepower/capability. Beware of possible gameplay in this, however.

Page 91

Creatures of this [Gargantuan] immense size can take on entire enemy armies, devastate cities and lay waste to continents. Normally only Tyranid beasts can grow this large, as organisms native to this galaxy struggle to cope with such impossibly heavy organs and limbs. There is, however, one known exception ot this principle, Ork Squiggoths, whose bodies, according to Imperial bio-magi, should not even be able to move (not that this has ever stopped them from ravaging entire worlds of the Imperium.)

I would assume we're largely talking about superheavy (in groups) or Titan scale objects. And even then its still probably not all at once (At least as far as laying waste to continents goes.)

It also goes to make a further division of Tyranid stuff from conventional "squishy organic" tech. Just because its made of meat droid stuff doesnt mean organic is superior. This is something more. I'll spare aggravation to myself and others by refraining from any specific calcing, and let others draw their own conclusions

Page 91

(creatures [Gargantuan] of such enormous size normally have more than one brain - or even crew - controlling different parts of the body.

redundancy? Or maybe its like with Dinosaurs.

Page 92

From the lumberign Baneblade tanks of the Imperial Guard to the clunky Gargants of the Orks and the elegant Revenant Titans of the Eldar, all war engines that fall into this category are huge, armour-clad constructs, carrying enough firepower to vapourize, smash, or incinerate an entire army.

It doesn't say all at once or progressively, but armies can get into the hundreds of thousands or millions (at least in the IG).. thats thats alot of people to vapourize or incinerate, nevermind the vehicles and such. At least.. potentially nuclear-level firepower over an unknown but presumably short timeframe.

Page 93

Because of their sheer size, large crews, and multiple back-up systems, super-heavy vehicles are less susceptible to psychic powers.

Superheavies, unsurprisingly, have lots of redundancy. This alos suggests crews of the size of a super-heavy titan are hard to affect by most (typical) psychic powers.

Page 94

When hitting a non-flyer vehicle, flyers always attack the target's side armour, ,regardless of the relative positions (representing hits against the top armour of the taget.)

I guess this means the top armor of vehicles is as well protected as the side armor - which means the top is better protected than the rear.

Page 96

Co-axial weapon.. These weapons share the same mount with a lager gun, and are designed to fire tracer rounds against hte target...

Tracers - some sort of guidance aid for the bigger gun I guess?

Page 96

In addition, because of the extra shielding and powerful back-up systems, whenever a primary weapon is affected by a Gun Crew Shaken or Weapon destroyed result...

Basically it amounts to the wepaon and crew being separate and unaffected by explosions that effect the other. (compartmentalization in other words) I wonder if "shielding" is supposed to be physical or forcefield "shields" - possibly both or varying depending on race/circ*mstance.

Page 96

Certain super-heavy vehicles of the Imperium are surrounded by a number of protective energy fields called void shields, which use warp technology to displace incoming attacks. These worke exactly like power fields, with the exception that collapsed void shields can be raised again. THis process is slow and requires vast quantities of energy, supplies of which can be quite erratic in combat conditions.

Power fields are implied to either be similar in operation to voids (making them warpbased tech as well - which fits with ork powerfields being related to teleporters technology) or they are similar in function. It does imply that other super-heavies might be able to mount void shielding (or perhaps powerfields) although what tradeoffs might be involved isn't specified. Baneblades might not because of various reasons (cost, or compromising its offensive capabilities for example)

PAge 100

Some of the mightiest (super heavies or titans) like Ork Stompas and Imperial Titans, are capable of annihilating dozens of men and several vehicles in a single turn.

sounds more gameplayish but it might also represent a lower limit of capability. It wouldnt neccesairly be "nuclear grade" but its not exactly trivial either.

Page 100

Urzhag cracked his knuckles and grabbed the firing handles of the Supa-gatling kannon.

...

With his raucous laughter lost in the cacophony, Urzhag unleashed a storrent of fist-sized shells into the humie lines, kicking up a storm of debris and body parts.

...

Explosions tore apart everything - men, tanks, trees and bunkers.

Super Gatling "cannon" firing fist sized shells - whether size = mass or size = volume or size = diameter we dont know. any of the way is.. interesting really.

Page 102

An Imperial Guard regiment is largely uniform in composition. Infantry regiments, for example, contain no heavy artillery, whilst armoured regiments contain no infantry. As a result, regiments are required to work together in formations known as battle groups or task forces should their objective require a 'combined arms' style of warfare. This dates back to the days following hte Horus Heresy, when it was decreed that Imperial Guard regiments should be separate, yet interdependent, in order that none should be able again to rebel with such devastating effect.

And yet in other cases the opposite is stated (or even proclaimed) and that the IG has mixed units (especially when it comes to combining depleted regiments into a newly consolidated force.) I suspect it is yet another example of "theory vs practice" and generally the non-standardized approach of the IG - things might be dictated as policy at a broad level (Say Segmentum or High Lord level) and then broadly followed, but at the "point of the spear" and more local levels, things are more flexibly or loosely interpreted depending on circ*mstance.

Alternately its just one of those things that varies on a sector by sector/planet by planet basis. Some regiments may be more "organically combined arms" than others. Or maybe they reorganize the regiments into combined forces after raising (EG a single planet raises infantry, artillery and armour separately, but then they get mixed up to create a combined arms regimental forces after the fact.)

Page 102

Each [regiment] is organised into companies, some with as few as three, others with as many as twenty. Companies are further divided into between three and six platoons, and platoons consist of between two and six ten man squads, led by a command squad.
Terms and naming conventions vary too...
...
..individual Guardsmen form tank crews, each tank taking the place of a squad as the basic unit. These are formed into squadrons, led by a command tank, and organised into tank companies, a number of whic make up a tank, or armoured regiment. In a super-heavy tak regiment each individual tank is the equivalent of a platoon, meaning that a super-heavy tank regiment will only number nine to twelve super-heavy tanks.

More of the already well covered regimantal organization fluff, but some extra stuff covering tank regiments and superheavy regiments, which isn't quite as explicitly covered.

Page 102

When an "all arms" force is reqired, ,units are drafted from the available regiments and placed under the command of a senior officer, such as a colonel or a captain. These formations can vary in size, from company level units of a h undred or so men and five or six vehicles, to a force almost as large as a singel regiment. Some are a balanced mix of infantry and vehicles. Many, however, are highly specialised, designed to meet very specific tactical cahllenges. A battle group migth consist of Chimera mounted infantry and self-propelled artillery assigned to s upport a lightning-fast armoured breakthrough, or it may be an entire Sentinel Company aiding a light infatnry force in a jungle fight.

This again gets back to the "theory vs practice" and the way the IG generally does things, which is to say "non-standardized" (or "haphazard" if you want to be uncharitable.) At the higher levels the Munitorum basically figures out the forces they need or might have, they amass what they can and basically throw it at the problem (or give it to the commander who requests/needs it.) And then it is hoped (particualrily by a comamnder) that he gets some/most or possibly all of the forces requested/needed/deployed.

In that same vein the forces amassed as "regiments" are largely adminsitrative (in fact) as has been hinted in other sources (strength in theory, for simplified logistics and organization) which may or may not be as strong as believed (again "theory vs practice" - you might get alot of understrength regiments and only the sheer number assigned means that this fact is irrelevant.) Once those regiments are assigned/amassed they may or may not stay together, at the officers (especially the commanding officer's) discretion. They may be broken up or recombined (at the company or platoon or even squad level) as needed and distributed as is seen fit.

PAge 102

Just as regiments provide individual units for the smaller, tactical-level, battle groups, so entire regiments are often drawn togehter to make huge, operational-level forces called army groups. These are lead by high commanders such as generals and high generals, and consist of anyn umber of regiments, sometimes as few as two, ,on occasion many hundreds.

The method by which forces accuulate at a warzone are haphazard at best, ,with thousands upon thousands of troops from many dozens of regiments sent upon the alarm being raised.

..
..it is only because so many troops are despatched that sufficient arrive at the crisis point. It is quite usual for thousands of guardsmen to be lost in warp storms, ambushed by pirates or sucked into another conflict entirely.
[/quote]

Again like I said, theory vs practice. Scale and the warp make precise control and management of govenrment and military difficult, so they only try to do so loosely, and largely by proxy. And they use mass numbers of men, material and the like to compensate. As well as lots and lots of garrisoning and stockpiling, and scaled response (system level, subsector, sector, and higher) to meet threats. And the variation/nonstadardization scales up as well as down, obviously. It pretty much needs to to adapt to circ*mstances.

This is, like most things Guard related, a double edged sword. It represents a kind of flexibility that can be useful or important, but its proper usage is not guaranteed - it relies upon an effective commander to utilize it effectively. And, of course, it also assumes that the proper logistics/support and adequate numbers exist. So yeah, ideally it can be quite nasty, but ideals aren't guaranteed. And thus the Guard, unlike other races, tend not to rely on "ideals" to carry through on battles.

Page 102

Accordingly, a high commander can rarely rely on receiving the assets he requires to achieve vicotry, and will instead have to improvise a battle plan based upon the troops at his disposal. That he is able to do this successfully is partly due to the versatility of Imperial combat doctrine, but more properly attributable to the sheer weight of manpower and materiel at his disposal. With enough perserveranace, even the application of an unsuitable tool can reap dividends - particularily if the commander is unconcerned as to how many such tools are destroyed in the process.

Again that "double edged sword" I mentioned. As sucky and grimdark and inefficient as it is, the nature of the 40K galaxy and the Imperium mean that the IG commanders simply cannot expect the sorts of things another commander (Tau or Eldar) might have the luxury of employing (or rather, may be forced to employ by necessity, since the tau and Eldar are not, by nature, numerically large races.) This is not a matter of familiarity or what they are taught, its more a matter of circ*mstance and (for the officers at least) inclination. Again with a decent commander and adequate, well supplised forces, the IG can do a decent job irrespective of other consideations (quality or sh*ttiness of vehicle design, for example). But if they have a sh*tty commander, or sh*tty logistics, or whatever.. they can be hampered.

Page 102

While a battle group is capable of taking a single objective, an army group can be used to take and hold an entire planet or even star system, and few enemies of the Imperium are capable of mustering a force able to withstand it.

"few" must mean the Orks (sometimes at least) or the Tyranids. The Orks don't always have numbers (but they have resiliency and strength and determination which can be as bad). But most smaller races, and some of the bigger ones (like th eTau, Necrons, or Eldar) probably don't mass forces as big as the Imperium.

Page 103

Regiment sof all types can vary enormously in size and composition. As squads, companies, and entire regiments drop below stength due to battle attrition many undersized formations are merged to create composite groups. In this way the force organisations shown here are more ideal than practical, as few such orderly formations survive the crucible of battle.

Like everything else, the nautre of a regiment is variable, even unpredictable, and further emphasizing the "theory vs practice/theory vs fact" stuff I mentioned earlier.

PAge 103

.the Cadian 24th Armoured Regiment was composed of three companies of Leman Russ tanks and a single Baneblade. AT the beginning of the campaign the regiment was made of nine Leman Russ companies..

Each company had 10 tanks of varying types. There was also one heavy company. Other forces included 3 Sentinels, 3 Hydras, 3 atlas recovery tanks and 6 Trojans. Command company was 1 Russ and 1 Chimera.

It is also mentioned that occasioanlly some company commanders or occasionally "enitre squads or companies" fight in Russ variants such as the Vanquisher, Executioner, or Conqueror.

Page 103

At full strength the 180th consistetd of 12 infantry companies with every fourth one being a heavy weapons company.
..
..

"18 Commisssars under Senior Commissar Chaonian.

13-strong psyker coven

83 preachers, 101 menials.

3 Ogryn Squads under commissar Raven.

An infantry force, including some of its support. Not the largest of infantry regiments ever amassed, but it is fairly diverse.

Page 104

This ancient STC data (Baneblade) is limited to only a handful of forge worlds, and most of the original baneblades coem from Mars itself.

Cadian pattern Baneblade had a Baneblade cannon with a co-axial a utocannon.

Its also noted that an "army" is lucky to have three baneblades in a company, and usually only a single one would be available. The usual "good stuff = rare and preicous" IG crap.

PAge 105

Primary power plant: 110 Square kilo-cubits Adaptable thermic combuster (Phaeton Pattern)

Secondary power plant: Thaumic Resonance crystal Generation Unit.

I suppose the numbers are supposed to be meaning something but "square" means area more than volume so.. I dunno. I guess in normal speech it means the thing runs on a conventional (chem powered or something non-nuclear) power sources and a battery (magic crystal battery perhaps. Or maybe its photonic power storag.e Who the f*ck knows)

Page 105

The distinctive efature of hte Hellhammer is its shorter main cannon. This is equipped with heavy gauge supressors, allowing it to fire extremely high-calibre shells without breaking itself apart with the recoil. These shells have an unstable sub-atomic charge at their core, enabling them to smash apart enemy vehicles, heavily armoured troops and fortifications.

The cannon is the hellhammer cannon and also has a coaxial autocannon. The really interesting thing is the "unstable sub-atomic core" we aren't sure what sort of explosive it is. It's not fission or fusion, and I dont think its melta.. something new probably. 5h edition gave us a Leman Russ with a cannon variant of that as well.

Page 107

The Hydra's turret has automated tracking adn targeting equipment, which means once it is locked onto an aircraft, the guns will remain aimed regardless of any evasive manoeuvres the flyer may attempt.

Much as noted in the Imperial armour books.

Page 107

Primary targeting array

Twin linked long-barreled autocannons, 600 round main ammunition capacity.

Machine- Spirit guided anti-aircraft weapons mount.

Heavy bolter - 300 round secondary ammunition capacity.

Machine spirit guidance. 600 rounds seems rather low for four barrels.

Page 109

Such [artillery] bombardments might last for hours, days or even weeks, and few defences can withstand the sheer destruction unleashed.

That's alot of ordnance to be throwing around.

Page 109

These self-propelled guns [Basisliks] are formed into three-strong batteries, with three batteries forming an 'Emperor's Wrath' company and three or more companies plus support vehicles making up an artillery regiment.

so at least 27-30 basilisks in an artillery regiment.

Page 110

Imperial Guard armies are in the main ponderous and unwieldy. To ensure they are not outmanoeuvred by swifter foes, many include a wide range of fast-moving reconnaissance units.

Light units to engage and delay the enemy while the rest of the army comes to grips. Note that "ponderous and unwieldy" is a relative thing - depending on the size and composition of the army, who they fight, and so on.

Page 110

Unlike most Imperial vehicles, Sentinels use the scout-modified powerplant. This provides noise reduction and anti-smog filtering.

..

Support Sentinel fitted with multi-spectral targeter.

The sentinel Recon troop consists of 3 squads of 3, one command, and one support (with the targeter) It also provides some rocket pod support. If they can fit the rocket/missile launcher to a Sentinel, I expect other platforms could mount it as well.

Page 110
[qutoe]
"did you ever see a Leman Russ pick its way through a jungle or negotiate a lava-flow? Until you do, leave recon to us."[/quote]

recon forces (Sentinels probably?) can handle lava flows I guess. Or maybe step over one.

Page 112

The Chapters are small armies unto themselves, ,and although each contains only a thousand front line battle brothers, a Chapter has the fighting potential of ten times that number of ordinary troops.

A chapter is equal to 10,000 troops, not including potential force multipliers like vehicles.

Page 112

An entire company is seldom fielded as a discrete tactical force. Instead forces are tailored to the task at hand, often built around the versatile Battle Companies, and carefully chosen to achieve the objectives passed down by high command. Such a force might consist of only three or four squads, supported by suqads from other companies, armoured vehicles and dreadnoughts, and led in battle by a Captain, senior Veteran Sergeant, Chaplain, or Librarian.

On occasion, a Space Marine Chapter will face a mission or a foe of such size that it will be forced to deploy a large portion of its strength. Forces consisting of two or three hundred battle brotehrs and their supporting vehicles are deployed where an enemy absolutely has to be stopped no matter the cost.

We get an idea of the scale of "deployments".. or at least as typical as they may get. It can hardly ever be "ideally" handled, since Space Marines are finite resources, the conditions of the warp can hamper deployment even for them, and they aren't even under direct Imperial control anyhow.

Broadly, we might infer roughly half a company to a company is "typical", with significant threats being met with around a quarter or so of the Chapter. As we know from other sources, near or total Chapter deployment is only undertaken in extraordinary circ*mstances, and the full chapter is almos tnever deployed so that the Chatper can be rebuilt should it take staggering losses.

Page 113

.. a Chapter's component forces may be spread across the entire Impeirum, with individual deatchments involved in conflicts many thousands of light years from their home world. It is highly unsuual for all ten companies of a Chapter to gater in the same place and at the same time, and it may be many centuries between Chapter-wide gatherings for a single battle.

The deployment of an entire Chapter will therefore indicate a threat to the fabric o fthe Imperium itself..
..
The deployment of such a force is requirested by the High Lords of Terra themselves..

This gives a rough idea of the "territory" and operational range of Space Marine Chapters. This roughly means that, allowing for certain exceptions (like the Praeses who are devoted to watching the Eye of Terror or such) that most Space MArine Chapters are more or less evenly distributed across the Imperium, with plenty of overlap between several Chapters in some areas, I suspect. How much overlap depends on the exact number of "thousands" you figure and how big you think the Imperium is.

We also again get notice of how rare and important the deployment of a whole Chapter is, relatively speaking.

Page 114

The Thunderhawk carries a fearsome array of weaponry and ordnance, including either a turbo-laser or over-sized battle cannon.

the BC is also known as a Thunderhawk cannon. Looks a bit like a long barreled battle cannon, possibly off a Baneblade. Hard to say. Given that the Thunderhawk is a small fighter (for all intents and purposes) it is highly unlikely this is a conventional battle cannon - I suspect it, like some Titan guns, may run on something more exotic like Electrothermal or electrothermal-chemical technology.

Page 116

..when required, a Land Speeder can have additional augurs and communications equipment fitted, allowing its crew to coordinate the fire of a number of designated whirlwinds.

unsurprisingly Land Speeders can get some fancy electronics if need be.

Page 122

Across a hundred thousand warzones..

I'll leave this up to personal imagination as to how it should be interpreted.

PAge 122

Titans themselves are immense fighting machiens, towering monstrosities up to two h undred feet tall.

PAge 122

Titans soak up damage that would smash apart tank companies and obliterate infantry regiments.

PAge 123

The Tactica Imperium lists many hundreds of potentail organisations, from which the imaginative commander will draw the most appropriate for the forces available to him.

An army may be so huge and unwieldy that it must be divided into many smallaer organizations, called anything frrom "Army corps" to "hosts", "task forces" to "assault groups"

And if your commander isn't imaginative.. you're f*cked. But hey, GRIMDARK!

Page 123

The drop troopers of the Mordant 808th proved invaluable in striking directly at the key cultist centres of power.

The mordant show up in Tactica Imperialis. Interesting here that they have drop troopers as well as night fighters.

PAge 124

The Warlord operates using mind-impulse units like other Titans, and its Machine Spirit is imprinted with a feral, instinctual consciousness that maintains most of the backgorund systems without input from the crew. For all intents and purposes the Warlord is a walking fortress, protected by banks of void shields and armed with weapons capable of annihilating entire armies.

According to some sources Titans also get imprinted with the minds of their Princeps -the bit about feral animals I have heard before in various sources (Warlords IIRC get imprinted with grizzly bears, Warhounds with... wolves, etc.)

Page 125

Vulcan Mega-bolter, 30 rounds per second.

That's about chaingun rates of fire. Ammo capacity must be immense.

Page 126

The Thunderbolt's verstatile array of armaments enable it to tackle all manner of missions. Depending on requirements, this can include Titan hunting and ground strikes..

Thunderbolts can carry ordnance allowing it to attack Titans. Considering it can take on the order of whole companies if not regiments of tanks to take down a Titan simply when you get under the void shields, this probably means Fighter firepower is orders of magnitude greater than tank firepower, at least. It may even be nuclear ordrnance, considering the Atlas class warheads. I believe White Rabbit has even mentioned a short story where Fighters or bombers were modified to carry an Atlas.

PAge 126 -

Lascannons 15 shot capacity each.

Twin linked uatocannons, 400 rounds)

Self explanatory. I guess the 30 shot capacity in IA was for both guns. Ammo for autocannon seems a bit low though.

PAge 127

Like all Imperial aircraft, Marauders come under the command of the Imperial Navy, not the Imperial Guard, and are often based on orbiting spacecraft, as they can operate in the vacuum of space.

Well certain kinds can. The hybrids tend to be heavier than the atmosphere-only versions, while pure aerospace ones (like Furies) tend to be much bigger and more massive.

Most Marauders, Lightnings, and Thunderbolts (at least the IA variants) only use rocket boosters,

PAge 127

In prolonged campaigns, naval airbases will be established on the ground. Due to the Marauder's long range, these can be far from the frontline, safely away from enemy attacks or, better still, on another continent!

an indicator of Marauder range, which isnt really surprising.\

Page 127

Such is the ordnance at each Marauder's disposal that a single aircraft is capable of chewing a column of infantry into sheer bloody ruins within seconds of its target reigstering the tell tale drone of the marauder's engines.

Not sure with what weapon or how many infantry, but it SOUNDS impressive at least.

Page 127

several twin linked heavy bolters - 2000 rounds each

Bomb bay - 6000 lb internal payload.

Nose mounted twin linked lasecannon - 20 shot capacity each.

Internal payload seems a bit small, but then again its not a huge bomber and that is largely internal. An F/A-18 for example can carry about 8000 kilos externally. and the F15 could carry some 10,000 kg. Neither is a dedicated bomber.

Then again 40K it may be a design issue - Some or even most 40K fighters may not be optimized for missile/bomb paylods - evidence certainly exists to suggest that.

Page 128

Out of the gloom it came: a giant machine, human shaped and deadly. Ushbek stared up at the eighty foot monster in awe. Plasma erupted from its fist, turning the remaining Evil Sunz into steam.

eighty feet would put it at a Reaver titan. Except that to my knowledge no Reaver has a plasma cannon for an arm weapon. Carapace yes, but not arm. Perhaps it is a melta cannon or some variation. In any event it turns multiple Orks into steam (Explosive vaporization more or less) although since plasma and/or melta weapons can be heavily thermal this probably means the Orks were heavily vaporized. We dont know exact numbers (aside from more than one Ork being vaped) but the implication is a large number did in a very short period of time (several mobs maybe?) Gigajoule range quite eaisly regardless and by no means an upper limit.

Page 12

Hundreds of other warbosses add their armies to the cuase as the crusade gathers momentum.
...

Soon the emergent Waaagh! begins to span worlds instead of continents. Entire native populations are forced into slavery merely to manufacture ammunition for the horde's guns. Crude factory-ships and war hulks are bashed into shape to better transport the hordes into battle.

As mentioned many many many times before the Orks rely on slave labour to produce supplies and weapons and ammo, which probably explains the only possible STandardization the Orks have. Of interest are the "factory ships", implying some spacegoing industrial capability. We usually dont think of the Orks doing things like that.

Page 129

...started with an Ork army that boasted only a few thousand warriors. As it conquered its way across the Thoria and Forsarr systems the WAAAGGH gathered an almost unstoppable momentum, with dozens of other Ork Warbosses joining Garaghak's horde...
..

By the time Garaghak's Waaagh had sluaghtered its way to the deliverance system it numbered several billion ork warriors ....

Specifically 3,000 warriors at the start. That's damn impressive in a realtively short period of time. Incidentally this is the Ork invasion mentioned in Imperial armour 8, which was totally botched by the Short Bus Squadron of the Raven Guard (Hey, where can we find that Mek which builds those dangerous gargants ? And why is this Gargant in the way? )

Page 129
- The Waaagh! rampages across a feral world, a shrine world, a paradise world, an industrial world, a civilised world, a hive world, a forge world, a fortress world and towards the homeworld of the Raven Guard chapter. A rather nice selection of world types, all told.

Page 130

As big as a Battle Fortress, A Stompa is a walking,s hooting, roaring idol of Gork.
..
A stompa usually mounts two or three enormous guns as well as some form of overzied claw or whirring blade..

Ork Scout Titans, basically. Only much shootier.

PAge 132

These Flyboyz,a s they are often known, are the ultimate Speed Freeks, racing through the skies at hundreds of miles per hour, only seconds of way from a spectacular death by way of an exploding rokkit or dodgy squigfuel tank.

It never ceases to amaze me they can make fuel from Squigs. Orks clearly have highly evolved biofuels technology, considering they get performance from other race's jets.

Still, this isn't quite as bad as the steam gargants.

Page 133

Typically twice as big as a batlewagon, and often even larger, a Battle Fortress is a mobile stronghold and artillery battery rolled into one.

This could be useful for establishing "typical" battlewagon, or Battle fortres sizes, depending on which numbers you are given.

Page 133

Skullhamma kannon: Main gun kustomisation increases recoil effect, baffler increases noise and flashback enhancer makes for a biger bang.

This suggests that Ork weapons are deliberately made more inefficient for visceral purposes. Although with the WAAAGH effect its possible that the decrease in efficiency is magically compensated for, considering in practice they tend to be as effective or moreso as weapons of other races (Cf: Choppas.)

All in all it can be said that the Orks practice a very unique, but nonetheless effective, form of psychic engineering. More akin to Tyrnaid "biowank" than Eldar psywank (It uses "real" materials as a sort of focus to provide greater power, whichis more along the lines of Tyranid biowank than Eldar, who create their own materials from the warp.)

Page 134

Squiggoths can grow so large that they dwarf tanks and evne buildings..

Orks, however, have their own speical brand of warp-augmented biowank.

Page 137

Groknek's Stompa and Dredmob spearheaded the attack. THE clanking, smoke-belching walkers advanced haphazardly into the teeth of the Imperial Guard guns - lasfire and autocannon shells ricocheting from their armoured hulls.

Ork Dreadie equivalents are resistnat to autocannon fire. While the Imperials (and probably Eldar) have the edge in quality for their Dreadies, the Orks have quantity and they can easily build more. (although War Walkers and Sentinels are on the same par as dReadnoughts even if they aren't as fearsomely equipped.)

Page 138

The Eldar prefer to avoid protracted conflict, instead using small, mobile warhosts to shape the threatre of war to their best advantage.
..

..the Eldar cnanot fight all of their battles in this manner. Shoudl they face an entrenched enemy or one that is massing for a major attack, the Eldar must concentrate their forces on the dispersla of the enemy threat.

Still relying on speed and diversion, of course. And firepower. They basically attempt a "divide and conquer" strategy. And unlike the Tau, they don't have to rely on Luck. They have psychic powers and Farseers.

Page 138

..they send word to other Craftworlds and the Corsair fleets for assistance, and the call to arms rings out to the distant Rangers and even the Harlequins..
...
Dozens of warhosts in their battle gear stand ready..

I don't remember how big a "Warhost" is - hundreds maybe? The main thing of interest, although it is really unsurprising considering the Eldar's dire situation, is the level of cooperation between all the disparate factions (Outcasts, Craftowlrd, Exodite, Harlequins, etc.) when situations warrant it. Hell, even the Dark Eldar will cooperate if the situation merits it.

Page 138

It is the task of the Farseers to provide the overall aims of the battle, drawing on the knowledge gleaned from their rune castings.
..
The Autarchs then interpret this to determine the precise course of the action and military intervention required to ensure victory.

The Seers/Farseers provide the necessary intel, the Autarchs use that intel to figure out how to achieve the goals.

Page 138
- I'm lazy so I'll summarize Eldar tactics. They use one force to decoy a larger force into approaching, which draw sthem in range of their guns (the super heavies and Titans known as Engines of Vaul). Fast moving enemies are countered by wraith constructs, the Avatar, and Aspect Warriors.

Then when disrupted by weapons fire, squadrons of grav tanks (the coiled Serpent) widen the gaps, and the tanks deploy their troops. Retreat is blocked, the eldar forces encircle and draw shut the trap (including Wind Rider, Swooping Hawk and Warp Spiders launching ambushes)

Page 140

The Revenant is the smallest of the Eldar titans, though it still towers over the Scout Titans of the Imperium.

...

The Revenant uses image-distorting Eldar fields, projected from tis rear wing, to confuse enemy targeters.

Despite being taller it is notably less bulky, so probably masses alot less, especialyl given its wraithbone construction.

Page 140

The REvenant also mounts a number of powerful jump jets, turning its movements into a series of drifting leaps, or even gentle floating sweeps over the battlefield.
..
Its standard armmaent comprises two pulsars, each capalbe of crippling an enemy Titan at long range, and also a rapid firing missile launcher for close defence.
..
REvenant Titan crews are small, their prodigious skills enhanced by the spirits contained within their war machine's wraithbone core, as is the case with all Eldar Titans. In man cases, two siblings each pilot a Revenant Titan. They then hunt in a pair, psychically linked to one another by their bloodties.

The "jump" jets are another reason I think the thing is alot less massive than a Scout Titan. Although it could just as well be some variation of suspensor tech (like Swooping hawks.) Maybe they even have mass lightening - the Eldar CAN push their ships via solar energy, after all

PAge 141

Cloud strike squadrons do not fight as normal grav-tanks, but instead specialise in low-altitude flight. The pilots hide their grav-tanks amongst the clouds, holofields seamlessly blending the pale undersides of their vehicles with the skies above.

Not sure what "low altitude" means, although hiding in clouds suggests Eldar grav tanks can reach kilometres above the gorund.

Page 141

Many Cloudstirke squadron pilots supercharge their pulse lasers whilst hidden in this way, the better ot destroy enemy armour when they finally reveal themselves. Though this drastically reduces the lifespan of the Falcon's main armament..

VAriable settings on Eldar weaponry, unsurprisingly.

Page 142

Their flyers exhibit a speed that would tear apart the aircraft of other races, were their engines even capable of achieving such a velocity.

the ship is noted as having reactive thruster,s a gravity-dampened co*ckpit, like mentioned in the Dawn of War novels by Goto.

Page 143

With the aid of a shield enhance mounted on the leading Wave Serpent, the shimmering energy fields surrounding the hulls o thse grav tank transports bleed into one another. This forms a bow wave of force potent enough to deflect the heaviest firepower as the Eldar close in. Furthermore, whilst the command vehicle is intact this forcefield can be projected forwards in a great tidal wave of crackling force, typically a moment before the Aspect warriors deploy, this can stun and even paralyse the foe...

Wave serpent shields. Weapon and defense. Surprising that larger vehicles don't use them.

Page 146

Early signs of full-scale Tyranid assault upon a planet are the skies churning and thickening as great clouds of microscopic spores are released into its atmosphere by orbiting Hive ships. Indigenous flora and fauna are pervted by these invasive Tyranid entities, forced into accelerated growth so that there is all the more biomass to reap during the final consumption of the planet.

It probably also is designed to "use up" all the organic resources in growing, to suck the maximum nutrietns and elements and suchnot from the planet. (even though we know the 'Nids take a fairly large chunk of the planet's surface anyhow.)

Page 146

The first stages of a Tyranid invasion are typified by psychological assualts as much as physical ones. Despair settles over the planet's defenders as the alien creatures advanceing upon them cast a psychic shadow from behond the void.

Along with surprise attacks by infiltrated genestealers, hormagaunts, gargoyles, lictors, etc. They mention they "herd together" prey species so that the biomass may be more effiiciently harvested.

Page 146

The latter stages of invasion are typified by waves of attack beasts, each a great horde that outnumbers its prey many times over.
..
Lightning rips across the firmament as the skies themselves rebel...
..
Sinster hive-broods comprised of dozens of synapse creatures advance unhindered by enemy missile fire...
..
Should the enemy prove particularily well-armed or tenacious, the incessant bombardment of mycetic spores will yield larger and larger bio-constructs.

Tyranid tactics in brief.

Page 146

Heirodules, fortresses of flesh armed with the dreaded bio-cannons, wade through seas of lesser aliens as heavy weapons fire patterns like rain off their carapaces. LArger still are the legendary Heirophant bio-titans, spider-limbed monstrosities the size of cathedrals, each capable of ripping open a super-heavy tank with the flick of a serrated claw.

"size of cathedrals" implies something much bigger than the IA4 microtitans (which were smaller than a fricking superheavy)

Page 146

..the land itself will have begun to transmute into a hellish quagmire of broken corpses and boiling vats of Tyranid mucous known as digestion pools.
..
..feeder organisms that devour every biological thing in their path, from the tiniest blade of grass to the corpses of those that dared stand before the swarm.
..

..the remaining Tyranids will throw themselves into the digestion pools to be boiled down into a thick biological gruel. This is then absorbed by great capillary towers and funnelled back to the Hive Ships, and used to form more Tyranids by the bloated mother ships known as Norn Queens.

..

..the entire worled is stripped bare, leaving nothing but the barren husk of a violated planet..

Tyranoforming.

Page 147

Tyranid Vanguard entities gather genetic and topograhpic information, communicating it to the Hive Mind through psychic or pheremonal channels.

They also cripple command structures and sow rebellion/panic. Lictors identify population centres. They arriva via infiltration (freighters, space hulks, etc.) Recon and sabotage forces, basically.

Page 147 - Primary incursion (described elsewhere) happens with most of the simpler lower-scale life forms (Gaunts/gants, Genestealers, Tyranid Warriors and Hive Tyrants in command) they deplete enemy resources, locate resistance to invasion, and engage the primary defences.
When resistance arises, they throw in more localized, heavier assaults, up to and including 'Fexes and Titans and the like if needed.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

Part 2 - this will be the most info-dense update really. After tis they'll all be single ones about 1/3 the size of what I did here.

Page 147

..the Hive Fleets will alter the content of the mycetic spores to include larger bio-constructs and self-suffiicent synaptic nodes to better control the Tyranid attack.

After this come the true heavies, the line breakers. Insofar as Tyranid have "standarD" tactics, this seems to be the most common approach against the Imperium. Send out scouting and infiltration/sabotage stuff (Genestealerd and Lictors and such), assault with the light forces via mycetic spore bombardment, probe out the enemies defenses, locate signs of strength, and concentrate your heavier forces there. When needed deploy the big stuff for decisive victories. All the while engaging in tyranoforming and general biological warfare to slowly corrupt and turn the planet against hte defenders. When done, everything gets eaten and recycled.

Page 147

Tertiary incursions are characterised by massive assault organisms ranging in size from battle tanks to Titans. This attack wave also includes rapid repsonse forces that burrow directly into fortified areas..

This again suggests that the "micro titans" in IA4 are not the upper limit of Tyranid Titans.

Page 148

Hierophants are the largest Tyranid assault organisms yet encountered, comparable in size and power ot the God Machines of the Titan Legions.
..
..only the incredibly potent weapons used by the Legio Titanicus have any hope of bringing one down...

YEt again.. this suggests the IA4 titans cannot be the upper limit, given that the stats in IA4 would just *barely* eequate to a scout titan perhaps, and even then probably only in volume.

PAge 148

The Hierophant has several defensive adaptations that make it capable of enduring the firepower of entire enemy armies. Its iron-hard carapace is bosltered by a crackling warp shield, it has the ability to reknit damaged tissue and possesses many spiny tendril-symbiotes that protect its comparatively vulnerable underbelly.

Impressive defenses. I'd imagine bioships use simialr things, wouldn't you? Considering how big armies can get, thats alot of firepower to shrug off, especially if we are forced to restrict ourselves to microtitans.

Page 148

The nightmarish bio-construct constantly exudes a cloud of highly toxic poisonous spores from vents in its armour plates. These spores forma toxic cloud around the Hierophant that chokes and burns any prey organsims foolish enough to get in its way.

A combination of biological and chemical weapon, really.

PAge 151

The psychic potential of these creatures (hive mind brood) is enough to disrupt all psychc energy in the surrounding area. The so called Shadow in the Warp gathers around them, driving enemies insane and stealing the minds of psykers.

The Shadow in the Warp does not just disrupt warp travel and communication, as well as blocking psychich powers, it has a tangible effect on the emotions/thoughts/morale of troopers facing it. That said, I would expect the ability of this may be dependent upon the warp connection of the race involved, meaning that highly psychic races (Eldar and human, for example) are more prone to this than others (the tau or Necron) are. Alot of it will depend on whether one classifies the "Shadow" as a passive or active ability, or perhaps a combination even.

Page 151

"My men stopped firing, dropped to their knees, and curled up into foetal balls. That weren't natural fear."

Effect of a Hive Mind brood on Cadians. Again This is probably a more muted effect of what psykers experience (and what prevents their powers and makes them go insane) so the less your connection, the les seffect it is likely to have.

That doens't mean the 'Nids can't find some way of inflluencing some people, though. We know that the Warp can be used to affect the minds of even iWarp-insenisitve races like the Tau (Kill Team).

Page 153

Hive fleets typically attack in waves, each comprised of millions of biological horrors.
..
Billions of gaunts are unleashed upon each prey planet, the expenditure of countless Tyranid lives a mere precursor to the greater onslaught soon to be set use.

They've also mentioned Spinegaunts and deathgaunt variants.. which I dont recall seeing. Anyhow, its implied that "Hive Fleets" comprise millions of ships, although nothing says they are all large warships. Many of them may be fighter or small escorts (or hell even most.) for all we know. 'Nid ship design and doctrine tends to be similar to their ground fighting.

Hell for all we know the millions includes all the spore defenses

Page 156

Instilled with warrior pride, free of superstitious doctrine and equipped with some of the most advanced weaponry in the eastern fringe..

Also tremendously sensitive to losses (not without reason), cautious by nature, and more prone to retreat than a stereotype of the French (I could have said Species 8472, but that might be construed as another "Trek vs 40K" Jihad and I'd be accused of trying to undermine trek! ).

I admit to exaggerating some of this for comedic effect, but also because the Tau are one of the most "authorial Fiat" driven races in 40K. Tau doctrine has its strong points, and it does do some things better than the Imperium (Imperial Guard) on a more consistent basis (but then again who doesn't.) but it tends not to be all unbridled goodness and light, either.

Page 156
[qutoe]
There are many types of cadre. Although most commonly a cadre is a combined arms force of warriors and vehicles, more specialised cadres exist, fielding swift reconnaissance units, heavier weaponry, or large numbers of alien auxiliaries. When several cadres fight together, they are grouped into a contingent. Often other groups such as Air Caste flights, Water Caste diplomatic assemblies and Earth Caste labour clusters accompany these contingents. Such multi-Caste forces are called coalitions.[/quote]

Tau force organization, with their more "neutral" sounding names.

Page 156

The tau devise the composition of most contingents and coaltions well in advance of any conflict and there are many standardised formations to adopt given varying circ*mstances and enemy they expect to face.

This seems.. odd to me. Devising the forces "well in advance" of a battle occuring seems rather silly, givne that battles aren't a chess game and can change rapidly even up to the point of engagement (How does it go? No plan survives first contact with the enemy?) Having lots of "standardised" formations can help of course, although it seems arrogant to assume you can predict EVERY possible outcome and plan for it (Then again the Tau are as arrogant as any Eldar or Human, even if they mask it behind their ideology.)

"standardised formations" and "well in advance" make me strongly think of the sort of rigid, unyielding approach to war typically carried out by the Guard, even if the Tau do it with better tech and faster vehicles. I mean you would think that they would pair "extensive preparation and planning" with some nod towards tailoring those plans to specific circ*mstances arising from the battle. they may do that, but it is not even remotely hinted at here. IF anything, this sounds more like the "dependence on luck" trait I've mentioned before regarding the Tau.

Page 156

Fiercely proud, Fire Warriors will gladly lay down their lives for the cause but heavy casualties, last stands, or protracted engagements are not conducive to furthering the aims of the Tau Empire, even if they would bring shorrt-term victory. To maintain balance between the different Castes and species that make up the Tau empire, the actions of all forces, military and otherwise, are assessed and directed according to their benefit to the Greater Good. Thus the ultimate arbiters of succeess, and those responsible for all strategic decisions, ,are those individuals that embody the Greater good itself: The Ethereals.

Again the whole emphasis on avoiding protracted engagements, last stands, and heavy casaulties sounds well and good, but it seems odd in that it implies that the tau have total control of the enviroment to begin with. Furthermore, alot of that is explicitly said to apply to "Fire Warriors" in particular, which suggests that the tau can (and would) use their auxiliaries in that fashion should circ*mstances require (note that Fire wArriors may or may not like this, they are very much of a martial spirit and not all of them are assholes despite whatever we may think of the Tau as a whole.)

The implicit assumption that Ethereals are the "epitome" of Tau doctrine and ideology is also a tad disturbing, given its messianic overtones and assumption that Ethereals (aka space popes for all intents and purposes) are implicitly infallible.

Page 156

It is the members of the Ethereal Caste that deem whether a proposed course of action si for the Greater Good..
..

The Ethereals often point out that only they possess a genuine overview of the Tau Empire, and know the most far-reaching goals of the Greater good.

The word of an ethereal is sacrosanct... basically they're like priests for the tau, or god kings, or prophets. Or as I said, Space Popes. They may not be religious or supersitions, but they are as fanatical about their ideology as the most fervent Emperor-botherer. And we know (from the Fire Warrior novel) they actually put more emphasis on crushing out individuality from the tau than Eldar or even most Humans do. (or rather, they're better at it than the humans.)

Page 156

The overriding aim of the Geater Good is to expand, either by political means or, when neccessary, military coercion. Before, during and after any Fire Caste campaign, the Water Caste, under the direction of the Ethereals, puts great effort into pro Tau propoganda, morale raising and diplomatic efforts. Unusually amongst the majority of races in the galaxy, the Tau are willing to negotiate with their enemies, offering terms to vanquished foes and agreeing truces with those that, for the moment, prove too defiant to come within the embrace of the GReater Good.
These negotatiations are themselves used as a weapon, creating political and social instability to sow doubt in the minds of enemy commanders and win over the mass population.

Although they WILL exterimiante populations if need be. For the Greater Good. Or sterilize the populations. Or whatever.

Really, this is another case where tau language and doctrine tends to get a spin doctoring from the Omniscient Narrator. What they describe si that the Tau basically use infiltration, sabotage, revolution and various other underheanded and nefarious means to undermine control of a planet and take it over (For the Greater Good!), which oftne just so happens to give them not only a fresh crowd of auxiliary cannon fodder (in potentia), but also a relatively indact defense and industrial base to work from. But they call it "Diplomatic efforts" and "negotiation" rather than what it really is.

This isn't to say the tactic isnt good for the Tau, or effective, or even that thier willingness to negotiate or declare truces is a fundamentally bad thing. But the way it is portrayed makes it seem like the tau are somehow not underhanded and pragmatic assholes out to further their own ends, which, of course, they are. For the Greater Good.

Page 156

..instilling Tau technology into conquered communities to demonstrate the benefits of being part of the Greate rGood.

the Fire Warriors are the stick, the tech is the carrot. Although I suppose forced sterilizaton or orbital bombardment can also be sticks, and for some (especialyl those under a brutal Imperial regime) a more friendly collectivist/caste philosophy sounds better than what the Imperium gives you. (at least until the TAu want or do something you don't like. Then we bring on the stick.)

Page 157 - they mention a Expeditionary force tasked with colonising Ork held worlds in a star system some 12 light years from the sept world. Space forces include 5 starships (no idea of the classes since I dont remember Tau names (1 Lar'shi - cruiser I thnk 2 Kir'Qath and both escorts of frigate/destroyer grade) The transport wing is to Manta gunships, 3 Orca troop dropships. and 3 Barracuda fighter squadrons and one tiger shark squadron

The ground forces are set up as:
Primary encounter force: 3 standard hunter cadres, 1 armoured interdiction cadre, 1 stealth group.
Forward commitment contingent (scouts): 4 Rapid isnertion forces, 1 stelath group, 2 Pathfinder insertion groups
Reserve force: Standard Hunter Cadre, 2 mobilised Hunter Cadres, dispersed rataliation cadre, auxiliar reserve despatch, and 2 armoured interdiction cadres.

The cadres break down as followS:
Mobilized hunter cadre: 3 fire warrior tems, 2 piranha teams, 1 Pathfinder team and 4 Devilfish

Standard hunter cadre: 2 Fire warrior teams, 3 XV8 crisis teams, 1 Broadside team, 1 hammerhead gunship, 1 sky ray missile gunship, 2 Kroot carnivore squads, one piranha team

Dispersed retaliation cadre: 2 Sniper drone teams, 2 Piranha teams
Stealth group: 4 XV15 stealth teams

Auxiliary reserve despatch: Kroot Carnivores, VEspid stingwings, Hrenian Light infantry, Morallian Deathsworn.

Pathfinder insertion group: 4 Pathfinder teams, 4 devilfish

Armoured interdiction cadre: 2 hammerheads, and 2 Sky Rays

Rapid insertion force: 1 Stealth team, 4 Crisis teams.

the rest are diplomatic and logistical (Earth Caste) stuff.

PAge 158

Faster [Barracuda] than the Imperial Navy's Marauder bomber, but lacking the flat-out top speed of the Imperial Thunderbolt Interceptor, it makes up for this due to its sophisticated electronic systems...

And the innately superior pilot, although Navy pilots tend to have more experience, as Taros proves. So, it all balances out. Although I'd like them to try to deal with a Fury.

Page 158

Burst cannons: 8000 rounds held in central hopper.

Funny that their burst cannons have more ammo than Imperial fighters by over an order of magnitude.

Page 158

It has also claimed an Imperial Guard Tetrarch HEavy Lander asit made planetfall, resulting in the loss of an entire Imperial Guard regiment.

Tetrarchs come from Tactica Imperialis too IIRC. One of the few large landers that carry a full regiment, rather than just a platoon or company of troops.

Page 160

The vehicles of the Cadre are networked togehter with an interactive tactical control system, allowing the commander to s upervise the cadre from within his tank, and direct fire quickly and efficiently.

Specifically applies to an armoured interdiction cadre, which are hammerheads and Sky Rays, one of which is the command tank. It's an impressive ability though, for the tau.

PAge 161

It is not the Tau way of war to fight protracted, static battles. Aggressive use of mobility and firepower are the keys to the success of the Fire Warriors. A large part of this success is dependent upon the activities of a cadre's Stealth Teams -- their role is to find the enemy, create diversions and launch surprise attacks, while acting as rear guards should things go poorly.

The Rapid Insetion Force is a specialised formation that strikes suddenly against key enemy units or establishes a perimiter to hold ground until other Fire Caste units arrive.

Emphasis again on the "not static, but mobile and hitting hard" doctrine of the Tau, which is a good way to do it (but not the only way or always the best way, I would think.) Note the use of stealth teams and such as a key part of excuting this.

Page 162

Each Necron Tomb world is constructed according ot a sophisticated template devised by the Necrontyr at the height of their civilisation. Utilising physics and geometry never again discovered since their fall, the Necron created immense storage facilities to house their race for the millions of years they would slumber. Using interdimensional technologies unseen outside of the Necrontyr Realm they built vast chambers that could house thousands upon thousands of Necrons in a seemingly impossible space. Deep beneath the pyramidal structures they stored horrifically powerful weaponry, and erected great temporal stabilisers to shield these warriors and weapons form the ravages of time.

I guess Necron tech, like every other race, has declined since its heyday. Unsurprisingl, but a little annoying since it kinda goes against their basic gimmick, but it also suggests that the Necrons at their height would have been nasty both in scoep AND power.

The interesting things are the "inter-dimensional" technologies that have a "bag of holding" type effect (Implying that the volum eof a tomb world is greater inside than the outside suggests.) and that the Necron had (have?) access to and control of other (non-Warp) dimensions than realspace.

Also it implies that the Necrons haven't fully deployed all their neat toys yet, which makes you wonder what really scary sh*t they have stowed away.

Page 162

..the tomb world [first] releases swarms of Scarabs and Tomb Spyders to attend to the rudimentary functions of the stasis tombs, and soon after the first Necron warriors are reurrected to begin their patrols. Using intelligence gathered by the Warriros [from patrols], the tomb world assesses the circ*mstances in which it now finds itself. According to ancient, pre-programmed criteria, the stasis tombs then bring back to life other machineries and weapons. The Necron Lords are encoded with strands of this information and data processing to form artificial personalties, so that when they awaken they embody the single purpose of the tomb world and can make independent decisions based on newly discoveerd data.

The awakening of a Necron Tomb and its initial activities.

Page 162

When a large population centre of a younger race has evolved close to a tomb world, the encoded programming reacts very aggressively to defend the interred Necrons.

...

Delving ever deeper into their archives and storage units, the tomb worlds whose areas of influence have been invaded are gearing up for full-scale retaliatory action - a programmed behaviour pattern that a learned few of the Imperium hae dubbed the Havest.

This suggests that everything up to the point of Apocalypse we have seen (BFG, etc.) was little mor than pre-programmed, early responses. The best is yet to be seen. (which means it will be interesting to see how the 5th edition Necron Codex turns out.)

Page 162

Cause and effect is a more suitable analogy (to Necron battle strategy) as each battle, campaign and Harvest produces preordained responses from the tomb world's controlling programme.

Not unlike the pre-Gravemind Flood in Halo, or the Tyranids, or Imperial Robots.

Page 162

This evolving structure is made possible by a system similar to that used in the most complex assemblies of the Adeptus Mechanicus, called Nodal Command. A strict hierarchy to all of the elements within it, giving reater operational and decision making capacity to certain 'nodes' while slaving the rest of the system to these nods. In terms of the Necron armies, the Necron Lords form the nodes of the command structure, and each Lord has an allocated hierarchal value at any given time. Whilst much of this can only be guessed at, the Adeptus Mechanicus has determined at least four levels of hierarchy within the Necron Nodal Command, which they have designated Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum, in ascending order of priority. The Nodal Command system is also a communications structure and forms the basis of how intelligence is gathered and orders disseminated. Often the system is likened to ancient flow charts used for computation during the Dark Age of Technology..

I guess my analogy to Imperial Robots was rather apt, since it is something familiar to the AdMech. The fact it is also familiar is also rather creepy, given the implications for human technology made in the Horus Heresy novel Mechanicum, but it fits.

It is also quite similar to the Synapse beasts of the Tyranids, in point of fact. The main difference being that the Necrons as yet have no obvious "Hive Mind" like entity controlling everything, unless we factor in the C'tan remaining and active (like the deceiver) Individula Necron Lords also have greater potential for self awareness than any equivlanet Tyranid entity (except perhaps the Swarm Lord, and that is still controlled by the Hive mind) and might also fill that "ultimate command" role.

Of course, depending on how many times it has died, or how it was replicated, the Necron Lord may be little more than a puppet, or may not even be sane. We know of some "dumb as rocks" tomb worlds, and we've seen more than one Crazy Necron Lord.

Page 162

This structure means that decisions taken by a higher-level Necron Lord, a Gold-level perhaps, give a single, quick response. All relevant data and orders automatically relay to any subservient Lords - in this example, the Silver and Bronze-level Lords slaved to the Gold level "master." In situations where speed is less important than processing all relevant information, decision-making defers across several Bronze or Silver-level Lords, and we can evne devolve down to individual Necron Warriors at specific poitns on the battlefield.

Sounds almost like a pyramind scheme. Implied here is that the lesser "Lords" may actually be deliberately less self aware than higher level ones, either temporarily or permanntly suppressed. This possibly eliminates rivalry (if sucha t hing even exists among the Necrons), although it may also suggest that the Bronze and Silver levels are more often the field commanders for such forces, and thus the most prone to being destroyed and reborn (thus degrading ther personality of the individual 'Cron.)

This also suggests that, like the Tyranids, the Necrons have access to a very fast, almost nigh-instantaneous means of communication across vast distances. Given the probable speed of Necron FTL and their portals, this is not surprising.

Page 162

It is becoming obvious that as conflicts grow, a tomb world will temporarily withdraw its existing forces before releasing a new army of even more potent war machines with an extended Nodal Command. In effect, the more an enemy fights against the Necrons, the more devastating the response.

..

However, as resistance grows, so to does the power of the forces released by the tomb world to the Nodal Command structure.

The escalation of a war with a tomb world grows exponentially, until the forces at its disposal are terrifying. Uncountable ranks upon ranks of Necron Warriors are transported to the battlefield by flotillas of Monoliths, while Immortals and Destrroyers in their hundreds are unleashed against enemy warriors. Scores of Flayed Ones and Wraiths terrorise innocent populations and sow dread behind enemy lines. It is speculated that the tomb worlds hide some truly disturbing weapons and war engines, even more so than its massed phalanxes of Warriors and Monoliths. All that is required for these ultra-advanced technologies to be unleashed upon an unsuspecting foe is for the fighting to escalate to an as-yet unseen level. One can only guess at the horrific machineries set free when this unseen line is corssed; though the many scoured planets found close to the tomb worlds are perhaps long-dead destaments to this power.

Necrons, like Orks and Tyranids (and structurally at least, the Imperial guard), have a highly reactive adaptation process. I'm half tempted to speculate that this is a result of their war against the Old Ones, where war by proxy was the order of the day (ORks, Eldar, other psychically evolved races they used.) I would expec tthe Necrons (and the C'tan) to have adopted similar tactics as a result.

We re also left wondering whether the Necrons can build or replace any losses amongst the greater/nastier stuff they may have hidden away, or if it is merely stockpiled (and indeed finite). Some sources have hinted at the construction of basic troops at least, but it is possible the really big, nasty and powerful stuff may be irreplacable (as would fit with the "lost-tech" scenario everyone in 40K suffers from. Yay.)

Page 163

The first elements activated by the Tomb World are the Tomb Spiders. These hulking custodians see to the intitial tasks of ministering to the stasis tooms. Embued with the powers of resurrection, the Tomb Spyders activate the Raider forces. Meanwhile the second element of the Primary Awakeners, the Scarabs, hasten to secure the interior of the Tomb. In swarms a thousand strong, Scarabs swiftly seek out intruders and carry out any essential maintenance to the Tombs defences.

The maintenance and possibly what passes for constructon (reconstruction) forces in the Tomb Worlds.

Page 163

Consisting of a small number of Necron Warriors and Scarabs, the Raider force emerges into the outside enviroment and intiially has complete autonomy (Within its programming.) Its purpose is to scout the surface of the Tomb World and nearby systems, seeking data on the position and status of other races. Destroying a Raider force will result in one of two outcomes: the Tomb World may dispatch a second Raider force on a follow-up mission; the Tomb World may proceed to the second stage of activation.

Necrons seem to be able to vary (at will) the level of intelligence/awareness the troops have. Why they do this isn't known (again, possible rivalry intenal conflicts?) but this would suggest Bronze and Silver level NecronLords operate under similar constraints.

This also explains the highly variable (and erratic) behaviour of Necron troops when it comes to dealign with individuals (why they may sometimes fail to detect or outright ignore individuals in some cases but not others, the sometimes seeming stupidity of individual troops, etc.)

We also see that a raider force acts as a tripwire, and the response dictated probably depends on whether or not more testing or information is needed.

Page 163

After initial data has been retrieved, the command of all raider fores is subsumed into the Nodal Command of a Necron Lord, usually a Silver-level priority. When required, the Reserve Command will enter battle led by their Necron Lord, who also fufills the role of being a redundant command unit who can take control of any existing forces should their Necron Lords be destroyed.

REdundancy is useful.

Page 163

The bulk of Necron Armies are gathered into this region of the Nodal Command. Led by up to four Bronze-level Necron Lords, the Line formations consist of a variety of different fighting formations. Ground forcecs are organised into phalanxes made up of a core of Necron Warriors transported by Monoliths, and supported by secondary units such as Destroyers, Immortals and so forth. These phalanxes are often accompanied by more specialist formations dubbed "cohorts". The Necron Lords of the Line Formations act as battlefield command circuit, able to pass information between themselves, upload data to the Platinum level command, or call upon the Reserve Command for physical s upport or additional data analysis. Each Tomb World might have dozens of such formations...

Organization and order of battle (such as it is) for Necron forces. It seems to imply quite substantial forces in any given tomb world, although this assumes all tomb worlds are alike. In practice we've seen variable sizes/scopes of Necron forces. In a way it makes sense, you would expect some worlds to be bigger, more importnat and better stocked than others (smaller one smight be little better than outposts, for example. Such as the one in Caves of Ice.)

Page 163

All communication between the Line Commanders is routed through both the Platinum level Nodal Command and the Reserve Command Necron Lord. This redundancy ensures that should any one element of the network be somehow neutralised, communication and command is still possible.

...

All data and decisions made at the Gold level are directed through all three Gold level necron lords, for triple-redundancy. Should a Gold level be removed in some fashion, one of the Line Commanders will be elevated to Gold-level status to replace the missing Necron Lord.

More Necron Lord redundancy. The interesting thing here is elevation of one Lord to replace another. Is this temporary or permanant? OR can it be both? Say if a necron Lord is crippled, does a lesser Necron Lord rise to its position until the original one regenerates? And if so does it revert back, or remain a Gold (and thus expanding the command and control net?) Likewise, are there "reserve" examples of the lesser levels, or do they rise them from other anks (Say Warriors, or Immortals, or whatever?) Do they just build new Lords, or what? Or maybe even rebuild the old ones from the last "backup"? Or are Necron Lords finite in quantity, meaning that there could be gaps or "bottlenecks" in the command and control net (What happens if you have lots of Golds but relatively few silvers or bronzes?)

Page 163

Thrree Gold-level Necron Lords form the highest command structure yet encountered on the battlefield. These are responsible for strategic decision making, and are capable of over-riding the communication and control of any Silver or Bronze-level Lords present. They are also capable of committing the most potent forces available to the Tomb World, including specialist troops such as Pariahs, as well as larger war machines, aerial forces, and starships.

the "three by three" sturcutre implies there would be at least 1 Platinum, 3 gold, 9 Silver, and 27 Bronze. Thatis a lower limit of course, and is by no means exact.

Page 163

No Platinum-level commander has yet been encountered, and its existence is only hypothesized...

...

It is the subject of much speculation whether the Platinum Nodal Command is some creation hidden on a Tomb World, or might perhaps be the Tomb World itself. Techpriests are confident that the Platinum-level Command is not representative of the C'Tan, who do not directly interact in the Nodal Command structure in any discernable way.

By now I would speculate that "Platnium" levels are probably the ruling intelligences - the main computers plus whatever consciousness(es) inhabit it. The body (based on some of the novels) may be little more than an avatar. Indeed, all necron bodies are basially just puppets for the main controlling intelligence, which is like a Tyranid Hive Mind in its own right (similar to, but not identical) The Platnium "Lords" are going to be those Necron Lors that are the most self-aware, most biological-seeming Necron Lords.

Alternately, its possible a Platinum level commander is one that controls several worlds (probably up to three, given the triad theme present in most Necron formations) which is why it has yet to be seen (and may explain resurrection cells being sent out, in attempts to establish higher and higher levels of command and control and bring to bear even greater and more formidable weapons.) If so, this suggests there would be even higher "levels" beyond Platinums.

The C'tan are also above but "outside" this command structure, as it should be.

PAge 164

The Gauss Pylon draws energy from the Necron power matrix before discharging it through hardwired weapon systems, including a version of the gauss flux arc also mounted on Monoliths. More freasome is the Pylon's Gauss annihilator - a tight-beam version of the particle whip.
..
Sophisticated guidance and target-lock systems allow the gauss annihilator to engage ground troops and incoming aircrafta like.
...

"Living metal" presents a hull as durable as even the most scrupulously manufactured adn blessed Imperial armour.

...

A Necron attack can be supported by Gauss Pylons teleporting to the surface. At other times, when defending a tomb world, dormant Gauss Pylons can suddenly rise from teh ground to engage any trespasers.

The "Necron Power matrix" and Gauss Pylons resemble something akin to Protoss power generation/transmission systems - a sort of remote power transfer system that operates on a tremendous scale (possibly through the portal networks?) Pylons also double as ground artillery and air defense, as well as having armour as good (if not better) than anything the Imperium have. They also, for the stated reasons, have tremendous mobility.

Page 164

Phase shift generator: All Necron units with at least one model within 12" of the Guass Pylon recieve a 5+ Invulnerable Save.

rules of course, but I wanted to note how the Pylons can shield other units after a fashion. This makes me wonder if starships might use some sort of spatial warping or "phase shifting" as a defensive system (unless some properties prevent this from being used on mobile structures.)

PAge 165

Though the warp is anathema to the metallic legions of the Necrontyr and their undying masters, there are many other dimensions they can use, of which the other races are wholly ignorant. Using their mastery of space-time manipulation, the Necrons are able to create worlds within worlds, stable null fields and all manner of other exotic battlefield conditions.

...

In this particular configuration [Monolith Phalanx] at certian pivotal places in the four-dimesional universe, the presence of a phalanx emits a frequency waveform that distorts space-time and creates powerful energy field known as a nodal grid. Within the confines of the shimmering nodal grrid, the Necrons are all but impossible to destrtoy.

Two Monolithcreate a Night Shroud which weakens the damage of enemy fire (but not Necron fire). At three or more it upgrades to the Nodal grid - this makes Necron revival more certain/effective, and nullifies psyker effects within the grid. (As well as providing the shielding - yet another form of defensive technology they have that may or may not be usable on bigger structures or ships)

This also confirms the idea that the Necrons are SPECIFICALLY vulnerable to the warp, althoughw hy this is we aren't sure - possibly due to the inherently corrupting and warping properties (no pun intended) the immaterium has on normal matter. But they can access, control and are immune to other dimensions.

Page 166

Within every Dark Eldar bats a selfish heart. Personal power, comfort and gratiifcation are the only things a Dark Eldar Values.
...
Only the basic need of survivla bonds the Dark Eldar together as a race..

and personal power, or sadomasoch*st tendencies, or slaves.

Page 166

Dark Eldar society is splintered in many different ways. The raiders of Commoragh owe alleigance first to themselves and then to the kabal or cult to which they belong. each of these competing factions has its agenda and goals to fufil, and will happily betray or slaughter allies that no longer prove useful.

They are, in other words, very nice folk.

Page 166

..an opportunity arises that even the greatest Archon admits cannot be achieved by lone endeavour.

An Imperial hive ripe for the slaughter; a Craftworld left drifting and vulnerable, a newly discovered race unaware of the terror that lurks in the shadows.
..
The raw lure of thousands of souls and immeasurable plunder draws the dark Eldar together.

Thousands of souls in a craftworld. Probably closer to hundreds of thousands, or millions, to contrast to a Hive or new race.

Page 166

Power is a palpable, negotiable currency within Dark Eldar society, and a successful attack can secure wealth and authority for the leaders.
..
..no Self-respecting Archon or Archite would idly stand by while his or her enemies gather to benefit from a mutual venture. In this way large-scale attacks tend to grow quickly...
..

While avarice may form these large war fleets, it is fear that keeps them together. The Dark Eldar fear many things: death, failure, losing status, retribution. Strength in numbers allows the Dark Eldar to hunt larger and well defended prey.
..
..an unsuccessful raid brings with it despiar, loss of standing, and often enslavement. By involving one's enemies in an attack, the risk is shared by all.

This tends to be one of the weak ponts undoing Dark Eldar society, since Vecht uses these same things to play off different factions to keep himself safe. We've had quite a few times where Dark Eldar get f*cked over by another race due to their inability to cooperate or stay united due to self interest.

Page 166

..when a Dark Eldar faction does descide to strike their allies in the back, they best be sure that the blow is decisive. If not, the backlash can see whole kabals and cults destroyed, thousands murdered during internecine fighting, and slavery and totrue for everyone inovlved...

..
This mutual fear of reprisal keeps most of the double-dealing and treachery to a minimum - at least until the participants have returned to the kabal houses in Cormorragh.

"corrective measureS" to instil some measure of unity and purpose into the Dark Eldar, lest they fall apart and turn on each other. It can still be exploited of course, but it is usually not an issue for most of their raiding and piracy becuase their technological advantage, speed, and sheer surprise allow them to make a quick and relatively bloodless victory.

Page 166

The Dark Eldar organise themselves into successive waves of differing capabilities and destroy the foe with a series of separate but sequential attacks. Each wave of the attack targets a particular type of foe or seeks to achieve a specific objective, weakening the enemie' defence agianst the next wave. Over several assualts of this nature, the enemy army's defences are stripped away until the most vulernable elements are left -hence this form of attack is often referred to by the Dark Eldar s the Flaying.

The cynical side of me wants to think they do things this way because each individual group or faction fights its own way and wouldn't cooperate in any other way - they basically attack the same target, but pursue their own goals largely independently, but with just enough coordination to undermine the enemy and improve the chances of everyone else. Again, technology and surprise (as well as judicious target selection of already-vulnerable enemies) ensure that this approach is not as dangerous as it would normally be.

PAge 167

From within the webay, the dark Eldar open up protals above their target, springing their surprise assault.

attacking from the air as well. Another advantage to having a highly air-mobile force.

Page 168

The Dark Eldar do not use the super-heavy war machines favoured by other races...
..
..the pirates of Commorragh field elite Ravager crews to locate and neutralise enemy Titans and battle tanks ahead of the main assault.
..
Using their immaculate reflexes the RAvager pilots fly perilously close to the ground, skimming treetops - sometimes even skirting between trees - and using the silhouettes of enemy vehicles to mask their approach.

Considering they tend to favor weakened targets, they aren't likely to face any enemy that has super heavy or Titan scale vehicles (and if they do I expect they'd take them out first from ambush with some man portable heavy weapon like a dark lance, or oribtal bombardment or something.) Or in this case, Ravagers.

PAge 168

Once the pack has closed to weapons range with the target Titan, the lead Ravager triggers its shadow beam. The resulting etheric lance probes the prey's defence shields with warp rift energy, creating the smallest of breaches in the defences. This weakness is so minute that the Titan's crew remain unaware of its existance and only the uncanny reflexes of the Dark Eldar could hope to exploit it. Customising their targetting systems and Dark Lance modulations, the RAvagers accelerate towards the doomed Titan, unleashing pulses of lance energy to cut the beleagured behemoth apart..

Interesting that they can use some sort of warp based lance to make holes in void shields in which to fire through. One imagines why this isnt used in larger scal eship to ship combat. Perhaps not all Dark Eldar have the ability, or maybe only certain factions do.

Page 170

Hidden deep in hive worlds, in warrior lodges on feral planets, masquerading as guilds and federations on agri-worlds, and even within the Adeptus Terra itself, Chaos worshippers secretly plot rebellion and subversion even as they suckle at the bosom of the Imperium.

Chaos exists within and without as a threat, unsurprisingly. I just wonder how extensive a threat they really are, compared to other things. I guess that while this specific threat isn't all encompassing (not even close to HEresy scale), it represents yet another flaw in the overall structure (alongside myriard alien threats, general heretics and rebels, etc.) tha tfurther ties up and saps resources the Imperium could use elsewhere. Besides which, the threat of Chaos seems to be in the fact it can literally be everywhere in myriad forms - when words or symbols can even be a threat in the right manner or combinations, you dont need to worry too much about conventional approaches. On top of that, the Chaos Gods, ultimately, don't really care about actual winning or losing, its more about the process than anything (as long as death and slaughter and worship and sacrifice and sh*t go on, they gain, even if it is their own side losing.)

PAge 170

When the forces of Chaos attack in great numbers, the Adepts of the Imperium call it an incurion...
...
The largest Chaos incursions are those that take place during the Black Crusades...
...
Such attacks attract attention from many quarters, and warbands from several Legions may join the incursion to further their own aims.
...
As the incursion grows in power, hidden sympathiseers nad cultists will throw off their disguises. These sects declare themselves for their true gods, and uprisings topple planetary governments. Deranged mutant mobs, keen to escape the lashes of their masters, rampage through blood slicked streets...

- a summary of how a Chaos incursion forms is something very akin to an Ork WAAAGH, in that you have varying factions of Chaos worshippers joining up with each other, even though they dont normally cooperate, in order to launch an attack. The only differences being that you will have chaos cultists in the Imperiu itself also join in, as well as daemon ssummoned via mass sacrifice ("buying" power of Chaos, as its described.) They're alot like Dark Eldar in this respect, since they tend to do it for power (will/glory of Chaos) and plunder.

Page 171

He has invaded Makenna VII a mining world close to the ARx Gap, to enslave the populace and send tribute back to Abbadon the Despoiler. With the resouces of Makenna VII at his disposal, Davroth hopes that Abbadon will repay the tribute with a pair of the deadly Chaos Titans under his command.

Davroth's ultimate goal is to eliminate a rival and become one of Abbadon's most powerful lieutenants. He also gained alliance with an old ally in the Death Guard (promising him Makenna VII after he was done with it), a Slaaneshi champion (by promising luxuries of the planet as his reward), a Chaos sorcer of the thousand sons (a rival to the Death Guard Champion, who wants to wrest control of the planet from him after.), a Red Corsaris leader (commanded by the Chaos Gods to fight there), an Iron Warriors outcast (who will use his share of the plunder to bu more artillery to wage war on his rivals), and Khornate Berzerkers (by promising them they can slaughter and lead the first assault.)

The general imrpession you get is that Chaos ultimately is a very mercenary, darwinian sort of force. Better at unifying under a single leader than Dark Eldar are, but still prone to backstabbing and internal dissention that can f*ck things up if rivalries and self-interest aren't kept under control.

PAge 171

Situated close to the Eye of Terror, Makenna VII was already vulnerable to isolated daemonic attacks and possessions.

the terror of the populace and its proximity both allow a daemonic incursion to happen at the same time as the invasion via Daemonic rift. Nice, huh?

PAge 171

Roek Ghulclaw of the Alpha Legion ultimately answers only to his Legion's high command, but nonetheless he has infiltrated Warmaster Davroth's chosen council..

The Alpha Legion is not strictly a pure Chaos force, much like the Nigth Lords. They'll ally with and employ Chaos if it can help them, but their goals and loyalties are ultimately their own.

Page 172

Huge vats of virulent slime distilled from rotting, plague-riddne corpses are mounted on the back of the vheicle.
...

The Plaguereaper's pus cannon squirts out this ohorrendous concoction, dousing swathes of enemy troops who are ensured a most hideou sdeath as their skin instantly erupts in weeping boils and their flesh is eaten away from within.

It also has its own nurglings. Basically a Corrupted superheavy with special armament. As a result it also has much of the Baneblade's secondary armaments (lascannon and heavy bolters)

Page 173

A Bras s Scorpion is nigh unstoppable, with its innate daemonic resilience transmuting an iron and brass body into an unholy substance capable of shrugging off the heaveist ordnance.
..
..powerful runes of warding protect each of his [Khorne's] daemon engines.

The Brass/iron body "transmuted" into something stronger makes me think a bit of Wraithbone. Again we see that the influence of the warp on real matter can complicate things - evne "simple" Iron or Steel.

PAge 173

Fearsome as the Scorpion is at range, it is even more deadly at close assaults, where it incinerates foes with gouts of molten brass before tearing apart any survivors with its brazen claqs.

Hellmaw cannons (twin) It also has a high ROF Scorpion cannon (twin linked) and a mouth-mounted demolisher cannon. Khorne likes his demolisher cannons.

It will alwso try to self destruct if it is going to die.

I dont think I have to belabor incineration and what it may mean, it "badly burnt" it oculd be hundreds of kilojoules or megajoules per person, if it cremates we could be taking hundreds of megajoules or gigajouels. Take oyur pick.

Page 173

Scorpion Cannon: Rate of Fire: 7800 rounds/minute

Daemonfusion targeter enhancements

Daemon possessed targeters and a truly unholy rate of fire for a weapon (130 shots a second!)

PAge 175

It [Warp rift] is heraleded by dire portents of calamity, as normal people suffer terrible dreams, babies are born with horrific mutations and any psykers in the area scream in agony, claw out their eyes or lose all control of their powers. When the rift opens all hell breaks loose. Dozens, even hundreds, of daemons burst through into the real world, invigorated by the terror and despair of the mortal they are about to slaughter.

The fun that precedes and follows a Warp rift, and yet another reaosn why 40K is a fun place to live.

Page 175

Some warp rifts grow solarge that they engulf entire cities, continents and worlds. The five largest warp rifts, using a measurement of approximate warp power required for the rift to be maintained (excluding catalgoued warp storms) recorded by the Imperium are:

Mosaik Sector: Commenced 897.M34 not yet ceased.

Bthsamnel Sector: Commenced 342.M38
Ceased 879.M40

Ghostmare sub-sector (Sranius Sector) Commenced 564.M39, not yet ceased.

Goridion PRime (Hive World): Commenced 149.M32, ceased 287.M36

Hive Catatalcus (Orphian Secundus) Commenced 293.M37, ceased 843.M40.

An interesting view on some large-scale warp rifts. Excluding obvious ones like the Eye and Maelstrom of course.

Page 176

The sorcerer [Ahriman] was stood upon a hill of bald rock, the steaming bodies of dozens of Guardsmen and Chaos Marines surrounding him. Magical lightning leapt from his fingers, incinerating everything within reach, creating a whirling storm of energy around Ahriman.

In this caes I'm guessing "incinerate" means badly burnt, since the bodies are steaming but still intact. We're probably talking tens of megajoules of energy expended in very short periods of time.

Page 177

..Eldrad has found a way to turn the green tide aside and weaken the upstart Imperium of Man into the bargain. Eldrad has predicted that by destroying the flow of heavy munitions ot Ghazghkull's armies, the Ork Waaagh! can be lbunted enough that it will fight to a standstill on the Imperial World of Armageddon. Eldrad's plan is to force Ghazghkull's invasion to grind to a halt, costing the Imperium an immeasurable number of lives but allowing the Eldar craftworlds to drift
away unmolested..

An example of a really competent Farseer in action. And no, I am not going to say the meme.

Page 184

Though the Kan factory itself remained intact, Orghamek was all but vapourised by the Scorpion grav-tank.

That means he wasn't vaporized, but he was blown into itty bitty pieces, which is pretty impressive even if it is a tank.

Page 187

Your force has the courage to employ the most potetn man-portable weapon in the galaxy - the Vortex grenade.

- Vortex Grenade. Nuff said.

PAge 188

[
Disruptor Beacon - Comms gear and auspex arrays are confounded by this scrambler device.

comms and sensor jamming.

Page 188

Null Field Generator: This arcane device surpresses the energies of the Warp in a wide radius.

Not unlike stuff the Necrons use, or technologies the Imperium uses to control psykers.

Page 188

Shield Generator: A technological marvel guards the core of your force with a potent force field.

Theatre shielding, in other words.

Page 189

Jammers: The comms channels of the enemy are blocked with static, forcing them to deploy blind.

More jammers.

Page 189

VEgetation upon the battlefield is reduced to an acidic sludge, opening fire lanes and denying cover.

Good old anti plant weaponry. the sludge bit makes me think of virus weaponry, onyl tailored to plants.

Page 189

Orbital bombardment: the ships of your fleet are poised in low orbit around the planet, awaiting your signal to drop their lethal payload upon the foe.

The usual "starships drop into low orbit for bombardment" schtick.

Page 189

Long Range Ack-ack: your anti-aircraft guns have range enough to command the entire battlefield, protecting your ground-based troops and vehicles from aerial attack.

This could be very.. interesting.. considering the scale of some battlefields can cross continents.

Page 189

Precision strike: An orbiting ship picks up the position of an enemy unit and feeds firing data to your troops on the ground.

Orbital surveillance relayed to ground troops.

A warhound titan kills hundreds of Tyranid invaders with its plasma blastgun.

[/quote]

What context "kill" is in, I have no f*cking clue however. Or what kind of Nids, for that matter.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

Next is apocalypse reloaded and the first IA apocalypse. I think this was meant as some sort of intermediary update (or maybe just an excuse to put out another book) but it provided more info to parallel the stuff already out there. Alongside these two were three IA apocalypse books, which basically just had apocylapse stuff for all the forge world models they put out. IA apocalypse was the first, and paralleled (IIRC) the release of codex: apocalypse. From that point they just released a periodic update, the last of which was 2011 (IA apocalpyse 2nd edition.)

dual update in two posts. I'm whittling stuff down at last and we should be getting close to the good stuff (EG FFG material and 5th edition and the Horus Heresy stuff and others like that.) I'm also setting up to get the Space Marines battles stuff ready. Its not a great series, but it's not bad (At least we get a good ADB novel about Black Templars. ADB is about the only decent Space Marine Writer aside from Bill King IMHO.)

Anyhow on we go.

Page 3

Infantry marches forward in countless legions. Columns of batlte tanks...
...
..the ground shakes at the approach of super-heavy vehicles..
...
Towering above the endless armies like gods of war, stride Titans - matchless war machines capable of levelling cities. They march to tens of thousands of wars, across millions of planets, where every one will be destroyed in the Cauldron of battle.
And so the factories of Mars must never rest, and the Imperial Guard can never stop recruiting..

Imperial forces.. presumably deployed only from Mars. Implied that "tens of thousands of wars" involving "millions of planets" every one of them devastated by said wars. Preusmably in the Imperium.. saying something about the scale of things, I guess. The Imperium has at least millions of worlds to be devastated, to say of all the ones that don't (which probably are more numerous, if the Imperium were to sustain this over any real length of time)
Also, yet another case of Titans being capable of "levelling cities."

Page 7

Though a single Baneblade is the euqal of an entire squadron of battletanks..

Baneblade = Tank squadron (at least 3 tanks I believe)

Page 8

Stormlord tanks are a rare sight in most Imperial armies. Super-heavy tanks are all but irreplaceable and only the boldes tand most confident commanders are prepared to jeopardise their careers (and lives) by risking such a valuable war machine...

Superheavy combat vehicle and troop carrier. I guess it's sort of a super-sized Chimera. Although now we have the Crassus via Forge World. As usual, anything neat is "rare and not often deployed" because of how precious it is.

PAge 8

..the Stormlord's devastating close range firepower and vast transport capacity makes it highly sought after by the more mobile Imperial Guard regiments, such as those raised on Catachan, Tallarn and Tingoya.

"Mobile guard regiments" - note hilariously that the Catachans use superheavies too. I guess not everyone can be static trench warfare experts

Page 10

The most common fighting formation deployed to a warzone is the company.
..
The Imperial shield [company] is made up of between three and six platoons, each consisting of up to six infantry squads..

Companies seem to be the "acutal" building blocks of the guard rather than regiments. "Shield" companies seem to imply a mostly defensive formations, which amkes sense for foot infantry in a way.

PAge 11

Armoured fist Mechanised companies are regularly used in offensive operations...
..
Armoured fist companies react to changes in battle plans more rapidly than other formations...
...
Such formations see almost continuous service, and as a result, tend to have an even higher rate of attrition than more stnadard Imperial Guard formations.
..
When a mecahnised company suffers so many casualties or enough of its Chimera transports have been destroyed that it is no longer a viable fighting force, the remnants are typically attached to less mobile infantry formations to provide support.

We get some interesting insight into the roles Armoured fists and other mobility warfare elements of the Guard are used. They seem to be the typical/primary offensive elements, due to their ability to react quickly, and they are in constant use (proably due to them being comparatively rarer than foot infantry), although the implication is that supply manages to keep up pwith demand fairly well.
The other interesting bit is that "depleted" regiments will get attached to other (non mobile) forces (EG probably foot infantry) so that at least some of those have some measure of mobile capability.

Page 13

Not for them the swift hit-and-run tactics of more mobile armies. To counter such enemy tactics, Imperial Guard commanders often make use of lightly armed and armoured guerilla fighters, deploying them into terrain where they can counter the more manoeuvrable enemy forces.

"mobility" seems to invariably imply hit and run or skirmishing type tactics (like the Tau or Eldar/DArk Eldar use.) We're also provided one of the probable "responses" - I'm guessing light "guerilla" forces include light infantry, jungle fighter types (like Catachans) with heavy weapons, Sentinels, and other small vehicles (such as perhaps Centaurs)
This would suggest the mobility roles of the Chimeras and similar are not involved with "hit and run" type tactics.

Page 13

The Ambush patrol deploys far ahead of the main Imperial Guard lines, harassing the enemy battlelines, setting ambushes and laying traps for unsuspecting foes. A well-planned assualt by the Death Trap can leave an enemy in disarray, deprived of supplies, reinforcements, and bogged down fighting a war against an unseen enemy.

Guard sabotage/inifltration tactics, I think. Again something light infantry and CAtachan types would be good at.

Page 15

It is said that but one of Macragge's thirty Honour Guards is sufficient to turn a war from disaster to triumph..
..
Only Marneus Calgar, Chapter Master of the Utlramarines, has the authority to call together his Chapter's Honour Guard,a nd he does so sparingly.

30 Ultramarines in the honour Guard,, with lots of Ultramarines/Guilliman-descendant wank.
Page 16

With a single salvo, it can cripple a super-heavy tank, disable a Chaos Titan or destroy an Ork Stompa.

Land Raider Terminus Ultra. Mounts eight lascannon.

Page 18

..he ordered the modification of a cyclonic torpedo, exchanging the planet-busting payload for a heavily-shielded locator beacon.
..
Valor used the beacon to unleash a fearfully precise orbital bombardment that within seconds reduced the command centres structures to rubble. Only then did valor launch his assault. Terminator squads materialised amongst the wreckage, and Dreadnoughts deployed from Drop Pords - all guided ot the target by the beacon.
...
Moments later, with a landing zone secured, Thunderhawks began to deploy the rest of the Chapter. Forgan fell less than forty-eight hours later.

Cyclonic torpedoes, unsurprisingly, have a "planet busting" payload of unkonwn nature. Note it is suggested to be a torpedo, which may suggest it is similar in dimensions to other torpedoes.
Also note the bobmardment did not leave any lingering nasty effects.. molten surface, persistnat fireballs, etc. that would hamper deployment.

Page 24

So large are Ghazghkull's Waaghs! that these lesser Warbosses are usually spread out in positions of command across the entire Orkish armada. This 'Old Boyz network' is key to Ghazghkull's success when coordinating truly huge campaigns. After all, what better way to bring into line a conniving Blood Axe or Death skull Warboss than to send an even bigger Boss..

Ork Coordination and command and control and a key to Ghazzie's success. I like the term "Old Boyz Network"

Page 28

..thrown together over the course of an afternoon by the simple expedient of nailing a giant multi-barrelled gun to the back of Bodgejob's fastest speedsta.
His plan was to careen after the strafing aircraft at top speed, giving him a few more precious seconds in which to try and blow them out of the skies.

If we knew the speeds involved we might bodge together some idea of ranges.. its porbably at least hundreds of metres

Page 28

..he enlisted his sharp-eyed Grot asisstant Bugbitz to fire some of the 'glowy bullitz' used by the local Flash Gitz from a small Grot-sized gunner rig.

Ork laser targeting.

Page 29

It [Pulsa rokkit] contains a large and unstable force field generator that teeters on the brink of contradictory physics: should its low-grade force field be disrupted, it will collapse with unpredictable but usually devastating results. The Orks like to encourage such potentially lethal disruption by wiring the force field into a missile and firing the whole contraption at the enemy.
The resultnat impact drives the potent force field inside into a state of collapse, sending out great waves of suppressing force that can grind an enemy face first into the dirt. The force-pulses emitted by the largets Pulsa Rokkits can crush an enemy as effectively as if the Ork Gods themselves have squashed the foe flat..

Pulsa Rokkits.. a form of Ork artillery. One imagines the thing could be made more destructive.. if they thought about it.

Page 29

Some are little more than field generator spheres iwth wings and rokkits strapped to them, others are building sized labours of love..

Varioous kinds of pulsa rokkits. As usual Orky tech has little standardization

Page 29

When the pulsa rokkit known as 'Da Big REd Fist' was launched..
...
..the pulses it emitted forced an entire company of Ultramarines into the dirt of the achipelago's airstrip. The island eventually fell apart under the terrible forces acting upon it, sending the Ultramarines into the polluted depths.

Niow that is.. impressive. Sounds a bit like a seismic charge.

Page 31

It requires the mightiest of the Phoenix Lords to be present in the dark heart of the Craftworld, surrounding the Avatar and laying their arcane ewapons over one of the spirit stones embedded in its armour.
..
..each of the Phoenix Lords infuses the living statue with the energy of one of the Exarch souls forming their own consciousness. Fuelled by such mighty essence, the Avatar is roused with powers that dwarf those of all bu tthe greatest Daemons of Chaos..

Needs all six phoenix lords (known) it seems. I guess this is some super-powered Avatar of Khaine form. Pity it seems to be so rarely used, as most typical Avatars get beaten by Chapter Masters, magic hammers, and (probably) little old ladies with knitting needles. How they have fallen sinc ethe days of Gordon Rennie.

Page 32

The swooping Hawk's haywire grenades are fited with small gravitic motors turning them into effective, if short range, aerial mines.

Dropped by Baharroth [Phoenix Lord] and his Swooping Hawk cadre behind them and in the path of enemy aircaft. Neat trick really even if it isnt quite "Eldar standard."

Page 33

When the fury of its prism cannon is focused through others of its kind, it becomes a devastating weapon with the power to unleash a localised solar flare. It is said that should a Sunstorm squadron be of sufficient size, they could scar the surface of a distant moon with their firepower..

If true.. damned impressive one things.

Page 33

In desperation, Asuryan rearranged the suns themselves so that their constellations spelt a time of ill omen for Kaelis Ra. With the speed of thought, Asuryan then harnessed the power of the outraged stars, and with a mighty barrage of solar flares he dealt Kaelis Ra a mortal blo that all but destroyed him...

Eldar Legend of Nightbringer vs Asuryan. If true, gives an indication of the power of Eldar Warp Gods and C'tan.. at least at that point in time,

Page 33

The diamond hard substance at the heart of each prism cannon is formed from psychotropic crystal. each is a shard that has been retrieved from the Dome of Crystal Seers, and some Eldar say that they are the physical manifestation of revelation. The crystals are encouraged to grow under the auspices of the Spiritseers, who meditate on the nature of light and how it can bring death as well as life. When these crystals reach a certan size they begin to hum with the potential to cause harm, each harbouring a reservoir of malevolent energy that is amplified a hundredfld by the technologies of the prism cannon.

3-6 fire prisms.. and the magic crystals created that make up their weapons. I guess Eldar magic crystls are bette rhtan Imperial magic crystals.

Page 35

This is no mortal end however, as the Young King is consumed utterly by the raging heat of the Craftworld's Avatar. There he becomes one with the wrath of his people, transforming into an immortal manifestation of Khaine..

A more direct explanation of the fate of a Young King when dealt with the Avatar. In essence it suffers a fate not much different from an Exarch. This also suggests that the Avatars of Khaine form their own sort of infinity circuit, along with whatever spirit/fragment of Khaine may inhabit it Although the exact relationship between the "circuit" and the fragment is pure conjecture.

Page 36

Though it is composed of a thousand billion warrior organisms or more, the Greate Devourer is united in a single deadly purpose...

"thousand billion" warrior nids at least, This is probably an estimat eof currently "attacking" nid forces the Imperium is facing at the moment.. which is engaging (primarily) two segmentum.

PAge 37

..vanguard organisms infiltrate potential prey planets, gathering information on enemy defences and other concentrations of biomass.
...
Should a world prove rich in prey, the Genestealres will breed, multiplying in number...
..
When the Genestealer infestation reaches critical proportions their psychic signature will become potent enough to attract a tendril of their parent Hive Fleet..
..
.. Lictors - assassin-beasts that use feeder tendrils to steal from the brains of their victims - will be seeded across the planet to gather more information about its population centres.

whereupon it uses the genestealers already there to launch a surprise assault. Indication of the sneaker modes of Tyranid invasion.

Page 38

Each Splinter fleet was cormprised of scores of individual bio-ships, and each bio-ship played host to armies without number. These armies were comrpirsed of distinct invasion forces that could function independently, circumventing Imperial blockades and attacking from unexpected angles.
..
Even upon the field of battle the swarms fo Hive Fleet Kraken were able to split up into individual forces known as Tendril swarms, detachment of Tyranid wariror-beast sthat probed and tested enemy defences..
..
Whne a Tendril swarm locates a weak point in the enemy line it will suddenly push thorugh...
...
..formed of hundreds of constituent warrior beasts..
...
Each Tendril swarm is autonomous with a strong connection to the Hive Mind. It is this preternatural prescience tha tallows the Tendril Swarms to speedily exploit any gaps and to surround and isolate their prey..

A rather interesting spin on splinter fleets - precisely controlled (across presumablty fast distances) and presumably mobile raiding forces (at least against the Imperium) and teh tactics of tendril swarms (hundreds of warrior beasts deployed to strike precise weak points)
The "prescience" is probably more like a matter of rapidly receiving, processing and responding to information received across vast distances due to the Hive mind connection... although its possible they can "read" the warp like any psyker can.

Page 39

A crusher brood contains only hte most heavily evolved of Carnifexes. Their metre thick carapaces are proof against almost all small-arms fire, and their exoskeletons are reinforced with striations of bonded chitin.
...
..when a Crusher Carnifex's nervus system reaches a certain level of activity, the symbiotes in its blood introduce a great flood of bio-chemicals that drive it into a frenzy of destruction.

Nid forces when you need a sledgehammer suicide force, but biotitans might be overkill.

Page 40

..though a Hive Tyrand can be brought low with a single devastating blast, formations fo Tyranid Warriors are far more difficult to kill...
...
In Battle, the Tyranid Warriors acting as the eyes of the Hive Mind are able to assess the strengths of the enemy and relay information to the Tyranids around them and the bio-ships above them in low orbit. The bio-ships then breed new strains of Tyranids to counter these strengths, whilst the earthbound warrior-beasts adapt their attack patterns to captialise upon enemy weaknesses.

An interesting adaptation/evolution of Tyranid tactics that decentralizes the command and control synapse nodes of a Tyranid force. May have some drawbacks (being less centralized it may not react as rapidly) but it is harder to take out.
Also another indication of how quickly Tyranids can relay information to each other, and repsond to that, by "adapting" to tactics.

Page 41

Tyrant Guard are bred specifically to soak up enemy firepower..
..
In a Living Fortress, even the Hive Tyrants themselves have specially reinforced chitin plates. When incoming ordnance is detected by the Tyrants' preternaturally sharp senses, these leader beasts send out a pulse of thought. The Living Fortress then swiftly locks its chitin plates together and hunkers down, becoming a fortress of foot-thick carapace with its few vulenrable areas hidden away inside.

...nothing short ofa direct hit froma Titan primary weapon or a Vortex grenade can dispose of it for good.
..
Living Fortresses are produced in response to heavy enemy firepower as titans and super-heavy tanks can take a great toll on the Tyranid synapse network. A Living Fortress can withstand the firepower of a Baneblade and keep coming, their own heavy weaponry neutralising enemy armour..

Benchmark of Tyranid durabilitiy.

Page 43

The Tau way of war is, in many respects, very different from that of the Imperium. The starkest difference is to be found in their willingness to make strategic withdrawls, giving ground to the enemy when holding it will prove too costly.
..
..the Fire Caste acknowleges that sacrifices must be made for the Greater Good.
..
.. a Mission Denial Force, is a group of batltesuit pilots that have volunteered for a mission they may have little hope of surviving...
..
..commonly involve the capturing of a key enemy position prior ot the main force of the Tau army breaking through the enemy's lines. The Tau do not hold ground simply for the sake of it, so the objective will be one of vital importance to their strategic aims. Often the target will be one the Tau need to keep intact.
..
Or perhaps they wish to leave a world' s infrastructure intact where the enemy may choose to demolish key sites as they retreat.

Most forces are capable of this. I take it to mean that the Tau usually won't "hold ground" or "assault" for concepts like honour or pride the way some (like Space Marines) will. Unless it involves an Ethereal. It's just more grimdark "differentaition" bullsh*t. Also note the emphasis on 'strategic" rather than tactical or operational, That seems rather inflexible and plays to their high sensitivity to casaulties.
We do learn some of the cases where the Tau may actually "stand and fight" so they won't retreat forever, although hoping for situations to be ideal enough to play out suhc tactics is foolish.

Page 43

When fighting at the Cadre or Battle level, it is standard Fire Caste doctrine to maintain a fast-moving reserve.
..
..only to be committed when their deployment will tip the balance of battle in favour of the Tau.

Sounds alot like the tendency of the IG to deploy or employ armoured fists.. although the Tau edge in mobility probably helps them here.

Page 45

The primary function of a Firestream Piranha Wing is to hunt down and eliminate isolated enemy forces.

they carry fusion guns and seeker missiles in that role. Heavy gorund attack firepower.

Page 45

the firestream Wing's secondary function is to disrupt the deployment of enemy forces. They achieve this by way ofa highly complex communications array mounted upon the wing's command vehicle. This array gathers sensor daya from all the Piranhas in the wing, and decrypts any communications it identifies. The orders contained in the signal are altered, the encryption re-applied, and the singla reconstructed before being transmitted onwards to the intended recipient. Should the signal prove impossible to replicate, the system is capable of jamming almost any type of communication it can detect.

The communications change orders to sow confusion and disruption, of course. Useful high tech gadgetry though.

Page 49

To date, there are no confirmed records of Necrons fielding super-heavy vehicles comparable with the Imperial Baneblade or Eldar Scorpion.

To be fair, they rarely need them considering how f*ckoff powerful their guns are. There were very large constructs like from hellforged for example. Monolith formations seem to fill this role, especially the doomsday monolith.
Page 50

..a Harbinger of Awakening has but one goal - to journey the stars in search of tombs not yet risen and return them to life. Buried within the Harbinger's artificial cortex are all the encryptions and algorithims needed to make contact with a slumbering tomb and bring it to ghastly life once again...

A possible indicator that the Necrons do represent a potentially great, long-term threat.. they're attmepting to re-unite and link up the disparate fragments of their forces on various tomb worlds. How well this will owrk we dont know.

Page 51

A Necron Assault is often heralded by unnatural and violent storms that cast an impenetrable pall of darkness and disrupt communications for many leagues.
..
Where the Harbinger of the Storms [Necron Lord] walks, comm-nets fail, locator beacons fall silent and teleport homers cease to function.
..
At the slightest gesture from the harbinger of the Storm, lightning arcs across the sky, shattering war engines and slaughtering infantry with malignn precision.
...
Dozens of phase-shifting Wraiths prowl the billowing storm, drnking in its energy...

a rather ominous but useful tactic for the Necrons to employ, especially in psychological terms since they apparently have conscious control of lightning strikes. Also the Wraiths can absorb energy from said storm, suggesting an interesting capability (defensive and power transfer/storage) for at least some forms of 'Crons.

Page 53

There are 64 Towers of Skulls, each one named for an aspect of Khorne's beloved bloodletting.
..
It takes slaughter on a truly cataclysmic scale to draw a Tower of Skulls forth into the mortal world.
...
Every soul claimed by the Tower of Skulls infuses it with unholy power, allowing it to reknit even the most catastrophic damage.

I'm pretty sure there can be more than 64 kinds of Bloodletting, but 64 (8x8, and 8 being a important number to Chaos) makes sense.. and I guess Khorne hates some kinds of bloodletting (or is indifferent to them.) Gotta love special daemon siege weaponry thingies though.
Otherwise, it's basically part tank (with cannon) and crazy sh*t - typical chaos machinery.

Page 54

Overseen by Nurgle's acolyte,s thousands of corrupted slaves toil to build the awesome machines of destruction..
..
When a grotesque Plague Tower is complete, the Chaos acolyte ssacrifice the slaves, their bound souls driving the engine onward with raw emotion.

...
..its layered armour allowed it to endure all but the heaveist enemy fire. Diseased followers of Nurgle lurk impatiently within the otwer.
..
Such an onsluaght is often led by a Greater Daemon of Nurgle - a Great Unclea One..

Inside the tower of course. It has demolisher cannons, a "pus" cannon (flamethrower only disease) and Plague mortar. One has to wonder what the fascination with towers is, though.

Page 59

Bristling with Warp-powered weapons and myriad daemonic armaments,a Cult of Destruction can level a hab-block or wipe out an entire regiment of infantry in the time it takes a platoon of Guardsmen to deploy.

3+ Obliterator units each with 3 Obliterators. Note the "warp powered" wepaons and the ability of fewer than a dozen Obliterators to "level" a hab block and obliterate thousands of troops in a very short period of time (Seconds or minutes maybe?)

PAge 61

In a coordinated assault on reality, their great will can tear a breach in the barrier between the worlds. This breach is held open by one of the Mightiest Daemons of each of the Four, each of whom acts as a focal point of this four-sided arcane shape - a Tetragon of Darkness.

In other words if the Chaos Gods really rtry very hard, they can (briefly) overcome whatever resistance opposes them and force an invasion, although they need a high level daemon acting as an avatar/focal point (and thus a potential "weak point", although weak is relative in this case.)

Page 62

..Keepers of the Forge. These chosen Soul Grinders are gifted with powerful psychosonic devices...
...
The cacophonic blare of these supernatural instruments allows the Keepers to act as a focus, guiding the other Soul Grinders in the host through the currents of the Warp as they break into reality. The Guidance provided by the Keeper of the Forge makes the transition between the Immaterium and reality considerably easier. In turn, this allows the Host of the Daemon Forge to jump on their eneimes in the very same that moment they appear out of the ether.

DAemonic navigation of the warp.

PAge 63

Divided into eight maniples of eight warriors, these hand-picked Daemons are chosen from the Champions of the thousands of Bloodletter units that form the Legions of Khorne.

Again 8x8.
PAge 66

An orbiting spacecraft unleashes a deadly lance strike against a super-heavy vehicle. However, at such great range, it is hard for the spacecraft to differentiate between friendly and enemy super-heavy vehicles.

Orbital weapons can target super-heavies, although I guess they don't usually carry transponder beacons to allow target identification

Page 67

Many Imperial Guard footsloggers are taught that the fastest way to the front is often on the back of a passing tank. Though sometimes risky, it's often better than nothing.

Sadly this doesnt seem to get used very often, despite it being "taught' (ofifically or unofficially) - This would have been quite useful at Taros for speeding up the assault of the Tallarn, for example.

Page 68

At a barked command from the Warboss, orbiting Ork ships use their repulsor beams to launch space debris into the swirling battle below.

Ork orbitla bombardment!

Page 68

Darkstar warhead: The neutron pulses from this warhead destroy biological matter whilst leaving materiel unharmed. It is an ideal weapon for use when a planet's resources are of great use to the Greater Good, but the population will not submit.

Hey the Tau won't mind using neutron weapons "for the greater good" - I guess even they can get tired of flashbanging stuff to death (figuratively speaking.) Practical, yet ruthless.

Page 68

The Icefire Warhead is deployed from an orbiting Tau vessel, landing in the midst of the enemy and disabling his technology with crippling electromagnetic pulses.

non nuclear EMP I guess. Just an oversized haywire grenade.

Page 68

Above the battlefield circle scores of remote drones, each feeding targeting information to the Tau forces below.

Tau orbital/aerial recon.. its not unheard of for others (like the Imperium) to have similar, although the Imperium version may involve skulls naturally

Page 69

Your enemies deploy, only to find they face nothing more than thin-air and shimmering lights. Your holographic decoys vanish, leaving the foe confounded and his flanks exposed.

Holographic trickery. It doesnt seem specific to any particular race that I recall (too lazy to check), although it seems something the Eldar (or maybe the tau) are more likely to ues. The Imperium might, but it odesnt seem very Orky (for example).

Page 69

Orbiting in their sleek starships, groups of Eldar seers can combine their psychic pwoers to unleash a cataclysmic storm of energy on a planet's surface, tearing enemy troops and battle tanks asunder.

The Eldar are so badass their seers form their primary means of orbital bombardment! Doing that kind of damage psychically, from hundreds if not thousands of kilometres away... is... scary.

Page 69

In the early stages of a Tyranid invasion, great clouds of microscopic spores are released into a planet's atmosphere from spore chimneys, causing the air itself to thicken into a choking fog.

More on the effective means of tyranid biowarefare tactics during invasion -turning an ecosystem and atmosphere against the defenders.

Page 69

The Tyranid invasion has reached its final stage as the world itself begins to turn against its inhabitants. GReat lakes of digestive acid open up in the ground, ravenous platn life sprouts and the very earth is infested with Tyranid organisms.

Yet again, Tyranid invasion can be so effective they'll turn a planet on itself.

Page 70

There is no technology in the galaxy that the Necrons cannot twist to their own ends. No defnece that can forever thwart their influence.

Master Hackers, I guess. Given what they can do to time and space as a rule.. not surprising is it?

Page70

Necrons reclaim any and all materiel that can be transfigured into useful forms. Given the proper tools and programming, some Necron squads can effect substantial repairs amid the fury of battle.

Necron version of Tyranoforming I suppose. A rather formidable capability though. Moreso because it doesnt seem to rely on organic mateiral,

Page 70

Billions of nano-scarabs swarm across the battlefield. The chittering mass flows oer disabled Necrons, reknitting and repairing their sundered forms.

Possible Necron nanotech weaponry used in combat. Not fun.

Page 71

A cabal of sorcerers has laboured for a thousand years culminating in a dark ritual that has bound a powerful daemonic entity within the confines of a single bolt-shell.

..
Upon the Daemon's release, the full power of the Warp is unleashed and the target is utterly annihilated.

Ben Counter novels devised some means of mass producing these, although we've seen them in abnett novels too (Ravenor)

Page 71

The bitter Chaos renegades have fought their way to their objective not to capture it, but to defile and destroy it. either a coating of virulent pus, inscribed runes that burn the soul, explosive melta-charges or some other method has rendered the location strategically useless to either side.

Chaos goals/motivations in warfare.

Page 76

An Ork fleet of hitherto unseen size had materialised within the system.
One by one, communications were lost with the outlying fleets and the orbital fortresses. Within days the alarm klaxons blareda cross the hives of Jorun's World as the first Roks burned contrials through the lower atmosphere.

An Ork invasion fleet (including roks) apparently took "days" to cross the system and invade.

Page 78

..the Traktor beam locked onto one of the hive's massive spires.
..
Down on the planet a mile-wide section of tower shuddered, as a main spire twisted to free itself form its mighty housings...

"mile wide" hive spire, and one f*cked over by a tractor beam.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

And second update: Imperial Armour apocalypse. I think after I do two more of these updates I can let this one rest for awhile. I'm kinda debating whether or not to do 1st edition Rogue Trader for sh*ts and giggles, and this would be a good place for it, but I'm still thinking it over. Thoughts?

Anyhow, single post update for IA apocalypse. Next time, IA Apocalypse 2 and IA Apocalypse 2nd ed.

Page 6

Armed with a massive volcano cannon, a large laser powered by the tank's internal capacitors, and equipped with advanced logis engines and targeting systems, the Shadowsword is a dedicated titan-hunter. Its single massive weapon is capable of tearing off a Titan's arm or leg, although a single shot will drian the capacitors w hich will then require time to recharge.

When deployed, the Shadowsword usually operates with lighter Imperial Guard vehicles or tanks, as it needs these vehicles assistance, firstly to protect it from enemy assaults, and secondly to initiate an attack on a Titan. The first attackers will attempt to strip a Titan's void shields with massed firepower before the Shadowsword takes aim to deliver the killing blow.

Shadowswords carry their own computers and targegint systems. The firepower of the volcano cannon can amputate a titan's limbs. Context implies it relies on other vehicles to deprive it of shields, although in practice other sources have implied that you need improbably huge numbers of such (regiments of tanks) to achieve it.

Page 6

Primary sensors and targeters

Like I said, superheavies with targeting systems and sensors.

Page 7

The siege gun fires huge rocket-propelled shells, each weighing in excess of 180 kg with enough explosive power to flatten a building in a single shot.

superheavy, rocket assisted shells. They almost have to be guided to have any accuracy (real life ones are)

Page 8

Not every forge world has access to the STC technology required to manufacture true Shadoswords, but still seek to produce tanks that fufil the same role. First developed on Ryza, famous for its superior plasma technology, and now produced on other forge worlds as well.

"Counterfeit" Shadowswords, I guess

Page 8 - its mentioned that the Stormblade lacks the Shadowsword's "advanced tageters" but it still does have targeters shown on the picture.

Page 9

The Manticore is a mobiel multiple rocket launcher built on a Chimera chassis. It can fire a variety of rockets, ,each a sophisticated piece of equipment utilising audio modulated radar control systems, gyroscopic roll stabilisation and radar tracking.

The diagram also notes a "tracking array" on the turret for the rocekts. Manticores are pretty neta all told, which is why of course they are "rare and precious" for the poor IG.

Page 9

One variant weapons load is ot arm a Manticore for anti-aircraft defence with high-altitude ground-to-air missiles.

Not surprising. I wonder if it has range and airspeed comparable to the ground assault mode.

Page 10

As a specialised vehicle, the Gorgon is only deployed for carefully selected missions, such as to force the first breach in a heavily fortified enemy defensive position, they are not routinely deployed for frontline operations.

IT also carries, as we see in IA5-7, 50 men.

Page 11

Macharius is one of a variety of super heavy tank referred to as "second generation" baneblades. Built by forge worlds that do not possess the STC data to build Baneblades, the Macharius fufills the same battlefield role as the Baneblade, but lacks most of its advanced features, engine
performance, and armour bracing. First developed by Magos Nalax of Lucius Forge world...

This isn't, I think, the "counterfeit banebaldes" mentioned in IA1, but I suspect that bit got dropped as an idea later on and they went with the Macharius because it woudl allow them to sell more models and variants. It's basically a "cheap, mass produced" superheavy with none of the advnatages and many of the flaws (like engine speed) and its only saving grace is relative ease of building and that its cheaper than a true superheavy.

Page 12

One of Magos Nalax's Macharius variants replaces the battle cannons iwth powerful Vanquisher cannons. These weapons, although harder to manufacture and never available in great numbers, fires a very high velocity anti-tank shell that can penetrate the thickest armour with devastating results.

You have to love this. Vanquishers are supposed to be rare enough that they cna only make them in limited numbers, yet they can build superheavy tanks that can mount two of the f*cking guns, when for that same tank you could have built TWO Vanquishers. Hooray for forgeworld logic (Both In universe and out).

PAge 13

This multiple-barrelled gatling autocannon fires housands of rounds per minute, in a destructive torrent..

Vulcan Mega-bolters mounted on a MAcharius hull. Because sometimes you can't fire off enough bolter rounds in a hanful of seconds.

PAge 14

The Malcador is an ancient tank design, perhaps even older than the Leman Russ, but today it is not widely used..
...

There are very few Malcador tanks still operating with the Imperial Guard, and ery few are built, with production almost entirely turned over to the Leman Russ and its variants.
..
Some militia units, planetary defence forces or other 'second line' forces do still operate the Malcador.

BUTBUTBUT I thought older was ALWAYS better! What about Grand cruisers, and the like!

PAge 15

As a tank hunter the Malcador is far too large and too slow. The Malcador's main draw back is its highly unreliable engine, which is prone to overheating and lacks the consistent performance of the Leman Russ.

Again OLDER IS BETTER! DO NOT QUESTION THE OMNISSIAH!

Page 19

Whilst the Basilisk is the workhorse of the Imperial Guard artillery regiments, these are augmented by Griffon heavy mortar carriers and short ranged but powerful Medusa Siege Guns. Not all of these weapons are self-propelled guns, many companies field static versions of these weapons, on large platforms towed into position by Trojans.

I like the Griffons myself.

Page 20

The Bombard fires a huge shell in a high arc, to plunge down inside enemy walls or onto trenches, whilst the Manticore fires large, guided missiles.

Heavy Artillery.

Page 21

Field artillery companies have gradually fallen out of favour with Imperial Guard commanders, who prefer the destruction of heavy weapons, and owed arillery is generally seen as too slow, with most preferring self-propelled guns. As a result most field artillery companies have been relegated to second line use, by planetary defence forces and militias, or to siege regiments.

"second line units" and "siege regiments" suggest that there are lower tier guard units (unsurprisingly.) There are also a difference between PDF (professional planetary military units) and "militias" (conscripts or volunteers I'd guess.. second or third tier military troops) Also note that, despite beign depicted as being some WW1esque static trench warfare force, they actually favor the more mobile form of firepower (even if it is still slow - i t can f*cking move.)

Page 22

Some Imperial Guard regiments are designated as drop troops, trained and equipped for mobile airborne operations. These tend to be lightly equipped units, lacking the usual heavy weapons and tanks, instead relying on Valkyrie airborne assualt carriers for rapid movement and Vulture gunships for heavy fire support.

Of course in recent times various fluff has given way to Valkyrie variants that can carry some vehicles (including some small.light tanks.) IT seems likely that some light chimera variants (Based on Trojans) or Centaurs could probably be carried or deplyoed. Give them lascannons and multimeltas, or plasma cannons and they'd be good anti-tank units.

PAge 23

The Death Korps of Krieg's cavalry are called Death Riders, and they ride a genetically altered horse, grown in vats on Krieg.

Vat grown, genetically engineered horses. Probably not much different from the troopers themselves.

Page 26

The machine spirit of each drop pod controls the vehicle's descent, guiding it to its target coordinates and relaying telemetry information to its mother ship.

Drop pods have machine spirits and relay information back and forth between the pod and the ship

Page 29

Once penetrated, the heavy flamer can unleash a torrent of flaming promethium through the hole to incinerate those inside.

heavy flamer "incinerates"

PAge

The Damocles is the Rhino command vehicle, equipped with sophsiticated communications and tracking equipment, helpign to direct a Space Marine strike force and acting as the main comms-link between orbitring strike cruisers, Thunderhawk gunships, commanders and their units on the ground.

...

This includes secure multi-band communications for co-ordinating Space Marine operations with other Imperial forcees, mutli-spectral ground surveillance auspex ,squad and vehicle tracking, teleport homer beacon, transmission monitor and decryptions for breaking enemy codes and bio status read-outs relayed from Space Marines' powered armour.

Has an orbitla uplink and ground surveillance auspex. Useful abilities.

Page 32

The Space Marine are equipped with a variety of remotely activated weaponry which can help alleviate these problems.
..
These weapons are dropped into place by Thunderhawks, and activated by the Chapter's Techmarines. The weapon's status can be monitored from command vehicles.

Tarantulas, as well as (nowadays) Thunderfire guns

PAge 39 - Valkyrie's nose has a "weapons sensor array"

Page 41

The Arvus is a small utility cargo shuttle, used by ships of the Imperial Navy for transferring supplies or small units of personnel from ship to ship or ship to planet.
..
..is jusst one of a wide vareity of shuttles, lighters, brigs, dories and pinnaces employed by the Imperial Navy..
...
.. the Arvus can stand in as an assault boat, it can transport a squad of infantry or s amll boarding party.

Cargo carrier that can double as drop ship.

Page 45

A gun wagon is a half-tracked weapons carrier, mounting a heavy weapon and carrying a Boyz mob...
..
..
Also called 'eavy Trukks..

Ork variant vehicle.

Page 46

Battle Wagon is a generic term covering many varieties of larger ork armoured vehicles and tanks. The Orks themselves do not differentiate between types, to them any large armoured vehicle is a Battle Wagon, be it tracked, half-tracked, or wheeled.

Each Battle Wagon, designed and built by a Mek, will evolve over time. The owner will continue to add new armour plates and extra weapons, increase its engine power and add more and more 'gubbinz' until a Battle Wagon grows large enough to become a Battle Fortress.

This hints that despite established "stats", Ork vehicles could vary greatly in performance, including speed.

Page 47

Large battle wagons are referred to as Battle Fortresses.
...
Liek all Ork vehicles there is little stnadaridsation...
...
Many seem similar because the Mekboys seem to work to the same basic, instinctive designs, but occasionally a Mekboy will come along with radical new ideas.

Ork technological progress.

Page 48

The Fighta's powerful engine is crude but remarkably effective, producing a huge amount of thrust (and often an alarming trail of black smoke). Flying in a straight line, a fighta is easily a match for any Imperial fighter.

Which goes to show Ork tech can be undereestimated.

Page 49

Orks use all kinds of captured nad recovered vehicles, either looted frfom battlefields or buitl in Ork controlled Imperial factories. These vehicles will have anything "un-Orky" removed, such as weapons, radios, sensors, targeters, etc. and replaced with Ork equivalents. Gradually Ork Meks will add more modifications, extra armour and weapons until the vehicle no longer resembles the original, but becomes a new battlewagon.

Again Orks co-opt and utilize their enemies equipment and factories ot supplement their own sh*t. Ork-buitl stuff is generlaly more unique/speicalized/customized (kustomized?)

PAge 52

Grot Bomms are Ork guided missiles. They are not guided by targeters or machine-spirits, but by a single gretchin pilot.

Self explanatory. Note the distinction between self guided and targeter guided (the latter some form of laser guidance maybe?)

Page 54

- eldar Firestorm grav tank has "tageting sensors" as well as "aximetric stabilisation" sensors (keep the ship upright in flight) Also atmoshepric combustable intake (runs on combustion?) - then again they od have thrusters.

Page 55

Protected by a holo-field and armed with two Pulsars, using similar technology to that of a Brightlancec but four or five times the size...

Scorpion Grav tank. BAsically an Eldar superheavy. Has yaw boosters, the combustable intake, aximetric stabilisation sensor, etc. and seems to follow the Macharius design philosophy of gun mounting.

Page 56

This [D-cannon on Cobra][ is a weapon capable of tearing a hole through time and space, and allowing the Immaterium to flood into them aterial plane with terrible destructive force. The Cobra's weapon is designed to destroy large war machines, whose protective force fields are little defence against the Dcannnon's heinous energies.

The cobra also has a "trans liquid power core" powering the D-cannon. Also a psycho conductor

Page 62

A full thousand Eldar Guardians gathered into what became known as the Sorrowful Bands fought a desperate rearguard action against the unliving metallic legions. Their lives bought Il-Kaithe's escape from teh clutches of the terrible foe..

This probably means the craftworld had fielded far more than a thousand Guardians, and the thousand died to let the bulk of the Eldar army escape. Not really surprising. considering the size of Craftworlds I've long ocme to suspect their populations should range at least into the tens if not hundreds of thousands, and losing a thousand guardians, while not exactly trivial, was not a crushing/crippling loss either.

Page 63

Not all of the Eldar race originate from the Craftworlds. After their race's downfall, the Eldar were scattered aross the galaxy, and many survived otuside of the Craftworlds, on isolated Exodite worlds or scattered in far-flung outposts. These have become the corsair bands, Eldar who have sh unned the restrictions of the Crafworld life to walk the dangerous "Path of the outcast"

Exodite worlds and non-craftworld outposts... these seem tob e the Corsairs.

Page 66

The Trygon also generates a strong bio-electric field or aura. Created by constnat micro-vibrations across the across the Trygon's body and chitinous armour, this energy can build up to dangerous levels for anybody too close, discharging in a sudden powerful arc. Whilst the field is building up, it creates a low frequency magnetic field around the creature, which will disrupt the energy of weapons used against it, acting like a protective shield.

Trygon "magnetic field" that just happens to deflect laser weapons. And alos can blast the sh*t out of others.

Page 67

It [Hierodule, Scythed] is armed with four huge razor sharp claws, each capable of slicing clean through a battle tank, and heavily protected by chitin plates, in places up to 30 cm thick. A Hierodule is far larger than a Carnifex..

foot thick armour.

Page 69

The Malanthrope's role seems to be to selectively collect and process genetic mateiral from fallen eneimes, before itself being reabsorbed along with the Ripper swarms into the Tyranid biomass. The biomass is then used to create more complex creatures.

'Nid equilvanet of scientists/engineers?

Page 70

These large spore sacks are full of bio-acid and toxins and contain smaller spores within them.
..
..
Meiotic Spores act much like a larger version of the common spore mine lcusters. Once their tendrils sense an enemy nearby they detonate, showering the area with razor-sharp chitin and bone shrapnel, toxic gases, and corrosive juices. Unlike other spore mines, Meiotic Spores also have gas-filled sacks, which allow them to rise high into the sky and drift on the winds, forming floating minefield.

The other spore mines carried in will mostly be desotryed by the destruction of the Meiotic Spore itself, but some will be flung cleaer and continue to drift searching for targets. Other odd forms of Nid artillery really.

Page 73

..the Hive Mind seeks to devour the world whole, stripping it of all life and other elements that could be of use to sait its endles hunger. An important part of this process is the infestation of feeder organsisms that prepare the way for this mass-consumption, subverting the planetary biosphere itself. Quickly after infection, barbed capillary towers will erupt from the dying earth and the fecund mass of spore chimneys will soon follow, belching lethal spores into the skies and further poisoning the air and land.

More on the Trano forming process and the biowarfare aspects of it.

PAge 76

The Manta is the Tau's super heavy drop ship. It is so large it is actually a small spacecraft.
...
Carrying a fearsome amount of firepower, protected by a powerful energy field and 16 drone controlled burst cannons facing in all directions, the Manta is the Tau's closest equivalent to the Imperium's Titans.

Mantas are small spacecraft and are shielded.

Page 77

The Orca is a dedicated orbital transport vhecile, a shuttle for moving troops, equipment and supplies from spaceships in orbit to a planet's surface.
..
An Orcas hiold can carry up to 55 Tau Fire Warriors and their equipment and drones, and provide command and control support from its command deck.

They aren't as a rule meant to deploy directly into combat though.

Page 77

Orca- Main thrusters, maximum speed 2,000 kph.)

Thruster top speedon the dropships.

Page 79

The Tiger Shark's main role appears to be the deployment of drones, although more recnetly those armed with multiple seeker missiels have also been encountered.

and yet they cna't self guide the missiles.. for some reason. AT least not without mounting markerlights of their own.

Page 80 - Tau DX4 technical drone.. carries repair and sensor equipment. Other drones can carry shield generators, weaponry, comms equipment and markerlights,

PAge 81

The Remora is a small drone fighter. Packed with advanced Tau technology, it is a stealth aircraft, flying in support of Pathfinder and Stealthsuit teams, armed with burst cannons for aerial combat and two seeker missiles for ground attack.

The Remora has a short range and is carried into battle underneath a modified Tiger Shark mothership (or in the back of a Manta) which controls data to the drone.

Unmanned fighters.

Page 83

To this end, one of hte most widely found examples of Tau formations composed purely of drone systems is in the role of perimeter defence. These detachments are networked togehter to increase their efficiency and utilise a variety of systems from the more common mobile g un drones to static emplacements of sentry and sensor towers to provide for flexibility, firepower, and tireless vigilance.

These perimeter defence detachments can serve a variety of specific tasks in their deployment, ranging from protection of strategic assets to providing defence in depth to a Tau front line.

Examples of tau compute rtech and networking.. rather useful to have drones work like that I think.

Page 88

"Our weapons were useless; they just kept coming through bolt shell, blade and spell, even the daemons we summoned were cut down by their killing light!"

Necron gauss weaponry seems to be effective against daemons.

Page 89

Utilising the Necron's unmatched mastery of space-time manipulation and inter-dimensional physics (laws of the universe that Mankind is still wholly ignorant of) , the Gauss Pylons can be carefully positioend within the four dimesnional universe and become interconnected, much like the Monolith Phalanx. The Gauss Pylons then generate a shimmering nodal grid, by emitting a frequency waveform that distorts space-time making the necrons within all but impossible to destroy.

An indicator of how poweful and badass Necron technology is. I'd debate 'ignorant' of, since the AdMech in Hamme rand Anvil show quite a bit of understanding of it (and not the first time such is implied, either.) Although having them understand it doesnt mean they don't keep it from the rest of humanity - which they almost certainly do.

Page 104

They [Hell Blades] are flown with reckless abandon by corrupted servitors hardwired into the co*ckpit.

Pilot servitors. I'd imagine the Imperium could do this too, since they have pilot servitors. Some of the BL novels (like Eisenhorn, rAvenor, etc.) Imply it anyhow.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

Connor MacLeod wrote:

When hitting a non-flyer vehicle, flyers always attack the target's side armour, ,regardless of the relative positions (representing hits against the top armour of the taget.)

I guess this means the top armor of vehicles is as well protected as the side armor - which means the top is better protected than the rear.

I wouldn't read much into this, since it's pure game balance. Aircraft (and barrage weapons) hit side armor because hitting rear armor would make it far too easy for them to kill tanks. Likewise for the ridiculously low strength of the anti-tank missiles aircraft carry, even though a hellstrike missile is significantly larger than the more powerful (rules-wise) shells fired by most tanks. In the interest of having Apocalypse games be more than a contest to see who can bring the most aircraft, flyers have been greatly reduced in effectiveness from what would be reasonable from a fluff perspective.

Faster [Barracuda] than the Imperial Navy's Marauder bomber, but lacking the flat-out top speed of the Imperial Thunderbolt Interceptor, it makes up for this due to its sophisticated electronic systems...

And the innately superior pilot, although Navy pilots tend to have more experience, as Taros proves. So, it all balances out. Although I'd like them to try to deal with a Fury.

The problem here is the (common?) confusion about just how big these fighters are. The model for the Barracuda is about the size of a Thunderbolt, and the Apocalypse rules fit this, but the Tau BFG rules have Barracudas as the standard fighter (equivalent to the Fury in every way). So according to at least one source, they'd deal with a Fury just fine.

Burst cannons: 8000 rounds held in central hopper.

Funny that their burst cannons have more ammo than Imperial fighters by over an order of magnitude.

Probably because the burst cannons are a much smaller weapon. The fixed-mount ion cannon is the Barracuda's primary weapon, burst cannons are the small four-barrel turret guns mounted on the wings. I've got the model for both, and the burst cannons are about 1/4 the diameter of the Thunderbolt's autocannons. Even ignoring the (assumed) rate of fire difference, you'd expect the burst cannons to fit a lot more ammo into the same amount of space.

Last update IA apocalypse 2 and IA 2nd edition (2011 one, so we're not confused.) Basically just extra stuff and nothing special. First IA2 then 2nd edition in separate updates. Then I'm done with this and can probably ignore it for a good long while.

Page 6

A variant of the stnadad Leman Russ tank currently more commonly seen in armoured companies than normal line regiments, the Leman Russ Annihilator exchanges its standard battle cannon armament with a twin-lascannon. This shift in firepower makes the Leman Russ a very able tank-destroyer, although it is not as highly regarded in this fashion as the powerful Leman Russ Vanquisher. However, given the relatively straightforward nature of its armament as opposed to the increasingly rare technology required to create and maintain the Vanquisher cannon..

They mention it as common in Krieg and Tekarn armoured regiments. IT can have a lascannon in the front as well (three!) as well as sponson multi-meltas or plasma cannon. All in all there can't really be a downside to using lascannons as an anti-tank weapon for the Imperium.

Page 7

The Manticore's sophisticated and often temperamental systems, including rader-guided targeting augers, predictive logic-engines and gyroscopic stabilizers are difficult to manufacture and make the Manticore lessc commonly seen than many other forms of Imperial ordnance. Demand for freshly built units from the Departmento Munitorum always outstrips supply...

the usual Manticore fluff.. sophisitcated = bad and rare for the IG. Sigh.
Page 7

(Sky Eagle rocket): Heat seeker: These rockets are fitted with heat seeking warheads to target power signatures and engine exhaust..

The anti-air Manticore mode is heat seeking.

Page 8

Far greater both in terms of firepower and durability than the ubiquitous Basilisk that may well have s uperseded it in Imperial service, its systems are complex and there are few forge worlds that remain which are capable of constructing this venerable design.

The Minotaur. Its just a super heavy artillery platform with two Earthshaker cannon. Other than its ability to back in its overrated if you ask me. according ot the rules it also cannot be used for direct fire.
Also, while I'm sure the armor protection helps.. the point of artillery is that it can blast the enemy from a great long ways off.. so the enemy can't get close enough to harm you. ARmor is pretty much a secondary concern (otherwise it would bea freaking tank.) Like the Destroyer Tank Hunte rand the Valdor... i find its value/importance overrated compared to more interesting (and practical) designs like the Vanquisher or Annihilators.

Page 9

..the Valdor is armed with a compact neutron laser projector...
....
..
The Neutron laser system and the Atomantic arc-reactors that power it consume much of the vehicle's interior space, and the relative lack of reactor shielding within can prove hazardous both to the crewthat operates the machine and disastrous should enemy fire rupture its containment vessels. Another danger of the neutron beam is that if it fails to transfer its energy discharge entirely to its target, dangerous feedback damage can occur to the cannon itself.
..
The Neutron laser pulse overwhelms a target vehicle's electronics and systems with a storm of electromagnetic radiation.

Another overrated vehicle based on that Macharius hull... PARTICLE BEAMS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY. so yeah, magic.
The EM radiation bit is interesting,a s its designed to disrupt (Temporarily) any vehicle, suggesting fairly significant electrical systems even in IG tanks. I wonder if they ever mae a capital ship versoion of this weapon?

PAge 11

Confronted by a renegade forge world and its associated Titan Legions.. the Odana battle zone commanders were criyng out for Shadowswords and other Titan-hunting vehicles..
..
..only the retrofitting of Banehammer tanks, exchanging tremor cannons for magam cannons, allowed the Imperium to maintain the war effort. A Doomhammer's magma cannon is closely modeled on the Volcano cannon employed by the Famous Shadowsword design. Whilst it has a reduced range and area of effect when compared to its larger cousin, the magma cannon is still able to marshal a Titan-killing blast of epic proportions. At the same time, the space saved due to the smaller number of capacitors accords the Doomhammer a modest transport capacity..

Yet another shadowsword variant.

Page 12

The stormlord's primary combat role is that of close support to infantry assault waves. As a result, Stormlord tanks are a rare sight in most Imperial armies...
....
..the Stormlord's devastating close range firepower and vast transport capacity makes it highly sought after by the more mobile Imperial Guard regiments, such as those raised on Catachan, Tallarn, and Tingoya. Not onyl can the Stormlord's embarked Imperial Guard squads traverse the battle zone in relative safety..

carries a vulcan mega bolter, twin linked heavy bolters, and possibly lascannon (or additional twin linked heavy bolters.) They make a heavily armed, superheavy transport.. but then never bother to use it. FORGE WORLD LOGIC!
Page 13

The Banesword is an adaptation of the venerated Shadowsword design, exchanging the Titan-killing Volcano cannon for the fortress pounding fury of the Quake cannon...

Basically an artillery/siege tank for bombardment purposes. Super heavy artillery. For such rare vehiles there sure are a f*ck ton of superheavy variations.

Page 14

Although most Imperial Guard forces rely on mobile ordnance vehicles such as the Basilisk and Griffon, the backbone of specialised siege regiments has alwys been the 'big guns'.

You know, trench warfare type towed guns in static positions. The stuff the Guard is supposed to be modeled on. Except that they use "mobile" artillery. This is why Forge World annoys me, on one hand they keep pushing the RAR GRIMDARK ATTRITION TRENCHWARFARE GRIMDARK type idea of the Guard, yet they introduce other aspects like this as not exactly being rare.
I always love that dichotomy.

Page 15

The Trojan support vehicle is an invaluable workhorse of the Imperial Guard, produced on hundreds of worlds for use in coutnless warzones. Primarily a towing tractor and munitions supply vehicle, the Trojan uses the same basic chassis and engine as the Chimera which is both extremely reliable, quick to manufacture and means the Trojan can share spares with the Chimera.

And yet.. Chimeras are RARE RARE RARE. This is despite the fact the Torjan is common as dirt and often can be pressed into other roles (even if it doesnt ideally suit those roles.) GAH more IG schizophrenia. I can understand that a properly-built, properly armoured IFV/APC Chimera type is harder and thus rarer to build, but the hull itself does not seem to be, so outfitting the IG troops with transport, evne a crappily armoured one, should not be beyond them.

Page 16

The Hades Breaching Drill is a powerufl industrial machine pressed into military service. Its forward mounted rotary power-cutters and cyclic melta-blasters are capable of grinding and blasting almost any mateiral in its path to rubble and molten slag..
...
Technologically the HAdes uses a rather crude 'brute force' method of tunnelling, rather than the more sophisticated phase field generator technology employed by the 'Termite' underground transproters used by the Mechanicus.

You know, I thought the damn breaching drill was alot bigger than its model looks. I'll have to go back and look at the stats sometime.

Page 17

The Imperium spans much of the galaxy, and at any one time it is fighting scores of major conflicts which engulf whole star systems and even entire sectors in war.. as well as countless minor defensive actions, civil suppressiona dn bloody pogroms against heresy.

"scores" of conflicts of the system or sector scale. Not really "galaxy at war" scale stuff, you know? Given thousands of sectors we're still talking less than 5-10% of the galaxy at war at any given time, at BEST. AT least, any serious war. There's the countless ort of relatively minor stuff that goes on as routine (which in my mind is the galactic equivalent of the conflicts you get going on in other countries like the middle east.. although how accurate that is i dunno.)

Page 17

..the Adpeuts Mechanicus and the Departmento Munitorum release specialised equipment for use by Imperial forces. Commonly this includes tunnelling devices such as the HAdes Breaching Drill and the rare and powerful Coronides PAttenr Chthonic-Leviathan, as well as specialised survival gear without which no hope of victory would be possible.

Not sure what the Cthhonic Leviathan is - some sort of super rare superheavy tunnelling device of some kind I expect. Specialized survival gear is equally vague, although if we go by osme sources like the uplifting primer it would include such things as night vision goggles.

Page 17

..the savage sixty-year exterminatus campaign against the cannibalistic subhuman population of the once loyal world of Adivun Prime..

Krieg forces again. So you know its grimdark even without the exterminatus. This is also prboably the first time Exterminatus was carried out by ground forces. Maybe they started implanting nuclear suicide charges in Krieg troops? Probably not since tha twould make it impossible to recover their gear.

Page 18

Imperial support weapons platforms are usually deployed as static defences...
...
The most common armaments for these platforms are either Hydra autocannon or Manitcore missile launcher systems.
...
..the Manticore launcher armed platforms are often used offensively from forward positions to provide massive long-range firepower for any besieging attacker. In this role they are able to shower heavy ordnance against a target with great speed, saturating fire zones, collapsing void shields and shattering armoured structures.

In another nod to 40k "logic" the "common" armaments of the static platforms are virutally identical to those mounted on their mobile Chimera-based counterparts (including the "rare" tracking systems). I guess the rearlly rare part must be the components needed to rig them to the chimera hulls (or just the Chimera hulls themselves.. were it not for Trojans that is.)
And yes, that was sarcasm.

Page 19

Sentry guns are light automated weapons systems controlled by machine spirit auguers, small enough to be transported into action by regular troop transports. Used in a variety of roles, sentry guns (sometimes referred to as 'tarantulas' by the Imperial Guard) are often placed to cover the approaches of key battlefield positions...

...
limited in action somewhat by their basic logic engines..

They have sensors, and automation, but aren't exactly rare either.

Page 22

..there are times when even they find themselves overwhelmed by a more numerous enemy or cut off from reinforcements. In such engegaments automated sentry gun detachments can provide invaluable additional firepower for drop regiments, hold vital strategic areas while larger forces are redeployed elsewhere or defend a line of retreat with the minimum expenditure of lives and materiel.

HAH! what happened to all those boasts of "limitless manpower" and "winning through attirtion" and "technology is more important than human life, even if its just a freaking lasgun."?
Propoganda, they name is 40K.

Page 24

Built in large numbers on the forge world of Voss and at other strategic locations, new Vultures are always in high demand by Naval support squadrons in the Imperium's countless warzones.

- Vulture gunships seem to have suspensor vanes. I guess this means they do have anti-grav of some sort? I mean that's kind of a likelihood given the shape, but they never ever hinted at it before.
This probably means Valkyries are some variant of anti-grav vehicle. Which in turn also means "grav vehicles" do exist for the guard. BRING OJN THE HOEVERTANKS!
Anyhow: So why no land raiders? Its not as if the Vulture or Valkyrie are inhenretly inferior.
Page 25

Skystrike missile: Heat Seeker: These missiles are fitted iwth heat seeking warheads to target power signaturesand engine exhaust..

Lightning fighters can carry air to air missiles now I guess, thanks to aeronautica Imperialis. and they'r heat seekres so I guess they'd be akin to sidewinders
Oh, and the two headlike light thingies in front are labeled "parallax tracking augers"

Page 28

..use of automated weaposns systems mounted within a drop pod's confines...
...
The Deathstorm pattern in particular uses rapid-firing whirlwind missile launchers or assault cannon...
...
The Machine-spirit targeted weapons of the deathstorm will continue to sweep the landing zone and provide fire support, although at much reduced firepower, the bulk of their ammunition already expended on their arrival.

Deathstorm pods.

Page 33

Such is the sophistication of the Prometheus' systems that few Space Marine chapters can maintain more than a handful fo these war machines, and fewer yet can produce their own.

aat least a "few" land raiders of this variant.. must hav emany more of other and the standard type.

Page 37

The most singular and potent of these are the Titan Legions whose colossal engines of war tower over the battlefield and can lay waste to whole worlds.

Titans "lay waste to worlds" now! although not all at once of course!

Page 38

The Reaver carries three weapons mounts: its single carapace weapon is the equivalent of a smallerWarhound-sized weapon but may also carry an Apocalypse missile launcher, while itsarm mounts can carry even alrger, Battle Titan weapons capable of slaughtering entire regiments in a storm of fire.
...
Only another war machine of similar power or heavily massed armour has any hope of defeating a Reaver titan in the field..

They can use vortex missiles. Note the regiment slaughtering firepower.

Page 40

At the tank's core sacred unguents and micro-etched runes of warding are incorporated into its structure to proof the vehicle against spiritual contamination, while its armament is further agumented for use against the daemon..

Flamestorm cannons with blessed promehtium, psycannon with a 'servo skull slaved targeter', and psyk out grenade assault launchers. Oh and a bow mounted scripture book. Can't forget that. Lots of psychic protection. Even the machine spirit needs protection from possession (Yes they can possess computers, at least of certain type.)

Page 41

..the Sororitas rely on their arcane Exorcist tanks to deal with such resilient targets, often combining them on the battlefield in a 'chorus of faith' whose massed firepower can obliterate even a scout Titan in a hail of melta missiles.

That would be impressive if we knew how many tanks or melta missiles. Probably less than thousands.. or not much more than a few hundred.

Page 46

For some meks without the parts and watzits to build lots of fully-fledged Battlewagons, the answer is to build Big Trakks. These are basically up-armoured trukk chassis or rigs scaveneged from battlefield wrecks and fitted out with bigger, (and, more importantly) louder engines and heavy gauge tank treads able to cope with the roughest terrain. What they lack in speed over trukks, big trakks make up for in raw power...
...
Some meks even go so far as to mount huge bore 'Supa-Kannon' on big trakks despite the fact these weapons are almost the size of the vehicle itself! This howver is much to the Orks' amusem*nt as a Supa-Kannon armed Big Trakk rears up like an enraged tusker from teh recoil every time its fired.

It's also listed as being equipped with a turbojet engine... The big zappa versions have an "atom smasher" in the back.. fission powered I'd guess?
Orky variants.

Page 48

Ork battle fortresses are huge armoured vehicles; monstrosities bristling with weapons and covered in armour plates, and these war machines are often large enough and mean enoguh to give any enemy short of a Scout Titan pause for thought in combat. Any Ork vehicle of suffiicent size will be called a battle fortress...
...
...there is very little standardisation to their shape, size or armament, although there is some rough distinction based on weapons fit such as the relatively small 'Goreburnas' to the huge heavy gun armed 'Skullhamma' battle fortresses.
..
..the 'Rokkitspitta' being little more than a massive tractor platform with dozens of warheads crammed dangerously on it like a fireworks display.
..
..being the products of whatever the builders had on hand or could scavenge from the battlefield, others are conglomerations of cut and shut salvaged tanks, and some are little more than dangerously overgrown battle wagons or purpose built..

Again Standardization is a faint consideration in the pursuit of Orky tech.

Page 50

... much of their mass is made up fo engines and drive mechanics which, while temperamental, can propel the tank far faster than an equivalent Imperial machine of its size.
...
A heavy bore, high velocity weapon capable of firing a variety of different shells, it has gained a well deserved reputation for making the Kill Krusha a highly dangerous and unpredictable opponent with the Imperium's own armoured regiments. AS wlel as standard explosive rounds known as 'boom shells' easily equal in power to an Imperial earthshaker shell, the Krusha Kannon can use armour-piercing 'Tankhammas' to blast apart enemy vehicles, shrapnel-filled 'Scrap Kanisters' able to rip through swathes of enemy infantry and incendiary 'blast Burnas' which can drench fortifications with burning chemicals..

A super heavy tank killer. It also has grot served "auto loader gubbinz" and the Ork equivalent of a Vanquisher.

Page 55

..the 'Death Web' is a deployment of Eldar Night Spinner grav-tanks able to co-ordinate their fire to create murderous, half-invisible clouds of monofilament wire that drift across the battlefield and can slice apart anything unfortunate enough to be caugh in their path. The effect of such attacks is almost as damaging by teror as a direct assault, as suddnely seeing their comrades falla part screaming into blodoy chunks due to no obvious cause...

Eldar artillery again.. mostly monofilament stuff.

Page 56

..they [Corsairs] sometimes use tools and weapons their more enlightened brethren have long since cast aside. One example of this is the use of what Imperial observers refer to as 'Nightfire' warheads by some Eldar Corsair raiding forces. These warheads release a volatile burning gas, purple-black in colouration, that coats and ripples along solid surfaces like a devouring liquid charring flesh to cinders in seconds and condemning those that it touches but does not kill outriht to a slow and agonising death.

It is not surprising that the Eldar have something that can cremate a person in horrible ways, yet look so.. bizarre.

Page 58

..battlesuit that has remained something of a controversy both among the more traditionalist Aun and elements of the Earth Caste. Though undoubtedly powerful, its armament is short ranged and the armour is more complex than any before it, requiring a veteran's skills to master in combat. The XV-9 itself requires a huge expenditure in resources to produce in useful numbers - resources some argue are better expended elsewhere on building numerous examples of more tested designs.
..
..mastered the use of XV-9s both in counter attacks and in holding up enemy advances so allowing the bulk of a Tau mobile cadre to repetedly redploy into superior firing positions.

Note that close combat oriented battlesuits are considered controversial and heretical. I guess the "dynamic" tau have their own conservative, stick in the mud factions too, and it pushes the limits of their engineering capabilities.

Page 58

The XV-9 is considerably larger battlesuit armour than its more commonplace counterparts, and built to the highest specification the Tau Empire can produce on a substantial scale. As well as greatly augmenting the warrior within, the armour's in-built systems feature a powerful compact energy source that enables it to mounte weapons of an unprecedented strength for its size based on experimental technology.

Another highly advanced batltesuit.

Page 59

The Destructor Phalanx is a Tau battle formation employed against very heavily defended positions and the most powerful enemy vehicles, and makes use of a special issue targeting matrix system controlled by a Crisis-suited Shas'el Commander.

They aren't very mobile and can be cut off or overwhelmed, but they're powerful enough to f*ck over a Baneblade. Basically one Crisis suit, and 2-4 three-Broadside units.
Page 64

..a possessed war machine forged and bound for the specific purpose of wreaking carnage..
...
Such is the unholy rage of the savage daemonic entities that empower them that their barbed shells must lie empty and dormant betwene battles, only to be brought into unholy life by murder-filled sacrificial rituals..

Its close combat weapons (at least some) are daemon possessed, others are power weapons.

Page 65

Bizarre and nightmarish fusions of machine and daemon insect, Blight Drones are hovering killers...

Cyborg bugs basically, with air turbines, guns, and sensors attached.

Page 66

Since his elevation to daemonhood, his tainted soul has fused with the dark essence of a Great Unclean One, and this former master spy and intriguer has become a reeking corpulent mass of flesh.

I guess its possible for some wapr souls/individuals to not only fuse with but to dominate a Daemon. Preusmably with the permission/blessing of the Chaos Gods.

Page 70

Within the forces of Chaos, battle titans such as the REaver are often ancient and irreplaceable relics of the Horus Heresy, the remnants of those traitor Titan Legions who sided with the renegade Warmaster during those dark times..
..
..while others salvaged from the battlefield as the spoils of war to the eternal shame of their former masters have been subjected to bloody rituals in order to consecreate them to the service of the Chaos Gods. Over time Chaos titans often become as much daemon as they are machine, their once living crews fused to the controls and their souls subsumed into the titan's tainted machien spirit..

Implied that Titans on the Chaos side must more often be stolen or salvaged or rebuilt/repaired rather than created from scratch.

Page 73

..there seem to be severla variants of the Brass Scorpion with earlier machines for the main displaying closer similariites in construction ot the Defiler...
...
...in some cases greatly increased size, rivalling in some cases that of a Scout-class Titan. Whether this develop ment indicates some deliberate progression of technology, the work of Dark Magos or simply the tenancy of Chaos to twist and change of its own accord remains unknown.

unsurprisingly Daemon engines can vary, even being pseudo titans.

Page 79

The sentinel world of Orask sits at the very edge of the Iquathan Deep sin the northern Ultima Segmentum, near the border of the feared area of void-space known as the Ghoul Stars. Orask is garrisoned not only by its own warlike people, a stoic breed who much like the peoples of Cadia or mordian have long become accustomed to war, but also by additional Guard regiments, and evne special detachments of the Adeptus Astartes and Titan Legions rotating through deployment there on a regular basis.
..
..and along with forces from Battlefleet Ultima, sally forth into the surrounding star systems should the need arise.

basically a fortress/garrison world holding a key route against invasion. They don't seem to be all that uncommon.
Page 90

Krieg, located on the north-western fringe of the Segmentum Tempestus was once a hive world of some thirteen billion souls reclaimed for the Emperor during the early days of the Imperium...

I dont remember if it really is there or not. Too lazy to check. It's got far more than thirteen billion now though.
Page 90

So it was he came to the fateful decision that the world of Krieg would belong to the Emperor or it would belong to no one... Within the walls of the besieged Hive Ferrograde the defenders secretly laboured on a dire plan and with feverish pace addiitonal shelters and miles of new underground bunkers and storehouses were being constructed deep in the Hive's ancient roots, while under the direction of loyalist Mechanicus Adepts, hundreds of fission charges and atomic shells were being prepared. Normally forbidden except in the most extrem circ*mstances, such atomic weapons are seldom used by the forces of the Imperium because of their capacity to render the worlds fought over uninhabitable for generations....
...
Scores of long range rockets roared forth and within seconds of their launch, Ferrograd's macor-cannon batteries thundered volley after volley of atomic shells agains their besiegers, bringing down a raging nuclear storm around the city itself, surrounding it in a sea of fire. At first paralysed iwth shock as they watched their own forces incinerated, the secessionist Autocrats quickly primed their own cities defences to intercept the incoming rockets, only to look on in horror at their augers as the rockets arced high into the planet's stratosphere, there warheads packed with tons of lethal isotopes detonated like exploding stars, blanketing the entire world with deadly fallout.
..
Within days the death toll from Jurten's lethal plan had reached ino the millions as the world itself was poisoned, and within the space of a year, billions died in unimaginable suffering as fallout, famine, disease and anarchy took their toll and the once lush forests and bountiful seas were laid to waste. Conteint spanning storms powerful enough to topple hive spires followed in the wake of the atomic devastation and after them starvation, disease and a slow lingering death. Krieg had become a charnel house where the dead far outnumbered the living...
..
Evenas hazard-suited warriors of Ferrograd emerged from their undeground bunkers ot bring the months long fires raging through their own city surface under control..

Pretty much as described in IA5 as I reclal, including the use of nukes and such.

Page 90

Krieg was a man-made death world now..
...
..blood and icy chill beneath a toxic sky shrouded by a nuclear winter...

Its likely that continued atomic warfare occured, given it was five centuries of constant raidoactive, nuclear winter scale bombardment.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

IA 2nd edition. and I'm done. YAY!

Page 12

...some factions within the Divisio Militaris believe it is a 'reclaimed' design originating within the re-conquered forge world of Zhao-Arkkad and for that reason, suspect. Regardless of this, the Crassus has become widespread in use by the Imperial Guard and Adeptus Mechanicus armoured units of the southern and western Segmentum Tempstus, and with production of the design being taken up in the last several centuries by the major forge world of Lucius, it is now being used extensively to re-supply units close to the Eye of Terror to replace on-going lossesn in that steadily worsening warzone.

I'm not sure what 'reclaimed' deisgn is supposed to mean.. that it was found on the Forge world, believed to be an STC design, but it mya not be and they use it anyhow? Wouldn't surprise me in the least.
We also get mention of designs appaently specific to single segmentum, which may suggest that despite attempts to 'standardize' the Guard, there are still far too many 'local' (local to segmentum, sector, or whatever) variants or designs native to only those regions. Which is to be expected given the fragmentary nature of the Imperium.

Page 12

..it has achieved considerable fame for its durability and power, leading it to develop an almost talismanic reputation for some siege assault units to the disquiet of some within the Commissariat and Departmento Munitorum.

Rather hilarious considering the whole 'superstition' angle that is supposed ot pervade the Imperium. you'd think they'd encourage that. Even more hilarious is that it might have some truth - again like Orks and their beliefs affecting their technology, its quite possible human belief could 'enhance' vehicle performance, albeit less effectively (and overtly) than happens with Orks.

Page 12

The Crassus possesses an unusually powerful drive system for a vehicle of its size...

Means it can move 12" rather than 6" in game terms. how this translates otherwise.. who f*cking knows. It might mean it move twice as fast as other superheavies, or it might not
Also, the Crassus has a transport capacity of 35, or 25 and 2 Cyclops vehicles.
Page 13

A heavy siege tank featuring an automated battery of three bombardment cannon...
...
..one of several [weapons] to have been devleoped on the once-lost forge world of Zhao-Arkkad based upon the Crassus chassis. The Dominus' armament is at the very extreme of the hull frame's capability..

A siege tank.. with an automated battery. Again its hilarious what shows up on the ground but you can't get in space (where you have crews manually loading starship cannon by chains, and this is supposed to be common.)
Superheavy tanks also seem to have a penchant for mounting multiple guns of any type. Only this one isn't a SUPAR RARE one. and its automated.

Page 13

..its true role - one not of slow grinding bombardment, but close support of a direct assault, bringing its siege shells to bear on enemy fortifications and strongpoints.
..
..the Dominus' formidable armour allows it to accompany an armoured spearhead into the very jaws of an enemy's firepower before unleashing a rapid saturation bombardment in support of a main attack. This means it can operate in kill-zones where other, more commonplace, Imperial artillery tanks such as teh Basilisk or Colossus would have little chance of surviving long enough for close range support.

Dominus' role. Again you have to wonder why they don't just stick direct fire basiliks (asualt gun) or multiple heavy mortars. Eh. superheavies seem to have a fetish for lots of guns.
Page 13

"The Dominus mounts an automated battery of three bombards rigged to fire together in sequence, pulverising anything cuaght in their field of fire. This triple bombard is counted as a single weapon for the purposes of firing or damage inflicted to the tank, but has two fire modes, the first representing the slower rate of fire the Dominus is limited to whilst on the move owing ot the strain on it superstructure, and the second its higher rate of sustained fire when stationary and braced for recoil."

Automated triple bombard, and the ability to fire on the move or stay stationary. Nice. although you have to wonder why they can't do that for mortars or earthshakers. Its not like they're less intense firepower-wise than a bombard,

Page 14

..the Praetor is named for the sophisticated multipel heavy launcher system it mounts in place of the Crassus' generous transport capacity. The praetor launcher is a sophisticated weapon...
...
..
..it is thought to have last seen widespread service on the Land Leviathans of the Tellarite Rebellion forces which gouged out their own pocket empire during the dark years of the Nova Terra Interregnum. The STC template for the weapon - along with several others of note - was thought lost until relatively recently when the tech-priests of the re-consecreated forge world of Zhao-Arkkad unearthed the data in the depths of that once nightmare-haunted realm.

The praetor - yet more 'rare but useful' military tech, along with the origins of the launcher and a hint of why the Zhao-Arkkad stuff is suspect.
Page 14

..the dissemination of the powerful crassus Chassis to the introduction of a new mobile Praetor-weapon platform by Zhao-Arkkad's manufactora which has spread relatively swiftly through frontline regiments throughout Segmentum Tempestus and beyond. While the Praetor's relative sophistication and materiel costs mean it will unlikely supplant more common Imperial design, its durability and versatility have already found it a treasured place in the arsnel of units facing the harshest enemy powers..

Again its advanced so rare, but unlike some designs it actually doesn't seem to be 'lost tech' - just more a 'restricted to sophisticated units' thing. Also seems to be regional.
Also the tank picture mentions an 'armoured cogitator.'

Page 14

This weapon system is a versatile, rapid-firing heavy missile launcher akin to the Whirlwind tanks employed by the Space Marine Chapters, but considerably larger and more potent.. The Praetory may be fitted with a number of diffrent munitions types...
...
..the acumen of its targeting augurs and rapid rrate of fire.

More sensors and the comparison of the Praeot to the Whirlwind. The three warhead types are the Foehammer warhead, Firestorm warhead, and Pilum warhead. The first.. HE or ordnance normall, the firestorm is incendiary (probably), and the Pilum seems to be Anti-air.
Page 15

The baisc four wheled vehicle and a larger, more heavily armed six-wheeled vehicle called the Tauros Venator. One notable feature of both Tauros models is their high-yield galvanic motors. These motors are very efficient and highly stable, meaning they aren't prone to mechanical failure (a useful attribute when operating deep behind enemy lines) and there is no need to carry weighty extra fuel.

The Tauros variants and their electric motor

Page 15

Galvanic Motors: The Tauros' motors are a unique design; they independently power its wheels so that the vehicle can cary on moving even with large sections of its motive sysem damaged.

Not unlike Rhinos.
Page 15

Tauros Grenade Launcher: An uncommon weapon in Imperial arsenals, the Tauros' grenade launcher is only approved by the Adeptus Mechanicus for use on certain venerable and hard to replicate designs such as the Tauros.

I guess this means its a rare vehicle?
Page 19

The Malcador 'Infernus' is a huge flame-thrower tank, now largely replaced by the faster and more reliable Hellhound in most Imperial Guard regiments. A few aging machines surivve, mothballed as SEctor War reserves, but it is now an armoured vehicle firmly relegated to second line duties. It is not uncommon to find aging Malcadors in the arsenals of Garrison auxilia units or planetary defense forces.

A sh*tty flamethrower tank design, as well as mention of 'sector reserve's and second line and PDf/Garrison auxilia forces, which seem to be separate forces (and different from Guard forces.)
Page 19

..the promehtium fuel is stored as separate chemicals, these are then mixed together in a chamber just behind the barrel to create a chemical 'jelly' that jets out and sticsk to any surface.

Its binary, but whether this means it needs oxidation or if we're talking two separate chemicals that have to mix to become flammable I'm not sure. If that were the case you'd have to wonder why other flame weapons don't do that. And given the 'flammable' rule attached I doubt it.

Apparently you can also replace the flamer fuel with corrosive chemicals (like a Banewolf.
Page 20

..the Macharius 'Omega' is a war machien built around a single focus - the battlefield deployment of the Omega Pattern Plasma Blastgun. This is a variant pattern of the more common Ryza design employed on the Stormblade. The Omega Pattern, although recovered in the late M39 by Explorator Magos Vaslistle Hum'nal, suffered doctrinal wranglings over the purity and completeness of its template within the Adeptus Mechanicus which would delay its field testing and eventual deployment for centuries.

we've now moved to sticking titan weapons on Macharius hulls.. or at least seeing what can be gotten away with in that vein. And predictably its something that takes forever to deploy out of 'R&D' mode.
Basically its a budget Shadowsword/Stormblade

Page 20

..although more widely replicable than the arcane technologies of its forbear, lacks the stability of the superlative Ryza Pattern weapon, and generates considerably more waste heat. However, the Omega also utilises a more compact generator design and force crucible, allowing it to be mounted on smaller super-heavy hulls such as the Macharius.

The comparable ease with which the Macharius 'Omega' can be manufactured and repaired has more than overcome it sshortcomings in the eyes of the Lords Militant, and large quantities of production capacity have been devoted ot the design on the dogmatically allied forge worlds of Lucius, Hellgrace and Dynax Primus.

Advantages/disadvantages of the design, and more AdMech 'dogmatic wrangling.'

Page 23

...the transporter does not generally carry infantry (unless they are pre-loaded into their vehicles. It [thunderhawk Transporter] can carry tow Rhino-sized vehicles, or a single Land Raider sized vehicle using its powerful magnetic clamps. It can also carry an under-slung supply pod, for moving ammunition or fuel. It also has other useful equipment such as a winch for recovering Drop Pods after a successful deployment.

The means of dropping vehicles. Basically a maximum loadout of 70-80 tonnes or thereabouts in addition to its own payload. I also like how it can recover drop pods (they're not totally expendable, which makes sense.
I expect that the Transporter might give a good idea what Navy analogues (drop ships dedicated to hauling vehicles) of that size might be capable of as well.

Page 24

Larger and stronger than standard pattern Dreadnoughts, the Contemptor pattern featured many systems in common with the dread battle-automata of the fabled Legio Cybernetica, including techno-arcana such as field generator technology of the kind that would later be refined and incorporated into the Storm Shields wielded by Space Marine Termiantors, as well as other secrets of the Dark Age of Technology concealed within their fabric.

Old super-sized Dreadnoughts that had built in forcefield enhancement into their hulls, which is also something Battle Robots have/had. It provides yet another indicator of how powerfield 'enhancement' (offensive or defensive) is incredibly commonplace.
Page 24

As with many of the most sophisticated and arcane examples of the Imperium's panoply of war, the ability to reproduce or maintain the Conqueror was all but lost in the aftermath of the Heresy, and now such war-relics that remain in service in the 41st Millenium are incredibly rare compared even to their brother Dreadnoughts.

Like all high end tech, it has to be nigh-on lost tech for the poor Imperium. The model is interesting in that it has 'ablating armour pauldrons.' Yes a Dreadnought with Pauldrons.
The forcefield is refered to as 'atomantic shielding' in the rules.

Page 25

...gravity flux weapons whose secrets were lost during the Schism Wars of mars.

Which suggests that infantry/ground combat level gravitic weaponry is all but lost.
Anyhow the Blood Angels, Wolves and pretty much most of the first (and possibly some Second) founding Chapters are most likely to have the Contemptor.

Page 26

One of the Contemptor's most distinctive features was the defensive field generators mounted in its armoured carapace and powered by the potent Atomantic reactor core housed within.

Yet more Atomantic reactors. These things show up everywhere in Forge World stuff nowadays (see the Rapier Laser Destroyer - even the IG has reactors in some vehicles now!) Also shields.

Page 27

...the Contemptors developed a reputation for battlefield excess and unwarranted savagery that stained the characters nd sagas of those interned within their armoured forms. This infamy in some regards has beocme a kind of self-fufilling prophecy as the superstition-shrouded Iron Priests of the Chapter began to inter only those fallen warriors of great renown who themselves had already forged sagas darker....
...
So it is that few Contemptor chassis that survived the battles of Prospero and the later heavy losses the Chapter suffered in the Wars of Apostasy still serve, but are looked on as troublesome and ill-omened allies at best by the Great Companies...

Space Wolf contemptors.

Page 28

The Contemptor-Mortis sub-pattern utilised the advanced Contemptor frame as a powerful heavy weapons carrier, able to target and destroy the enemy at close range, and was also fitted with advanced targeting auguries and tracking systems allowing it to provide a Space Marine Spearhead force with close air defence where needed

THey still seem to exist, and are basically AA/heavy support dreaddies. - dubbed a 'helical targeting array.

Page 31

Assault Rams are attack craft intended to participate in close range boarding actions in space. They can also act as drop-assault vessels for direct orbital attack and are armed with a powerful magna-melta to burn through starship hulls and fortifications. Compact and heavily armoured, the Caestus is intended not only to survive direct collision with an enemy, it is designed for it!

Assault rams again as in the Badab war supplements. note that the underside of the Caestus model shown has 'grav coils' which I presume are part of the inertia suppression/damping tech.

Page 31

A heavy, short ranged area effect heat cnanon, the Magna-melta is designed to turn a large cubic volume of starship hull-plating to slag.

Self explanatory. We dont know how big or thick but..

Page 31

The Firefury is a rapid-firing missile launcher designed to dischrage all of its munitions within a few seconds, saturating the target with micro-warheads.

Judging by the model it looks like it might carry 11-12 missiles.

Page 32

..its design allowed a single transported Dreadnought to be deployed inot battle with a minimum of delay. The stresses involved however are such that only the heavily armoured and protected shell of a Dreandought could hope to survive the descent and impact with the ground without being wrecked or pulverised.
Manufactured principally by the forge world of Lucius in the Segmentum Obscurus, these vehicles are tithed directly to the Various Space Marine chapters with which the Archmagos Forge-masters have ancient ties od debt and protective treaties.

Drop pods and procurement. Trade protectio nfor material, and dreddies seem to be able to endure alot of force on their frames from drop pod impacts.
Page 39

..a support aircraft used for heavy lifting in combat theatre.s The Sky Talon is armed for self defence and to assist the other assault carriers as they rake the drop zone to clear it of the enemy.

Armament is a nose mounted heavy bolter and either two hellstrike missiles or two rocket pods (hellstrikes are anti-armour)
It is also listed as being able to carry one Tauros or Tauros Venator or two Drop Sentinels. Considering how much the drop Sentinels weigh (~7 tons apiece IIRC) we're talking a good 14+ tonnes of carrying capacity. Not as good as the thunderhawk transporter, but this vehicle is ligther, and as far as volume or tonnage goes it should be able to carry a light APC of some kind (lke a Trojan, which is canonically listed as massing only 4 tons) or a Centaur.
The novel 'Redmeption Corps' features a Valkyrie variant with an enlarged, enclosed compartment that can carry vehicles like Centaurs. The spectre, I think it was.
Either way its proof that the Elysians could in theory field light tanks of some kind or another. Stick lascannon or missile launchers on them and they could be quite formidable. Or as a mobile mortar carrier or some similar.
Page 40

Although a civilian and utility shuttle never designed for frontline operations, it is far from unknown for desperate commanders to try and fit weapons systems to the Arvus to let it fill in as a stopgap military transport. Unfortunately this is not an easy task as the Arvus lacks even basic military avionics.

Basically can fire while hovering or standing still, but not while moving. Its yet antoher case (lke the Trojan) of how civilian vehicles and starships can be adapted for military use. I suspect this might be deliberately part of STC patterns, whether it is a joke ability or legitimately useful.
It also has a flame paint job which is 'lucky and fast'
Page 44

These [aircraft] may range from lunatic one-Ork contrivances to massive 'Bommaz' dwarfing even a Thunderhawk in size, to the relatively commonplace gunships-come-troop transporters known as Warkoptas. Held aloft by multiple whirling blades..

Basically Ork Helicopters with airlift ability. Rather clever really.
Page 44

the Rattler [kannon] is a steam or electrically driven automatic kannon able to keep up a huge rate of fire..

Another verison of ork cannon.

Page 45

Fltying in a straight line, a Fighta is easily a match for any impieral fighter, and retains its manoeuvrabilit by using two thrust nozzles angled sideways to change the aircraft's trajectory.

Fighta speed/manuverability.
Page 46

..the Big-Zzappa, whose blast can, at one moment, boil adamantine armour to slag and, the next moment, do little more than cause its victim's hair to stand on end, or the 'Shunta' which fires a bubble of force energy across the battlefield like a wrecking ball from an immense cannon.

More interesting and unrpedictable Ork Dreadnought weapons.
Page 46

A Shunta is a compact magneto-gravitic 'traktor' gun, related to the lifta-droppa, which when used as a weapon hurls a 'bubble' of force that smashes into its target like a solid wall, pulverising flesh and smashing machinery.

The Shunta again.
Page 48

These are huge 'traktor' beam devices with teirh own temperamental 'atom smashas' to power them..

Basically a salvage vehicle also used for combat by lifting or throwing sh*t at the enemy. It also shows orkish understanding of at least atomic power.
Page 50

..while much of their mass is made up of engines and drive mechanics which, while temperamental, can propel a tank far faster than an equivalent Imperial machine of it ssize.

Ork kill tanks
Page 50

The Kill Bursta's main gun is an immense, wide-bore siege mortar mounted in the centre of its forward hull, much in the manner of a Space Marine vindicator, only much, much larger. the huge rocket-boosted ordnance launched by the Bursta gun, while appallingly short ranged, is powerful enough to blast a hardened bunker or defensive bastion to smithereens, and has been observed in direct fire shattering Imperial super-heavy tanks in a single shot, as much luck as good judgement by its gunners.

Kill bursta firepower
Page 50

Instead of a single heavy gun, the Kill Blasta's forward hull mounts a convolunted array of multiple heavy barrels, rotary cannon, scatterguns and Big Shootas, all rigged to fire at once, drenching a single target in a torrent of murderous shot and shell.

Ork eqiuvalent of a shotgun or cannister round.

Page 52

Grot tanks are one of the more infamous of these; diminutive, tracked, ramshackle piles of scrap matal clanking along with the biggest engine and gun the Grots can steal or kitbash.

Grots have their own armoured forces, often used as cannon fodder. The next page evne mentions 'mega tanks' which are Grot emulations of Battle Fortresses. But they are rarer because they may draw more notice (requiring an extremely absent minded or distracted Ork.)
Page 59

In the ancient days of the Eldar race, Warlocks and Farseers of great power that passed into the spirit realm could be summoned to aid a Craftworld in its times of direst trial; their souls contained within the wraithbone matrix of a Wraithlord, becoming a strange and powerufl arcane consturct known as a Wraithseer.
..
There are very few Wraithseers remaining within the Eldar Craftworlds, and it is believed that the Spiritseers no longer have the knowledge or skill to re-animate them.

Spellcasting WraithLords/Wraithguard in other words.

Page 60

The PHantom Titan is the largest of the Eldar titans.
...
..it is agile and fast when compared ot the lumbering armoured behemoths of the Imperium. Each of these mighty Titans is the pinnacle of Eldar warcraft, built around a powerful psychic wraithbone core which permits the spirits contained within to flow freely through the Titan, helping guide the machine and its steersman pilot.
...
..pulse lasers and distortion cannon which are able to destroy the most powerful foe in a single volley and sunder the mightiest fortifications the Imperium can devise. War Machines of such size and power as the Phantom are not deployed for the Eldar's usual raids and surgical strikes. Instead these massive engines are reserved instead for the heaviest fighting, such as when a Craftworld must engage in a pitched battle to defend itself or its interests, or when the Eldar wish to wreak terrible destruction upon their enemies.

PHantom Titans described. By and large they really just come off as WraithLords/Wraithguard writ really really large, and the extensive use of AG and psychic sh*t in Eldar tech make them slightly less silly (less silly than using chainswords at least.) than Imperial Titans.
The picutre of the Titan is interesting.. not only does it have hands, (and a chest mounted pulsar and missile launchers) it has 'grav vanes' which I assume re to help it move

Page 60

The Distortion Cannon uses the Eldar's sophisticated knowledge of warp technology to create a rift of seething warp energy. A D-cannon's attacks bypass power fields and void shields.

D-cannon ignore shields.
Page 62

The Hornet is a small-single seat attack craft deployed by Eldar armoured forces in a fast reconnaissance and raiding role...
..
...although less common than the Vypr, the Hornet can be fitted to effectively engage any target, from anti-infantry firepower iwth shuriken cannons and scatter lasers, through starcannons and missile launchers to precision anti-tank fire with bright lances and even larger pulse lasers.

Eldar version of a Salamander, I'd guess.

Page 63

The Vampire is the largest Eldar aircraft, and used to move troops from orbit to the ground. Common amongst Eldar Corsair bands, but also used by Craftworld forces, the Vampire fufills the same rapid response role as the Space Marine Thunderhawk gunship.

Vampire Raider variant. It can be modified into the Hunter Variant which has reduced troop carrying capacity in return for heavier ground attack capabiltiy. Also it has reactive thrusters and a 'atmospheri combustion intake' suggesting it runs on some osrt of chemical fuel.

Page 65

..the Lynx observed was a more dedicated heavy vehicle hunter, utilising its prodigious speed for a craft of its size to rapidly re-deploy ot isolate and annihilate its chosen targets with its pulsar. Although a rarer variant armed with a sonic lance specialising in decimating supply columns and infantry forces was also encountered during the Betalis III Incursion.

Seems to be an Eldar version of a Shadowsword-type superheavy.. basically a platform for a big powerful honkin gun.
Page 66

..the Warp hunter is considered a rather archaic vehicle and, given the nature of the Warp Hunter's primary weaponry, a reality-puncturing Distortion Cannon, perhaps one that was never commonplace in their ranks. When fired a D-cannon projects a miniature sphere of warp energy, tearing any target it strikes apart, making a mockery of heavy armour and dragging its hapless victims to a terrible death, exposed to the raw materiel of the Warp. Ths larger version of these weapons is able to generate larger spheres of warp energy, but require vast amounts of energy to safely contain them, and might be liable to expose even those who use them to the dark radiations of the beyond. The largest such D-cannon sare mounted upon the Cobra and Phanton titam.

Superheavy D-cannon platform, and general dicussion of D-cannon weaponry overall. Apparently like some weapons it can fire a focused beam, or create a 'flamethrower' like Rift effect right in frotn of the vehicle.

Page 68

After the race's downfall, the Eldar were scattered across the galaxy, and many survived outside of the Craftworlds on isolated Exodite worlds or scattered in far-flung outposts. These have become the Cosair Bands, Eldar who have shunned the restrictions of Craftworld life to walk the dangerous 'Path of the Outcast.'

Outcasts described. Apparently exodites are also considered 'Outcasts', although Corsairs are technically more non DE pirate types, or Rangers.
Page 72

These follow up swarms (rippers devouring biomass) are sometimes accompanied by strange and hideous Malanthorpes whose role seems to be to selectively collect and process genetic material from fallen enemies before itself being reabsorbed along with the Ripper Swarms into the Tyranid biomass where the selective genetic material they absorbed is used to create more complex creatures.

Their specialization seems to be less collecting the biomass, than scouting out the useful genetics that might benefit the Nids in some way and 'storing' it for processing.
Page 74

The Stone-crusher is an extreme variant of the Carnifex genus, evolved for assault against enemy bunkers and for street to street combat where it can smash through buildings and enemy strongpoints.
Armed with crushing claws, which can easily tear ferrocrete to rubble...
...
Some Stone-crushers have also been seen wielding huge wrecker balls, suspended on strong sinews and muscle ligaments, to deliver an unstoppable blow to a wall..

Siege and demolition variant, basically. They also have 'bio-thermic exhaust' suggetsing some sort of magic reactor/combustion system or really fancy cooling mechanism, claws utilizing 'high tensile popliseal tendons' and a 'cardiotoxic' bite. They also have innate regenerative capabilities (as per the rules for that biomorph)
Page 82

The TX-42 is the latest development of the successful Piranha light skimmer. It has a re-worked crew compartment and upgraded armament to turn the light Piranha into a heavier gunship, and is designed for frontline operations in support of tau armoured units.

A rare variant (only one Sept uses it so far) as part of Third sphere. Basically a Tau Land Speeder. comes with fusion blasters, but can upgrade to missiles, plasma guns, or rail rifles.
Page 84

It is his leadership and innovation that has successfully led the way in the controversial tactics associated iwth the new XV-9 Close Support Armour, and he is a strong advocate of a more ruthless implementation of Tau's military force. Old now for a serving Fire Caste warrior, he began his military career with the Tau exploration fleets...
...
R'alai is a veteran of more than two hundred engagements aganst hte enemies of the greater good, and is famed as much for hi slack of fear in the face of the foe as tactics that have earned him the title of 'assassin' among his fellows. There are some however that whisper that the solemn warrior no longer fights for the greater good but for vengeance for those he has lost, and that there lurks in him the glimmer of madness and the Mont'au.

A rather interesting Tau 'leader' type.. he's more close assault oriented (not quite as much perhaps as Farsight) but far more than the tau like. He also seems to prefer tactics that consider him an aberrant. It does show that a.) tau doctrine can be flexible to some degree, although it might be considered atypical and b.) Tau as a rule don't hold grudges or vengeance (unlike the Imperium.) This relative emphasis on lack of emotion or desire is probably an asset in proteting them against the warp, but it can have its drawbacks.

The battlesuit he wears has 'photon cellular units' - batteries? and Iridium polycarbide plating.
Page 84

A huge drain on teh suit's power capacit,y the experimental 'Eclipse' type shield generator provides a defensive energy barrier and diffracts light much in the manner of a stealth field

useful for stealth and camouflage, although it could hamper fighting and visibility if it refracts light (how do you see?)

Page 84

EMP shell - hyper-density sabot, ionic, cluster-beam shell.

Variant submunitions for the experimentla pulse-submunitions rifle. This actually isnt a bad idea, but it shows that Tau pulse weapons are more projectile weapons with fancy ammo than rayguns. Which is perfectly okay, but it makes you wonder why the Tau couldn't adapt when they faced that Hive Fleet better.
Page 88

One direct application of this idea is the use of the huge and devastatingly powerful manta super-heavy dropship as a direct spear-thrust into the heart of the enemy. Often dropping directly from high latitude straight down onto a target chosen for its strategic importance, the task of the Manta-borne force is to destroy the target utterly.

Which can be useful if you can suppress or eliminate enemy air defenses (Mantas are pretty tough after all) and/or you gain surprise, but I bet defence laser or missile barrages would bring it down far quicker if detected.

Page 90

..tomb STalkers are huge unliving machines...
...
..Tomb Stalkers and other similar constructs serve a function first of all to guard their master's sleep..
...
Tomb Stalkers can detect the pulse of life through hundred of metres of solid rock and use this ability to home in unerringly on their victims, emplyoing a form of phase field to pass trhough inert matter as if it were water..

Necron Tomb Stalkre sseem to be a larger (supreheavy) version of Tomb Spyders, Scarabs, and stuff the like. This may be related ot the super heavy insect like vehicle we saw in Hellforged.

Page 94

This cannon - like the smaller haywire blaster - unleashes a cascading pulse of electromagnetic energy but on a scale far more powerful than anything possible in a hand weapon. The Vortex Chambe at the heart of the Reaper is a cage for howling energies harvested from the spires of Commorragh, which when unleashed creates a hurricane of lightning capable of cirppling the heaviest enemy vehicles and burning out the nervous system of living creatures, roasting enemy soldiers alive from within.

Vrotex projector effects and capabilities. Part EMP gun, part nerve/neural disruptor. And like most DE weapons it seems to be 'harnessing' weird sh*t around their homeworld

Page 94

The storm Vortex projector is a massively powerful electromagnetic wave cannon capable of firing either a confined beam of force, or a blast which detonates on stirking its target in a strom of energy.

EMP type weapon that has variable focus effect (although rather more 'explosive')

Page 96

The Tantalus hull is fitted with huge blades charged with molecular dissonance fields which gather power when the skimmer moves at speed, screeching with force, slicing through the hulls of enemy vehicles and rendering troops into unrecognizable crimson shreds.

A type of power or enhancement field that seems based on KE/velocity

Page 96

These weapons fire rapid pulses of unstable subatomic matter, vapourising their targets explosively. Unlike the crude plasma-weaponry of more primitive races, Dark Eldar disintegrators are able to maintain a phenomenal rate of fire without suffering an overloard or reducing themselves to slag through excess heat.

Pulse Disintegrators. Plasma weapon analogues.. presumably similar in power and effect. Interestingly is that it implies waste heat from plasma weapons would reduce them to 'slag' (considering most plasma guns/pistols weigh between 4-10 kg as per FFG material, we're talking single or double digit MJ 'eventually' from firing, which provides an OOM idea for plasma gun firepower - assuming iron composition.)

Page 106

During this savage flight (to the Eye of Terror) much of their sacred wargear was lost or became corrupted and scaveneged, with many advanced designs cast aside in favour of arms more readily manufactured and maintained.

This argues that Chaos might *generally* have less advanced tech than their eqiuvalents, but this depends on alot of things (waht they steal or scavenge form the Imperium, what can be enhanced or changed by Chaos magic, and the rare or high end stuff reserved for the elites.. etc.)

Page 107

A Chaos contemptro Dreadnought is suffused with the power of the Warp-infused Hellfire reactor which charges its armoured carapace to a preternatural resilience and also serves as a hungry vortex for the soul-stuff of those it has killed, with enemy psykers particularily vulnerable to its relentless hunger.

So basically its a powerfield/anotmantic shielding system with vampiric features

Page 107

..the Soul Burner which unleashes explosive blasts of daemonic force which devour the souls of its victims to the so-called butcher cannon - a heavy calibre rotary gun whose shells are bound with runes of anathema and bloodlettgin.

Guns that shoot daemons and magic rune-enhanced bullets. Only in 40K!

Page 115

..the greatest or most foolhardy of Dark Magos-Diabolists will seek to bind such nightmarish creations together into covens whose warp-spawned power is increased tenfold, allowing them to regenerate damage at unbelievable speeds. Controlling such blood gutted monstrosities once the battle is over is a different matter..

Daemon engines seem to have a syngergistic effect as far as defensive properties go.

Page 117

..the Frontier world of Galen...
...
..was subject to surprise attack by the Loyalist Space Marines of the Fire Hawks Chapter, supported by aerial assault units drawn from the Karthan Legions. The Tyrant's forces featured a number of super-heavy tanks taken from local pdf armouries..

Aerial assault PDF - apparently these were flyers (or fast skimmers) or big flyers on the Karthan side. It also shows PDFs can have superheaveies which is pretty funny considering how rare and special they're supposed to be. Ranks up there with 100 baneblades going missing, methinks

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

Forgot to add the Apocalypse Datasheets. White Rabbit pointed these out to me. Oh well after this I can ignore this thread.

Datasheets from here

Tycho immediately ordered that the tanks attached to his task force be refitted to better suit the needs of the mission. These alterations made the tanks unsuitable for extended campaigning, but the vehicles’ machine-spirits were more than up to the task of keeping their charges operational for the span of a battle. Tycho was not concerned – his force was well supplied, and he was willing to trade ruggedness for speed.
...

Robbed of their speed advantage, the Orks stood little chance against Tycho’s onslaught. So successful was the task force that Dante ordered similar alterations carried out across the Chapter’s vehicle pool. These modifications later informed the template for the Baal Rhino, and a new era of armoured warfare for the Blood Angels.

Another case of Imperial vehicles trading speed for reliability or some other trait.

Its Hellslicers can rip apart a foe many times its own size, while the psychically charged tormentor cannon it carries leaves a trail of charred wrecks and ashen corpses wherever it is fired.

Slaaneshi war engine called a Subjugator. Cremation grade weaponry (high MJ-low GJ) Also carries the usual sonic weaponry.

One of the fastest ways towards achieving their selfish, power-hungry plans is to acquire a weapon capable of destruction on an unfeasible level. Being able to destroy an entire planet, continent-sized landmass, or at least a hive city gives a Renegade commander bargaining leverage. Cyclonic torpedoes, massive plasma-reactors, warp-fusion generators, or even little understood (but nonetheless menacing) pieces of dark age technology or alien devices will do the job. A great many Chaos Lords spare no effort in trying to acquire such terrifying weapons through their many nefarious raids and conquests

It seems that Chaos can get its own hold on Cyclonics or other planet-killing weaponry of some kinds. Note the warp-fusion generators alongside plasma reactors.

Also world, hive city, and continent destroying weapons are all considered doomsday weapons of such a scale, so they must have cyclonics capable of each of that. We're probably talking gigaton (hive), Teraton (contient) or petaton (planet) levle destruction.

When the fury of its prism cannon is focused through others of its kind, it becomes a devastating weapon with the power to unleash a localised solar flare

Supposed power of a combined fire prism blast.

In desperation, Asuryan rearranged the suns themselves so that their constellations spelt a time of ill omen for Kaelis Ra. With the speed of thought, Asuryan then harnessed the power of the outraged stars, and with a mighty barrage of solar flares he dealt Kaelis Ra a mortal blow that all but destroyed him. It is this act that the Sunstorm Squadrons call upon when they open fire.

"Legendary" implied power of Eldar god vs C'tan.

The diamond-hard substance at the heart of each prism cannon is formed from psychotropic crystal. Each is a shard that has been retrieved from the Dome of Crystal Seers, and some Eldar say that they are the physical manifestations of revelation. The crystals are encouraged to grow under the auspices of the Spiritseers, who meditate on the nature of
light and how it can bring death as well as life. When these crystals reach a certain size they begin to hum with the potential to cause harm, each harbouring a reservoir of malevolent energy that is amplified a hundredfold by the technologies of the prism cannon.

Prism cannons possibly implied to be 100x more devastaitng than regular laser weapons.

With Eldrad Ulthran at their head, the Seers of Ulthwé have the power to alter reality on a galactic level.

Implied power of the Ulthwe seer council.

Each Farseer wields the power to crush an enemy’s mind with a gesture or fling a battle tank into the air with a pulse of thought.

Psychic power of a Farseer.

The presence of the Phoenix Lord [Maugan Ra] upon Ulthwe affirmed the fact tha tthe Craftworld was in great peril.
...
Behind the closed doors of the Spirit Chambers, the Farseers vainly probed the skeins of probability for a safe path through the storm. The sheer scale of the coming conflict was terrifying, the forces of the Imperium and the minions of Chaos outnumbered the Eldar by millions to one. There was only one way Eldrad could feasibly alter the course of fate in os many disparate theatres of war - by forming the elite Ulthwe Strike Forces.

Given the scope of the Imperial Guard alone (trillions or more guardsmen) we're perhaps talking about millions of Eldar 'soldiers' - which for most Craftworlds also means its population as well (Guardian militias)

..Eldar fragmented his concsiousness, storing a piece of his psyche in a hundred sacred Waystones. Maugan Ra assembled the infamous Black Guardians of Ulthwe, the standing army of the Craftworld, and picked the best of the best to serve under him.
..
With the leader of each detachment carrying a Waystone, Eldrad could disperse his consciousness across the entire sector, guiding the strike forces through the webway to the heart of each battle at exactly the right time and location to tip the balance in favour of the Eldar.

100 Ulthwe strike forces, all guided by Eldrad's fragment.
the formation lists each force having at a minimum:
1 Farseer (with Warlock bodyguard), and 1-10 each of Guardian Defender and Storm squads. It may also have 1 Aspect Warrior unit, up to 5 Jetbike Squadrons, 3 War Walker squads, 3 Vyper, and 3 Support weapon batteries. '
Thats scores of Farseers, hundreds of warlocks.. and hundreds perhaps thousands of Guardian squads (thousands to tens of thousands of troops) and those are just the elite. Hundreds of Jetbikes, War Walkers, and support batteries. And possibly up to hundreds of Aspect Warrior squads (thousands of Aspect Warriors?)

he War Walkers of the host range far and wide, utilising a unique cloaking field system called the Cloak of Shadow to remain hidden from enemy sensors for days, even weeks, at a time

Yet another form of Eldar cloaking.

They achieve this [disruption of enemy deployments] by way of a highly complex communications array mounted on the wing's command vehicle. This array gathers sensor data from all of the Piranhas in the wing, and decrypts any communications it identifies. The orders contained in the signal are altered, the encryption re-applied, and the signal reconstructed, before being transmitted onwards to the intended recipient. Should the signal prove impossible to replicate, the system is capable of jamming almost any type of communication it can detect.
The re-transmitted signal is intended to disrupt enemy orders, changing dispositions without the enemy command being aware of the subterfuge. Enemy units find themselves deployed kilometres out of line, and either ambusehd or unable to take part in the action. Soon, the entire enemy army is in disarray, allowing the wing and following Tau units to engage the enemy entirely on their own terms. The tau have become so adept at this process that they can analyse or jam almost any signal, and succeed in disrupting even entirely alien forces.

This is an interesting leap for them, considering that in the Fire Warrior novel they had markedly inferior comms/EW technology to the Imperium (the Imperium could hack their comms but not break past that hacking, or the comms shielding onboard a ship.) Having this ability at the scale claimed would be quite useful for their style of warfare as well, since their tactics often require the enemy doing precisely what they want him to do in order for it to work.

As the Fire Warriors at the forntline lacked their own transports, Puretide ordered a number of other cadres to send in their devilfish.

It seem snot all Fire Warrior groupings will neccesarily have organic transport.

Stealth-optimised Devilfish: This vehicle sacrifices its transport capacity in order to be equipped with a powerful ‘Mirage’ stealth field generator

Stealth fields on transports.

As the pitch of this scream rises ever higher, electrical discharges crackle between four massive scythe-like talons that contain the build-up of energy until, in a flash, the Screamer-Killer vomits forth a ball of bioplasma that can melt plasteel and vaporise flesh in an instant.
..
Screamer-Killer Broods launch forth bio-plasma discharges that incinerate anything in their path. Cover is no proof against such an onslaught and even the most sophisticated armour can offer little protection.

Implied firepower of Carnifex weapons.. given the ability to melt plasteel and vaporised lfesh, I'm betting they can cremate bodies, suggesting GJ range firepower.. although this might be for a combination of 3 + Carnifexes.

A Harbinger of Night devours light over a considerable distance,
reducing blazing sunshine to a murky twilight, and overcast grey skies
to abyssal darkness.

Necron Lords I(at least some kind) can carry their own portable darkness.

Emperor-class Battle Titans are the largest and most powerful war machines at the disposal of the armies of the Imperium; their firepower unrivalled by any other land vehicle in the galaxy, the size of their armmounted weapons surpassed only by the ordnance of the largest ships of the Imperial Navy

Purported firepower of Emperor class titans. This may also be Imperators. On the other hand maybe they're the 140 m tall titans from HH, given they mention 'cathedral sized' feet.

As they appear on the horizon, they begin bombarding the enemies of the Imperium with an awesome and relentless barrage, way out of range of most of the enemy artillery

Ignoring Deathstrikes and assuming it refers to Earthshaker and Manticore missile ranges, we're tlaking 16-30+ ranges for the Emperor. Assuming a 50-60 m height on an earthlike world, distance to the horizon for an Emperor would be 25-30 km as well, which corresponds roughly to that range. I suspect other Battle Titans would have similar ranges (or be capbale of them, anyhow - or at least 'to the horizon' ranges.)

When the missile’s warhead explodes, it tears the very fabric of reality, creating a raging maelstrom of destruction that destroys anything and everything it touches. So rare and valuable are these weapons that Segmentum Command must nominally sanction their use, but unleashing such a battlefield asset can swing the course of a war.
...

As the Deathstrike prepares for launch it will do so under the watchful guidance of a Lord Commissar. Only these officers are trusted with the sanctioned launch codes, for the sheer destructive power of a vortex missile is too much to grant to any but the most loyal servant of the Imperium.

Vortex-warhead equipped Deathstrikes and their security measures and restrictions on their use.

Traditionally, a Sentinel is considered ill suited to duelling with super-heavy, Titan-class war engines, being outgunned and out-classed in almost every regard.
...
On this beleaguered world, Stompa Mobs rampage through the toxic landscape and the Imperium’s Titan Legions are stretched too thinly to engage the enemy on all fronts. As such, the Armoured Sentinel patrols, the so-called ‘Armageddon Stompa Hunters’, were forced to
step up to the challenge.

It is technically possible to hunt (small) Titan class vehicles like Stompas with Sentinels, if properly employed

On this beleaguered world, Stompa Mobs rampage through the toxic landscape and the Imperium’s Titan Legions are stretched too thinly to engage the enemy on all fronts. As such, the Armoured Sentinel patrols, the so-called ‘Armageddon Stompa Hunters’, were forced to step up to the challenge.

This could suggest the stompas involve some sort of reactor or battery or fuel cell and capacitor system to operate, givne the need to 'recharge' after massive expenditures, since movement and firepower are tied together here. It wouldnt really surprise me to have some Sentinels run on something other than a chem engine.

The Storm Trooper regiment is one of the few to have a permanent pool of Valkyrie Assault Carriers to carry them into battle

Mention of storm troopers having a permanent attachment of Valkyrie forces. Not only the Regiments I imagine, but also those regular regiments that have Storm trooper or Grenadier forces as well. Possibly also Grenadier regiments.

To deploy just a single Assassin is to commit a scarece and invaluable resource, for the tmeples recruit only a handful of Assassins each year. Yet, to send forth an Execution Force is to deploy such a weapon that their replacement, should they be lost, might take many years, and the ASsassinoroum would be weakened in the meantime.

Suggesting that not only do they recruit even more slowly than the Astartes (for each temple) their numbers are also far smaller (scores or hundreds at best.)

Imperial Guard formations are not known for their mobility and rely on overwhelming firepower to achieve their battlefield objectives.
...
As a result, many Imperial commanders nurse a deep-set loathing, that borders on hatred, for any foe that is able to advance swiftly enough as to reach the Imperial lines before the massive bombardments have taken a sufficient toll.

Considering this can often mean the Eldar or Tau, who use mostly antigrav, this is hardly shocking.

Though a single Banbelade is the equal of an entire squadron of battle tanks..
..
Under attack from multiple Baneblades, even the mightiest Titan must fall.

Comparison (firepower wise) of a superheavy to regular tanks.

The Banesword is an adaptation of the venerated Shadowsword design, exchanging the Titan-killing volcano cannon for the fortress-pounding fury of the quake
cannon.
...
Of course, a blast from a quake cannon rarely leaves enough of the target for positive identification, so a certain amount of artistic licence is doubtless applied in most cases.

They can stick any Titan weapon on a Baneblade hull, it seems.

Differently from their towering antagonists, the Shadowswords lie in ambush until the other units in the army have taken out the Titan’s shields. At that point, they open fire with their targeter-guided volcano cannon, delivering the killing blow with precise shots aimed at the Titan’s weak points.

This implies at least some Shadowswords cannot match a shielded titan, but must rely on other Forces to take down the shields before attacking the Titan (and at a weak point, no less.)

Even so, the Stormlord’s devastating close-range firepower and vast transport capacity makes it highly sought after by the more mobile Imperial Guard regiments, such as those raised on Catachan, Tallarn and Tingoya. Not only can the Stormlord’s embarked Imperial Guard squads traverse the battlezone in relative safety,

"Mobile" IG Regiments. Also, Catachans using superheavies. HAH.

Confronted by a renegade forge world and its associated Titan Legions, the Ordana battlezone commanders were crying out for Shadowswords and other Titan-hunting vehicles. As the campaign dragged on, the attrition rate of such war engines swiftly outstripped supply. In the end, only the retrofitting of Banehammer tanks, exchanging tremor cannons for magma cannons, allowed the Imperium to maintain the war effort.

Hey look, the Imperium 'adapting' sacred technology designs to suit the needs of a ongoing war! HOW HERETICAL.

A Doomhammer’s magma cannon is closely modelled on the volcano cannon employed by the famous Shadowsword design. While it has a reduced range and area of effect when compared to its larger cousin, the magma cannon is still able to marshal a Titan-killing blast of epic proportions. At the same time, the space saved due to the smaller number of capacitors accords the Doomhammer a modest transport capacity and thus a more flexible battlefield role

A new variant weapon to go along with the variant tank! More heresy!

Orghamek's creation, comrpised of over fifty tons of rusted metal and salvaged scrap, floats through the air in a way that beggars belief.
..
Orghamek crated the floating minelayer, a craft held aloft by powerful repulsor fields. Its cavernous bomb bays contain row upon row of specially built explosive mines that themselves contain repulsor fields, albeit ones of far lesser potency.
...
Should a foe attempt ot cross the ground underneath one of the Minelayer's charges, he will collapse the delicate repulsor field, causing the mine to plummet down on top of him. Should the impact of such a crude device not kill the tresspasser, the ensuing detonation of a ton of high explosive invariably will.

Or minelayer AND their skimmer/grav vehicles. Along with floating mines, with a ton of HE in each. by game stats the mine create Strength 8 Hits with an AP of 3, the game stats for a Battle cannon (although with a smaller blast template. The mines use 10" while the Battle cannon has 5") - which could suggest a Battle cannon shell is equal to 250-1000 kilos of TNT

Even a single Space Marine is expected to be able to overcome a foe that outnumbers him ten to one, or destroy a foe a hundred times his size without a moment’s hesitation

Hints at the capabilities of Space Marines, I suppose

After retrieving the ship’s sole vortex grenade from its stasis field and commending their souls to the Emperor, they teleported planetside again, this time within the void shields of the renegade Titans that were stalking towards their former position.

Lysander himself flung the vortex grenade into the lead Titan’s path. A swirling field of non-space ripped into existence, the resultant implosion crippling the Titan so that it could not escape. Without hesitation the newly-formed Titanhammer squads climbed onto the massive treaded feet of the God-machine, striking with their crackling thunder hammers at vulnerable ankle and knee joints.

A case of a teleporter not blocked by void shields, and Terminator Titanhunting tactics./

Only the Grey Knights have the holy might to banish the mightiest of daemons back to the Warp and close the rift once and for all so that order and reason might rule once more.
Just as the Cabals of Chaos can blight and desecrate a holy site, a Redeemer force can reconsecrate a location with sacred incense and pious litany. Though this will ultimately seal the rift into the daemonic realms it is not the primary purpose of the Redeemer force. It is they who must take the fight to the daemons themselves, exterminating them to the exclusion of all else. Once this is achieved the Grey Knights quickly and efficiently perform rituals of cleansing to wash the filth and corruption of the daemonic stain from the land.

...
Once the daemonic taint has been cleansed, the Grey Knights and their Inquisitorial comrades will exterminate or mind-wipe those mortal men that have fought beside them. No-one must be allowed to witness the taint of Chaos in its most purified form and life, for once the seed of corruption is platned it is virtually impossible to remove it.

Yet another incarnation of 'destroy mundane troops to protect knowledge of chaos' bits, although ascribed to the MIGHTY Grey Knights, and apparently implied to only be conducted in the most extreme cases (raw, pure cahos being unleashed.) And mind wiping is still an option.

Also GK can reconsecrate sh*t by their psychic powers. Even inorganic matter

Hexegrammatic Ritual of REconsecration. The Grey Knights are so pious in their faith that their mere presence can rob the Warp of its strength and return purity ot the ground beneaht their feat.

More GK anti psychic power.

Drugh was a planet that had bene riddled with a violent contagion called the Soul Ague. Such was the power of this supernatural disease that warp rifts opened in the very bellies of the plague's victims, allowing the footsoldiers of Nurgle to claw their way out.

Fun disease.

..the city was ultimately disintegrated by firestorms launched by strike cruisers of the Grey Knights. The entire population of Drugh was mind-scrubbed to prevent the legacy of the daemonic infestation, reducing the once-prosperous planet from the status of Industrial world to FEral world in less than a month.

Cruiser launched firestorms destroying a hive city (vaporizing it?) and mindscrubbing an entire planet turning it into a FEral world (From an industrial one, no less.

BAttle tanks are destroyed and even mighty Titans bckle, as the collosal forces of crossing warp beams are unleashed.
...
..the combind warp-beams manage to rip a gaping hole in reality.

Shokk attack guns. Vortex grenade like effect.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

Yet another of those occasional 'how the f*ck could I forget this' sorts of updates. Well they're both sort of dedicated to tanks, and one was purely accidental by stumbling across the sh*t in Lexicanum. I don't recall if I have it anywhere (possibly in one of the Chapter Approveds) but I included it anyway. Spearhead (from around 5th edition I think, but since I dont remember thats why its not going in the 5th edition thread) and a online link for 'armoured companies', which is less technical and more about the tactics and how they function (which seems to be from around 3rd-4th edition or so anyhow.)

First will be Spearhead: Basically its all tank rules and such, and cropped up more recnetly than most. Its interesting in a way like most of those supplements (like Battle missions, Cities of Death, and Planetstrike were) but it doesn't really add a whole lot (a few things, like firepower, but thats it.)

Anyhow, Spearhead can be found here.

When opposing armoured columns clash, the battles are devastating and bloody. Such encounters are marked by squadrons of tanks, thunderous artillery support and sleek schools of skimmers. Elite tank formations are deployed to spearhead the attack. Waves of armoured vehicles unleash hell upon one another. In the midst of this mechanised madness, troops dash for cover, although it offers scant protection against such an array of prodigious firepower.

Most groups who aren't the Imperium tend not to use tanks (or rather they use grav tanks, which are closert o skimmers than heavily armored tracked vehicles.) but it does reflect the nature of mechanised/armoured warfare (which is a non trivial part of it for 40K.)

Its worth nothing that even though alot of it sounds like Imperium warfare, this isn't going to describe just them and can apply (in part or whole) to all the other forces. But we might infer that all stuff in here applies to every faction at least to some degree.

To an infantryman this is not a battlefield; it is a slaughtering ground, little more than a killing field. They soon learn to fear the grinding clank of metal tracks, the deep thrumming of massed grav-tanks, or the high-pitched whine of straining jetbike engines.

Infantry generally don't have much use on that battlefield, at least not out in the open. Although In the Imperium's case, if the logistics suck they may have only infantry and their weaponry against tanks (probably why they have such a diversity of anti tank weapons.)

Breakthrough: After months of bloody fighting, the build up of reserves is finally in place. Tanks and support vehicles have been rushed to the front; commanders and officers have made their plans and delivered stirring speeches to their troops. The time has finally come to smash the enemy aside and drive into the open ground beyond! You must create a hole through the enemy’s lines to open a corridor that the rest of the army will pour through. But beware, for the enemy is not ignorant of your gathering forces and stands ready to repulse you.

Sounds like limited resources (either due to sh*tty logistics, bad luck, or a very difficult war, if not a combination.) but it reflects some of the armored warfare of some forces (even if it sounds very Imperium centric, specificlaly Imperial Guard.) Focus on a specific point, hammer it until it breaks, and invade through that opening.

Vital Ground: Controlling the battlefield is important, but a particularly vital area, such as a supply dump or a fuel depot, is the primary objective. Whoever gains control of this vital target will almost certainly win the battle. You must claim the vital objective and deny the enemy all other tactical points on the battlefield to secure victory. Only once the area is fully in your control can the next stage of the campaign begin.

Static positions can be a necessity, whether its a defensive field (like theatre voids), or some crucial piece of supply or industry or whatever (holding a hive city.) And against some enemies (EG Imperial Guard vs Orks/Tyranids) you wnat to stay behind fortifications or walls because that benefits you more than the enemy (in that they can't easily get at you.)

Lightning War: Nothing short of an all-out attack will break the enemy’s lines! Now is the time to strike hard and strike fast. Whoever makes the opening move and executes this action with a decisive and paralysing blow will gain the advantage. To enact this you must contain the foe’s forces, while your own troops surge forwards and overrun the enemy positions. Steal a march on the enemy for victory!

Blitzkrieg I suppose, or something along those lines. For (again) at least some forces mobility we know is a huge factor, but probably all forces are aware of it and utilize it (to the best of their ability).
There's other elements like infiltration/scouts, secrecy, seizing the initiative, etc, involved in stuff like this but I didn't feel like quoting it, but it does show some diversity in how approaches go (for at least some factions, presumably including the Imperium.)

Escalation: What starts out as a small local fight between frontline troops quickly escalates into a full-scale onslaught as both sides feed more and more reserves into the battle.

Which may reflect aspects of logistics, mobility, and breakthrough as above, just against enemies who either can compensate for the other's advantages, or are roughly equal matches (EG Imperial Guard vs Planetary rebels.)

An Armoured Spearhead is made up of armoured vehicles that have been fitted with extra protection. These metal behemoths are almost invulnerable to small-arms fire, and even heavy weapons can have a difficult time damaging them. Armoured Spearheads are trained to work as a team, mutually supporting each other in case any member is hit. As they lumber towards the enemy their powerful weapons will lay down a withering hail of fire on any enemy troops that they see. Armoured Spearheads are often used to lead the attack, soaking up firepower so the rest of the assaulting force can advance behind their defensive shield

Which I assume gives the title of the piece, but is a specific tactic. It seems to reflect vehicles with greater protection than the normal (suggesting the stats in IA are baseline at best, including armour protection,.) Given we know they can use ablative, reactive, spaced, and other forms of armor, this is perhaps not surprising.

Also armoured forces typically form the 'tip' of an ATtack (assuming no Space Marines are around - TIP OF THE SPEAR), and again reflect how on the offensive the Imperium's military is more vehicle oriented than infantry (infantry are for taking/holding ground, garrisoning, etc. unless there is no other option.)

An Ambush Spearhead is set up in a hidden position where it cannot be seen by the enemy. The vehicles that make up the spearhead will be moved into position under cover of night, or while the enemy is occupied by a raid or spoiling attack designed to distract their attention. Once in position the vehicles and their crews will remain hidden, not making a sound or doing anything that will attract the enemy's attention. Then, when the appropriate time finally arrives, the hidden units will reveal themselves, pouring devastating volleys of fire into the unsuspecting foe.

Concealment and surprise, and exploiting victim's weaknesses.

A Mechanised Assault Spearhead is made up of light equipped, fast-moving troops. They will make maximum use of their speed to close quickly with the enemy, trusting to the suddenness of their attack and their manoeuvrability to avoid damage. Once amongst the foe they will cause as much damage and confusion as possible, tying up the enemy with hit and run attacks, and buying the rest of the assaulting force valuable time. As the enemy struggles to deal with their elusive assailants, they will suddenly find themselves beset by the rest of the attacking army.

Mechanised.. more mobile (and thus more offensive) than other troops. Even for the Imperium. Also seem to be infiltration and 'cause f*cking mayhem' forces. I figure 'amongst the foe' might include behind enemy lines.

Tank Hunter Spearheads are made up of tanks crewed by proven veterans who know how to destroy the armoured fighting vehicles of their enemy. They can be relied upon to carry out their mission with cold efficiency and deadly skill. Before the battle begins the tank crews will memorise the details of every terrain feature and ambush site on the battlefield, as well as the weak points on the enemy vehicles they are likely to meet.

Tank equivalent of snipers, I suppose.

The troops gathered together for an assault will sometimes include new or extremely rare types of armoured vehicles. These vehicles will have been fitted with ancient technology from forbidden worlds, and will carry improved guns or perhaps stores of rare but powerful ammunition. Vehicles associated with the Chaos powers might not have technical upgrades, but instead sorcerous ones. Regardless of the source of this extra firepower, the Archeotech Spearhead can lay down hellish swathes of lethal gunfire.

'Archeottech' spearheads basically lump together all the stuff that is technology centric or 'tech-like' - newly designed or built (which is more for races like the tau rather than the Imperium, but can apply there), sacred or preserved special snowflakes (like most superheavies), preserved tech, etc. It can also of course include magic and presumably biological upgrades by the Tyranids.

One assumes that, in Imperial terms, it also means stuff like Vortex warheads.

An Outrider Spearhead is formed when the survival of a tank necessitates that escort vehicles guard its flanks. These ‘outriders’ are usually less heavily armoured but more manoeuvrable than their Spearhead Leader. Outriders are tasked with the protection of their charge no matter the cost, and there inevitably comes a time when there isn’t time for escort vehicles to bring their firepower to bear. In these occasions the only course left to the outriders is to interpose themselves between an enemy’s guns and their target, trusting that their sacrifice is not in vain.

Scout vehicles llike Salamanders, or perhas Sentinels I'd wager. Again some vehicles are less specialer than others.

True master pilots of skimmer craft know how to push, twist, and get maximum thrust and lift out of their anti-gravitic engines. Through expert timing and deft manoeuvre, such a pilot can ‘bounce’ his craft high in the air on a powerful airburst – often straight into cloud cover, allowing him to then come screaming downwards and arrive at his objective straight from the heavens! When such a devastating force lands unexpected amidst the foe’s positions, it can devastate vulnerable side or rear armour, disrupt enemy battle plans, drop off close-ranged assault troops and generally wreak havo

Skyfall spearhead. This is stuff that obviously is (by and large) non IG, since its stuff like Eldar, Tau, and (to an extent) Space Marines would have. Although IIRC Vultures and Valkyries are skimmers of a sort (and even have suspensors for lift) and fighters probably rely on it too (given their silly shapes) so they may benefit from similar benefits, to an extent. Really though it just reflects that low level skimmers can operat emore three-dimensionally than normal tanks.

Some armies include terrifying monsters that are twice or more the height of a normal warrior, and which can cleave through the armour of the most heavily protected tank with ease. They are usually only encountered in small numbers, but when an army makes an all-out assault these monstrous creatures can gather in great swarms. Surging ahead, they will lead the lesser creatures in the army towards the enemy, shrugging off damage that would destroy a battle tank, slaughtering or smashing aside anyone or anything that gets in their way.

Monstrous Spearhead. Obviously applies to any force that employs monstrous creatures (Tyranids obviously, but would also include Orks and possibly even some Chaos forces. Presumably this reflects certain creatures(mainly Tyranid I bet) being tougher and more powerful than stuff like the Russ.

Some armies have little choice but to pit a horde of lightly armed troops against the armoured onslaught of their foes. Although there is little chance for survival in such a contest, if gathered in enough numbers they can get close enough to overwhelm the enemy. When the time for the assault arrives, the massed formations rise up and advance. Enemy fire will tear them apart, leaving gaping holes. They may falter, but the enemy will have to kill every last one of them before they give up. If the infantry finally get to charge they will release their pent-up fury at the foe!

This, obviously, is something you can have in mind with the Guard, given the sh*tty logistics/inconsistent warp travel. Some times you may actually have heaps of infantry against a more mechanised oppponent, and however disadvantageous it is, they are stille xpected to have victory. Thats why they have lascannons, krak missiles and grenades, meltaguns, meltabombs, plasma guns, and the like. In worst case scenario it will be of course to charge and get an anti-tank grenade on or inside a tank (although its unliekyl you'd see anyone but the Kriegers trying this and even manging to pull it off. Good luck getting CAtachans to.)

The vehicles that make up a Crusher Spearhead are heavily modified so that they can literally crush the enemy. Strong internal supports are added to the vehicle in order to make it more robust, and additional armour plating and crash bars are added to the front to absorb the impact as it smashes into enemy vehicles and troops. Finally the engine is upgraded and fuel injection systems added so the much heavier vehicle can be driven pell-mell towards the foe. At the start of the battle the vehicles in the Crusher Spearhead start their engines and surge towards the enemy lines with only one aim in mind: to smash the foe to pieces and grind them to dust under their tracks.

Again more armoring, but not only that more structural reinforcement (internally) Also increased/improvements in engines, showing that , like with the Salamander's 'souped up' engine and a number of stories, you can improve performacnce. Basically speed and mass (durability)

Sometimes it is reasoned that if you can strike hard and fast enough and land a single determined blow, the enemy, no matter how powerful, will be sent reeling into defeat. That is the battle theory exploited at rapid breakneck speed by the Seek & Destroy Spearhead. Such spearheads are made up of very fast-moving vehicles such as skimmers, bikes or jetbikes. Enemy commanders will struggle to maintain their composure as waves of fast moving attackers rocket across the battlefield, all the while laying down a withering hail of fire.

Tactics-wise, this is more akin to what Space Marines, Tau, and Eldar do, but its not unheard of for other forces (Tyranids did it to the Ork Warboss on Octavius, the Imperial Guard have tried it multiple times wiht Tau Ethereals like Taros or Cytheria, with Tyranid Synapse creatures in most Hive fleets, or in the Ghosts novels against Chaos.) It again reflects the differences in tactics even if the Imperium (or the Guard specifically) is attritional.

A Linebreaker Spearhead specializes in destroying enemy fortifications, especially in built up areas. It is capable of smashing through defence lines, blasting apart bastions, levelling city blocks, and reducing defenders to liquefied remains with casual ease. The role of a Linebreaker Spearhead is to engage the enemy where it is strongest, clearing paths for other formations to penetrate the enemy lines. All of the vehicles concentrate their fire on a single point, destroying it utterly.

haha. You don't need titans and superheavies to destroy city blocks, just a couple of tanks (maybe artillery of other kinds too.) Whilst its hard to calc and I could draw on previous estimates, we'd be talking something like this level of firepower, maybe, although it doesn't specify how long to take such devastation either. That'd be the tanks delivering the equivalent of at least several tons of TNT (anywhere from ~2000 to over 5000 kg) And it involves three tanks of any type. If we figure three regular Russes, for example, using HE shells, that would be 40 shells apiece, which is ~15-42 kg of TNT per shell roughly. We could probably apply it to a lighter tank like a Conqueror and maybe achieve the same level of firepower, but I dont think it would work with Exterminators or Annihilators (comedic results. Executioners ought to work though. With over 1000 rounds to use for three tnaks that'd be between 1.67 and 4.63 kg per shell. )

Executioners with 12 shots would get between 50-139 kg of TNT per 'shot'

Demolishers carry around 12-25 shells depending on source. 12 shells would be same as the Executioner, whilst at 25 shells it would be between 24-67 kg per shell.

Basilisks carry 20 rounds apiece which would be between 30 and 83 kg roughly per shell. Griffons, hilariously would be the same.

If we assume 3 bombards/colossus with a single shell apiece (since its carried separately.) that would be between 600 and 1700 kg of TNT apiece.

Manticore missile launchers at 12 missiles would be between 150-400 kg apiece.

Medusa would be 33-93 kg per shell.

The interesting thing is that its not specifically 'only' artillery or superheavy vehicles, its just three 'tanks' units, so its apparently many kinds of vheicles.

Honestly I could go on, but I'm doing the guard because they'll be benchmark - basically most forces should be within an OoM of that anyhow. Besides, Its an established fact I'm Guard-biased.

A Rapid Assault Spearhead is made up entirely of fast-moving infantry. They rely on a swift approach to surprise the enemy, moving quickly and quietly into their attack positions before surging forward to assault the foe. More often than not the first thing their victims will know of the attack will be when the Rapid Assault Spearhead unleashes its primary volley of shots. The spearhead will then fall upon the enemy, and supporting formations will advance from hidden reserve positions to complete the rout.

Non-vehicle mobility stuff. Recon, scouts/skirmishers, light infantry, and the like. Ambush/sniping and similar type stuff. Catacahns did this to the tau when they invaded Cytheria.

Sometimes the best form of attack is a solid defence. A Strongpoint Spearhead consists of a series of bastions and defence lines that have either been built specifically for the purpose, or captured from the enemy. These will be used as an impregnable bulwark against which attacking enemy formations can be broken and scattered. Once the enemy has wasted their strength in futile attacks, fresh formations will be fed into the battle, first stopping the enemy in their tracks and then turning their attack into a headlong retreat

Which we know the guard is good at, but plenty of other forces use it. even Orks. Superheavies are good at forming these strongpoints (especially sutff like Leviathans or Capitol Imperialis.) Of course we know from Planetstrike that you can air-drop (or orbit drop) bastions and fortifications too so I imagine this applies here as well

Skimmer transport vehicles can use their flight capabilities to launch a lightning fast assault. Before the battle begins they will fly high above the combat zone. Once the enemy are engaged they swoop down from the skies, trading altitude to build up speed until they are hurtling along in a screaming dive. Their velocity hurls them swiftly across the battlefield and deep into the enemy lines, from where the troops carried in the skimmers can swiftly disembark and launch a murderous close-range assault upon the foe.

Skystorm spearhead. Again antigrav vehicles which means more like Tau and Eldar (or some Space Marine) and is again more of three-dimensional warfare than tracked/wheeled vehicles. Maybe Navy gunships can pull it off too.

A Destroyer Spearhead is used to crush the enemy through sheer weight of fire. It will be made up of the units in the army that have the most devastating weaponry. As the rest of the assault force advances to engage the foe, these units will cover the attack by laying down a storm of heavy weapons fire. Enemy units that are not destroyed outright will be forced to take cover or fall back in the face of this onslaught. Once any objectives have been captured, the units in the Destroyer Spearhead will move forward to help protect them from counter-attack.

Tanks and artillery I gahter, at least form the rules, anything with heavy firepower (more than linebreakers? LOL) Thing is, superheavies at least have this much firepower, if not more.

And tactics wise, this does emphasize firepower, lots of it . Definitely tied to Guard doctrine, but others too.

Some armies are accompanied into battle by gargantuan living creatures, every bit as huge as the super-heavy vehicles used by other armies. These creatures are so large that they can level entire buildings, crush armoured vehicles underfoot, smash skimmers out of the air, and annihilate entire companies of smaller creatures. Although usually held back so they are available for extremely large battles, when in dire need a commander can call on one of these behemoths to spearhead a vital attack.

Again likely giant creatures (more than merely 'monstrous') like you'd see Tyranids have or sometimes Orks (probably daemons), and it seems we'd probably bre talking superheavy or titan scale (crushing armored vehicles, levelling buildings, etc.)

Super-heavy vehicles such as the Imperial Baneblade or Ork Stompa are amongst the most deadly combatants on the battlefields of the 41st Millennium. Just one of them can dominate a battlefield. Although incredibly rare, their presence can single-handedly spell the difference between victory or defeat. Because of their might and nigh-on invulnerability, super-heavies are often used to spearhead an assault. Protected by incredibly thick armour, they shrug off even heavy weaponry, and they are armed with batteries of guns that can level a city block and destroy entire swathes of enemy troops.

[/quote]

I guess I can find a use for this again lol. Escalation points out similar level of firepower anyhow. If we use the Baneblade as an eample, and combine its Demolisher and Battle cannons (ignore the lascannon) it could probably carry at least 45 kg (averaged between the two guns) to 125 kg (again averaged.) Other superheavies should be of comparable magnitude.

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.

Next up the armoured companies. Its a mix of separate links, all dead technically, so the ones I provide are from the Wayback Machine internet archives.

First Linky

An Imperial Guard Armoured company consists almost entirely of armoured vehicles, with the only infantry included being those mounted in Chimeras to keep up with the rapid advance of the tanks. A typical Armoured company can consist of anything between 12 and 24 tanks and is primarily used to batter through enemy strongpoints, exploit a breakthrough or act as a mobile reserve to counter-attack advancing enemy.

Size and composition of armoured companies. Whilst the chimeras are not neccesarily organic (Depends on source, but officially its not as per this stuff.) but the offensive forces of the Guard are basically all mechanised. And its fast.

size is pretty typical as in other sources, and the roles are the same - mobile reserve, punch thorough enemy defenses and to exploit breakthoughs (implies a concentration of force as well.)

An Armoured company will often be used to spearhead attacks and break through enemy lines. Special missions or objectives of a particularly critical nature are often entrusted to Armoured companies, though they are unsuitable for holding ground or raiding into enemy territory. Armoured companies are specialised formations and how they are raised and integrated into an Imperial Guard army is quite different to a regular Imperial Guard regiment.

Again Armoured forces are the 'tip of the spear' for the Guard (when you don't have Space Marines or titans.) They are the offensive forces that take the battle to the enemy. Lighter, non-tank units (Sentinels/Salamnders) as well as infantry (in and out of vehicles, I wager) are the raiders and they take and hold the ground and serve the defensive role.

Anda gain they are a 'spearhead' that break through enemy lines, implying the concentration of force

Next linky

Within the Imperial Guard the most common lower-level formation is the squadron. This consists of three tanks, one of which is a Command tank. Virtually every combination of armoured vehicle has at some time operated as a squadron, either by plan or necessity, although the classic squadron consists of three Leman Russ battle tanks.

Squadron = 3 tanks, including command tank. This means in a company there are roughly 4-8 squads.

Another linky, part 1

Most of the regiments raised for service in the Imperial Guard are infantry, which is not surprising as the one resource the Imperium has in abundance is manpower. However, while the Imperial Guard is rightly regarded as a ponderous organisation which specialises in delivering bludgeoning hammer blows to an enemy rather than the decisive rapier-thrusts of the Adeptus Astartes, it still needs a way of breaking through defensive lines and taking the battle to the enemy.

Most Guardsmen are infantry. Its less 'humans plentiful' and more their given purpose (discussed later) They garrison, police. They take and hold ground and mop up after the offensive forces (which are the Astartes.. or the armoured forces.) They serve a primarily defensive role whilst the tanks are offensive. And as a rule there are always workarounds if neccesarry - if they are garrisoning a planet suitable transport may be requisitioned or taken from local reserves. If they are in an assault, they may have the vehicles provided by the Munitorum (usually temporary from reserves.) Or, they may deploy directly from drop ships - including directly into battle, as we see in both the Tyrok Fields artwork as well as the cover of the 5th IG codex.

Also note the 'ponderous' bit. Often gets made a big dela of, although in context this can mean many things. The deployment of large forces (armies) either in response to a threat, or deploying on planet.. or any of a number of factors. Heck it could be a combination of those. It does not neccesarily mean it is ALWAYS ponderous, or explain why, but its part of the whole 'worst case scenario' aspect of the Guard - they can't really count on most things (if anything) going right to give them victory, and by and large fight as if it won't (hence, attrition, manpower, etc.)

Armoured regiments are the assault arm of the Imperial Guard. Raised on industrialised worlds and equipped with unsophisticated but rugged vehicles, they have been the weapon of choice for Imperial Guard generals for as long as the Imperium has stood. An Armoured regiment consists of several companies; normally there will be at least three but some regiments boast over a dozen. Because of the sheer power of tanks in action, Armoured regiments normally split into their constituent companies in battle. A company of tanks can be allocated to an Infantry Regiment to provide close support or conversely operate on its own, supported in some cases by troops detached from Infantry regiments in the same army.

Armoured regiments come from 'industrialised' worlds - which means.. industrial worlds, but also hive worlds, manufactorum worlds, and forge worlds (of course.) It probably also means many civilised worlds as well, although 'civilised' will overlap with many of those other classes as well. And they are again, the offensive forces of the Guard (whereas the infantry is defensive.)

A regiment has at least three but as many as a dozen companies, each of 12-24 tanks. At least 36 tanks, to 288.

Troops are attached to armoured regiments, or tanks are attahced to mechnised regiments (like most specialists if not regiments in general, armoured regiments will break up into smaller components to form detachments) - either way they seem to often operate in support. 1 regiment per tank company may give a ratio of tanks to men.

It is rare for tanks and infantry to be officially part of the same regiment but once intermixed to fight it is common for secondments to become permanent, at least for the duration of a war or crusade. But in all practical cases the Armoured company is the level of tank formation most commonly encountered, whether admixed with other elements or not.

AGain, theory vs practice. 'officially' the Guard/Munitorum raises its regiments as distinct, uniform types (EG mostly infantry, mostly tnaks, mostly artillery.) But in practice it has little control over this, and variations can and do occur. mixed tank/infantry/artillrey regiments aren't exactly uncommon, although whether this is a post-raising organization (prior to departing a world) or organized at the destination (where regiments are broken up and re-formed as needed.)

And as is habitual, they can't control secondments once made, so they can (effectively) become permanant formations, in which case you can hav emixed regiments regardless of intention.

An Armoured company will always have a commander operating either alone in his own tank or supported by an HQ squadron of one or two more tanks. The Leman Russ Vanquisher is a popular choice as command tank as its long-barrelled battle cannon is especially effective in the hands of a Veteran crew. The company will consist of three to six squadrons of tanks, each squadron having a command tank, and one to two other tanks

HQ squadron for armoured company 3-6 squadrons, at 3 tanks each, is 9-18 tanks. Which given the 3-12 companies before in a regiment means between 27-216 tanks in a regiment.,

Whilst the formal organisation of Armoured companies contains only tanks, some cross-attaching of units is common. This is not based on any standard practice formalised in Imperial Guard manuals, but is instead either improvised by experienced commanders or undertaken as a necessity of battle.

Again theory vs practice. 'Formal' organisations are uniform, although how long they remain formal (if at all) is not even remotely standardized (as the 'cross-attaching' and secondments are common, and not baesd on formal practices but more 'improvisation'. And who says the Guard has no initiative?)

The most common attachments are infantry from Steel Legion-style formations. (The Steel Legions are specifically an Armageddon unit, but the term is used more widely to describe infantry units entirely mounted in Chimera transports). The Chimeras enable the infantry not only to keep up with the tanks, but to add significantly to an Armoured company's firepower.

Mechanised/armoured formations (with detachments of armour to mechanised, or mechanised to armoured) are most common. note that 'mechanised' or 'armoured fist' are referred to as Steel-Legion style formations, leading to yet more terminology variation.

When it comes to reconnaissance Imperial tanks are too large and noisy to perform the job well. To fill this niche Armoured companies are commonly assigned squadrons of Sentinel walkers. The Sentinel is the workhorse of virtually every Imperial Guard formation and it is the exception to the rule that all Armoured companies include only tanks.

Basically, everyone will have sentinels, even foot infatnry. Althougfh technically you can expect even infantry to have at least a few vehicles (Chimeras, Trojans, Salmaanders, etc.) if for no other reason than to serve as HQ, medical, supply vehicles, etc.

The Sentinel has such excellent all-round capabilities that a tank formation acting independently is hamstrung without them. They excel at sniffing out the enemy, and, having located them, are sufficiently well armed to support the tanks in the ensuing battle. Broadly speaking they are used in two roles: pure reconnaissance as described above and as tank hunters. While the Armoured company's tanks roar forward Sentinels can occupy concealing terrain and fire accurately with their lascannons in support. Their flimsy armour is less of a disadvantage when the enemy's attention is fixed on the near-invulnerable Leman Russ. The other advantage of Sentinels is that they can go virtually anywhere an infantryman can go and still take their heavy firepower with them.

Sentinels, of course, are recon and anti-tank, although their anti tank roles are more opportunistic (use mobility and distraction of the main tank force to ambush/snipe other enemy vehicles, especially in flanks or rear.)

Sentinels also provide even an infantry force with some semi-mobile offensive (anti tank) firepower, to complement their (mostly static) heavy weapon squads. Not a perfec tsolution of course, but far better than nothing.

Finally it is possible that artillery units will be assigned to an Armoured company. This is actually very rare as artillery is at its best when set up a good distance from the enemy lines and is able to remain static and bombard continually. This method of fighting is diametrically opposed to the bludgeoning tactics of the Armoured companies. Sometimes the artillery is transferred to act as improvised tanks to swell numbers; at other times they are there because formations merge in the heat of battle without any real tactical reason.

It does happen and may be far from uncommon. Usually the artillery is either mobile (fire on the movie, or stop-fire-move - Basilisk as per 3rd edition can deploy and fire in seconds, whilst in IA they are described as being able to fire on the move.) but they may also deploy further back from the tank regiment to provide long range support independently. Mortars are an option too, especially from mechanised regiments. Usually you'll see Basilisks, Manticores, and Medusas in this role - most other things are eithe rtoo short ranged (and too lightly armoured, like Medusas) or too sluggish (bombards, colossus, towed or emplaced artillery.)

And of course some artillery serves in a direct fire (or near direct fire) role sa 'assault guns.'

An Armoured company's support vehicles, ammo carriers, fuel trucks and the like, will normally be provided for a campaign by the Departmento Munitorum. Each squadron can contain a mix of vehicles, but the newer the regiment, the more likely they are to be the same. These lightly armed but very valuable vehicles will never be risked in combat if possible. Their crews are not combat-hardened and are made up of men who can only be trusted to labour rather than fight.

Although in more than a few cases (Cain novels, Commissar by Andy Hoare, IA, etc.) armouored and/or mechanised reigments will have at least a partial 'support' company/platoon or other component that provides at least limited logistical services (medical, resupply, some maintenance, etc.) More significant (long term) support is either provided by the Garrison's host world, or - as the text indicates - provided by the Munitorum. And unlik ethe Munitorum crews, the support company (platoon) ARE troops, if not exactly line troops.

When units are assigned to support the Armoured company from other formations, such as infantry or artillery, they are assigned to either a company commander or a squadron commander. This keeps the internal organisation of the Armoured company constant and avoids confusing battlefield command with additional sub-units. It is acknowledged that tank commanders do not always know what is best for their support units so a degree of autonomy is acceptable. The sergeants of Armoured Fist units, for example, quickly learn what is needed of them and do not wait for an order to intercept enemy infantry.

Again not everything is 'inflexible' or rigid or dogmatic in the Guard. Whilst oyu have plenty officers who can be (ambition, or aritocratic backgrounds with little military training, or just incompetence.) its clear that 'the 'detachment' roles, like Jungle fighters/light infantry (like the Tallarn), Sentinels/Hellound and similar units, and such may have yo develop some measure of initiative and independence - to prevent commanders of one specialization micromanaging (and screwing up) the other parts (EG tank commanders giving orders to artillery, or infantry to tanks.)

Likely, this becomes more habitual with 'veterans'

Another linky, part 2

Armoured Companies of the Imperial Guard are renowned for the speed and ferocity of their assaults, smashing through enemy positions with the thunder of their armoured vehicles. Their deployment is not undertaken lightly, for it is a logistical nightmare to coordinate so many vehicles together with their associated materiel. Ammunition, fuel, food, water and all manner of sundries are consumed at a frightening rate by an Armoured company. Whole convoys of fuel trucks follow in the wake of the company too, which in turn need to be guarded and fuelled, generating even longer supply chains.

Again despite being 'ponderous' the armoured components of the Guard can be in fact quite rapid. Of course, comparatively speaking, they are also more resource-intensive than mere infantry regiments, which is the tradeoff. Of course that IS relative, since we know in at least some cases low-end Russ performance (IA level) results in truly huge operational ranges (1500 kilometers from the oft-cited Defixio example.) The increased supplies either reflect operations across truly vast distances, constant combat (maueuvring rather than straight line travel), or it may reflect differences in performance (faster, more powerful engines probably suck up more fuel and reduce range)

When the full might of an Armoured company is unleashed there is little that can stand against it. Dozens of tanks roar forwards,...
...
In the wake of the blitz of an Armoured company's attack come the Infantry companies, but there is usually very little for them to do but mop up the scattered remnants of broken, terrorised enemy soldiers. The terror of an entire company of tanks crashing through a position should not be underestimated and many foes have had cause to rue the day they overestimated their ability to hold off the Armoured Companies of the Imperial Guard. Ironically, despite being capable of such awesome destruction, Armoured companies are unsuited for holding the ground they capture, relying on infantry to consolidate their gains. While Armoured companies are an extremely powerful shock force in battle, they rely (however much their commanders might disagree) on supporting units of artillery and infantry to operate at their most effective.

The Armoured company in action (dozens of tanks now!) Again its largely offensive, focused on psychological impact (shock and terror) as well as direct destruction. Infantry, by contrast, are used to mop up and hold ground taken by the offensive (EG the tanks.)

And, unsurprisingly, the Guard is a combined arms force.

As well as spearheading assaults Armoured companies are also particularly effective as mobile reserves, breaking up enemy offensives that have burst through friendly forces. Enemy troops and armoured fighting vehicles that have battled through a first line of defence are typically disorganised and scattered – easy prey for a concerted counter-attack. An Armoured company's speed allows it to react rapidly to the changing fortunes of the battlefield and often the sudden arrival of squadrons of heavy armour has turned retreat into attack. Such dramatic operations produce a different breed of Guard officer, one more used to flamboyant displays of heroism than the drudgery of common footsloggers. Used to the protection of several tonnes of steel and armaplas, many officers are prone to wilder excesses of courage than those who know that only a few thin layers of ablative material stand between them and death.

Again 'spearheads' - focused strikes as well as speed and mobility (acting a reserves to counter-attack enemy breakthroughs) The intresting bit is again this reflects Tank forces being alot less rigid than their foot slogger counterparts, much more independence and iniaitive (and aggression) - also speed and 'rapid reaction' to the changing circ*mstances of the battlefield, such as it is. Like with sentinels, hunter-killer vehicles, light infantry/jungle fighters, and other specialists... there are non-trivial protions of the Guard which emphasize initiative and independent opreation. It's just not a constitent policy and the Munitorum has no way to enforce such standards (obedience and attritiona re much simpler goals to aim for, although getting 'obedience' - especially to die - is not very easy, either, since the Guard are largely human after all.)

Armoured companies do not see action as much as infantry units. Infantry can be used in virtually any terrain, can be used to police rebellious populations, perform more menial digging and entrenching and provide garrisons on backwater worlds. Whilst an Armoured company can be used in this way, the crews shouldering their lasguns and acting as improvised infantry, it is far from ideal. Their real role and best use is in major campaigns where their ability to deliver battle-winning attacks is legendary.

It is hardly shocking that 'specialists' are less versatile than infantry. This perhaps reflects the core of the 'manpower' centric attitudes of the Imperium - with the right heavy weapons and numbers, infantry can take on even tanks or armoured vehicles (at least none that are Titans or Superheavies) and have a chance of success (albeit likely with horrendous casualties in the process.) But the unreliability of travel and logistics means that a regiment may not always be as well supported as it would like to be (or is promised), and so the ability to still achieve objectives despite the lack of 'specialists' is important. It is hardly 'ideal' of course, but few things with the Guard are (again they focus on being effective even in a worst case scenario, and plan accordingly for such.)

On the other hand, the 'improvisiation by necessity' and flexibility impiled here (up to a point) does contradict alot of the perceptions of the Guard as well. If they ohpe to be effective and not be executed, some simply cannot afford to be inflexible or dogmatic.

The versatility of infantry can also be compensated as time and circ*mstances dictate, as mentioned before. Garrisons can acquire needed resources (such as vehicles, or even sub-stellar ships) locally for defense. Offensively, they may either be issued transport, or they may deploy directly into a warzone from a heavily armed/armoured drop ship (which provides its own sort of mobility advantage far better than any APC/IFV could.) But at the same time they can do all the 'other' military and nonmilitary tasks you need a pair of hands and a back for ('grunt work' so to speak.')

Because the Imperial Guard as a whole is operationally quite slow it is sometimes advantageous for their advance to be spearheaded by Armoured companies. In this role they advance ahead of the main army in tight formations, often supported by Sentinel squadrons seconded from reconnaissance units. These formations will advance at maximum speed, cutting holes in the enemy formations before pressing on without pause to isolate pockets of resistance which can then be mopped up by the more conventional Imperial Guard units advancing behind them. Massed armour is almost impossible to stop without the enemy committing their own mobile forces, thereby allowing the Imperial Guard to seize the initiative and force the enemy to fight a battle of attrition.

Again 'slow' or 'ponderous' even operationally is a bit context dependent. For example its clearly not including the armoured forces in this, since they are compensating for the 'slow' speed of the Guard as a whole (which likely means foot-slogging infantry, given the context.) Given that the majority of the IG is foot infantry, that is not terribly shocking. But even beyond that, slow can be highly context-sensitive. Slow to deploy due to unrelaibility of the wapr, or communications.. problems in logistics (or total lack thereof) and other supply issues, internal dissent (politics and bureaucracy especially) and so on and so forth. It doesn't GUARANTEE automatica sluggishness, but the various factors (especially in concert) rarely can be ignored and will conspire to slow things down even to a small degree. This is, again, an accepted part of the way the Guard wages war.

Anyhow, by contrast, the 'offensive' forces - the armoured and mechanised units (and probably storm troopers) are much more mobile, aggressive. In addition to doing breakthroughs and punching holes in the enemy's formations, it will 'divide and conquer' or surround subseuqnelty isolated forces to destory them (or leave them to be destroyed by the 'slower' infantry coming up behind them.

Also importance of initiative. They appear to recognize that.

This approach is most effective when the line of attack is aimed at weak points in the enemy line. Overall the objective is not to destroy the enemy by direct action but to fragment them and get the Armoured companies amongst second line formations disrupting supplies and overrunning depots.

The key to success is how well the tanks are supported; lack of fuel and ammunition will often halt their advance long before the enemy are able to do so and counter-attacks launched against the sides of the line of march will drain the Armoured company's strength and may cut them off entirely.

Armoured forces recognize the importance of weak points and (presumably again) concentration of strength to break those weak points open (breakthroughs, spearheads, etc.) And again 'fragmenting' them reflects the idivde and cqoneuer strategies, as well as getting in behind the enemy and f*cking around with their army from behind (rear areas, I suppose.)

But again.. tradeoff can be logistics. I suppose its circ*mstantial. Sometimes more speed is needed, but this will cut into range (and the supply lines become vulnerable and important to holding momentum on the offensive.) On the toher hand, even if they move relatively slow (Again Forge world speeds) the ability to cross continetnal distances withour running out of fuel is certainly a *huge* advnatage over a long term deployment and movement (although unless they're packing mostly las-armaments, ammo shortages will force its own delays regardless.)

Often the Imperial Guard will be fighting on battlefronts stretching hundreds of miles. The lethality of 41st millennium weaponry makes constant attack very expensive in lives and even the Imperial Guard cannot simply throw men away attacking strongly held positions. The tank charge will be supported by a general advance of all army elements. Light artillery, such as man-portable mortars, can continue to fire as the Armoured company moves forward as, even if they are not on target, their shells cannot harm the tanks. With the main defensive line overthrown, the Armoured companies will often revert to individual spearheads before moving on to secondary objectives.

Again 40K weapons are lethal on the batltefield (which when you consider this includes superheavies, titans, orbital bombardment, and ICBM-like Deathstrike missiles, can we hardly be shocked?) and the fact the Guard truly aren't infiinte (and especially not compared to races like the Orks, Necrons, or Tyranids.) - they simply cannot rely on Zapp Brannigan strategies (their 'attrition' has to be handled intelligently, even if it is attrition.) - again despite what certain bits of the fluff and flavour text might say (they can't even guarantee they'll have dispatched enough resources that will get there to enable them to be that wasteful.) So that sort of attrition is, like most things, context dependent and they rely as much on heavy vehicles and armour rather than just infantry to launch assaults. Even in some sorts of trench warfare (EG Gorgons, although those are, in their own way, deathtraps. AT least the Imperial Armour vraks versions were.)

Also scope of batltefields - hundreds (or more) miles is not exactly trivial, although how this meshes up with real life I have no clue.

Also use of mortars to support tanks. Again, not all artillery is useless

New Archive of my 40K analysis stuff, over on SB, including the stuff I've posted there as well as my stuff here.