Hello,

I just finished a small sourcebook called the "Imperial Primer" (small, but still daunting on the details) and had a few questions.

What happened to all the fantastical beasts in the world of Warhammer Old World.... assuming it is the same world?

If there has ever been a need for a Dummies book, they need one for the world of Warhammer 40K

Thanks!

Dustin

Simple answer is that the two games are not in the same universe, even though apparently others have said they "boarder the same warp," which makes sense given it's the same Chaos Gods, same daemons, etc.

There's no real reason for any of the beasts of Warhammer to be in 40k. Sure, there are xenos and mutants but just because one is in one that doesn't necessarily mean its in the other.

I was just curious if humans pretty much slaughtered everything non-humans and Elves and Orks were already out on other planets or something.

Because of 40K's vast and confusing history, cultures, etc., I did not want to run this game. So, that is why the other GM in my group is doing that. BUT, my wife and I are trying to find more comprehensive materials that give a better picture of the world this game is set in (or Universe more or less). I got the book "Let the Galaxy Burn," but ****, despite the fact that there are some good stories, I have just as many questions.

As you can tell, I was not one of those War Gammers from the start or reading books set in the 40K Universe before playing this game

Dustin said:

I was unimpressed with Let the Galaxy Burn, but I bought it much for the same reason as you... to get accustomed to the setting.

I think the interesting thing is that in the core book for Dark Heresy it mentions that history is always getting lost and rediscovered (or something like that), so in a way, that kind of covers inconsistancy in various writings, I guess.

It is funny because when having to describe Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, I say "it's like a dark fantastical version of the renaissance" and it is really easy for most people to picture that. With Dark Heresy, I end up saying something like this "It's like Dune meets Chronicles of Ridick meets Blade Runner meets Starship Troopers with some H.P. Lovecraft thrown in the mix" and people look at me funny

I do have to say I am really enjoying this game a whole lot! I came into this from the Warhammer Fantasy side, so that is why I am a bit uncertain of this stuff.

While it's definitely not a primer of any sort, you may find this a decent resource for reference.

Here is an e-mail I got back from the Black Library:

"Hi,

The world of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 universe are separate.

Sincerely

Ragnar Karlsson
Direct Sales Manager
Black Library"

www.blacklibrary.com"

That answers my question about that!

btw, schoon, thanks for that link!

Dustin said:

Er...just to confuse things....The lost and the Damned, Page 77, under the heading Cosmic Monoliths:-

"The warhammer world is bound by storms of magic so that it remains isolated from other worlds in the human galaxy. Elsewhere the forces of the Imperium tenatiously fight the influences of chaos, so that that the open aggression of Chaos Champions and their forces is restricted to zones not controlled by the Imperium"

This is from an official GW book, albeit a very old one...

The link between the Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40K universes has been retconned away.

Dustin said:

When describing Dark Heresy to new people, I just describe it as a "game of intrigue, horror and action set in a dark future universe." That pretty well sums it up without having to go into all the various influences.

LuciusT said:

It's all about the visuals when it comes to the minds eye. I did leave out theme and that is exactly what you just described (I need to add that next time), but without a visual clue you might be describing an episode of Doctor Who

Dustin said:

I'm guessing you're making it too complex (except if the players you want to recruit are Dune, Ridick, Blade Runner, Starship Trooper (book), and Lovecraft fans like myself). You might also wanna add Alien(s) to that list

Sometimes all you need is "ORKZ IN SPACE!" Well, and show them the book with it's artwork and tell them a bit about the oppressive fanatical Empire and how it paradoxically is humanity's last best hope.

Yeah, I am making it too complicated. I guess am just not as comfortable in this bulky power suit as you guys are

At the same time that I had written an e-mail to Black Library about this question, I had sent Games Workshop the same. John Spencer asnwered it by saying:

"No, it is not. It has been implied that it may be a world in the 40K
universe, but never specified."

Lightbringer, you were right! Although me and the other GM were joking about how this could be a posibillity.