So, I got this idea for a campaign setting after reading the No Astronomicon thread, and I wa hoping I could enlist some of you gentlefolk in fleshing out my ideas. Here's what I have so far:

At the end of the current story arc, the PC's, in their ship, are pulled into a warp rift created by their archenemy, knocked unconscious, and other bad stuff. They wake to find themselves adrift in space. As they are sitting there, pondering their fate, a massive armada of human ships drops out of the warp. Hailed, boarded and examined, they are brought to the Commodore of the armada and they learn several things:

-The Year is 50,000 (Or 45,000, or something else, I'm not quite sure.)

-Terra has fallen, the Imperium broken.

-The remaining Humans live in mobile fleets (ala BSG, I know) moving about and raiding planets for supplies.

-Nobody knows any longer how the Imperium fell, the knowledge has been forgotted.

-The only place that knowledge might exist is on Mars, which is the only Imperial world that has not fallen to the enemies of humanity.

-The PC's need to figure out why the Imperium fell, how to fix it, how to get home, and do so.

What I need help on is figuring out how the Galaxy looks at this point. What's Chaos up to? How far have the Tau expanded. What about the Eldar? Does Humanity have any Allies? Who?

How does humanity differ from Humanity in the Imperium? Have views changed regarding Xenotech? What about the cult of the Emperor? Has it endured?

Any and all thoughts are appreciated!

I believe, in the "grim" universe of only war & etc. Without an Emperor, the Ruinous Powers woulda won. Or the Ork woulda won. Or the Necrons, or the Tyrannids, or the Eldar (maybe). So Humanity is no more - the humans are all slaves.

There could be a new "Star Child" born though. A super Psyker who would beat the hell outta the oppressors, a la Paul M of Dune ... That could be the campaign - the race to protect the psyker.

L

in my mind humanity doesn't fall. but it flourishes in some areas. others have been overrun and destroyed. others fallen under alien domination. some human strongholds will be held by the Ecclesiasrchy, others by corporate/merchantile interests, others under military, others the adeptus mechanicus.....others by whomever. the scenario described would merit this kind of break up of humanity with no unified rule esp coming from the factionalization that was inherent in the 41st millenium.

i can imagine real innovation moving ahead finally and the folks either living more or less oppresed than before. the power of the inquisition would be effectively broken. their mandate eradicated. i can envision the Space Marines exceeding their 40K limitations...holding and defending large swathes of space and also going well past their numerical limitations appearing in pre-Heresy numbers.

tech heresies will most likely be a thing of the past. as will many old xenos prejudices. why? convenience, expedience and survival. in some areas the old prejudices will remain. in others they will be put aside and forgotten. trade in xenos goods will also flourish.

there will be efforts by some to unite the disparate and distant strongholds of humanity. others will seek to be left alone.

mankind does not have a single unifying agenda. we do not currently. in 40K they don't. post 40K they wont. truthfully , the post 40K universe can be your oyster to remake in the image that you see fit. unfettered by any serious preconceievd notion. man will be factionalized and splintered aperfect breeding ground for a brainstorm birth of ideas.

i disagree with the prospect that human beings would be lost and we would ALL be slaves. lets remember that human beings survived through very much the same thing before.

what would i do? 2 major factions of the adeptus in conflict the keeper of the old ways vs. those that believe in progress...made more powerful by corporations and merchantile interests wanting a new way of doing things...innovation. the old mechanicus seeing the Ecclesiarchy to some extent as allies. keepers of the old ways.

the idea of the Emperor still as god but even more distant than before. trade with those human socieities that have made contact and connected is established. alliances set.

the power of the Departmento Munitorum and Arbites are easily broken. the Munitorum and IG default to their own powerblocks. in some areas beholden to their human leaders. in others asserting military rule and martial law. other become mercenaries. the Navy has done the same...and in some marriages the navy and IG has formes their own military societies based on a roving mercenary culture. the arbites can become a power unto their own right. forming a stronger basis of ties to the population suppanting a number of local enforcer roles. being isolated and having nowhere to go. they evolve becoming a legal force for change on some worlds. on other worlds they BECOME the de facto world power. (see Judge Dredd).

the Inquisition is no more as we know it. much diminished they exist mainly on worlds clinging to the old ways. but with no mandate they have no extrajudicical powers for the most part.

the power of the Navigators grows immensely. having maintained immense power, immense standing armies and the only method of long distance fast warp travel...they become a major power. with the ability to aiod wars or hinder them, aid trade or hinder it. they have no desire of clinging to the old ways but realize the real dangers placed by denizens of the warp. the power dynamics of this alone can be amazing all on its own. mayhaps through this group, the power of the Inquisitionc an be restored to some extent. their job..root out all warp corruptions and manifestations and malignant xenos. heresies are a thing of the old days and inconsequential except in the aid of the warp.

then real question now becomes...how are psykers handled?