So I'm just wondering, cause I never read about it in books and stuff, about a certain piece of technology. People refer to voxes that they use for communication, and pict-screens to read data on, but I never hear about something.... Well, about... Ah, why beat around the bush, is there television in the 41st millennium? And while we're at it, what about the Internet? I mean, it's gotta be pretty obvious that the Mechanicus has some sort of equivalent, but there's almost no mention of tv in the common world. Or in artwork. I never made a big deal about it, but I watched a sci-if movie recently where these guys are walking through some slums in a city at night, with bright neon lights and a giant screen in the distance playing advertisements and government messages and I thought "this is a hive city, I would totally have an adventure in here, that screen would be saying things like 'The Emperor watches, shirk not in your duty!'' And then I realized that I'd never really heard of tv screens like that. Which can't be quite right, I must've missed something.

Anybody have any answers? Is the Imperium that backward or have I been looking in the wrong places?

Yes, some civilised worlds employ civilian holo-broadcast which is basically your average television based on hololythic technology. Most have access to pict-casters (your average television). Holo-dramas (read - movies) are also produced both as propaganda tool and as form of art.

Finding equivalents of Internet is a bit more tricky, and it actually makes sense - in a universe where scrap-codes (read: viruses) can be daemonic and/or self-aware in nature, amounts of data stored are enormous, data itself is irreplaceable and no new antivirus software is ever produced, you want your networks as small, enclosed and secure as possible. You might find data-network connecting data-crypts and operator terminals with central cogitator array in a voidship or a manufactorum, but it is exceedingly rare to find planet-wide data network with access terminals available to general public, let alone any semblance of free data transfer between users. A more or less accurate equivalent of our internet is more likely to be found on chaos-controlled world, for that matter, but heck, Imperium is huge and anything is possible.

A very good question. Unfortunately, like a number of things, day-to-day technology in the Imperium is rather poorly defined. I understand why GW doesn’t bother to address it; it’s of little relevance to a tabletop wargame. But it would have been nice for Rogue Trader and/or Dark Heresy to devote at least a little bit of thought and space to the subject.

What does an autocarriage look like? Are they like modern cars or more like something from the early half of the 20th century? Does data transmission depend on cables or is it wireless? And I understand that it’s thematically cool to have a civilization which can build gravity-defying vehicles but still stores all of its records on scrolls, but it’d be nice to have some kind of explanation as to why. Were high-capacity hard drives at some point declared heretical?

Just out of curiosity, what movie were you watching that inspired this question?

EDIT: the above user addressed some of this while I was typing.

Abnett's "Necropolis" mentions "public adress plates" wich in my mind take the form jumbotron TV screens in public areas.

But largely depends on what worlds. Closest to internet in 40k might be adeptus mechanicus Noosphere and datanets.

Another thing that seems to be missing from 40k is (mega)corporations. there's no Renraku or Weyland Yutani. even SW has Sienar Fleet Systems. (EU)

My take is television broadcasting (on the tech/hive worlds) that have it is heavily regulated, consisting mostly of local news, propaganda and maybe some cultural shows. And of course there's the 24/7 devotional hymm chanel.

Internet might very well be a mechanicus/ ultramar only thing. And heavily scrutinised by the Ordo hereticus. So don't expect anything like the "free" internet we have today.

Altough that would be kinda funny...

I shudder what the 40k equivalent of 4chan must look like. Piratebay would be hosted on Alpha legion cogitators (YES!) with the ordo hereticus trying to shut them down (Boo! hiss!) Marneus calgar = Chuck Norris. There would be Slaaneshi porn sites...

+++Welcome to Ultramar news. We bring you news of the Glorious Ultramarines wiping out tyranids on the world of Matwardia. +++live feed AM: We are speaking to captain Cestus of the glorious 4th compagny. Captain can you tell us how the fight is going? + It's an ugly planet! a bug planet! + live feed terminated. Back to the studio+++

We now go to weatherman Ollie also on Matwardia. What's the weather like there, Ollie?+++

+++Apocalyptic!+++ Thanks Ollie. That was the end of Free Aquilla News. More news at seven. And now we return to our coverage of the Holy mass in the St. Roboute Cathedral. Let's all give praise to Him on Earth.+++

+++ tought for today: Serpentis fidelis+++

It'll depend on a writer's or player's imagination, as always, and what role these tools are intended to have in that interpretation of the setting.

For example, I myself don't think ordinary TV fits very well into the average depiction of 40k, as the worlds that are sufficiently advanced will see their workforce exploited in a way that would prevent them from having a lot of time to sit around watching TV shows. Sure, there would be a certain percentage of the population who might have both the time as well as the coin to make use of such an entertainment device, but this is where we'd get to the Imperial adepta, in particular the Ecclesiarchy, exerting such an oppressive grip on the media that the stuff wouldn't actually be a lot of fun to watch anyways (think of North Korean TV ).

Those people who have sufficient influence to be largely immune to persecution (-> planetary nobility) will instead enjoy themselves staging their own shows in their mansions using live actors and dancers, like the medieval kings of old, or perhaps go visit some sort of theatre.

For propaganda purposes, I like some novels' descriptions of large loud hailer towers blaring out inspirational hymns and pre-approved statements for news and public announcements.

The only way I'd consider screens in the setting was either for surveillance cameras or C64-style text and primitive image transmission.

Do note that I have chosen the above primarily because I revel in 40k being unique in its "steampunk" approach contrasting laser weapons with paper scrolls, so personally I would want to intentionally avoid anything that brings its atmosphere too close to Shadowrun-style cyberpunk.

This is purely a matter of taste, however, and I must stress the fact that there is no singular truth about how you "must" see the setting. Besides, there are so many different planets in the Imperium, even if we were to take all those conflicting accounts we'd probably be able to find a place for all of them. What I'm propagating here is merely that which gives off the most 40k vibe to me.

As for possible names, it can actually be a fun game to come up with them. Just consider abbreviations of common terms, or a bastardised variant of some Latin name, or a mix of the two. Researching the etymology of contemporary terms might also provide a clue. Just take care to make it sound archaic rather than modern, even when you insert technological terms.

Looking at the terms various writers of 40k material have already come up with could give you some guidance. For example, a video or a TV show could be called a "transpict" (a play on words mixing "transcript" with "picture").

What does an autocarriage look like? Are they like modern cars or more like something from the early half of the 20th century?

However you want it to look like! As far as 40k is concerned, don't expect any consistency when it comes to such details.

That being said, this lax attitude towards the setting can also be somewhat liberating in that it is really left up to you alone how you want to imagine such things to look like, all depending on what you imagine that particular planet looks like, and what would best fit onto its streets. It could be anything from steampunk-style self-propelled horse carriages to Battletech-style futuristic utility vehicles, to crazy stuff like a 1950s oldtimer with armoured plating and an upgunned engine.

Another thing that seems to be missing from 40k is (mega)corporations. there's no Renraku or Weyland Yutani. even SW has Sienar Fleet Systems. (EU)

Well, most interpretations of the setting - even the majority of novels - stick to the planets being fairly isolated from one another (both in terms of travel as well as communications), which would certainly hamper not only growth but also maintained control of a megacorp. It gets tricky to manage a business when contact to other offices is limited to "once in 10 years" or so. To say nothing of the legal troubles with every planet having its own regulations.

I'm sure something like megacorps could exist, but there would be a "critical size" that would lead to companies getting easy to topple or split once they grow too big. A sort of bubblegum effect, if you will. You could easily have something like OCP or Renraku (well, a more dieselpunk version of it anyways) on a single planet or a system, but beyond that it just gets tricky to maintain control. My advice would be to focus on such "local big players", who could certainly appear sufficiently influential and established to qualify as a megacorp if you limit your perception to that specific region. I think Dark Heresy even has something like that in the form of the Merovech Combine?

There are corporations in the setting, in the form of noble houses. It's mentioned in a few Rogue Trader books. The guys who find worlds and figure out how best to exploit them aren't just heading it all over to the Adeptas, after all. People are paid in Thrones, remember? Instead of independent corporations, you have the medieval equivalent of families running trade and distribution channels for all the goods fed into the Imperium. A lot of those houses form when a Trader decides to settle down and just run their huge merchant empires.

Oh, and the show I was watching was Ghost in the Shell. Love that cyberpunk.

Yeah but I tend to view RTs as the Trading companies of old (VOC) rather than corporations who have their own comsumer products, brand recongnition, company loyalty and commercials.

Yeah i like me some cyberpunk to (shadowrun is a bit to much fantasy at times for me, but i've been looking into 5th edition and now i kinda want to play a Blood magic Adept.)

Question: How "cyberpunk" do you consider 40k to be?

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Only hive worlds and forge worlds might have this sort of thing. Them and... Well, I've never heard of them, but sometimes I imagine worlds like ours out there. Y'know, worlds with 20th century tech. Hey, if there are feral worlds and medieval worlds, and agri worlds and shrine worlds, why not civilized worlds? (Maybe the paradise worlds are like that too)

Question: How "cyberpunk" do you consider 40k to be?

Apart from being dark depictions of the future, not much. Cyberpunk to me is a bit more satirical and not nearly so technologically incongruous or steeped in mysticism.

There are a few out there. My bet is there are a few in the realm of Ultramar.

Can you imagine what our world would look like in the 40k universe?

Repairmen, IT-tech support, factory machine operators would all be adeptus mechanicus enginseers.

ctrl-alt-del is probably a forbidden code known only to senior magos. Imagine saying a short prayer before you turn on the microwave, PC, console, dishwasher, etc. (and no, "x-box on" doesn't count!)

Question: How "cyberpunk" do you consider 40k to be?

Apart from being dark depictions of the future, not much. Cyberpunk to me is a bit more satirical and not nearly so technologically incongruous or steeped in mysticism.

I agree. It's odd but for a setting that shares a few tropes with cyberpunk it does feel diffrent.

Lets check what cyberpunk elements 40k has:

Cybertech? check

Dystopian future? check

Urban decay? check

Artificial inteligence? no (only the Tau)

Evil megacorporations? no

virtual reality representation of computer systhems/software: no

Of all of 40k Necromunda comes closest to genuie cyberpunk.

sometimes I imagine worlds like ours out there. Y'know, worlds with 20th century tech.

With as many human-inhabited planets as there are in 40K, you could conceivably have one that mimics pretty much any place and time in human history. That versatility is one of the many things that I like about the setting.

Repairmen, IT-tech support, factory machine operators would all be adeptus mechanicus enginseers.

For awhile I was actually using the AdMech symbol for my instant messaging icon at work. My boss finally told me it was creeping some people out and politely asked me to remove or change it.

Or when you have tried everything to get a computer working again and you say " If this doesn't work i don't know what will work. All we can do then is pray to the Omnissiah." que odd looks from coworkers.

It's odd but for a setting that shares a few tropes with cyberpunk it does feel diffrent.

It's the appearance of technology, and the way it's being used. Traditional cyberpunk focuses on brand new technology and how it changes our way of life. 40k on the other hand feels more like a setting that may have been cyberpunk a couple thousand years ago, but then experienced a medieval-style regression that now makes everything look more like post-apocalypse (which is a genre all by itself), with all the tools you're using looking jury-rigged ... not because they were broken, but because that was the only way the manufacturer could get it to work , thanks to altered blueprints and the loss of access to original parts, or quite simply because it has become not only accepted but mandatory to bring religion and mysticism into your business.

Basically, it's more Fallout rather than Shadowrun. At least that's how I imagine it, based on the material I've seen.

fallout with machine cults! I love Ad Mech sometimes!

Ps; Have you heard of (or perhaps played) Deadlands: Hell on earth?

While I could see some kind of TV style thing, I don't think it would be ubiquitous as it is today. Some worlds may have it, but large screens in public areas with Imperial propaganda are more likely. Various aspects of the setting suggest entertainment is of a more "traditional" variety, feeling more like a Renaissance world than a modern one. I would expect entertainment to primarily to revolve around getting pissed, maybe a song and tale from the equivalent to a "minstrel" and the occasional visit by wandering acting troupe, but with seemingly incongruous bits of technology alongside it (Shakespeare style plays... with traditional holotechnology included).

Internet: No. The kind of sharing of information and freedom of access this implies I certainly don't see. Totally out of place with the setting, where knowledge is tightly controlled etc. However, I could see a communication network for nobles and powerful figures on a planet (like the noosphere on some forgeworlds in some of the novels... though that is sci-fantasy wifi as well).

fallout with machine cults! I love Ad Mech sometimes!

Those are Reavers http://fallout.gamepedia.com/Reaver_Movement

Hmm, how grimdark is Macragge? Or Ultramar itself? Outside of Hive and Forge worlds, that's probably the most likely place where I could have my gritty but not post-apocalyptic city adventure.

Depending on the source you read Ultramar as a whole is meant to be as close to a paradise as the Imperium has. Prandium particularly was meant to be a very pleasant agri-world which was regarded as the beauty of Ultramar. Then the Tyranids spoilt it all by munching it.

Yes there are TVs and radios, I used them in my campaigns (with flavour names, like vox-box, pict-screen), either as a way to learn things or as a reward (when the small pict-screen is replaced by a large flat one after a mission well done)

There's no internet per se, but I suppose there is some sort of internal network that does connect some machines to another, or one archives to another, either established already or via a back-door that the =I= got installed eons ago.

There are corporations just that they owned by either a cabal of nobles/merchants/whatever, or it is a personnal enterprise (i.e. just a noble house who's got money and factories to cought out whatever product) with help from the AdMec. I do not see them as boardroom ruled corps à la Shadowrun, more like ran by 'captain of Industry' (or Robber Baron whichever you'd prefer) from the Victorian Age; one man or a small cadre or people, running his company with an iron fist.

Gotta give it to 'them Xenos, they (used) to ride in style!

I do not see them as boardroom ruled corps à la Shadowrun, more like ran by 'captain of Industry' (or Robber Baron whichever you'd prefer) from the Victorian Age; one man or a small cadre or people, running his company with an iron fist.

Good comparison, yeah.

Basically, Rogue Trader without a ship.

I do not see them as boardroom ruled corps à la Shadowrun, more like ran by 'captain of Industry' (or Robber Baron whichever you'd prefer) from the Victorian Age; one man or a small cadre or people, running his company with an iron fist.

Good comparison, yeah.

Basically, Rogue Trader without a ship.

Yup..and minus most of the adventages and liberties a real Rogue Trader would have outside (and to some extent, inside) of the Imperium.