Hi all.

I am currently planning a DH campaign and have to invent a certain planet and/or system therefore. My question is as what kind of world would it be classified? It shall be an ice (frozen water) planet (between -100°C and -160°C on the surface) with between 20-50 million inhabitants that live almost exclusively in a domed colony/city complex. This city is like a smallish hive-city (only 20-50 million inhabitants) about 2000 years old with 4-5 vertical levels (+ a downhive similar region) going down from the surface. The world is quite high-tech with an automated traffic system, a city-wide data network and is orbited by a space dock and platform. The planet has a lot of huge oil/gas rigs distributed throughout its surface; and water, some surplus food production that is exported to other worlds, minerals, gas deposits and heavy metals are the main 'worth' of the planet. The planets de iure governor is a semi-elected Chancellor called Georg Tyrell, but the most powerful de facto person is Adept-Interlocutor Dahid Benkad of the Administratum. The solar system also features a gas giant surrounded by an asteroid belt and orbited by a huge baroque gas collector collecting gases and traces of Adamantium. Actually the asteroid belt and gas giant is crawling with human industry.

To cut a long story short. What would you think is this planet considered as? A Frontier World as there are only comparably few inhabitants on this 'young' world? A Death World as it is rather deadly on the planet outside the domes colony? A Hive World as there is a rather smalish (hive)-city on the surface? A Mining World as its main worth and function is collecting/mining gas and heavy metals? Or something else I cannot think of about at the moment?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Imperial World and Hive for planetary origin type stuff. Of course, you would also have Void Born workers on the orbitals and amongst the work crews at the gas giant and asteroid belt. Not all hivers come from planets crawling with cityscapes and massive populations. You might even try a hand at making alternate Origins traits and such to flesh out your idea.

-=Brother Praetus=-

If your are -not- talking the character classe, I would assume imperial world/mining colonie

- most "full blown hive worlds" are devoid of all natural resources and struck with pollution
- a deathworld is something that hostile that larger settlements or save operations are impossible, with many-many people
dying due to "environmental hazards" each given year.

If your planet is fairly "civilizied" (adepeta and ministorum presence far above "minor") I would call it "Imperial" (Mining Colonie)

If said presence is not given, I would call it a "frontier world".

You describe your planet as 'young' yet having been settled for 2000 years. If you're working in the Calixis sector, note that canon states that nothing is older than 2000 years. So Scintilla and Malfi have been settled 2000 years, but I've never heard either of them described as 'young'.

As far as classifications go, given the fairly small size of the population I'd be reluctant to classify it as a Hive world, though with all settlement being restricted to the hive it may feel like one, and it might be best to classify it as one as far as character backgrounds go. It sounds like a Frontier/mining world to me.

I would say mining world, as its only real function is for mining. Hive worlds are industrial centres, not simply population centres, and this world isnt. If the one hive were heavily inustrial, then yes it would arguably be a hive world (because again, population isnt necassarily the decider). It seems too inhospitable for a frontier world; they seem to me to be virgin, thinly colonised worlds, rather than hard-to-colonise worlds.

I think a planet is defined by it's inhabitants. What do the 20-50 million people do? work on the rigs (ice/gas/mineral), if so I'd call it a mining world.

It doesnt' sound like a hive world due to the small population, but even if it doesn't fit the classic poluted world with billions in polulation, the living conditions still mimic a hive, and its inhabitants would have hive world traits. Every hive world had to start somewhere, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Death world, probably not, but only because from what I have read, they are pretty calamitous. Basically nothing can survive for long even in a protected structure, bad air gets in, the generators freeze, sinkhole swallows the whole hive, constant metor showers preventing long-term structures, violent temperature swings glaciers ripping trhough the landscape, then suddently melt submerging the entire surface for years before freezing solid and starting their glacial cycle again.

You mentioned a high level of technology, that seems unusual for such a small planet, maybe a mini-forge world, would be an appropriate designation if they produce their own technology.

40k world are pretty funny, they generally gravitate to extremes, Hive, Feral, Forge, Agri, etc. Although all of them (except feral) had to start somewhere and evolved into their current state. I imagine Imperial would be the catch-all category for a developing world.

Thanks for all the helpful answers so far. More views are stil appreciated though...

Unfurtunately, on the Calixis map are no 'normal' Hive worlds as they are subdivided into their sub-classes. and none seem fitting. Regarding the character origin I think Imperial world would fit best (even though Table 1-16 does not have anything fitting then...) or maybe even Hive world. For being classified as s Hive world by the Administratum I decided though that a world needs at least 100 million (or maybe 1 billion) inhabitants in at least one metropolic region. The reason the world has rather few inhabitants is that life is unhospitable for humans outside the dome and other similar structures, and the domed city hascertain limits regarding its growth. Orginally I thought it to be a Mining world, but then thought Mining worlds are always teeming with industry on the surface and are highly polluted. Since recently I thought a Frontier world would be more fitting (have chosen Zumthor in the Josian Reach so far...) due to the few inhabitants and its rather progressive way of life. In my opinion Frontier world do not have to be hospitable virgin worlds. They simply have to be worth it for (whatever reason) the Imperium to be colonized. I furthermore thought 2000 years are quite young because I thought most bigger Hive cities originated from before the Angevin crusade.

RevMark said:

It doesn't state anything of the sort. It's just that they haven't been part of the Imperium before the Angevin Crusade. The area of the galaxy that is now known as the Calixis Sector has propably been settled by humans since the Dark Age of Technology.

Luthor Harkon said:

Well, since you asked, here's one more view:

The way I see the planet classification system is as follows:

The class the planet belongs to is determined by what the planet produces from the Imperiums point of view. This means that planets that produce foodstuffs are classified as Agriworlds, planets that have a large population and heavy industry, and produce finished goods, are called Hive Worlds(even though they might not have actual hives a la Necromunda), Mining Worlds produce raw materials for industry, Frontier and Feral Worlds don't produce much of anything etc.

So, my answer to your question is that your world should be classified as a Mining World.

from france

for me because your worl has a bit of everything i will classified it a as an imperial world event if is not the classical imperial worl. but because for me the classification "imperial world" is the by default classification and because your world can be classified as agriworld but not enough hive world but not enough .... then it should be a imperial world.

well that is just my theorie

Having re-read the background section in the core book you're dead on the money. I'd been mislead by BI's big 'nothing more than 2000 years old' rule back when they were soliciting world backgrounds for the sector. Good call.